TV Show: The Cosby Show

It’s Father’s Day, and it’s not easy for dads to find a good role model on television these days. However there is one show that, although not on the air anymore, still gives us a picture of a loving father who raised his children with discipline and responsibility. That’s the Cosby Show.

There were solid lessons taught on this show, but they were brought with great humor and humanity. Cliff and Clair were professionals who raised the Huxtable kids to appreciate their heritage, respect their elders, and understand the value of money. (“No boy should have a $95 shirt unless he’s on stage with his four brothers.”)

And the show offered a refreshing blend of reality (“I brought you into this world, and I can take you out of it”) mixed with a healthy dose of humor.

I especially appreciated the interaction between Cliff and son Theo. Here was a father who had high aspirations for his son, but who never expected more of the boy than his best. I was raising sons during that time, and appreciated seeing someone on TV with whom I could identify.

Yes, The Cosby Show did great things for pride in the black community, despite initial carping that non-middle-class blacks wouldn’t identify with a professional couple. As William Raspberry wrote at the show’s conclusion, “It taught us as television has rarely managed – and as too few of our leaders even attempt – how much alike we really are. And how little money, class, and race have to do with it. Thanks, Coz.”

The Cosby folks have asked YouTube not to allow embedding of videos from the show. However, you can see the great family lip synch to Ray Charles’s (Night Time Is) The Right Time here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSvGdfOfLFw