When I was in 8th grade one of my favorite shows was The Cosby Show. Despite the fact that it had been off the air for over a decade I really enjoyed watching reruns of it on the WGN Chicago station every day after school while eating pop tarts or potato chips. I initially started watching the show because I was a huge fan of Raven Symone at the time and knew she had played the role of the Huxtable’s granddaughter when she was only 3 years old. I really enjoyed watching all of her cute scenes as Olivia but also grew to love the rest of the Huxtable clan as well. The Cosby Show was very unique for its time because it featured a predominantly African American cast and each child had a distinct personality and storylines of their own, especially as they grew older. But the cast as a whole had such beautiful chemistry that when you were watching the show it was hard to believe that the Huxtables were not a real family. There was the patriarch of the family Heathcliff (Bill Cosby) who was a physician, his wife Clair (Phylicia Raschad), a lawyer, oldest daughter Sondra (Sabrina Lebeauf), free spirited Denise (Lisa Bonet), middle son Theo (Malcolm Jamal Warner), typical teenager Vanessa (Tempestt Bledsoe) and the youngest of the bunch Rudy (Keisha Knight Pulliam). Eventually the two oldest girls got married and had families of their own, expanding the cast to include Geoffrey Owens and Joseph C Phillips as husbands Elvin and Martin respectively and their children Olivia (Raven Symone) and twins Nelson (Gary LeRoi Gray) and Winnie (Jessica Ann Vaughn). Then in season 7 Clair’s 17 year old Cousin Pam (Erika Alexander) moved in with the family and gained an upbeat personality and social life of her own, probably to keep the show youthful as many of the Cosby kids were headed off to college at this time. But what really made the show stand out to me were the different intros and variations of the theme spanning across 8 seasons. The Cosby Show theme song, entitled “Kiss Me”did not contain any lyrics but was a very simple melody that was played in a different style of music every season. From Latin to orchestral, The Cosby Show did it all. There were seven different intros used throughout the series run and I thought it would be fun to rank each one from my least favorite all the way down to my personal favorite of all time. So on with the show!
#7. Season 1: The Huxtable Family at the Park
This is the only Cosby Show intro to not include the cast members dancing to the music. Instead it’s pretty much a photo album of the Huxtable Family having a fun day at the park. It’s cute but just seems like any other family sitcom intro from the 80s and doesn’t stand out from the other intros that followed it. It also appears very outdated and the photos look like they were taken in the 1960s rather than the 80s. The original rendition of the theme is very basic and smooth jazz complete with saxophone riffs. It’s very 80s and sounds like something straight out of the Roseanne show. Even though this intro is very basic and lack luster compared to the later ones, it does give us a great introduction of the family. Each family member is seen getting out of the car and then it slides to their individual picture along with the cast member’s name. Overall a very basic 80s family sitcom intro but a great introduction to the Huxtable Family.
#6. Season 4: The Huxtables in the 1930s
This intro features a vocal jazz/scat rendition of the theme song sung by Bobby McFerrin. I like this rendition because I could tell McFerrin put a lot of work into recording all the vocal parts separately and then putting them together to make it sound like a whole acapella group was performing the song, when in reality it was just him! That definitely took a lot of talent to put together and I think it was very well done. However it does come across as old fashioned for an 80s sitcom intro and is a simple, lackluster rendition of the song compared to some of the other seasons. The Huxtables are dressed in formal 1930s attire complete with tuxedos for the men, Clair’s pink frilly dress and Vanessa’s flight attendant outfit. This is also the first intro to feature Elvin as he is now Sondra’s husband and I loved the part in the intro that represented Cliff giving his daughter away. This is also the first intro to not feature Denise as she is away at college at this time. But she is still represented by Cliff holding up a framed picture of her near the end, probably to remind the viewers that she will still appear sporadically throughout the season. Overall an interesting twist on the intro but a bit old fashioned for my liking.
#5. Season 2: Dance Revolution
This is the first intro to feature each member of the Huxtable family dancing individually with Bill Cosby during their credit. It is also the first intro to feature Sondra as she was actually added to the series halfway through the first season. The season 2 version of the theme song is still very basic but has a very rhythmic dance beat to it which I think was a great step up from season 1 and really spiced it up. The dress for this intro is definitely more casual and is the first to feature Bill Cosby in one of his signature sweaters. I also like how each character’s personality is brought out through their dance moves, for example Denise pushing Bill Cosby away represents her individuality and free spirit and Theo’s crazy freestyle dance symbolizes his troublemaker personality. Overall a great classic intro but doesn’t stand out among some of the other ones.
#4. Season 8: Hip Hop Huxtables
This is definitely the most controversial intro in the series as it was originally produced for season 7 but the creators of the colorful mural that was used as a backdrop threatened to sue producers because it was used without permission. But once this was settled, the intro was brought back for season 8 with Lisa Bonet and Joseph C Phillips edited out since they were no longer part of the cast. Despite all the hate this intro gets I actually really like it. I like how bright is and the hip hop rendition on the theme song. It’s just so quirky and different and really gave the intro an early 90s feel. I also like the hip hop inspired clothing, although some of it looks to be cheaply made. Overall a very fun, bright and lively intro for the final season of the show.
#3 Season 3: Latin Beat
This intro is very similar to that of season 2 but this rendition of the theme song has a Latin Beat to it and is my favorite rendition of the theme to date. The cast is dressed very similar to season with Bill Cosby’s signature sweater still there but some of them, such as Rudy look a lot more formal. The dancing is also better this time around with the exception of Vanessa just looking embarrassed by her dad. Typical teen there. Otherwise not much more to say about this one that I didn’t cover in season 2’s description.
#2 Season 6&7: Apollo Theatre
This intro features the Huxtables dancing at the Apollo Theatre and is the first to feature Raven Symone as Olivia and Joseph C Phillips as Martin. The music has a very groovy saxophone beat to it and is very upbeat and catchy. I feel like this intro is a jazzed up take of seasons 2-4. Each cast member dances individually or with their spouse and is dressed formally. Even Bill Cosby himself is sporting a tux here. Overall a great new take on the classic intro sequence.
#1 Season 5: Tropical Paradise
This has to be the most dynamic intro I have ever seen in a TV series. This was many cast members least favorite intro to film but I think it’s the best by a mile. It is set on a tropical pastel background and starts out with just Bill Cosby in kind of a silhouette form and the rest of the cast runs by his side to join him. This is also the first and only intro where everyone is dancing together and the cast names just come up on the screen one by one. The dancing is very well choreographed and I can tell a lot of work went into it. The cast is also dressed in tropical dresses and summer tops and shorts for the men. The season 5 rendition of the theme was recorded by an orchestra and is very big, dynamic and makes this intro memorable. However as dynamic as this intro is it usually accompanies a very lackluster episode. Aside from the birth of Elvin and Sondra’s twins season 5 was very uneventful and kind of boring with most of the Huxtable kids being away at college or not living at the house anymore. It’s pretty clear that the writers were running out of ideas without much of the cast being regulars. Overall season 5 has the best intro by far but is also the worst season of the 8.
