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| The Cosby Show: 25th Anniversary Commemorative Edition | 
| Director: N/a
Actors: Bill Cosby, Phylicia Rashad
Studio: First Look Home Entertain
Category: DVD
List Price: $139.98
Buy New: $85.55
You Save: $54.43 (39%)
Buy New/Used from $80.80
Avg. Customer Rating:  (8 reviews)
Sales Rank: 1950
Format: Box Set, Color, Dvd-video, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: DVD
Running Time: 4569 minutes
Number Of Items: 26
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.3
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5.8 x 2.7
MPN: FLPD33584D
UPC: 634991335843
EAN: 0634991335843
ASIN: B001CIOCHQ
Release Date: November 11, 2008
Theatrical Release Date: 1984
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
The Huxtables are back! One of the most popular shows in the history of television is now available in one amazing box set. Relive all your favorite moments from the show that TV Guide says, almost single-handedly revived the sitcom. The Cosby Show regularly appears in lists of the greatest shows of all time, yet it remains as vibrant today as one of Cliff Huxtable s sweaters! From their brownstone in Brooklyn, Cliff and Clair Huxtable watched over their family with style, wit and wisdom, not to mention a whole lot of laughs. The values they represented clearly struck a nerve with the public as the show was an instant success never out of the top 20 in ratings, and one of only two shows to hold TV s #1 spot for five years in a row. The new collection brings together every original network episode for its legendary eight-year run. Take a look back at the stellar cast along with the many all-star guest appearances Stevie wonder, Sammy Davis, Jr., Betty Carter, B.B. King, Adam Sandler and many more. Also, recorded just for this collection is an exclusive brand-new, never-aired Bill Cosby interview, covering everything from his favorite memories and the lasting legacy of The Cosby Show.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...
 You can't get more December 30, 2008
This DVD collection is a must for anyone who wants to sense the pure humor.
The box has also, a personal letter from Bill Cosby and a hard cover booklet, containing episodes' script. Very good work in general! Well done!
 The last great family-friendly sitcom... in a case that will make you spit family-unfriendly words. December 28, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
What sold me on this package is that the season 1 episodes are full length; not the uncut syndicated releases that dogged the standalone set.
What is great about this show is its family-friendly nature. It appeals to everybody. In ways it redefined television, but at the same time, no TV show since then has had the cleanliness Cosby had put into his show.
Of course, everybody knows all that -- what I should do is talk about the DVD release.
Sound and video quality are very good, even at 9 episodes jammed onto every disc. The master tapes digitally remastered -- this will look and sound perfect once it's put onto blu-ray.
It's got a fair share of extras to discuss the one thing about the 1980s worth remembering (apart from Devo, oddly) and even a full color booklet with a reproduction of the pilot episode's script. Which is nice, but...
...why not spare us the book and give some decent disc inserts? The set is divvied up into 4 smaller booklets within the main package. Seasons 1&2, season 3&4, 5&6, 7&8. Each booklet has cardboard inserts that will readily scratch the disc -- BE CAREFUL WHEN HANDLING or go out and buy separate sleeves for the discs. It is not really being green-friendly to replace solid plastic cases with cardboard ones that, after repeated viewing, make the disc unplayable and compelling to customer to buy another set, only to scratch the new discs all over again.
Season 1 sells the set. But add another $5 in additional disc sleeves. Even when taking mine out I saw minute scratches. They will add up quickly and spare you hassle in the long-term.
Timeless fun for the whole family November 20, 2008
5 out of 7 found this review helpful
THE SHOW:
Even though the show lives on in syndication (and I've seen every episode countless times as a result), it's still nice to finally have the episodes in their original, unedited format.
People like Bill Cosby and the late Fred Rogers shared a philosophy that television was a guest in the family home, and handled their shows with great care as a result - i.e., if you were going to watch their shows, then they felt that they owed it to you and your family to give you something worthwhile that you could enjoy together. As I revisited some classic episodes, I realized how special it was to have a show that pitched its humor in a way that seemed so down to earth, and earned its laughs without relying on catch-phrases or resorting to innuendo. The kids aren't perfect (they all manage to mess up spectacularly throughout the series), but the underlying theme of family and sincere (sometimes tough) love gave balance to the show and to me, keeps it timeless. I grew up with this show and enjoyed it immensely as a kid. Now that I'm a parent, I'm appreciating it on an entirely new level.
