Earl Pomerantz Movies

The family wants Denise (Lisa Bonet) to attend Hillman College, thereby upholding the Huxtable tradition: Hillman is the alma mater of both Denise's dad Cliff (Bill Cosby) and her granddad Russell (Earle Hyman, in his first series appearance). When she indicates that she'd rather make up her own mind about choosing a college, she risks facing the wrath of the imperious Russell, who back when Cliff had demonstrated a similar lack of enthusiasm over Hillman was offered a choice by his father: "You go or you die." It helps the situation not at all that Russell had earlier been barred from entering the Huxtable home thanks to a misunderstanding on the part of grandson Theo (Malcolm-Jamal Warner)! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The series that literally rescued the moribund situation comedy genre from oblivion, NBC's The Cosby Show made its first appearance on September 20, 1984. By the time its first season was over, the series was the second-highest-rated program in the country, enabling NBC to build a brand-new sitcom empire with such popular offerings as Frasier, Seinfeld, and Friends. Bill Cosby was of course the creator of the series, in concert with the Carsey-Werner Company, whose later efforts included Roseanne, 3rd Rock From the Sun, and That '70s Show. Cosby played the leading character, Dr. Cliff Huxtable, a successful obstetrician who lived in a fashionable Brooklyn townhouse with his attorney wife, Clair (played by Phylicia Ayers-Allen, later billed as Phylicia Rashad). The couple's children included daughters Sondra (Sabrina Le Beauf), Denise (Lisa Bonet), Vanessa (Tempestt Bledsoe), and Rudy (Keshia Knight Pulliam) and son Theo (Malcolm-Jamal Warner). Among the many other characters were Cliff's dad, Russell (Earle Hyman), and mom, Anna (Clarice Taylor); Sondra's boyfriend -- and later husband -- Elvin Tibedeaux (Geoffrey Owens); Theo's pal Cockroach (Carl Anthony Payne II); Rudy's friends Peter (Peter Costa) and Kenny (Deon Richmond); Vanessa's boyfriend Dabnis (William Thomas Jr.); Clair's second cousin, Bedford-Stuyvesant refugee Pam Turner (Erika Alexander); and Pam's friends Slida (Mushond Lee), Charmaine (Karen Malina White), and Lance (Allen Payne). Also, after briefly leaving the series to star in her own series, A Different World, Lisa Bonet returned in the role of Denise, then-married to Lt. Martin Kendall (Joseph C. Phillips) and stepmother of Martin's daughter, Olivia (Raven-Symone). Increasing the number of family members were Sondra and Elvin's twin children, Winnie and Nelson, played during the series' final season by Jessica Vaughn and Gary Gray. Unlike many sitcoms with African-American casts, The Cosby Show did not overemphasize its racial aspects, nor did it traffic in stereotypical characters or dialogue. Put simply, the Huxtables could have been any upper-middle-class family of any color, and it was their normality and universality that made the series a hit with viewers from all ethnic groups. The winner of innumerable industry awards, and America's top-rated sitcom for a remarkable five years in a row, The Cosby Show finished its network run on September 17, 1992, and has been a welcome fixture in the syndicated-rerun field ever since. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When Sam (Ted Danson) turns down the opportunity, Coach (Nicholas Colasanto) accepts a job managing a Little League team. Unfortunately, Coach mercilessly rides the kids as if they were adults; as a result, the team quits en masse. Back at Cheers, Cliff (John Ratzenberger) and Norm (George Wendt) learn the hard way that "Neither a borrower nor a lender be" is not merely a quote from Shakespeare. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Angered when Diane (Shelley Long) laughingly points out that he only dates airheads, Sam (Ted Danson) makes it his mission in life to find a more intellectual female companion. Diane stops laughing when Sam finds a girl who may actually have half a brain. Meanwhile, an old customer demands to see Cheers' owner immediately, if not sooner. This episode represents the only appearance of Sam Malone's ex-wife Debra (played by Broadway musical comedy headliner Donna McKechnie). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Elaine (Marilu Henner) has nowhere to go when she is forced out of her apartment. Well, almost nowhere: Fellow cabbie and erstwhile Bobby (Jeff Conaway) generously invites Elaine to live in his place while he is on tour with a road show. Things get a bit ticklish when, thanks to a professional indiscretion, Bobby returns home earlier than expected, and Bobby comes home -- with Elaine still installed as his "roommate." What follows is a comedy of errors and misunderstandings that would put a French farce to shame. ~ All Movie Guide

Stressed out from juggling her job as a cabbie with her responsibilities as a single mother and her burgeoning art-curator career, poor Elaine (Marilu Henner) finally snaps during a major art-gallery event. Reliable old Alex (Judd Hirsch) offers to drive Elaine home and help her calm down -- a gesture which Elaine apparently misinterprets as an invitation to have sex. But it is only after Elaine agrees to undergo therapy that Alex allows any thoughts of romance to dance in his own head. Cult-film favorite Mary Woronov (Eating Raoul) guest stars as an avant-garde artist, while future Star Trek: Voyager regular Robert Picardo also makes an appearance. ~ All Movie Guide

Obliged to go out of town for a state middleweight championship, Tony (Tony Danza) entrusts the care of his beloved goldfish to his best friend, Bobby (Jeff Conaway). Alas, the self-involved Bobby neglects his responsibility, and before long Tony's pets are "sleeping with the fishes." The inconsolable Tony breaks off his friendship with Bobby, whose ham-handed efforts to make amends succeed only in making a bad situation worse -- or do they? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Hired as a sparring partner for champion Carlos Navarone (played by real-life WBC welterweight champ Carlos Palomino), Tony (Jeff Conaway) is amazed when he decks Navarone with a single blow. Armed with a surfeit of confidence, Tony eagerly looks forward to a big-time boxing match -- until he discovers that his K.O. of Carlos was only a publicity scam. Watch for the real punch (as opposed to a "stage" punch) delivered by one boxer to another in the final locker-room scene. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Shy Bobby (Randall Carver) conspires with self-assured Tony (Tony Danza) to come up with a sure-fire "line" for picking up chicks. At Mario's Restaurant, the nervous John finally gets up the gumption to approach a girl and deliver his can't-fail line: "Let's skip the preliminaries -- let's get married." The strategy works a bit too well: the next morning, John finds himself with a brand-new wife and a nonplussed set of in-laws. Ellen Regan makes her first series appearance as Suzanne. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

John Amos, riding high as one of the stars of the landmark miniseries Roots, guest stars as former WJM-TV weatherman Gordy Howard. Having become a successful New York talk show host, Gordy returns triumphantly to the old Minneapolis newsroom. Both impressed and envious, anchorman Ted Baxter (Ted Knight) tries to wangle a job as Gordy's co-host -- and it's "open mouth, insert foot" all over again. "Hail the Conquering Gordy" was first telecast on February 5, 1977. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Suffering a mild heart attack while on the air, bombastic anchorman Ted Baxter (Ted Knight) suddenly experiences an epiphany. Now it is a "kinder, gentler" Ted who greets the newsroom staff with daily philosophical ramblings (his discourse on a grain of salt is not to be missed). Is it any wonder that the gang is soon on the verge of insanity, hoping against hope that the "old" Ted will come back without delay? "Ted's Change of Heart" originally aired on October 23, 1976. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide