The Cosby Show

When Theo brings home a poor report card, he claims he does not need good grades to get a job. So Cliff gives him an economics lesson with Monopoly money. Much to Cliff’s dismay, Denise goes on a date with Rafael, an older man who is a former merchant marine. Cliff and Clair’s plans for a quiet night are ruined when Vanessa and Rudy can’t sleep, with Rudy claiming the wolf man was growling in her closet.

When Rudy’s goldfish dies, Cliff struggles over how to break the bad news to her. Cliff wants to hold a formal funeral in the bathroom, but the rest of the family has other ideas about the proper site for the "memorial."

Cliff forbids ten-year-old Vanessa to see a scary movie; though he allows older brother Theo to go. Vanessa sneaks out to see the movie anyway, but soon regrets it when she begins having nightmares. Now she insists on sleeping with Cliff and Clair, but she quickly overstays her welcome.

Cliff is thrilled that Theo will continue the Huxtable tradition as a member of the football team. And he can hardly control his joy when his son asks to see some of his old football moves. But his delight turns to disappointment when he sees that Theo has no moves of his own.

Theo’s plans to impress his date by wearing an expensive designer shirt are ruined when Cliff forces him to return the extravagant purchase. But Denise comes to the rescue when she offers to make Theo an exact copy for a third of the price.

Denise wants to attend Princeton like her older sister, Sondra. But Grandpa Russell wants her to attend Hillman, to uphold a family tradition. Cliff explains to his father the prestige of attending a highly regarded school like Princeton, until the elder Huxtable points out that Hillman produced a highly regarded doctor... Cliff.

When Clair baby sits for a newborn baby, she yearns to have another child of her own. Cliff, however, does not think it is such a good idea. In an effort to change Clair’s mind, he introduces her to Mrs. Burke, a patient of his who is expecting child number 13. But Cliff’s plan backfires when Clair is struck by how good Mrs. Burke looks.

With her music recital three days away, Vanessa cannot play a note on the clarinet. So Cliff arranges for her music teacher to give her private lessons. Vanessa’s music teacher, Mr. Hampton, (Dizzy Gillespie) tries to give her a crash course in the clarinet.

Dr. Cliff Huxtable and his wife, Clair, a lawyer, invite daughter Denise’s bright new boyfriend to dinner. But the outspoken fellow soon wears out his welcome when he criticizes the medical and legal professions. Kristoff St. John plays boyfriend David.

Excited that the whole family will be together for Thanksgiving, Cliff anxiously waits for Sondra’s arrival home from Princeton. But instead of celebrating, Sondra spends the holiday trying to persuade her parents to let her go to Paris for the summer.

When Cliff Huxtable realizes that Clair is overstressed at home and in the office, he treats her to a night in a deluxe, first-class, spare-no-expense room at the Biltmore Hotel. Back at home, Denise is left to watch over the younger kids.

Rudy is sick, and Clair must go to an important interview, so Cliff stays home to watch her. Unfortunately, Cliff soon discovers that being a doctor has not fully prepared him to take care of a sick child.

Cliff gives the children a lecture on the importance of picking their father a suitable gift instead of the neon ties and yo-yos they usually buy him. The kids take his advice to heart and plan a special Father’s Day for their dad six months early.

While staying at a friend’s house for a weekend, Theo has his ear pierced to prove his independence. When the ear becomes infected, Theo is forced to show Cliff the earring and accept his punishment – a lecture from Grandpa.

Cliff is chosen to be honored with a very prestigious award: Physician of the Year, but on the night of the awards banquet, Cliff is delayed in the hospital delivery room. So a proud Theo accepts the award for his father.

To warm up for his night out with Clair and their friends, Cliff shows off a few of his dance moves in the living room. Denise claims her father’s footwork is old-fashioned and boring, and that break-dancing is the superior art form. To show Denise and her friends what dancing is really about, Cliff invites his friends Ralph and Marie over to teach the teenagers how to jitterbug.

Cliff and Clair are concerned when they find a marijuana cigarette in Theo’s schoolbook. Theo is upset that someone has planted the joint in his book, so he goes out of his way to find the culprit who set him up.

Vanessa is confident that her science project will bring her the usual top honors she expects, until she discovers that the other students in her new advanced-placement class are much more competitive than she thought.

After Sondra is ripped off by a conniving auto mechanic, an incensed Clair goes to court to right the wrong. While Clair is preparing her court case, Cliff plays family chef and cooks up some rather bizarre concoctions for dinner – leaving the kids hungering for Mom’s cooking.

Cliff is excited to join his former teammates from Hillman College in a grudge match against Norton University, until he discovers he is 25 years out of shape. Josh Culbreath, 1956 Olympic bronze medalist, guest stars as Sanford B. "Tailwind" Turner, the only man ever to beat Cliff "Combustible" Huxtable.

Clair is excited to learn that Cliff’s widower friend, Mike (Robert King) has a new woman in her life and invites the couple over for dinner. But Clair is shocked to discover that the beautiful Nikki (Terry Farrell) is the same age as her oldest daughter.

While Clair is away at a seminar, an imaginative and exhausted Cliff dreams up ways to entertain the children, including that old standby – the bucking-horse ride. But only Grandpa Huxtable is able to tame the troops. When Rudy complains she has no one to play with, Cliff allows her to have a friend or two sleep over. But the modest gathering soon turns into a rollicking slumber party for eight.

Theo finds a battered young boy at the playground of the Keystone Community Center and takes him to the Center’s director, Tony Castillo, played by guest star Tony Orlando. Cliff, Theo and Tony try to help the boy but get no response. Tony, however, senses there is something special about the child and remains patient and determined to win him over.

While Cliff snoops around trying to discover his special birthday surprise, a clever Clair has arranged for the Huxtable family to see legendary performer Lena Horne. Cliff is beside himself when Lena dedicates a song to him and invites the family to her dressing room after the show.