Hannibal Buress has more than succeeded in his mission to “make it weird for you to watch Cosby Show reruns.” In fact, given the disturbing recent allegations against the star of that beloved 1980s sitcom, many worried that The Cosby Show had permanently lost its place in the pop culture firmament. The indefatigable folks at ClickHole, a sister site to The A.V. Club, are not quite ready to wave the white flag of surrender, however. Why should America miss out on the Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Tempestt Bledsoe goodness it craves, simply because of the misdeeds of one errant cast member? With a little editing magic and some tricks from the Garfield Minus Garfield playbook, those old Cosby Show repeats are as watchable as ever. ClickHole has proven this with its own cleverly reworked version of the classic “Theo’s Holiday” episode from April 1986. While the plot remains the same (irresponsible Theo receives a crash course in real-world finances from his parents and siblings), the image and voice of Bill Cosby have been subtly, carefully removed from the episode using a variety of sly, nigh-undetectable methods, including some tasteful re-dubbing. While now free from awkwardness, the beloved domestic comedy is now marked by the blurry, spectral non-presence at its center. In short, The Cosby Show has become Ghost Dad.
Join the discussion...