The BEST episodes of The Cosby Show season 4
Every episode of The Cosby Show season 4, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of The Cosby Show season 4!
Dr. Heathcliff "Cliff" Huxtable was an OBGYN (obstetrician/gynecologist), and his wife Clair was a successful attorney. They had five children: Sondra, Denise, Theo, Vanessa and Rudy. Sondra was rarely seen during the first season because she was away at Princeton. She became a regular character in the second season, and was usually seen with her on-again off-again beau, Elvin. They eventually married and had twins; but not before stunning their families by announcing the fact that Elvin was dropping out of medical school to open a camping store, and Sondra was dropping out of law school to help her husband in his endeavor. Denise was the "unique" child, the black sheep of the family. She had her own way of doing things, right down to the style of clothing she wore. After graduating high school, she left for Hillman College in 1986 (a year later, this would become the setting for the spin-off A Different World), but returned two years later with news that she was dropping ou
#1 - Call of the Wild
Season 4 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/24/1987
The newlywed Sondra and Elvin return from their honeymoon with shocking news for Cliff and Clair: they want to abandon their dreams of being a lawyer and doctor and open an outdoorsman's "wilderness store." Geoffrey Owens (Elvin) becoms a regular cast member.
#2 - Theogate
Season 4 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/1/1987
Theo and Cockroach come home unusually late from a track meet, and the Huxtables got a phone message earlier from the track coach. They both deny anything out of the ordinary happened, but attorney Clair knows better. A mock trial is held for Theo and Cockroach at the Huxtables' for Clair to get to the bottom of the situation. Carl Anthony Payne II as Cockroach. Bill Cosby and Keshia Knight Pulliam appear on the episode of A Different World which airs later that evening.
#3 - Waterworks
Season 4 - Episode 18 - Aired 2/11/1988
Clair tries to stop Cliff from fixing a leaky pipe by hiring a team of professionals: friends of Sondra and Elvin from Princeton.
#4 - The Locker Room
Season 4 - Episode 12 - Aired 12/10/1987
Theo and his classmates brag about their dates with girls in the locker room, but Theo's mood changes when one of the guys goes out with Vanessa and brags about it the next day. Troy Winbush as Denny. Adam Sandler as Smitty.
#5 - Autumn Gifts
Season 4 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/5/1987
Rudy goes to an older widowed lady's house each afternoon to have tea and play cards, but notices that she refuses to take her daily medication for diabetes. She tells Cliff, who devises a plan to try to convince her that she needs the meds to live. Eileen Heckart appearance. Keshia Knight Pulliam appears on the episode of A Different World which airs later that evening.
#6 - Home for the Weekend
Season 4 - Episode 22 - Aired 3/17/1988
Denise comes home from college, but seems to have more time for her friends than for the family.
#7 - That's Not What I Said
Season 4 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/29/1987
Cliff and Clair have a marital argument after Theo gets detained by police for riding in a car with an unlicensed driver.
#8 - The Prom
Season 4 - Episode 23 - Aired 3/24/1988
Theo, Denny and Smitty go to great lengths to impress their dates for the senior prom but fail disastrously; Cliff and Clair relive their own prom. Troy Winbush as Denny. Adam Sandler as Smitty. First appearance of Michelle Thomas as Justine. Phylicia Rashād appears on the episode of A Different World which airs later that evening.
#9 - Looking Back (1)
Season 4 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/12/1987
Sondra and Elvin have their first marital fight, and Elvin comes to the Huxtable house for comfort and support. Clair shares about the difficulties in their house as flashbacks are shown.
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#10 - The Show Must Go On
Season 4 - Episode 13 - Aired 12/17/1987
Vaudeville is shown to Rudy and her friends, who are unimpressed. Deon Richmond as Kenny.
#11 - Dance Mania
Season 4 - Episode 11 - Aired 12/3/1987
Theo and Cockroach have tickets to appear on television on the dance show "Dance Mania", but are told that only one of them can enter the studio during the filming because of fire laws. Theo miscalculates by offering to let Cockroach go in (thinking he'll refuse) and gets angry when Cockroach takes him up on the offer. First appearances of Troy Winbush as Denny, and Adam Sandler as Smitty. Final appearance of Carl Anthony Payne II as Cockroach. Bill Cosby appears on the episode of A Different World which airs later that evening.
