Muristek
A new docuseries on the allegations against Bill Cosby reminds us of the impact his sitcom had and how watching it will never be the same again
The Cosby Show was more than just a hit sitcom. It was a sitcom for the whole family, achingly so. Cliff Huxtable wasn’t just a put-upon father of five or a deadpan granddad or an exasperated guardian. He was a sought-after obstetrician who brought even more kids into the show’s fictional world. The scenes of him in his office, consulting with expectant families, allaying the anxieties of pregnant moms, make an important point: for all of Dr Huxtable’s hopelessness at home, he was actually really good at his job, grounding his character while making the adults in the audience feel seen, too.
We Need to Talk About Cosby, the buzzy Showtime documentary series that debuted at the end of January, ahead of Black History Month, views these scenes more skeptically, through the eyes of actor and artist Lili Bernard. In one Cosby Show episode she plays an expectant mother in an office consultation with the good doctor. On its face her scene seems sweet, perfectly innocent. But Bernard describes her on-set experience as emotionally distressful, painting Cosby as a tyrant who bullied her into delivering her lines just so. Her story speaks to a familiar on-set imbalance, the big shot who clashes with the small fry. But the more chilling reveal is that America’s Dad also allegedly drugged and raped her at the Trump Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City, in 1990, according to her 2021 lawsuit.
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