The Cosby Mysteries

The Cosby Mysteries
Genre	Mystery Drama
Created by	David Black William Link
Directed by	Jerry London
Starring	Bill Cosby Robert Stanton James Naughton Rita Moreno Mos Def Lynn Whitfield
Composers	Craig Handy, David Weiss
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	19 (18 + pilot)
Production
Running time	60 minutes per episode
Production companies	Sah Enterprises Columbia Pictures Television
Distributor	Sony Pictures Television
Release
Original network	NBC
Original release	September 21, 1994 (1994-09-21) – April 12, 1995 (1995-04-12)

The Cosby Mysteries was an American mystery drama television series that starred Bill Cosby that aired on NBC from September 21, 1994, to April 12, 1995. It was the first television series to star Cosby since The Cosby Show (which ended in the spring of 1992) and lasted one season (1994–1995).^[1] Actor/rapper Mos Def appeared in several episodes (credited as Dante Bezé).^[2]

Summary[]

Cosby played Guy Hanks, a New York City Police Department criminalist, who retired from the force after winning $44 million in the lottery.

His peaceful retirement was frequently interrupted by his former colleagues, Detective Adam Sully (James Naughton) and Medical Examiner John Chapman (Robert Stanton), who asked him to consult on tough cases. As Hanks used his wits and his forensics knowledge to solve crimes, he dealt with his holistic housekeeper Angie (Rita Moreno) and his girlfriend Barbara Lorenz (Lynn Whitfield).^[3]

History[]

The show was created by David Black and William Link. Link's previous series included Columbo on NBC and Murder, She Wrote on CBS. Link developed the series at Cosby's request, as Cosby wanted to make an intelligent, character-driven mystery series that did not rely on graphic violence.

The show began on January 31, 1994, as a two hour movie, and 18 regular episodes began airing on NBC on September 21, 1994. Its NBC premiere ranked 54th among the season's network prime time series. Executive producer William Link criticized NBC for not effectively advertising the show before its premiere launch. NBC Entertainment president Warren Littlefield blamed Bill Cosby for not using his personal fame to promote the show.

At the beginning of 1995, William Link and David Black were dropped from the production team by NBC.^[4]

On April 12, 1995, The Cosby Mysteries ceased operations for good.

Critics expressed hope that The Cosby Mysteries would fare better than Cosby's previous two ventures,^[5] Here and Now and the game show remake, You Bet Your Life. The Cosby Mysteries only lasted 18 episodes, and was cancelled in February 1995.^[4] The Cosby Mysteries has been rerun in the United Kingdom, on digital channel ITV1, and in the US on A&E, STARZ! Mystery and TV One.

The Cosby Mysteries was shot in New York City by SAH Enterprises.^[6]

Cast[]

• Bill Cosby as Guy Hanks
• Rita Moreno as Angie
• James Naughton as Det. Adam Scully
• Mos Def as Dante
• Lynn Whitfield as Barbara Lorenz

Episodes[]

In popular culture[]

• In an episode of The Simpsons, "Guess Who's Coming to Criticize Dinner?", Homer Simpson laments the cancellation of The Cosby Mysteries, saying "That show had limitless possibilities!"
• An episode of Saturday Night Live hosted by Patrick Stewart on February 5, 1994, did a parody sketch of The Cosby Mysteries. Adam Sandler played Cosby as a buffoonish character, who rambles on incoherently with dialog full of made up nonsense words.^[7]

References[]

External links[]

• The Cosby Mysteries at IMDb