“We need to talk about Cosby” is both a thought that I have been having for a long time, and a documentary that comes out at the end of the month.
And I am very happy about that, because I hope it will help me decide what to think about Bill Cosby’s horrible actions against women, and how that blends with my childhood love for The Cosby Show.
The director of the documentary series admits that he also grew up as a fan of the show, so it’s going to be interesting to see how he handles the downfall of his idol.
Will it be a no-holds barred look at all the sordidness, or does he go gently on the icon that was affectionately dubbed “America’s dad?”
We all loved Rudy and Vanessa, adored Theo and Sondra and were smitten with Denise.
There wasn’t a black kid in the world that didn’t wish for a mom like Clair and a dad like Cliff Huxtable, who was gentle, caring, loving and smarter, more sophisticated and funnier than any other sitcom dad.
That image of the perfect family-of-colour facing challenges with humour, remained intact for many years after the show, only for it to be shattered by the revelations that led to Bill Cosby’s imprisonment.
I’m hoping this documentary will help put those pieces back together for me and every other person whom the show inspired to be better than their circumstances.
Otherwise we’ll just have to learn to live with separating the perfect Cliff Huxtable from the vile Bill Cosby and the admirable art that he created.
dailyvoice@inl.co.za