by Kevin Lockett

Created on: June 07, 2009

25 years ago, one of the best television shows ever to bring families together debuted on NBC.

Created by long time comedian/actor Bill Cosby, The Cosby Show (1984-92) was based was around the Coz's stand up routines on fatherhood and marriage.

While African Americans families had been featured on television shows before, The Cosby Show's Huxtable family were different. They did not deal with urban issues like the Evans family on Good Times nor did they exhibit affluent over-the-top attitudes of George Jefferson on The Jeffersons.

The Huxtables with father Dr. Cliff (Cosby), his lawyer wife Clair (Phylicia Rashad) and their kids Theo (Malcolm Jamal Warner), Denise (Lisa Bonet), Vanessa (Tempestt Bledsoe) Sondra (Sabrina Le Beuaf) and Rudy (Keisha Knight Pulliam) were a down to earth, upper middle class family who dealt with life by using humor, love and communication.

Although hints of Race within the show via artwork, music, clothing and usage of veteran African American and Latin American actors, Race was not its focal point; The importance of family was its foundation as well as the playful and many times sexy love affair between Cliff and Claire, (which seems to be currently channeled by President Barack and First Lady Michelle Obama).

By focusing on family and less on Race, The Cosby Show was able to bring in wider audience, which led to it's almost yearly dominance of being the #1 rated show on television.

Some critics thought that idea of African American lawyer and doctor married to each other was not realistic. For bigots who still had problems with racism or minorities living in lower middle class on poor situations who never seen a couples like that in their neighborhood, this was probably true. But Cosby wanted to show that even though The Cosby Show was a television series, an African American doctor married to an African American lawyer raising their kids in a positive loving home could be a reality.

The Cosby Show not only impacted the TV landscape in the 1980s, but also pop culture in the 1990s and today. Some of its influences includes:

Music producer Quincy Jones tapping a young rapper and novice actor named The Fresh Prince to star in the NBC comedy the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The show not only became a hit, but Will Smith became the biggest box office star in the world.

Fox Television basing their programs around African American shows in the early 90s. The programs ranged from over the top (Martin) to groundbreaking

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