The Cosby Show Quiz

By: Olivia Cantor
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
The Cosby Show Quiz
Image: Youtube

About This Quiz

Did you watch every episode of "The Cosby Show"... twice? Then take this quiz to find out how much you remember.

Bill Cosby was one of the most successful comedians of his time. It stands to reason, then, that he would turn a successful stand-up career into an equally successful television sitcom. "The Cosby Show" was based on Cosby's stand up routines. "The Cosby Show" aired for the first time on September 20, 1984. It ran for eight seasons and a total of 201 episodes. Critics have hailed the show as leading the way for other television shows that featured African Americans in lead roles.

"The Cosby Show" starred Bill Cosby as Cliff Huxtable, an obstetrician; Phylicia Rashad as Cliff's wife, Clair, an attorney; and Sabrina La Beauf, Lisa Bonet, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Tempestt Bledsoe, Keshia Knight Pulliam as the five Huxtable children. The show was well received by nearly everyone, with just a few detractors insisting that it led people to believe that racism was not an issue in today's world. Over "The Cosby Show's" eight-year run, it garnered a host of awards including Emmys, Golden Globes, and People's Choice Awards.

Think you're ready to take "The Cosby Show" quiz? Let's get started.

Who is the central figure of the show, after whom the show is named?
Bill Bixby
Bill Nighly
Bill Cosby
Regardless of current controversies, Bill Cosby is still considered an influential figure in comedy TV.
Bill Baxter
What was Bill Cosby’s fictional character name in this comedy series?
Heather Huxtable
Heathsheath Huxtable
Heathrow Huxtable
Heathcliff Huxtable
His original name on the pilot, though, was Clifford.
What is Cliff Huxtable’s occupation?
a lab technician
a radiologist
a doctor
Dr. Cliff Huxtable is actually an ob-gyne.
a dental assistant

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Clair Huxtable is also a professional in her own right. What is her job?
lawyer
In an episode, Clair successfully defended her eldest daughter in a case against anomalous car repair people.
judge
jury
legal clerk
Out of those 5 kids, how many were boys?
1
The middle child is also their only boy.
2
0
3
Who is the second Huxtable kid, the kinda rebellious and artsy one?
Denise Huxtable
Denise was played by Lisa Bonet.
Delish Huxtable
Delima Huxtable
Derwin Huxtable

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What is the name of the Huxtable’s only son?
Vino
Reno
Leo
Theo
Theo was played by Malcolm Jamal Warner.
What is the name of the brainy Huxtable kid who actually went to college a year ahead than expected?
Victoria
Vanessa
Vanessa was played by Tempestt Bledsoe.
Valhalla
Veruca
What is the name of the youngest and perhaps most precocious Huxtable kid?
Rudy
Rudy was played by Keshia Knight Pulliam.
Judy
Ludy
Woody

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What is the name of Denise’s stepdaughter, the precocious 3-year old who immediately became a beloved member of the Huxtable household?
Olwina
Omarra
Olympia
Olivia
Olivia was played by Raven Symone.
Denise Huxtable later met a single dad who became her husband. What is his name?
Mario Kendall
Milton Kendall
Martin Kendall
Martin Kendall was played by Joseph C. Phillips.
Mark Kendall
The Cosby Show featured this fictional family.
The Keatons
The Huxtables
This family sitcom revolved around the Huxtable couple dealing with their children as they grow up.
The Cosbys
The Jeffersons

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What is the name of the eldest Huxtable kid?
Sandra
Sondra
Sabrina LeBeauf played Sondra.
Sonya
Sanya
What is the name of Cliff Huxtable’s wife?
Clara Huxtable
Charice Huxtable
Chloe Huxtable
Clair Huxtable
Clair is played by Phylicia Rashad.
Sondra Huxtable and her husband had twins. What was their names?
Winnie and Nelson
Sondra got married in season 4, and the twins came soon after.
Winona and Nicky
Willie and Nillie
Walter and Nelia

