The Cosby Show: Redefining Family Comedy and Cultural Representation

A sitcom which refers to a commodity consumed by masses and developed periodically on a similar pattern but with an aspect of flexibility to allow it to be sold as a relatively new product after every few years include Shows as seen in the case of ‘The Cosby Shows’[1]

The Cosby Shows including “Cliff Babysits” (January 12th, 1989), ”Is there a Hamster in the House?” (December 15th, 1988) And ”If the Dress Fits, Wear it” (December 8th, 1988) transformed the global perceptions towards stand-up comedy and television shows based on personalities. The success of The Cosby Show was evident as the sitcom was able to gear up to compose half of the top ten shows in its second season in the United States of America airwaves[2]. The Cosby sitcom was able to establish a huge fan base due to its distinct representation of class and race in the American society. The sitcom was able to evolve and represent different themes over time as witnessed in the different shows between 1988 and 1989.

Daily Life of Americans

The Cosby Shows were centered on humor, and the representation of ideas elicited laughter based on articulation. Humor can be argued as universal, but the intensity and variety of comic and jokes vary across cultures[3]. In ”If the Dress Fits, Wear It’, Clair is struggling to lose weight to fit into an old dress. The ordeal of undergone by Clair involves a crash diet and an intensive exercise program. It is a depiction of what Americans go through on a daily basis to fit into societal expectations and standards. In ‘Cliff Babysits,’ the American family set up is portrayed on how they cope with child upbringing and the role played by siblings in the learning process of children. The Cosby show ”Is There a Hamster in the House” represents the varying priorities in the daily lives of Americans. Ruby informs her friend of the death of the Hamster and the reaction she receives surprises her. While some Americans have the luxury to keep pets including Hamsters, others struggle to meet daily basic needs[4]. Cosby Shows were successful due to the ability of the audience to identify with the themes in the various episodes.

Comedies around Real Life Issues

The Cosby Shows represented real-life issues in the American society. The issues represented by Cosby Show surround family, social interactions and romance. However, the focus on a black family on the middle social class fails to capture the ordeal of African Americans in the lower economic level[5]. In the shows ”Cliff Babysits,” ”If the Dress Fits, Wear It’ and ”Is There a Hamster in the House” the episodes are a humorous depiction of American middle-class issues. Comedies focus themes on the lives of the primary target audience. Cosby Show is successful in representing the real-life issues of its primary audience which was in this case majorly the American middle class

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Bibliography

AV Club (firm). 2012. How The Cosby Show spoke to race and class in ’80s America. (Online). Available at; https://tv.avclub.com/how-the-cosby-show-spoke-to-race-and-class-in-80s-amer-1798234177. Accessed on January 20th, 2018.

Cosby, Bill, Phylicia Rashad, Sabrina Le Beauf, Lisa Bonet, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Tempestt Bledsoe, and Keshia Knight Pulliam. 2007. The Best of Cosby show. [Los Angeles, Calif.]: First Look Home Entertainment.

Critchley, Simon. 2017. Humor. [S.L.]: Routledge.

Gray, Herman. 1991. ”Recordings: Possibilities and limitations in commercial television representations of African American culture”. Quarterly Review of Film and Video. 13 (1-3): 117-130.

Mills, Brett. 2008. Television sitcom. London: British Film Institute.

[1] Mills, Brett. 2008. Television sitcom. London: British Film Institute.

[2] AV Club (firm). 2012. How The Cosby Show spoke to race and class in ’80s America. (Online). Available at; https://tv.avclub.com/how-the-cosby-show-spoke-to-race-and-class-in-80s-amer-1798234177. Accessed on January 20th, 2018.

[3]

Critchley, Simon. 2017. Humor. [S.L.]: Routledge

[4] Cosby, Bill, Phylicia Rashad, Sabrina Le Beauf, Lisa Bonet, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Tempestt Bledsoe, and Keshia Knight Pulliam. 2007. The Best of Cosby show. [Los Angeles, Calif.]: First Look Home Entertainment.

[5] Gray, Herman. 1991. ”Recodings: Possibilities and limitations in commercial television representations of African American culture”. Quarterly Review of Film and Video. 13 (1-3): 117-130.