When I heard that the Cosby show was returning to television, I started singing Stevie Wonder's "Overjoyed!" Like many people online who've been sharing the news, I believe it is important for the Cosby Show re-runs to be part of our television choices. I had searched high and low for the show and even tried to find DVDs of the program at multiple stores but I came to the conclusion that all traces of the iconic program may have been erased. I was really devastated because the show was a reflection of the diversity of the African-American experience in America. It was also a reflection of my own family and many other people's families. Having a successful and highly educated Black family on television captured our truth and our experience. It broke the singular narrative of the Black experience in America which is even more important and critical today. To erase something that matters so much to many people for many reasons was a bit tragic to me. Bounce TV which is the first and only broadcast television network designed and programmed for African-American audiences has changed this. The Cosby Show re-runs will return back to Bounce TV and begin airing in December on their network.
I reached out to Bounce TV and the exclusively released the following statement to me saying that,
"Following the results of a qualitative research study which indicated demand from a vast majority of Bounce viewers to see The Cosby Show on television again, the network has made the decision to begin airing the series next month. While we take very seriously the accusations against Bill Cosby, our research showed that African-American consumers see a distinction between Bill Cosby, the man, and the iconic TV character Cliff Huxtable. Research and direct viewer feedback were the deciding factors in the network's decision to move forward. The desire among African Americans to see the show on TV again is being reinforced on social media based upon overwhelmingly positive viewer response since the announcement."
The Cosby Show is as important today as it was years ago. It is a show filled with lessons and laughter. It is also a show that showed the diversity and beauty of who we are in a way that shaped our society. Unlike what we've heard during this election year and even from our President-Elect, the African- American experience is not mutually exclusive to the inner city, poverty, drugs and poor education. The fact that people still think this today is beyond comprehension. Surely they've seen the reports that identify that African Americans had the highest rise to the middle class since the 1960's. They couldn't have missed the headline that factually detailed that African-American women are the highest graduating demographic group in higher education. Maybe they didn't or they are simply unaware. Maybe their ignorance doesn't come from some sort of supremacy ideal that positions African-Americans as inferior despite facts. Maybe it is just pure ignorance in the sense that some people are honestly unexposed and ill informed. This is why representation matters. This is why shows like the Cosby Show should still be in syndication. In matters of perception in the media and television, we cannot be restricted and bound to the singular narrative that associates all things bad, with all things Black. That is dangerous to the fabric and layers of our social being and it's unfair and untrue.
Sure someone might say well what about the accusations against Bill Cosby and what does that say about women in our society? Well the election should answer that. It appears people are in fact able to separate a person's behavior and accusations with their work. Donald Trump is about to be our Commander in Chief isn't he? What more can you say? From what I see it seems that as a society or group we tend to distinguish between the alleged behavior of a man and their art. Don't we? We do it all the time when we clap as Woody Allen is being honored at an award show. We even set back and watched the Oscars present Roman Polanski with the Best Director award. That says a lot to me. Anyway I'm just glad to have my favorite show back.