The Cosby Show: Blacks in Mainstream America

The Cosby Show is a marvelous example of African-American culture being launched into the American media mainstream. A staple of 1980s television, the Cosby Show "revived the sitcom genre and NBC's ratings fortunes." A black family had become the the focus of millions of families every week, white and black alike. The show did this by successfully breaking down negative black stereotypes, and by focusing on a black family that was affluent, smart, witty, and relatable to any American.

The show follows the Huxtables, an African-American family residing in Brooklyn Heights. Bill Cosby stars as Cliff, the patriarch of the family, and a doctor. His wife, portrayed by Phylicia Rashad, is an attorney. They have four daughters and a son, each with a unique flavor that adds to the family dynamic. The Huxtables are the staple of the show. Nothing is more relatable to an American audience than a fun, productive family. The professional means of financial success within the family also defy negative black stereotypes pertaining to economic and social troubles. The family's functional and loving nature is highlighted by the wisdom of Cosby's character. Episode to episode, the Huxtables encounter countless problems that are typical of families, and Cosby approaches these problems with such a wonderful grace and humor that one cannot help but love him.

Through his appeal to similarities between the races, Cosby granted a group of African-Americans the spotlight of television throughout the 80s. The Cosby Show showed America that African-Americans are capable of achieving the status of the model family, and that they share our humor, problems, and ideas. The Cosby Show launched African-Americans into mainstream America.