This is an episode list for the American television sitcomCosby, which aired on CBS from September 16, 1996 to April 28, 2000. A total of 96 episodes were produced, spanning four seasons.
When Hilton realizes that he has bought Ruth a scarf for Valentine's Day that she already has, he panics and tells her he bought tickets to see singer Jeffrey Osborne.
Erica moves back to live with Hilton and Ruth, bringing Sherman the cat, while a discarded positive pregnancy test then has everyone jumping to conclusions.
When Hilton realizes that Griffin and Erica's friends are taking over his house by watching his television and eating all his food, he decides that if they live in his house, Griffin and Erica will have to live by his rules. Reluctantly, Griffin and Erica agree to abide by Hilton's strict new set of house rules, including Rule #5: thou shall not alloweth men upstairs. So when Erica's boyfriend, Julius (guest star Darryl M. Bell, reprising the role), shows up in her bedroom, Erica attempts to keep it a secret from her father. Meanwhile, Hilton is busy on a mission to kill a stray mouse – although Julius mistakenly believes that he is the target of Hilton's assassination plans.
When Griffin's non-stop eating starts to get on Hilton's nerves, and Hilton's non-stop opinion-giving begins to get to Griffin, the two challenge each other to a 24-hour contest to see which man has more self-control. Meanwhile, Ruth, Erica and Pauline decide that if they have to put up with the men's nonsense, they are going to have a little fun at their expense. And fun they have as they make Griffin suffer watching them eat a three-course meal of his favorite foods and Hilton agonize as he watches Erica walk out the door for a Las Vegas weekend getaway with Julius!
Hilton is overjoyed when he meets new friends Chuck and Larry and joins their "Older and Out" team, since he's also older and he's "out" keeping busy. Ruth discovers that Chuck is gay, and she mistakenly believes that her husband of more than 30 years may have feelings for a man! Blaming herself for letting the spark go out of the marriage, Ruth sets off to win him back before a surprised Hilton discovers the real meaning of "Older and Out."
Pauline is absolutely thrilled that after years of being the single friend, she has finally become a couple with her new boyfriend, Gregory, a self-absorbed, self-proclaimed genius who disturbs Hilton. So when she decides to dump him because he's too uptight, Ruth thinks that Hilton is really the one to blame and sends him off to remedy the situation. But when Hilton, Griffin and Gregory team up at The Steinway Street Pub, they end up good buddies, and big, big winners too, in a trivia game.
A doctor places Hilton under strict quarantine after he catches the stomach flu. Griffin warns Hilton not to escape quarantine, but he doesn't listen and, one by one, everyone in the household drops, leaving Hilton to don his nurse's uniform. As he runs from sickbed to sickbed tending to his patients' needs, Hilton discovers that the members of his household are not at their best when they are sick – but he's determined to maintain his excellent bedside manner.
In a crossover with Everybody Loves Raymond, Frank Barone (Peter Boyle) has been telling his son Ray Barone (Ray Romano) about sinking the winning shot in the 1955 Queens championship since the day he was born. So when Frank pleads with Hilton to help him save face with his son by lying for him, Hilton reluctantly agrees. But then Gwendolyn Brooks High plans a ceremony honoring Frank – and he tells the school that Hilton can't come because he is dead – Hilton decides that enough is enough and goes forward to set the record straight.
Hilton and Griffin get jobs as telemarketers, hoping to win a fabulous office prize, a weekend for two at The Plaza Hotel in Manhattan. Hilton is afraid to tell his wife, knowing she will disapprove of his new job. Instead, he lies and claims that his new job is driving Danny Aiello's limo. Griffin tries to improve his sales record by taking Hilton's advice to create a new persona – he pretends to be Hilton. So when Ruthie overhears "Hilton Lucas" on a sexy phone call, she thinks that her husband is having an affair and blames the whole thing on his new employer, Aiello.
