>> we started slowly. nbc was moving us around, trying to find the right place for us. >> family ties pumped life into the family sitcom but the sitcom in general had been pronounced dead. there were a few on the air and then all of a sudden comes the cosby show. >> can i have a advance on my allowance? >> the cosby show was a game changer. this is a family i adored. present history has tainted that a little bit but it did not stop the fact that it was groundbreaking. >> it was a idyllic family, a lawyer and a doctor. >> there was a natural chemistry between cliff and claire and their children that was not clichc black poverty.