‘Cosby Show’ to Return for 6th Year

NBC’s top-rated “Cosby Show” will return for a sixth season in the fall of 1989, the network said Friday.

The announcement ended speculation that Bill Cosby was planning to leave the series to pursue other interests. Cosby had suggested in the past that, the program’s stellar ratings notwithstanding, he might leave “The Cosby Show” after five years.

In a statement, NBC Entertainment President Brandon Tartikoff said, “ ‘The Cosby Show’ has been the symbol of success and quality at NBC for the past five years. Knowing it will return for the 1989-90 season allows an entire company to sleep better at night.”

Said Cosby in the same statement: “I will work even harder to ensure that the people get what I consider to be quality. I love my job, and I take great pride in doing it.”

“The Cosby Show,” a Carsey-Werner production, has been credited with single-handedly propelling NBC to the top of the ratings. Its popularity grew during its first season and it went on to become the first series since “All in the Family” to rank No. 1 for three consecutive seasons.