When the city closes down the Flower Cafe because of a misplaced vent, Pauline suggests that she and Ruth indulge in a pampering weekend at a spa. Hilton's only assignment while she's gone is to get the vent fixed. Carla. the chaperone of a Brazilian girls' choir, asks to rent out the coffee shop for a small get-together, and Hilton hesitantly agrees. After all, Pauline and Ruth are out of town and what could possibly go wrong?
Despite Ruth's insistence that family and friends should never work together, Hilton goes to work for Griffin narrating children's stories. He just can't refuse the temptation for some creative rewriting, and Hilton puts his own spin on some classic kids' tales. Will he have his poetic license revoked? Meanwhile, Pauline is so captivated by the handsome young man temporarily working at the coffee shop that she can't bring herself to fire him.
Hilton is bequeathed a boat by a wealthy man he once helped at the airport. Despite Ruth's insistence that he doesn't have the stamina or the money to support a boating hobby, Hilton persists – including spending three days on the boat with Griffin, parked outside the house in the freezing cold.
A plate that Hilton made as a gift for Ruth has been switched for one made by a famous abstract artist. It is worth some $15,000, and now, thanks to Pauline, it is missing.
Pauline tries her hand at playwriting for a course she's taking at the community center. Following Hilton's advice about writing about something "real," she turns out a thinly-disguised comedy about the Lucas family. Hilton is the only one who can't see who the lead character is based on – until he volunteers to play the part on stage. Broadway veteran Philip Bosco is Pauline's flamboyant playwriting teacher, who casts Hilton in her comedy as a sarcastic, irascible coot.
It's April 15th and Hilton hasn't even started working on his taxes, a fact he wants to make sure Ruth doesn't discover. Ruth has other things on her mind, however – she and Pauline have an appointment with Mr. Rollins of the SBA to obtain another loan for the Flower Café. At the Café, Erica has agreed to look after Jurnee, her friend's younger sister. A desperate Hilton arrives and asks Erica for help with his taxes, but she reminds him she's a lawyer, not an accountant. Meanwhile, Mr. Rollins, very negative and skeptical, says he needs to see Ruth's and Pauline's personal tax returns before they can proceed. Ruth calls Hilton for their tax information, and he promises to get everything to her in an hour. Erica sends Jurnee over to the house to watch TV, where it shortly becomes clear that the little girl knows more about doing taxes (her dad's an accountant) than Hilton. She gets the taxes wrapped up and over to Ruth, Pauline and Mr. Rollins, and Hilton is saved.
Erica and her girlfriends, unable to find "Mr. Right," take Ruth's advice about changing their dating habits and set out on "The Great American Manhunt." As the girls despair about their single state, Ruth tries to explain that men are like old cars – you've just got to find one that works, and if you take care of it long enough, eventually it will be worth something! Taking her advice, the ladies set out in search of the guy least likely to turn into a lemon.
Ruth is President of the Businessmen's Roundtable, and Hilton the Ladies auxiliary. In a rather surreal cold open, Hilton speaks with a long dead Jack Benny via special effects.
Hilton's new responsibility, looking after 11-year-old Jurnee while her dad is at work, becomes a little too hot to handle when Jurnee asks him a complicated question about the birds and bees. Not wanting to interfere in Jurnee's upbringing, and looking for a way to avoid having to answer himself, Hilton suggests that the curious Jurnee go to her dad for an explanation. No matter how difficult it is for Del to face the fact that Jurnee is growing up (perhaps a bit faster than he had hoped), with coaching from Hilton, he finally appears ready to have 'the talk.'
Griffin and Erica work out a financial deal to move into Griffin's house on a landlord-tenant basis – thus giving Hilton and Ruth back their privacy ? only to have Griffin's house accidentally burn to the ground. Hilton's visions of spending romantic evenings alone with Ruth are over before they've even begun. And, when Erica and Griffin realize that everything destroyed in the fire was either borrowed, rented or on loan, they decide it's time to grow up and start taking "ownership" of their lives.
