Today in Television History (September 20th, 1984): The First Episode of "The Cosby Show" Airs on NBC!
On September 20th, 1984, the first episode of the iconic 80s sitcom, "The Cosby Show", aired on NBC. The show was created by (along with two other co-creators) and starred Bill Cosby. The show had a total of 201 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons, including a special outtakes special. The show ran for almost 8 years, with the final episode airing on April 30th, 1992. "The Cosby Show" spent five consecutive seasons at the number-one spot of the highest-rated television shows, and, along with the 70s classic sitcom, "All in the Family", is the only sitcom in the history of the Nielsen ratings to be the number-one show for five seasons. It is also the only scripted TV show with a predominantly African-American cast to top the Nielsen ratings. TV Guide later listed the series as "TV's biggest hit in the 1980s", while also ranking it as the 28th greatest show of all time on their list of "50 Greatest Shows".
