| | The Cosby Show (1984)"The Cosby Show" centered around the life of the Huxtables -- obstetrician Cliff (Bill Cosby), lawyer Claire (Phylicia Ayers-Allen, later known as Phylicia Rashad after she married NBC sportscaster Ahmad Rashad), daughters Sondra (Sabrina LeBeuf), Denise (Lisa Bonet), Vanessa (Tempest Bledsoe), Rudy (Keshia Knight Pulliam) and son Theo (Malcom Jamal-Warner). As the series went on, less attention was paid to Cliff and Claire's careers and focus was shifted to the hectic lives of the Huxtable kids.Sondra began the series attending Princeton University; she later graduated and -- instead of attending law school as she originally planned -- married sweetheart Elvin (Geoffrey Owens), with whom she opened a sporting goods store and bore twins Nelson and Winnie. Denise graduated from high school and chose to attend her father's alma mater, Hillman College. This set up a successful spin-off, "A Different World." Lisa Bonet, however, only lasted one season with the new series. Following some travellingabroad, Denise later returned "home" with a new husband {Joseph C. Phillips} and his precocious daughter {Raven-Symone).Meanwhile, Theo graduated from high school (despite troubles with dyslexia) and enrolled in New York University -- later becoming a mentor for inner-city youth. Vanessa graduated and went to college, and Rudy entered junior high. Towards the end of "The Cosby Show's" run, Bonet left the series -- but Raven-Symone, as her stepdaughter Olivia, stayed. In addition, Claire's second cousinPam (Erika Alexander) moved in, providing a fresh "'90s" perspective on high school. In the series finale, Theo graduated from NYU, and Cliff and Claire broke the "fourth wall" by leaving their "home" through the studio audience.
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