Studio: First Look Pictures
Rating: Unrated
Running Time: 76 Hours
SRP:$124.98

Bill Cosby went back from being known as the voice behind Fat Albert to a comedian just being Himself in 1983. The performance video gave way to a new prime-time sitcom about the growth of an American family living in New York.

The Cosby Show was not just another great Cosby TV experience (I Spy) but was truly one of the great television families. Yes it was headed up by two successful professionals, Heathcliff Huxtable (Cosby), a pediatrician and his wife Clair (Phylicia Rashad) was a lawyer, but didn’t portray them as lavish spenders, instead showing they had the same struggles and hardships as any other American family.

The Huxtables taught their children good values, to value of the hard-earned dollar and appreciate what mattered most: family. Theo (Malcolm Jamal-Warner) carried most of the weight of the child performances with comedy rich story-lines about his poor study habits and living up to a sports-hungry father then balancing with his bout with dyslexia. Lisa Bonet played the middle child, Denise who had all of the motivation to start something but never the drive to finish. She was quick to want to be grown up, but never did. Mysteriously showing up after the pilot was Sondra (Sabrina LeBeauf Sondra) the eldest child whose book smarts were trumped by her love of a simple buffoon. Younger daughters, Vanessa (Tempest Bledsoe) and Rudy (Kesha Knight-Pullman) bickered to be noticed and grew before our eyes.

Cosby required no warm-up; hitting its stride from the very beginning. Memorable moments included Theo getting an earring, Rudy’s spiral joust with “Bud” or getting in trouble with Peter. Son in law, Elvin’s chauvinistic conversations with Clair never disappointed nor did the evolution of Vanessa’s funky hair. Cockroach would become a household name, Cliff went through every bad sweater known to creation and Clair’s wardrobe consisted of every shade of violet. The Cosbys knew the appreciation of music graced by the appearance of greats like Stevie Wonder, Dizzy Gillespie and B.B. King. It was important to make an effort to have real relationships with grandparents and real connections not acquaintances with clients, neighbors and friends.

The Huxtables were not only funny but they were important in painting a new picture of the African-American, and a model families of all races identified with. Shame on those who felt that the Huxtables weren’t “street” enough or poor enough; as if the only successful families could be portrayed by whites. The impact of the show would exceed the design but always remained a comedy, the highest rated show five years in a row.

Only in the final two seasons did the show start to sputter, trying to find ways to juggle the transition of Theo leaving for college and the return of Denise. Rudy was replaced by Raven-Symone as the cute one and the family grew another two with Sondra and Elvin’s children. As we dig deep in our pants pockets, the glue that holds families together isn’t found in the folds of our wallets, but warmth in our hearts–a place The Cosby Show knows all too well.

Presentation: B

There are more cumbersome ways to package 26 discs but The Cosby Show does so rather efficiently in four two-season foldouts that pinch each DVD on the bottom in cardboard slits. Also included is a Hirschfield drawing of Cosby and a personalized letter thanking the purchaser of the 76+ Hours of wholesome fun. A hardback 25th Anniversary Commemorative Booklet reprints the screenplay for the pilot and lists a cool index of some of the guest stars, recurring cast members (Adam Sandler, Carl Anthony Payne II) and awards the show walked away with. Holding everything is a cardboard box with a flap that reveals off the stuffing, however, unless the box is pinned on a bookshelf it doesn’t stay closed on its own unless lying with the flap on the top.

The menus are simple and really barrel that theme song into your head. Each episode is broken into two acts, with opening and closing credits. I will say that with any half-hour sitcom, the theme song gets on your last nerve, so unlike some modern shows that sandwich the opening credits with a scene, you can easily skip it with one tap of the next chapter button and you can do the same for the end credits unless you like to confirm that you actually did see Blair Underwood as an extra on the show.

Each disc holds 3-8 episodes but it’s better to just “Play All” because otherwise going through the episode menu involves a return to the main menu at the end of each episode which you have to go back into the episode menu walking through the entire catalog two episodes at a time. I only wish with the Play All option, there was a way to take out all of the openings.

Audio: B–

There’s nothing exemplary to speak of here, just old fashioned Dolby Stereo 2.0 from older television shows. Everything comes from the front, even the music-rich episodes.

Video: C+

Again nothing incredible here given how television looked in this period. The video is full-frame, 4:3 ratio. Nothing’s been enhanced in any way, thankfully, but nothing’s been done to restore it (which would be overkill). Remember this is just a repackaging of the individual seasons but if you compare the video quality to what’s currently available, the fact is it can look better. Can you still enjoy it? Of course, but it is what it is.

Extras: C–

If there’s a disservice to the 25th anniversary celebration of the show, it’s the extras. They’re highly repetitive and clearly not made specially for the box set or the landmark, it doesn’t seem like there’s been much effort to truly celebrate the achievement except for the packaging.

SEASON ONE (Disc Four)

Cosby Show A Look Back (1:26:36) is a 2002 TV special through the Cosby Show year book showing clips and interviews with the important cast members all grown up, sans Lisa Bonet. Hands down this the best of all of the extras, and if you’re able to stab at this first, there’s no urgency to view all of the other featurettes. TRUST ME.

Interview with Dr. Cosby Part I (30:50) and Part II (19:11) has the comedian doting on all the key ingredients of the show such as casting, (Whitney Houston wanted the role of Sandra) and how the relationship between Cliff and Theo mirrored Cosby’s real bond with his late son, Ennis.

Avoid watching the Bloopers (22:47) before the other extras because you will see these same bonus clips in all of the other extras. There’s a ho-hum photo gallery too. I hate to drudge on about this one point, but inserting the same clips into every single extra (when there’s only a small smattering) is pretty inexcusable. Also given the length of each featurette, most of them originally aired on NBC. Shown as lazy “clip shows” or lost episode fillers instead of airing a repeat, to find these on a 25th Anniversary box set as extras is the sign of the lack of budget, creativity, or an unwillingness by the cast to participate in another stroll down memory lane, perhaps all of the above.

SEASON TWO (Disc eight)

The second season also has a tiny cluster of supplements worth one-time plays such as Bloopers (5:38), and Cliff’s Parenting Tips (8:50), and a New Interview with Director Jay Sandrich (13:41) which was “new” in 2006. Just once I’d like to have seen an extra without clips, but even this last extra is loaded with again, the same clips. It really takes away from the comedic impact when viewing the episode; kind of like when a movie trailer has all the funny parts in it. Sandrich also brings up some of the same anecdotes heard from the season one extras. Whoever was conducting these spots should have considered what was going to be collected and try to ask some questions that would incite new content. He was brought in specially for a 10 minute piece? C’mon, there has to be more material than this.

OVERALL SHOCK VALUE: B–

Remaining a cultural touchstone for me, personally, The Cosby Show is still a bar to which many sitcoms aspire to. The early seasons are still strong enough to revisit from time to time and the show can still entertain a family at home or on in the van when you’re sick and tired of the same animated films for your grade schooler. Cosby had a genuine charm and sincerity, and just tried to tell good stories families laugh to. That we can strive for sophistication and show our silly side at the same time. This is when television was TELEVISION. I only wish there was a better effort to bring a more modern appreciation of it in this box set, but it’s not enough to deter anyone from a handsome box set that makes a fine gift or simply fills those lazy weekends with some good old laughs.