Cosby Show: TV Land Pulls Reruns

It's about time, I guess.

I was wondering how long TV Land was going to keep The Cosby Show on its schedule.

From TIME:

The Cosby Show is the latest casualty of Bill Cosby’s career as he faces increasing public scrutiny over new and long-existing allegations of sexual assault.

The nostalgia network TV Land was set to air several marathons of the beloved ’80s family sitcom, but on Wednesday pulled all re-runs of the show from its schedule, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

I can't reconcile the many rape and sexual assault allegations being leveled at Bill Cosby and the character of Cliff Huxtable.

It doesn't work.

The reruns creep me out.

I was troubled by Bill Cosby's silence when he was questioned about the sexual assaults during the NPR interview last weekend. Not good.

Cosby, 77, has not publicly addressed the claims against him, which have now been made publicly by at least six women. In an NPR interview that aired over the weekend, Cosby refused to discuss the allegations.

...As NPR's Eric Deggans wrote this week, "several recent events, including the 30th anniversary of The Cosby Show and the publication of the biography, have pushed media to reconsider Cosby's legacy."

Discussing the comedian's "huge, complicated" legacy, NPR's Gene Demby wrote in September:

"Cosby's renown has become less neat in the years since the show went off the air, his squeaky-clean family image tarnished by confessions of infidelity and allegations of sexual assault. His politics have become polarizing, and his name is invoked as a shorthand for a specific strain of black conservatism."

Some on the Right are saying Cosby is being targeted because of his alleged conservatism.

While it's possible Hollywood Leftists aren't eagerly rallying around him because of his occasional remarks suggesting that the African American community needs to do some soul-searching and take responsibility for those behaving badly, Cosby is not a conservative.

Is it really so out of line to voice the importance of people being held accountable for their actions and being responsible, productive members of society?

Is that really just a conservative thing?

It shouldn't be. Both conservatives and liberals should find common ground with something as basic and reasonable as that.

It's wrong if Cosby is being punished because of such remarks. It's wrong if Leftists are failing to defend him because he doesn't buy into the soft bigotry of low expectations.

However, it's not wrong to hold Cosby accountable for his own behavior. Multiple allegations of sexual assault must be addressed. There appears to be a pattern here. It's not just a he said, she said matter. It's a he said, she said, and she said and she said and she said and she said and she said matter.

What's crazy is that for so many years these allegations weren't given the attention they deserved.

What was that about?

Why now?

I understand why Cosby wouldn't want to talk about the allegations.

But, it certainly does mess up his "comeback."

The problem I have with this whole thing is the uncertainty: Is Cosby being unfairly attacked, or is he the attacker, a sexual predator, a criminal?

I don't know. Very creepy.

The doubt is the problem. It's not OK to ignore allegations as serious as these. TV Land, NBC, and Netflix should walk away from him. There's really no other choice because the allegations are so awful.

It seems like Cosby's image is beyond repair.

The question: Is this what Cosby deserves?