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Theo Huxtable demonstrated this learning disability which made it difficult for him at first to adjust to college life.
ADHD
bipolar
dyslexia
Theo was able to successfully hurdle this learning disability, even becoming a student teacher in the final season of the show to teach students with dyslexia, too.
anemia
Cliff Huxtable loved this particular kind of music, which had the show guesting famous musicians playing the genre.
bossa nova
samba
jazz
Cliff has an extensive collection of jazz albums which he always mentions in the show.
r&b
Which future husband of the Huxtable kids was always confronted by their strong-willed mother Clair because of his male chauvinistic tendencies?
Elvin Tibideaux
Elvin was played by Geoffrey Owens.
Martin Kendall
Walter Bradley
Lance Rodman

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How many kids does the Huxtable couple have?
4
7
6
5
Originally, the Huxtables were designed to only have 4 children.
Rudy Huxtable was originally a male character, until they changed it to accommodate Keshia Knight Pulliam. Which other young teen actor originally auditioned for this role?
Jaleel White
Urkel eventually became as famous as the Huxtable kids.
Jaleel Black
Jaleel Green
Jaleel Grey
The Cosby Show had famous musicians as guests from time to time. Which famous piano-playing African-American '80s singer appeared as himself in the show?
Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder appeared as a guest in season 2.
Michael Jackson
Frank Sinatra
Miles Davis

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What is the title of the spinoff series which featured the life of Denise Huxtable in another location?
A Different World
A Different World featured Denise’s new school life in the fictional African-American college called Hillman College.
My So-Called Life
The Real World
The L Word
This known 1980s-1990s character actress, who co-starred with Eddie Murphy in Boomerang, also guested in the show.
Robin Givens
Givens starred in the sitcom Head of the Class in the '80s.
Sheila Givens
Maya Givens
Linda Givens
Which of the Huxtable kids starred in a spinoff series of the show?
Sondra Huxtable
Vanessa Huxtable
Denise Huxtable
Denise left the main series during season 3 to star in this spinoff series.
Rudy Huxtable

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Because of the show, the term "Huxtable" became part of the US cultural lexicon which pertains to this kind of African-American family.
upper middle class
Depending on the usage and who's using it, the term "Huxtable" could be considered as a neutral or sarcastic adjective.
lower middle class
dysfunctional
non-dysfunctional
Denise’s surprise husband is an officer of which branch of the US armed forces?
air force
navy
Martin was a lieutenant in the navy.
army
marine corp
What is the name of Clair’s distant cousin who lived with the Huxtables during season 7-8?
Tom Tucker
Sheila Tucker
Pam Tucker
Pam was played by Erika Alexander.
Lydia Tucker

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Bill Cosby wanted to reflect the importance of education in the show, prompting him to suggest that one of the Huxtable kids be a student of this prestigious ivy league school.
Harvard University
Yale University
Princeton University
Sondra is the Huxtable kid from Princeton U.
New York University
This other would-be-famous African-American female singer also appeared on the show as a very young extra.
Gloria Estefan
Paula Abdul
Janet Jackson
Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys, credited as Alicia Cook, appeared in season 1 as Rudy’s playmate.
The Cosby Show is actually a sitcom version of Cosby’s stand-up comedy routines. What does “sitcom” mean?
situational company
scenario humor
situational humor
situational comedy
A sitcom is usually filmed in front of a live audience inside a huge TV studio.

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Actress Sabrina LeBeauf wasn’t supposed to play the eldest Huxtable kid. Which famous singer was first pegged for this role?
Natalie Cole
Janet Jackson
Denice Williams
Whitney Houston
Whitney’s stellar career took off at the time of casting, so they had to consider another actress for the role.
The Cosby Show is a top-rated TV series which aired for 8 seasons. In which genre of TV shows does it belong?
comedy
The Cosby Show is considered as one of the top-rated comedy shows of the 1980s.
drama
family series
home life
During the '80s, The Cosby Show is generally hailed as a TV show that broke barriers in the sitcom genre for having this fact and becoming a top-rated TV show at that.
being set entirely in New York
having many educated children in a family
having an all-African-American cast
In the ‘70s and ‘80s, it was rare to have a predominantly African-American cast on primetime television in America that was a consistent ratings topper.
all of the above

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Out of the 8 seasons of the show’s entire run, how many seasons was it rated as number 1 in the Nielsen ratings?
7
6
2
5
The show was a consistent number 1 rated show, from season 2 (1985) to season 6 (1989).
What is the title of the show’s instrumental theme music, co-composed by Bill Cosby himself?
Hold Me
Thrill Me
Kiss Me
Cosby composed the theme with Stu Gardner.
Kill Me
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