For obvious reasons Bill Cosby’s The Cosby Show disappeared from cable when the star of the show began facing rape allegations. Many fans of the show decried what Cosby may have done, but still wanted the show on the air.
Bounce, an Atlanta-based network, ran reruns of The Cosby Show up until July 7th 2015 when the shows were pulled from the schedule. Several other networks stopped running the sitcom as well because Cosby is under scrutiny for rape and sexual misconduct. He faces potential trial for the allegations, which he has denied.
Regardless of his personal life, fans miss The Cosby Show. And since the people have spoken, it’s back. Bounce TV will air reruns starting on December 19th.
Why does this matter?
It’s a question of whether the actions of a star reflect on the entertainment they put out in the world. Cosby had an image of being in real life like the dad. Cliff Huxtable, he played on The Cosby Show. The rape allegations in some ways tainted the show, but in reality he was always an actor playing a part.
Airing or not airing the old episodes was really a question of what was proper given the many woman who had levied allegations against the star. in some ways it’s a very similar question as to whether radio stations should still play Michael Jackson’s music given the child rape allegations made, but never proven against him.
The Cosby Show was important TV
The Cosby Show first aired in 1984. centered around the Huxtables, a successful and fun family of six living in Brooklyn. Named “TV’s biggest hit in the 1980s” fans liked the show when they first saw it and were happy to rewatch the episodes in the following years. The show was also important in that its lead characters were a successful African American lawyer and doctor married couple. That was groundbreaking for an American sitcom at the time and the show paved the way for today’s (slightly) more diverse sitcoms.