Hilton is devastated to learn that Erica is breaking up with her latest boyfriend, Gil (David Alan Grier) – a handsome, well-educated jazz musician who is everything that Hilton could ever want in a guy and more. When Erica and Gil mutually decide to call it quits, it is Hilton who takes the news the hardest, since he has developed his own meaningful relationship with Gil – primarily because he represents the jazzman Hilton always wanted to be. How will Hilton go on? All he does is sit by the phone and wait for Gil to call! It's true that break-ups can be hard – but usually for the two people involved.
Petty differences about irritating personal habits threaten to escalate into a major brawl when Ruth and Pauline plan a "girls' night out" in Manhattan, and Hilton insists on acting as their chauffeur.
A major argument erupts when Ruth accidentally discovers that Erica has been hiding all the gifts she has given her over the years. When Ruth confronts Erica about only pretending to like the gifts that Ruth put so much time and care into buying, it sparks the disagreement. On the one hand, Ruth feels that she does not know her own daughter, and on the flip side, Erica feels that her mother doesn't bother to learn about her likes and dislikes. Although Hilton desperately wants to stay out of their argument, he is left with no alternative and attempts to coerce the women into a joint shopping trip. The goal – buy something that is pleasing to them both without driving him over the edge.
When Griffin accompanies Hilton to "Grandparents Day" at Jurnee's school and adds his two cents to the science lesson, it quickly becomes apparent that he is a natural at teaching and holding the kids' interest. Who would have thought?? Hilton is thrilled that Griffin has uncovered a talent for this most noble profession, while Erica is more than ticked off when she learns that Griffin achieved a higher GPA than she did in college. At first resistant to the idea of working hard for little pay and loads of responsibility, Griffin is ultimately swept up with the idea of molding the minds of America's young – heaven help them.
After Jurnee expresses her fondness for schoolmate Kevin and he retaliates by shoving her on the school playground, amateur psychologist Hilton explains his theory of how "playground scarring" can affect a woman for life. According to Hilton, when women are unable to trust, unable to commit, their problems can always be traced back to a bad playground experience when they were deeply humiliated by a boy they liked. To this day, Ruth has problems with trust because of a certain Kenneth P. Watson, who purposely teetered when he should have tottered, requiring a young Ruth to get stitches. When it comes to Jurnee, however, Hilton is determined not to have history repeat itself.
Hilton is sentenced to a life without pork chops, barbecue ribs and bacon when a doctor's visit reveals a too-high cholesterol count. A mouth-watering meal for Hilton now consists of tofu, steamed broccoli and "not-wurst" imitation hot dogs. New Jersey Nets player Jayson Williams guest stars as Jurnee's teacher, who adds his two-cents on the subject of Hilton's eating habits.
When Hilton offers to make Jurnee's Thanksgiving Day Parade turkey costume from scratch, it comes out to be just that... a turkey of a costume. So imagine Hilton's joy when the queen of domesticity, Martha Stewart, shows up at the coffee shop bearing the most realistic looking turkey outfit that anyone's ever seen and leaves it behind by mistake. But, when Martha returns asking if anyone has seen the costume, will Hilton's guilt get the best of him... or will Jurnee be the best-dressed turkey in the parade?
Del's new girlfriend, Karen, agonizes over a secret that she is worried about sharing with him: the youth who passes as her kid brother is actually her son.
Hilton is beyond frustrated when his newly purchased state-of-the-art refrigerator breaks down and he can't get any customer satisfaction. His repeated attempts to reach a human customer service representative fail, and then he's told it will take an eternity to get the necessary refrigerator part. Hilton takes matters into his own hands and becomes a one-man consumer crusader.
Griffin contemplates quitting the teaching profession when his first day as a substitute teacher is a disaster. The Lucases lend themselves out as mock students so that Griffin can practice his teaching techniques on them – although their misguided attempt to help might just turn him off teaching forever.
Hilton and Ruth recall their first date many years ago. Their flashbacks are done through animated sequences, and of course, both of them have widely different versions of what happened.
