light-hearted like "magnum p.i." were very popular. >> after "m.a.s.h." went off the air, the next season there wasn't a single sitcom in the top ten. first time that had ever happened in tv history. the prevailing feeling was that the sitcom was dead. >> brandon tartikoff, nbc programming chief, says reports of the sitcom's death were greatly exaggerated. >> time and time again, if you study television history, just when someone is counting a form out, that is exactly the form of programming that leads to the next big hit. ♪ >> 1984 "the cosby show" comes on. bill cosby is not new to tv. he's had other tv shows, but "the cosby show" is very different. it stands apart from everything else he's done. >> i wanted my eggs scrambled. >> coming right up. >> they talked about parenting. previous to that, the kids were cool and the parents were