We need to talk about Bill Cosby docu-series premieres on Showtime

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-A four-part docuseries directed by W. Kamau Bell, WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT COSBY wrestles with the conversations of the #MeToo movement, focusing on Bill Cosby’s descent from “America’s Dad” to alleged sexual predator. The series explores the complex story of Cosby’s life and work, weighing his actions against his indisputable global influence

Comments

[figgypud]

This looks really interesting. I might need to get a trial of showtime to watch it. It really is crazy to me when you look back at some of his previous interviews and things where he talked about things that people just laughed off and once all of this came out you realize he was telling us exactly what was happening. I hope his health actually is terrible and he wasn’t faking it and he suffers for the rest of his hopefully short life even though he’s not in prison

[firstknivesclub]

Get a trial on showtime to watch this and Yellowjackets!

[figgypud]

Oh I forgot that was also Showtime, I’ll definitely have to do that!

[soupdupcosmogrl]

There were SO many jokes and little remarks made over the years that were, at the time, barely looked askance at that ended up being confessions. It's wild that we all missed it.

[burntbussy]

[tigermilk]

Took me a minute but here for it

[beysactingcoach]

I'd like to watch this series since I'm a fan of Bell's, he gave a good interview in how he created the doc and why Cosby's predation was so harrowing especially since he gave so many Black people career opportunities, even some of his victims

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/bad-job-dealing-rape-country-153030532.html

[soulhades]

America relationship with it's pop culture is so intense lol "this is just a sad day in the history of black culture"...I mean...Ok.....

[littlekasumi]

i mean it’s not just pop culture. like someone said above, things like the cosby show gave real job opportunities to black creatives and opened the door for future work and media images for black people (that also set up continued conversations on the ‘best way’ to depict black life and respectability) so cosby was an influential figure especially when talking about representation for such a marginalized group and lack of options.

[gloeden2]

Black people were historically kept out of professions and their contributions ignored, denigrated, marginalized. Even niw we are getting "firsts" in professions and accomplishments that should have happened decades ago.
Only in pop culture were we allowed some modicum of accomplishment, success, respect
To this day, there are people who grew up in the 60s through the 80s for whom seeing a Black person on TV being creative, well presented, respected, was a reason to call the neighbors and gather around the tv. Something I've heard similar stories from Black Brits and Europeans of those generations, as well.
The Cosby Show was huge to those generations for reasons many many Black cultural observers have written and talked about for decades. If you don't get it, that's your fault, not their being deluded or wrong.

[pciam]

One of my best friends is black, and grew up identifying so much with the Cosby show. There was a personal element there that became so intrinsic to up his upbringing. He’s had such a hard time reconciling this, although to his credit he never tried to excuse Cosby or pretend the victims were liars. It just hurts him personally. What you said is 100 percent spot on. It’s not just “oh my favorite tv show is tainted” - it’s so much more than that.

It’s not the same but for me coming of age, Buffy meant so much to me. As an in the closet gay boy in a very small southern town, I saw so much of myself in this show when I felt like no one in my “real life” would get it or “see me.” Coming to terms with Joss Whedon being an asshole predator has been hard but it’s something I’ve had to do.

And these docs are important. It’s important to realize that so many awful predators can ALSO at the same time be creative and make stories that resonate so much with the general public.

[anterrabre]

I hope they cover the issues they had when they were making exhibits for the Smithsonian Af-Am History museum and wondered should they cover Cosby's achievements. On the one hand, you have this man who did horrible, terrible things. On the other hand, he did a lot of great things for Black people in media; should those accomplishments be lost to time? It's a very interesting question.

[gloeden2]

I think putting his legacy with that show strictly in the context of its time, as a TV show, separating the creation and its influence from any individual involved in its creation, is enough.
Anyone who expects creations to be tainted because of their creator(s) will have almost nothing creative to admire.
That's a choice, I guess.

[the_pinkdress]

Hm, I’m not sure it should be seen as this oppositional ‘he did bad things but also good things’, rather, these things were intertwined with each other, oftentimes functioned together, which is what makes reconciling his legacy so complex.

[anterrabre]

I also don't think that people (especially the below 30) crowd really understand Cosby's influence and "firsts" that went beyond and predated Cosby Show; he also was responsible for the first cartoon featuring Black people (Fat Albert) and was also the first Black man to win an Emmy in the 60s (I Spy) as well as being a major contributor to The Electric Company (aka "that children's show where all the adults in it was high for real"). The museum was thinking about doing a retrospective of his work in their media section and half were for it, and half against.