moriarty@fluke.UUCP (The Napoleon of Crime) (09/24/84)
Well, one usually hopes that, once a year, one comedy and one drama will pop
up that is truly entertaining. Come to think of it, I can't remember what
qualified last year (Cheers & Hill Street & St. Elsewhere were already
around), but this year, at least the comedy end has been kept up. The Cosby
Show is very, very funny, due almost entirely to Bill Cosby. I've been a
fan of his for years; the reason I bought a stereo was not to play music on,
it was that my parent's mono player wouldn't play Cosby's records. He has
transformed his humor, over the last decade, from looking at things from a
kid's point of view to that of a parents, but he has lost none of his
ability to spot and mine humor in this area, and this show displays that.
This is not a maudlin sit-com... in fact, there is a scene where his son
explains that he feels that his parents are expecting too much of him, as
they are professionals (Cosby plays a pediatrician, and his wife is a
psychiatrist); it sounds just like something out of your average "Happy
Days" episode (there is even applause from the stage audience, ala "The
Jeffersons"); Cosby shatters the mood (and my composure) by saying "That's
the DUMBEST thing I've ever heard!" I laughed HARD at least 5 times during
the season premiere, and was chuckling continously. Cosby seems to be in
complete creative control here, and that bodes well for the rest of the
season. It would seems that NBC's excellent Thursday night is now even
better. Give this sucker an A+ -- watch it!
Be there. Aloha.
Moriarty, aka Jeff Meyer
John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc.
UUCP:
{cornell,decvax,ihnp4,sdcsvax,tektronix,utcsrgv}!uw-beaver \
{allegra,gatech!sb1,hplabs!lbl-csam,decwrl!sun,ssc-vax} -- !fluke!moriarty
ARPA:
fluke!moriarty@uw-beaver.ARPAwjt@hound.UUCP (Bill TAGGART) (09/24/84)
I disagree with Moriarty's (aka, Jeff Meyers) A+ rating for the
the new Bill Cosby show. While I laughed also during the show,
it was a plotless show full of contrived scenes to allow
Cosby to deliver a few good one-liners. I predict this show will
be an early casualty.
Bill Taggart
..!inhp4!houmx!hound!wjtables@ut-ngp.UUCP (King Ables) (09/27/84)
While I enjoyed his new show, the problem I saw was many of the
gags were acted out gags from his HBO show of last year. Yes,
they're hysterical, but they're old (at least for me) so I only
smiled at some of them, rather than laugh uproariously like I
did the first time. Plus, the way he told some of them on HBO
was actually better than the way they're acted out in this show.
Either the gags are meant to be related 2nd hand, or the actors/tresses
aren't getting the right mood behind the lines. I think the show
will last this season, being on with other highly rated shows (however
knowning NBC, it may not get much of a chance against the guy with
the Ferrari.
Karnak: Magnum, P. I.
Ed: Magnum, P. I.
Karnak: <tear> <blow> <extract> How do you say "I want to go to the
bathroom in Latin?"
-King
ARPA:ables@ut-ngp
UUCP:{ctvax,ihnp4,kpno,seismo}!ut-sally!ut-ngp!ablesurban@trwspp2.UUCP (09/27/84)
In article <hound.632> wjt@hound.UUCP (Bill TAGGART) writes: >... I predict this show [Cosby] will be an early casualty. Well, it won't be an EARLY casualty; last week, the new Cosby show was #1 in the national Nielsons . NBC struggles back... Mike
dsmith@uiucuxc.UUCP (09/28/84)
#R:vax2:-137600:uiucuxc:17400007:000:1005 uiucuxc!dsmith Sep 28 09:56:00 1984 I saw Cosby's show for the first time last night (I suppose it was the second episode, the one in which his youngest child's goldfish, Lamont, dies). Although I would agree that it is mainly Cosby which makes the show what it is, I believe he is quite ably assisted by the rest of the cast. Perhaps the basic setup is familiar - a working couple with a number of precocious children - but the characterizations are far from stereotypical. I loved it last night when the children tell their father that its okay to be weird at home, but not to go outside! It was very real; which I think is a large part of Cosby's attraction. He creates humor from everyday type situations, as opposed to ones which are contrived - which is the standard in sitcoms. I think its great to have Cosby back on tv. I think its great to have a sitcom revolving around a middle-class Black family. I think its great to have such a unique and funny sitcom on tv. (By the way, his wife is a lawyer, not a psychiatrist)