While searching for a rare part for his beloved turntable, Hilton bumps into an old friend from his bachelor days, Fred. When Hilton and Fred start reminiscing about how they double-dated sisters Mattie and Roberta Singleton, Hilton decides to play matchmaker and prompts Fred into learning whatever became of Mattie. Even now, years later, Fred can't help wondering what might have happened if they remained a couple... and, thanks to Hilton, he may finally get a chance to find out.
Jurnee is aghast when she finds out that her dad intends to date the "meanest" teacher at her school. Del is so troubled by Jurnee's reaction to his interest in Ms. Malone that he is ready to call off their date. But Hilton reminds him that almost every person can remember a teacher who was too strict, gave too much homework or expected too much of a student – and usually ended up being the one who made the greatest impact on the student later in life.
Hilton is attempting to help Jurnee with her "Romeo and Juliet" homework assignment when his true feelings about The Bard come out: Why couldn't Shakespeare simply speak in plain English rather than using all of that fancy, confusing language? Alas, Shakespeare showeth up in the Lucas kitchen to tutor Hilton personally. Will it be "all's well that ends well?"
Hilton volunteers as a reader for a retired, blind English literature professor and, upon realizing his gift for teaching, urges him to return to the classroom.
Guest star: Anthony Quinn as Professor Christo, whose failing eyesight and advanced age caused him to leave behind the profession he loves so much.
Hilton is stunned when 11-year-old Jurnee, left in his care while her father is away, returns from a friend's birthday party drunk. Hilton and Ruth are adamant about finding out who spiked the birthday punch and caused several of the children to awaken to wicked hangovers the following morning. But, Jurnee is not budging for fear that she will be labeled a squealer among her friends. Hilton is determined to make Jurnee understand that protecting the guilty person is sometimes just as bad as being guilty yourself.
When Griffin finds himself face to face with the group of tough, unmotivated students, he struggles to find a way to reach them and open their minds to the wonders of learning – something fellow teacher Mr. Fleming lost enthusiasm for a long time ago.
When Hilton and Ruth hear that their "little girl" is getting married, they couldn't be happier for her, or themselves, since this would mean one less person in their crowded house. Erica's intentions, however, are for the newlyweds to remain in her parents’ house indefinitely to save some money. Are Hilton's tears of joy or sorrow?
Griffin's trust in his new girlfriend Anita is put to the test when her job as a conference planner puts her smack in the middle of a young millionaires' convention, on the season finale. Rather than heeding Hilton's advice to give Anita some space, Griffin decides to pop in on the convention and find out for himself how loyal Anita is – which prompts Hilton to reminisce about the anxious time he spent away from Ruth, soon after they first met, agonizing over whether or not she was thinking of him as often as he was of her. "Prequel Monday" kicks off with an animated flashback sequence of Hilton as an enlisted Navy man.
Hilton falls asleep during an I Spy marathon. He dreams that he and his old partner Kelly Robinson have been put on a new case in Hong Kong. However, Erica keeps interrupting Hilton's dream to discuss her wedding preparations. The rest of the cast play parts in the dream.
Hilton has to pay the wedding organizers for their services as Erica's wedding nears, but Ruth is more concerned with why the bride is not falling apart yet.
Getting through a typical day is hard enough, but it becomes an ordeal for Griffin when everyone demands his time on the day he is preparing for a date with a beautiful flight attendant.
Griffin's inability to deal with the return of his estranged father, who abandoned him 15 years earlier, causes problems in his relationship with Rebecca.
Hilton suffers from insomnia for several days, falling asleep during the day at inopportune moments, causing Erica and Ruth embarrassment. When Hilton refuses to attend a sleep clinic, Griffin offers to set up a video camera in the Lucas' bedroom to record the night's activity to find the cause of Hilton's sleeplessness. The next morning, when the family gathers to watch the tape, no one is more surprised than Ruth to see that it is her snoring and kicking Hilton in her sleep that keeps him awake.