THE DVDs:
In terms of supplemental materials, you really can't ask for more than the wonderfully poignant "A Look Back" documentary, and new interviews with Bill Cosby and director Jay Sandrich, all of which work to give the viewer an appreciation for how revolutionary the show was at the time, as well as an understanding of why the show is so special today as it was then. There are also some funny outtakes and a few director commentaries thrown in for good measure.
As I said earlier, it's great to have these episodes bundled in one set, but I feel that for a 25th Anniversary definitive series collection, the production team missed a step or two.
With 8 seasons' worth of episodes to enjoy, it would have helped to give the viewer some guidance on how to find their favorite episode. The set includes a hardback book of the pilot script, which is something that I'd browsed through once, and have no need to ever look at again. It might have been a bit more interesting had it included handwritten notes to hint at how the production had been modified from the original script, but it's a straightforward copy. A better use of the book would have been as an episode guide with a quick summaries and guest star listings (similar to the Simpsons box sets). As it is, you're left with a list of episode titles and your memory to help you find the episode where the Huxtables do a lip-sync routine for their grandparents' anniversary, the one where Theo learns about life in "the real world", or the scene of Elvin doing a perfect impression of Cliff, not knowing that he's standing right behind him.
There's also an insert with a note from Bill Cosby and an Al Hirschfeld sketch. Nice (I guess), but I'm not sure why they couldn't have been included in the book. There was no need to make them separate, so they end up seeming like afterthoughts to try and make the set "special." A wasted opportunity.
Another thing that detracted from the set was the inconsistency of the DVD menu style and navigation schemes across the seasons. They seem to be ported over from the individual season releases, so the viewing experience is a bit fragmented as a result. Some menus are a bit more frustrating to navigate than others, and only the later seasons contain helpful on-screen synopses of the episodes.
The video and audio are decent enough for the purposes of the content. It doesn't seem to have been remastered, but that's fine. You're watching a classic 1980s to laugh and enjoy some nostalgia, not to give your subwoofer a workout!
The boxset's packaging itself is very handsome, but the folding cardboard season cases are easily scuffed and the discs themselves are left to sit precariously within the cutout slots. It all feels a bit fragile. I would have preferred sturdier slimline cases to pop the discs into, but at 26 DVDs (!), I'd imagine that the decision to use cardboard reflected a desire to help keep the cost down.
Had these minor issues been addressed differently, I'd have given this set a solid 5 stars on the strength of the show itself.
All in all, this is a highly enjoyable and worthwhile collection that is a pleasure for older viewers to revisit and contains hours of quality entertainment for a new generation to discover. Since the episodes are in perpetual syndication, I wouldn't consider this an essential purchase for casual fans (but you won't be disappointed if you pick it up anyway).
 5 stars for content 1 star for disc containers November 15, 2008
22 out of 26 found this review helpful
I just received my Cosby show Complete Box Set. The Box itself is heavy and looks like a book. I'm not sure how it stays closed after being opened. The 25th anniversary book which looks to contains the script of the first episode is nice. I was shocked and dismayed to see that the 4 disc containers that contained 2 seasons each was made out of cardboard. If I had known that I would not have purchased the complete series. I don't why Companies that produce complete dvd series sets can't seem to understand that cardboard and dvds don't go together. What's wrong with using dual sided platic slim cases or any other kind of plastic dvd casing or better yet the "steelbook" cases. It wasn't scratched up like the Mash complete collection was but there was black debris from the cardboard on about half the discs. It looks like it can be removed without damaging the discs but it is really irritating. Now I have to go out and buy some dvd cases or storage cases to hold these discs.
This Cosby 25th Anniversary DVD is EPIC!!!!! November 13, 2008
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
I'm a huge fan of Bill Cosby. I've been watching the re-runs on TV Land recently. The whole show is brilliant. Its kind of one of those significant titles that down the line is always going to be seen as being a HUGE show. When I saw there was a box set that had ALL the episodes from EVERY season, I had to buy it. It came out yesterday. I started watching it last night (there's a lot of watching going on here). There are some really cool bonus features with Bill and everyone else in the cast talking about what made the show so great. The opportunity to own every episode of The Cosby Show on one slick looking box set is to good to miss up. I would definitely buy this while you can. Its way too good and way to big of a collectable item to miss out on.
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