#12 - The Drum Major
Season 4 - Episode 17 - Aired 2/4/1988
Vanessa tries out for the drum major at school. Theo playfully mocks her efforts, but learns from friends that Vanessa is the target of sexism and intervenes on her behalf. Meanwhile, Cliff cooks up a batch of extremely spicy chili as Russell tries to pay off a loan from an old friend. Deon Richmond as Kenny. Troy Winbush as Denny. Guest appearance by Dub Taylor.
#13 - Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
Season 4 - Episode 15 - Aired 1/14/1988
Rudy has to play the violin in music class at school, but gets jealous because she thinks her classmates' instruments are more fun. Deon Richmond as Kenny. Naoka Nakagawa as Kim.
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#14 - Cliff's Mistake
Season 4 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/15/1987
While setting up the house as a "haunted house" for Halloween, Cliff discover's he's lost a power drill that his neighbor loaned to him. First appearance of Wallace Shawn as Jeffrey Ingalls.
#15 - Gone Fishin'
Season 4 - Episode 24 - Aired 4/28/1988
When the Huxtable men go fishing, Theo catches a dead body, and soon attracts attention from the media. This success goes to his head, while Rudy and Kenny find a nest of baby birds, but the mother bird is missing. The two stories eventually cross in a surprising-and rather humiliating-lesson for Theo. Deon Richmond as Kenny.
#16 - Where's Rudy?
Season 4 - Episode 10 - Aired 11/19/1987
Theo and Vanessa lose track of Rudy in a mall while Clair enters a squash exhibition. Earle Hyman (Russell) appears on the episode of A Different World which airs later that evening.
#17 - It Ain't Easy Being Green
Season 4 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/8/1987
Rudy wants to wear summer clothes in winter to a party, while Cliff tries to get rid of an old water heater.
#18 - Trust Me
Season 4 - Episode 21 - Aired 3/3/1988
A friend of Clair's has marital problems; Cliff takes a "mini-vacation" in the house as Theo, Rudy, and Vanessa try to stump each other with riddles.
#19 - The Visit
Season 4 - Episode 16 - Aired 1/21/1988
Theo visits a friend in the hospital who has cancer. Troy Winbush as Denny. Adam Sandler as Smitty. Special appearance by Armand Hammer.
#20 - Looking Back (2)
Season 4 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/12/1987
Flashbacks are shown while history is shared with Elvin.
#21 - Petanque
Season 4 - Episode 20 - Aired 2/25/1988
Cliff and a friend play pétanque. First appearance of Sullivan Walker as Dr. James Harmon.
#22 - Bookworm
Season 4 - Episode 14 - Aired 1/7/1988
Clair drags Cliff to her book club meeting, and he's the lone male there. Much to Clair's surprise, Cliff knows quite a bit about the book in question! Meanwhile, the kids attempt a sleepover at Sondra and Elvin's run-down studio apartment, but are overwhelmed by the noise and lack of utilities. Appearances by Angela Bassett and S. Epatha Merkerson.
#23 - Once Upon a Time
Season 4 - Episode 19 - Aired 2/18/1988
Rudy writes a fairy tale, and the colorful story is acted out in her fantasy. Members of the family play the roles of a village full of happy people and a mean group that ruins their fun. At the end of the episode, Rudy declares that when she becomes "president of the world", she will put a stop to all mean people. Cliff and Clair proceed to watch news reports of weapons' testing and bombings, and urge her to "hurry, because we need you right now." Earle Hyman as Russell.
#24 - Shakespeare
Season 4 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/22/1987
Christopher Plummer and Roscoe Lee Browne appear. Theo must read Julius Caesar for school, but complains that it is boring. Russel and his friends read scenes from the play aloud, and Theo is enthralled. Later, the men read from a different work of literature-a story Rudy wrote!