The title "The Cosby Show" - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

cheesecakehead · 04-04-2010, 05:09 AM

I don't know if this has ever been mentioned before, but I guess I'll begin this by saying, does anyone else ever get confused when they're watching and think the character's last names are Cosby. And that Cliff's name is Bill. Yes, I know that it's Bill Cosby's show like George Lopez is the name of George Lopez's show. But still, the way it's phrased leads you to believe it's a show about the Cosby family to the point where they are thought of as the Cosby's and detracts from the fact that their last name is Huxtable. For example, people reference the Cosby kids as in who's your favorite Cosby kid. I understand this is due to the grandiosity of the show, but their last name IS Huxtable.

tv star collector · 04-05-2010, 02:18 PM

There has been a long tradition in TV sitcoms for the show to be named after
its star (e.g., The Danny Thomas Show, The Phil Silvers Show, The Donna
Reed Show, The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show,, etc.) But,
they couldn't title the show about the Huxtable family The Bill Cosby Show, because there had already been a series with that name (in 1969). So,
in order to market the familiar "Cosby" name, it was simply titled The Cosby Show. A later sitcom was titled (to avoid confusion) simply Cosby. BTW, the title of Bill's Saturday morning
cartoon series, Fat Albert & the Cosby Kids, made less sense. Only two of the main
characters--Bill and his brother Russell--actually had the last name Cosby. I don't think we ever
found out the last names for the other kids.

Similarly, Bob Newhart starred in three self-titled sitcoms: The Bob Newhart Show, Newhart and the short-lived Bob.

TMC · 03-23-2011, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tv star collector

There has been a long tradition in TV sitcoms for the show to be named after
its star (e.g., The Danny Thomas Show, The Phil Silvers Show, The Donna
Reed Show, The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show,, etc.) But,
they couldn't title the show about the Huxtable family The Bill Cosby Show, because there had already been a series with that name (in 1969). So,
in order to market the familiar "Cosby" name, it was simply titled The Cosby Show. A later sitcom was titled (to avoid confusion) simply Cosby. BTW, the title of Bill's Saturday morning
cartoon series, Fat Albert & the Cosby Kids, made less sense. Only two of the main
characters--Bill and his brother Russell--actually had the last name Cosby. I don't think we ever
found out the last names for the other kids.

Similarly, Bob Newhart starred in three self-titled sitcoms: The Bob Newhart Show, Newhart and the short-lived Bob.

I never fully understood why Cosby wasn't just called One Foot in the Grave like its British counterpart. Calling it Cosby (which is extremely generic) just makes it sound like it's still about the Huxtables. I guess the powers-that-be felt that it's easier to market a show with Bill Cosby's name in the title than just calling it The Huxtable Family.

old grouch · 03-24-2011, 01:04 PM

Bill Cosby also had a couple of short lived 70's variety shows named after him: 'The New Bill Cosby Show' and 'Cos'.

Prince Michael · 06-26-2011, 07:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tv star collector

Similarly, Bob Newhart starred in three self-titled sitcoms: The Bob Newhart Show, Newhart and the short-lived Bob.

Bob Newhart appeared in "The Bob Newhart Show" from 1961 -- 1962 and "The Bob Newhart Show" from 1972 -- 1978 .

TVFactFan · 07-15-2011, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by old grouch

Bill Cosby also had a couple of short lived 70's variety shows named after him: 'The New Bill Cosby Show' and 'Cos'.

Those were variety shows so the title wasn't a big deal

04-04-2010, 05:09 AM	#1
cheesecakehead Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Dec 23, 2009 Location: Henderson, Nevada Posts: 42	The title "The Cosby Show" I don't know if this has ever been mentioned before, but I guess I'll begin this by saying, does anyone else ever get confused when they're watching and think the character's last names are Cosby. And that Cliff's name is Bill. Yes, I know that it's Bill Cosby's show like George Lopez is the name of George Lopez's show. But still, the way it's phrased leads you to believe it's a show about the Cosby family to the point where they are thought of as the Cosby's and detracts from the fact that their last name is Huxtable. For example, people reference the Cosby kids as in who's your favorite Cosby kid. I understand this is due to the grandiosity of the show, but their last name IS Huxtable.
	Last edited by cheesecakehead; 04-04-2010 at 02:58 PM.

04-05-2010, 02:18 PM	#2
tv star collector I Love Susie Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Oct 18, 2005 Location: South Carolina Posts: 4,486	There has been a long tradition in TV sitcoms for the show to be named after its star (e.g., The Danny Thomas Show, The Phil Silvers Show, The Donna Reed Show, The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show,, etc.) But, they couldn't title the show about the Huxtable family The Bill Cosby Show, because there had already been a series with that name (in 1969). So, in order to market the familiar "Cosby" name, it was simply titled The Cosby Show. A later sitcom was titled (to avoid confusion) simply Cosby. BTW, the title of Bill's Saturday morning cartoon series, Fat Albert & the Cosby Kids, made less sense. Only two of the main characters--Bill and his brother Russell--actually had the last name Cosby. I don't think we ever found out the last names for the other kids. Similarly, Bob Newhart starred in three self-titled sitcoms: The Bob Newhart Show, Newhart and the short-lived Bob.

03-24-2011, 01:04 PM	#4
old grouch Member Senior Member Join Date: May 13, 2010 Location: montana Posts: 1,877	Bill Cosby also had a couple of short lived 70's variety shows named after him: 'The New Bill Cosby Show' and 'Cos'.