Would you say The Cosby Show is on the same level of entertainment as...........

[TVFactFan]

The Jeffersons
Good Times
Sanford and Son



I think not. TCS will never been on the same level as these great classic comedies of the 70's. Cliff Huxtable will never be remembered like George Jefferson, Fred Sanford, and James Evans.

[dlemond]

Originally posted by TVShow Analyzer
The Jeffersons
Good Times
Sanford and Son



I think not. TCS will never been on the same level as these great classic comedies of the 70's. Cliff Huxtable will never be remembered like George Jefferson, Fred Sanford, and James Evans.

I certainly don't think that The Cosby Show is as entertaining to me.

But don't forget that it is a "family show" and the laughs and stories aren't geared toward the same audience.

[Chambers]

TCS is a classic and will always be a classic.

And, yes, it's a "family show." No pretensions. Just feel-good humor.

[barwars]

I would say so.
Actually, no.

They're not on the same level.... The Cosby Show is higher.
Just take a look at that Yahoo TV Dads poll.... Cliff Huxtable is remembered better than George Jefferson, Fred Sanford, and James Evans COMBINED.

I like all 4 shows.... but like dlemond said, The Cosby Show appeals to the whole family, while none of the other 3 are for everybody.

[vashti1999]

Originally posted by barwars

They're not on the same level.... The Cosby Show is higher.
Just take a look at that Yahoo TV Dads poll.... Cliff Huxtable is remembered better than George Jefferson, Fred Sanford, and James Evans COMBINED.

I like all 4 shows

I agree with that. Cliff Huxtable is definitely a character that will be remembered. Alot of what Bill Cosby is known for is family humor, even before the Cosby Show came along, so his character is just an extension of Bill Cosby himself, and people will probably always think of Cliff Huxtable when thinking of (Black / father) sitcom characters, more so than the other three.

[TVFactFan]

Originally posted by barwars
I would say so.
Actually, no.

They're not on the same level.... The Cosby Show is higher.
Just take a look at that Yahoo TV Dads poll.... Cliff Huxtable is remembered better than George Jefferson, Fred Sanford, and James Evans COMBINED.

I like all 4 shows.... but like dlemond said, The Cosby Show appeals to the whole family, while none of the other 3 are for everybody.

HIGHER????????, ARE you kiddin me? You Got to be kiddin me?

[JT]

Originally posted by barwars
The Cosby Show appeals to the whole family

Funny...everyone in my house hates The Cosby Show's guts.

[spunkygirl]

Originally posted by barwars
I would say so.
Actually, no.

They're not on the same level.... The Cosby Show is higher.
Just take a look at that Yahoo TV Dads poll.... Cliff Huxtable is remembered better than George Jefferson, Fred Sanford, and James Evans COMBINED.

I like all 4 shows.... but like dlemond said, The Cosby Show appeals to the whole family, while none of the other 3 are for everybody.

I never take online polls seriously, they can be cheated very easily.

Plus maybe the N@N overkill has alot to do with him winning that poll? I mean it's not like you can forget him.

I say no TCS is a classic to some, but I guess I'm weird I don't find it funny and I know alot of people who dont get (like I do) what some see in this show)

I would say The Jeffersons, etc. are def. on a higher tv plane

[spunkygirl]

Originally posted by TVShow Analyzer
HIGHER????????, ARE you kiddin me? You Got to be kiddin me?

Solomon we agree on something

[Chambers]

In terms of popularity (not quality), TCS definitely wins. And I'm not talking about online polls. I'm talking about the number of countries in which I've seen reruns of that show. Most of the world's TV audience knows who Cosby is. Face it: a lot of people like TCS better! Now I don't even know what to say about "higher" or "lower" TV planes. I would question the validity of a subjective claim like that just as much as I would the validity of an online poll.

Anyway...these arguments are kind of pointless. If somebody doesn't like a show, then that's fine. Just don't expect to convert anybody.

[Mr. Television]

TCS is probably equal to those shows. It did afterall save the sitcom 20 rears ago and has been popular in reruns ever since. I personally like the Norman Lear shows better but a lot of today's youth don't understand that kind of comedy.

[kimkong21]

No. The dynamics are vastly differnt on TCS and Sanford and Son
Goodtimes was in a differnt place and time socially and economicaly, though the focus on family in these two shows was equally important yet presented differntly
The Jeffersons was funny ,but isn't even ,strictly my opinion,in the same leauge with TCS.

[jamesanthony]

Originally posted by mr roper
TCS is probably equal to those shows. It did afterall save the sitcom 20 rears ago and has been popular in reruns ever since. I personally like the Norman Lear shows better but a lot of today's youth don't understand that kind of comedy.

I agree with this especially that younger viewers are less likely to understand the Norman Lear shows esp All in the Family. I think you need to have lived life a bit to really see the depth of the characterization of someone like Archie Bunker or Fred Sanford. Their outrageous comments and behavior were not just cartoonishness, though a child or teen could laugh at their antics; there was a lot of pain in these characterizations that rounded them out. Same thing with James Evans.

Cliff Huxtable wasn't as deep a characterization but more Bill Cosby's real life persona in a sitcom format and the presence of all those kids kept things lighter and bouncier. Almost all of Norman Lear's shows have things in them that are very disturbing and thought provoking: poverty, death, aging and not wanting to be abandoned in one's old age, children and parents who really have a hard time understanding each other. Cosby doesn't have these things and always has happy endings. Lear's shows have a lot of ugliness about them.

Which is of greater entertainment value is subjective and depends on what one considers entertaining, though people whose entertainment tastes are more escapist would probably go for Cosby rather than Lear.

[JT]

Originally posted by mr roper
TCS is probably equal to those shows. It did afterall save the sitcom 20 rears ago and has been popular in reruns ever since. I personally like the Norman Lear shows better but a lot of today's youth don't understand that kind of comedy.

OK I get sick to my STOMACH when people go on and on and on about how "The Cosby Show" saved the sitcom. Sure, sitcoms weren't highly rated, but there were MANY of them on, and I don't think some of them were ready for cancellation. "Kate and Allie" ranked #8 in the 1983-1984 season, even though it premeired in mid-season! People act as if all the networks were ready to pull the plug on all of their sitcoms but then "The Cosby Show" came along with its magic slingshot and smacked down the dramas, rescuing sitcoms from harm.

"The Cosby Show" is the sitcom's savior?...

[Mr. Television]

Originally posted by JT
OK I get sick to my STOMACH when people go on and on and on about how "The Cosby Show" saved the sitcom. Sure, sitcoms weren't highly rated, but there were MANY of them on, and I don't think some of them were ready for cancellation. "Kate and Allie" ranked #8 in the 1983-1984 season, even though it premeired in mid-season! People act as if all the networks were ready to pull the plug on all of their sitcoms but then "The Cosby Show" came along with its magic slingshot and smacked down the dramas, rescuing sitcoms from harm.

"The Cosby Show" is the sitcom's savior?...

Kate and Allie only aired about 4 shows by the end of that season and overall wasn't as big a hit as the Cosby Show. All the Other Shows in the top 20 sitcom wise were veteran shows who's best days were behind them. You can say that Cheers and Family Ties were around but before Cosby they weren't hits. Cheers barely escaped getting cancelled that first year and Family Ties was a mediocre hit being ranked in the 30's and 40's. The top shows in the early 80's were Primetime Soap Operas and Action Shows like Dallas and The A-Team. Before Cosby their was no NBC must see tv Thursday. Magnum and Simon and Simon were crushing the competion. After Cosby the whole NBC Thursday lineup volted into the top 20 including Night Court which had premiered the previous season and had been far from a hit. I don't like defending The Cosby Show but it is true. After Cosby debuted sitcoms came back and dominated tv for the rest of the decade.