Bill Cosby appeared in a show that aired on television.
Bill Cosby . Beginning in the 1980s , Cosby produced and starred in a television sitcom , The Cosby Show , which aired from 1984 to 1992 and was rated as the number one show in America for five years , 1984 through 1989 . The Electric Company is an American educational children 's television series created by Paul Dooley and directed by Bob Schwartz , Henry Behar ( 1972 -- 1975 ) and John Tracy ( 1975 -- 1976 ) ; written by Dooley , Christopher Cerf ( 1971 -- 1973 ) , Jeremy Steven ( 1972 -- 1974 ) and John Boni/Amy Ephron ( 1972 -- 1973 ) ; and produced by the Children 's Television Workshop ( now called Sesame Workshop ) for PBS in the United States .