- [marla] "the jeffersons" had something for every segment of society. - yeah. - government is not the solution to our problem. government is the problem. - america was changing. you're in the middle of reaganomics and trickle down economies. - the social policies of that era were really splintering black families and the black community in this country. - in the early 1980s, the landscape of primetime television was dominated by these hour-long dramas. some of them were very gritty. - one of the things people were all saying was the comedy on television was dead. ("the bill cosby show theme song) - but then there's this juggernaut of a show in the form of a black family comedy, and it completely reinvigorates the sitcom genre. - i am your father. i brought you in this world and i'll take you out. (audience laughs) (soft upbeat music) - "the cosby show" absolutely created a phenomenon of must-see tv. - "the cosby show" is consider the pinnacle black sitcom. gives you a black family that's not just incredibly tight knit. - listen. let's put on some music 'round here.