The Cosby Show

Zachary Jaglowski Prof. Ghen Dennis–Zando Media Literacy 11/23/14 The Cosby Show’s Context in American Television The Cosby Show, was developed by actor Bill Cosby as a means to address the issues of negative black stereotyping in American media. Cosby set out to change how the media characterizes “typical black family in America. To undo what the misconceptions and misrepresentation of African Americans in earlier television shows. To change our society's perceived notions of African Americans

Critics’ reaction to the “The Cosby Show” The Cosby Show created a controversial impression. The auditory liked this show; its positive attitude was supported by TV ratings. The series had a successful premier and kept high ratings during next seasons. “The Cosby Show achieved a 33.7 rating for 1985-86 and then 34.9 for 1986-87” (Staiger 144). Experts also gave mostly positive comments; they liked the humor, character’s acting, mise en scenes and the overall impression of episodes. “Its overall style

The Cosby Show, which consists of eight seasons and numerous episode was aired in between 1984 and 1992on NBC. The show is about an upper middle class African American family living in a New York that consists of 7 members in a family with four daughters and a son. The main character was played by Bill Cosby who has done numerous standup comedy and earn lots of recognition during his career. The show was based on comedy acts perform by Bill Cosby on his standup comedy, which was based on his family

(“The Relationship Between Television and Culture”). The Cosby Show, a situational comedy that aired from 1984-1992, and The Middle, which aired from 2009-present, are both perfect examples of how television mirrors the daily life one observes in America. The shift between The Cosby Show of the 1980s and modern sitcom The Middle contains surface differences, but ultimately reflects fluctuations in the economy and family life. The Cosby Show follows the Huxtable family, an upper-middle-class African

wealthy middle class folk, “The Cosby Show” challenged dominant cultures understanding of blackness. The family sitcom managed to dispel old stereotypes of blacks, while providing a more respected and realistic portrayal of typical black families. Bill Cosby’s attempts to be educational while subtly addressing issues such as black male stereotypes, discrimination, and other socially relevant topics. The show was perceived differently by blacks and non-blacks. The Cosby show features the Huxtable family

problems in sitcoms in the 1980s, and three shows that addressed racism were The Cosby Show, A Different World, and Diff’rent Strokes. The Cosby Show was an American television sitcom that ran from September 20, 1984 to April 30, 1992. The show focused on an African-American family (The Huxtables) who were an upper middle class family living in Brooklyn, New York. The family was very wealthy

The Huxtable family in The Cosby Show represents the overarching achievement of the American dream through an African American family. According to Marvin Riggs’s 1992 documentary Color Adjustment there were two types of images of African Americans in the media. On one hand, the news showed the social and racial tensions that enveloped the post-civil rights era. On the other hand, primetime television depicted social harmony among the races–an image that most Americans understood as inaccurate.

Fighting Charges of Assimilation in Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun and The Cosby Show The critical reception of The Cosby Show, an enormously popular television sitcom in the 1980's, roughly paralleled that of A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry's highly acclaimed play of the 1950's. Both the television series and the play helped change the way Blacks are portrayed in the entertainment media. But despite being initially greeted with critical praise, both subsequently fell under heavy

‘Black Family Imagery and Interactions on Television’ shows that during the period from 1980 to 1985, there are investigation the images and interactions of black family dawn on television to examine changes caused by black TV family. In 1980, ‘Gordon Berry’ shows frequent representations of black, minority, and lower class lifestyle appearing, but these are changed. There are three comedies to compare the black family during 1985-1986. ‘The Cosby Show,’‘227,’ and ‘Charlie & Company’ split by role significance

When television shows were first aired, the majority of the main characters were white, if you saw someone of color they were most likely playing the role of a servant. According to pbs.org, in 1983 there was a shift in television when NBC aired an all-Black cast sitcom, The Cosby Show. The Cosby Show was the first show that did not promote negative racial slurs within the media. Sitcoms are affecting American culture negatively by promoting detrimental stereotypes. “Maybe Brown People aren’t so