"Cosby," the show that was supposed to be the linchpin around which CBS built its schedule, has been canceled by the network after four rather disappointing seasons on the air.
Certainly the show never came anywhere near the success of the 1984-92 NBC sitcom "The Cosby Show," which rocketed to the top of the ratings and was the No. 1 show on TV for five seasons.
When new CBS president Leslie Moonves signed Cosby in 1996, it was considered somewhat of a coup. The network was in deep ratings trouble and it signaled a turnaround in the Big Eye's fortunes. And that remained something Moonves remained grateful for even after three years of declining ratings and a decision a year ago to move the show from Monday to Wednesday.
"Bill Cosby absolutely was the centerpiece of our rebuild," Moonves said.
The show was a moderate success on Mondays, but ratings fell after leaving Mondays for Wednesdays and then Fridays, down from about 16 million viewers per week in 1996-97 to about 9 million per week in the current season.
The show is scheduled to air its last original episode on Friday, April 28.
Cosby will develop other projects for CBS. The fate of his show "Kids Say the Darndest Things" remains to be determined.