Dr. Huxtable: Best Sitcom Dad of the 80s

If there ever was a decade for the family, it was the 1980s. Not since shows of the 1950s has there been more of an influx of family-based shows. The 1980s brought us shows such as Growing Pains, Married with Children, Family Ties, and my favorite... The Cosby Show. Given that The Cosby Show was my favorite family show of that era it's only fitting that I give Dr. Huxtable the title of best sitcom dad of the 1980s. So why did I choose him above all others?

He was a man of many children...

Dr. Huxtable had five children. There were four girls and one boy, each with their own character traits. Sondra was the intellectual one... Denise was the wild and crazy one... Theo was the man with a plan... Vanessa was the rocking one... and Rudy was the curious one. Somehow he managed to keep them all in line without tearing the house apart, and without killing any one of them. Each of them respected him, even though they thought they could fool him and get things past him. I loved how they came to him for advice throughout the show, even when they were grown. That's something I look forward to when I have children of my own... being able to talk to them on a peer to peer level instead of just a parent to child level.

He was a man of many skills...

Dr. Huxtable was a doctor that delivered babies. Throughout the tenure of the show he was an electrician, he was a negotiator, he was a peacemaker, he was an athlete, he was an artist, and so much more. This guy was good... well at least he tried to be. Granted he didn't do everything perfectly but he always got an A for effort in my book.

He was a man with a good woman...

Dr. Huxtable wasn't Dr. Huxtable without Mrs. Huxtable. Claire, the lawyer extraordinaire, mom, and exceptional communicator was definitely a great fit for Dr. Huxtable. Claire helped to put some family fires out... she also started some throughout the years. She was a no-mess kind of woman and at times had to pull out her lawyer skills towards her children and husband. She took care of her husband and I believe he in turn took care of her.

He was a man who wasn't afraid to be expressive...

Some of my fondest memories of Dr. Huxtable are of him pretending to sing or dance. I think those were some of the funniest moments. In particular there were two where the family was celebrating his parents' wedding anniversary and they did this whole song and dance for them. This man was nuts! He could lip-sync to any song. He could make up choreography on the spot if he wanted to. He wasn't afraid to be free. I also remember towards the end of the show when Theo graduated from college and he was ready to bring out all the beach chairs and umbrellas and things like that. He was that kind of dad. He was the one who would yell through the bullhorn whenever his child did some great feat. He was the one who would clap for you whenever you did bad like you'd done the best thing ever. Let's not forget his facial expressions... too accurate and too funny.

He was a man who knew his history...

Oftentimes throughout the show I felt like I was in a history class. Some of the things he made up I'm sure, but he was always a person who I felt had a good grasp of history. Not just Black history, but history about a lot of different subject matters. I believe that his children were well-rounded as a result of this historical exposure that he brought. I think that was one of the differences between him and Claire. Claire was more the cultural parent whereas Dr. Huxtable was more the historical parent.

He was a man who was wise...

Dr. Huxtable seemed to have a knack to know what to say when. He knew when to shut his mouth but he also knew when to talk about you to your face. He always left people thinking about what they'd done without raising his voice or causing a scene. I'd never seen him beating his children into submission but giving the truth and letting it go. He was a disciplinarian but also a great teacher when it came to life matters.

He was a man who was funny...

Humor was what made Dr. Huxtable great to watch. Yes he was a great dad, a great husband, a great doctor, and a great son... but equal to all of that he was just funny. A lot of things people think about he actually said. I remember one episode early in the show's history when he and Theo were in Theo's room and Theo was pouring his heart out about how his dad should accept him for who he is. The background to this is that Theo was getting bad grades and was basically trying to say that his dad didn't accept him because he was so successful. After Theo's speech the audience gave him a round of applause, and then Dr. Huxtable stood up and said, "Theo... THAT'S THE DUMBEST THING I'VE EVER HEARD IN MY LIFE!!!" It was one of those statements you don't see coming, but that was Dr. Huxtable. He was great for improvising and pulling things out of the hat and keeping you laughing even if it was at your expense.

If you've never seen The Cosby Show I'd recommend you see it and start from the beginning so that you get the history and evolution of the show's characters. The Cosby Show is not just about Dr. Huxtable, but also about Claire, Rudy, Vanessa, Theo, Denise, Sondra... and then there are the grandparents, the neighbors, the grandchildren, and everyone else who comes on the scene over the years. It's probably in syndication on some channel in your city; you'll just have to find it.

It's great to watch now, but its authenticity was when the show was on the air back in the 80s and early 90s. That show brought me great memories and also was a great model of what family can look like.