Timeless.

This morning I was watching people from the cast of The Cosby Show on tv this morning. They were celebrating the 25th anniversary of the show. I remember when the show first started. My father was somewhat picky about the television he would allow us to watch. I remember that anytime they said parental discretion advised, our parents did not allow us to watch. Sometimes we were sent to bed. Sometimes they changed the channel.

Imagine my surprise when my father ENCOURAGED us to watch The Cosby Show. He even taped episodes so that we could see them later. Or was he screening the episodes first? I think the only other programming he taped and insisted we watch was PBS documentary level stuff, so this show always stuck out in my mind because of that. I remember being confused, like you’re taping a regular television show? What’s up with that? What really surprised us though, was that the show was funny. Like we’re being encouraged to watch something that is not boring (I enjoy my PBS now, but I did have to develop an appreciation)? It also made us think sometimes.  I think it is really sad that one of the major attacks on the show was that it was not realistic because the parents were professional and had a loving marriage and expectations of their well-behaved children.  How sad is that?

They discussed how the show changed perceptions of black families and how that shift in perceptions may have aided the Barack Obama candidacy and how network television is lacking in the diversity, standards and quality that was found on The Cosby Show. It’s been over two decades and the show is still funny and relevant (not to mention all of the people who got their start in the business on the show). I guess my dad has good taste where television is concerned. Now his black t-shirt collection, totally different story.