Can anyone help me with a school project about The Cosby Show???

[sfbmetalwise]

I was wondering if anyone here could help me out with a project I am doing for my Televsion History class. I have to re-create the 1988-1989 NBC Fall line-up usuing shows from any network and any year of the 1950's. One of the shows from the '88 line-up was obviously The Cosby Show at 8:00 on Thursday night.

I have to find a show from the '50's that is similar to The Cosby Show. What I am looking for is not necessarily the same exact genre or type of show (although it definitely could be), but a show with a similar tone. It could be the subject of the show that is similar, the characters, shows that capture the same target audience, shows that contain similar cultural or politcal aspects of the time, or shows that addressed social issues of that time. It could be any of these criteria or simply just a similar type of show.

Some of the examples that my professor gave to me were:
"Gritty westerns are a lot like gritty crime shows. Yet Bonanza (a western) was really a family drama, more like The Waltons than Deadwood. Variety hours in one decade might easily pass for dramadies in another. Reality shows and sports shows may well capture the same target audience. Law and Order in the '90s isn't much different from the Playhouse 90 series of the 50s. Audiences might watch both for the very same reasons."

I already have some ideas but I am only 20 years old so I was just wondering if there were any older people out there that might have a better knowledge of shows from the 50s or the 80s than I would. I really appreciate any opinions or info you might have to offer. If you want feel free to email me any time at sfbmetal@yahoo.com . Thanks, Scott