TV Article 'The Cosby Show': It's the right time for an appreciation By Abby West Abby West Abby West is a former senior editor at Entertainment Weekly. She left EW in 2013. EW's editorial guidelines Published on April 30, 2012 09:26PM EDT Photo: Photofest It’s hard to believe, but it’s been 20 years since The Cosby Show went off the air. The classic family comedy remains just that: a family comedy. Forget the racial and cultural impact that this picture of an upper middle class African American family had in the mid- to late ’80s. It has stood the test of time and remains something that even my kids can watch and enjoy. Everyone has opinions on how the show evolved as the five Huxtable children grew up, got spouses and kids of their own. But at the heart of it, we’d all already fallen in love with Cliff and Claire’s brood. Regardless of race, many of us wanted to be one of them — to have warm, caring folks, or just live in that cool brownstone, and join in all that fun. Tell me you didn’t practice lip syncing Ray Charles’ “Night Time Is the Right Time,” while doing the Cosby shuffle. I dare you. What’s your favorite episode of The Cosby Show? Read more: ‘The Cosby Show’ — Last Laugh The Cosby Show: 25th Anniversary Edition — DVD Review Close