Season 5 (The Cosby Show)

The following is a list of episodes for the fifth season the  NBC-TV sitcom The Cosby Show. The series aired from September 20, 1984 to April 30, 1992 with 201 episodes produced spanning eight seasons.

Series overview  

Season		Episodes	Originally aired		DVD set release dates
			Season premiere	Season finale	Region 1	Region 2	Region 4
	1	24	September 20, 1984	May 9, 1985	August 2, 2005 January 21, 2014 (re-release)	May 19, 2008	October 4, 2006
	2	25	September 26, 1985	May 15, 1986	March 7, 2006 January 21, 2014 (re-release)	August 25, 2008	February 7, 2007
	3	25	September 25, 1986	May 7, 1987	June 5, 2007	October 13, 2008	April 4, 2007
	4	24	September 24, 1987	April 28, 1988	June 5, 2007	February 9, 2009	November 7, 2007
	5	26	October 6, 1988	May 11, 1989	November 6, 2007	--	March 5, 2008
	6	27	September 24, 1989	May 3, 1990	November 6, 2007	--	July 9, 2008
	7	26	September 20, 1990	May 2, 1991	April 8, 2008	--	January 13, 2010
	8	25	September 19, 1991	April 30, 1992	April 8, 2008	--	January 13, 2010

Season 5 (1988–89)

• This season comprises 26 episodes
• The opening sequence in this season features the cast dancing on a veranda in Caribbean-style clothing, to music performed by the Oregon Symphony Orchestra. This opening credit sequence, choreographed by Geoffrey Holder, is the only one during the series' entire run that featured the whole cast dancing together. There is only one version of the theme used for this season, much like in season four. There is no closing theme version of this orchestration of the theme, instead a funk/jazz version of the theme was used as the closing theme this season.
• The closed captioning this season is said to be made possible by MetLife and NBC.

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code
99	1	"Together Again and Again"	Jay Sandrich	Carmen Finestra, Gary Kott & John Markus	October 6, 1988	0501
As Theo begins his freshman year at New York University, Denise announces that she is dropping out of Hillman College. Sondra is revealed to be pregnant. First mention of Cliff's theory that the children keep returning home because "they want the house."
100	2	"The Physical"	Jay Sandrich	Carmen Finestra, Gary Kott & John Markus	October 13, 1988	0502
Cliff prepares for a physical. Note: Guest appearance by John Amos as Dr. Bradley Herbert, Jr. Absent: Sabrina Le Beauf and Geoffrey Owens
101	3	"Rudy's All-Nighter"	Tony Singletary	Janet Leahy	October 20, 1988	0505
Rudy's friend sleeps over, but the two soon begin to argue. Theo gets a D on his first college English paper.
102	4	"Move It (a.k.a. The Baby Game)"	Tony Singletary	Carmen Finestra, Gary Kott & John Markus	October 27, 1988	0503
Everyone wants pregnant Sondra and Elvin to find a new apartment. Elvin's surname, Tibideaux, is revealed.
103	5	"Out of Brooklyn"	Tony Singletary	Carmen Finestra & John Markus	November 3, 1988	0504
Denise leaves Brooklyn for a job in Africa as a photographer's assistant. Note: This is Lisa Bonet's last appearance of season five and the first appearance of Elizabeth Narvaez as Kara.
104	6	"The Birth" (Part 1)	Tony Singletary	Carmen Finestra, Gary Kott & John Markus	November 10, 1988	0506A
Sondra goes into labor, and Elvin is a nervous wreck. Guest appearances: Deon Richmond as Kenny, Michelle Thomas as Justine, Naomi Campbell as Julia. This also the first appearance of Reno Wilson as Howard.
105	7	"The Birth" (Part 2)	Tony Singletary	Carmen Finestra, Gary Kott & John Markus	November 10, 1988	0506B
Sondra gives birth to twins—a boy and a girl—who are named after Nelson Mandela and his then-wife Winnie. Elvin decides to return to medical school.
106	8	"Cyranoise de Bergington"	Carl Lauten & Chuck Vinson	Gary Kott & John Markus	November 17, 1988	0507
Theo wants to date his friend Howard's ex-girlfriend, but he is stunned upon learning who she wants to date.
107	9	"How Do You Get to Carnegie Hall?"	Tony Singletary	Janet Leahy	November 24, 1988	0508
Vanessa, Janet and Kara want to be professional singers and they sing the Kylie Minogue version of The Loco-Motion; Russell wins a prize in a sweepstakes, which turns out to be a toaster. Guest appearance: Betty Carter
108	10	"If the Dress Fits, Wear It"	Jay Sandrich	Carmen Finestra & John Markus	December 8, 1988	0509
Clair secretly goes on a crash diet and exercise program to lose five pounds in a week so she can fit into a dress. Guest appearances: Debbie Allen, voice-over by Ahmad Rashād—Phylicia Rashād's sister and husband. Absent: Sabrina Le Beauf and Geoffrey Owens
109	11	"Is There a Hamster in the House?"	Tony Singletary	Mark St. Germain	December 15, 1988	0510
Rudy takes care of a friend's hamster for the weekend, but it soon dies of disease and Cliff gets a new one. Rudy's friend explains that many others who have taken care of her hamster have reached the same fate and gone to the same solution, so it is her 6th hamster.
110	12	"Truth or Consequences"	Tony Singletary	Carmen Finestra, Gary Kott & John Markus	January 5, 1989	0512
Rudy lies to cover for Vanessa, who secretly goes out on a date with her boyfriend, and suffers the consequences when she returns.
111	13	"Cliff Babysits"	Tony Singletary	Carmen Finestra, Gary Kott & John Markus	January 12, 1989	0511
While the family attends a Michael Jackson concert, Cliff babysits his grandchildren Nelson and Winnie. First mention of Cliff's younger brother James, who died of rheumatic fever as a child Note: Bill Cosby's actual brother James died of the same illness at the age of six.
112	14	"Mrs. Huxtable Goes to Kindergarten"	Carl Lauten & Chuck Vinson	Carmen Finestra, Gary Kott & John Markus	January 26, 1989	0514
Clair appears as a panelist on a local Sunday morning talk show entitled Retrospective, but quits when she is exploited by being asked to talk about the Great Depression from a "black woman's point of view". At home, Clair buys a new couch, and Cliff tries to keep the old one. Clair's law firm is identified as Greentree, Bradley & Dexter. Guest appearance: Austin Pendleton
113	15	"The Lost Weekend"	Tony Singletary	Carmen Finestra, Gary Kott & John Markus	February 2, 1989	0513
With the rest of the family gone for the night, Theo throws a "small" party that gets out of control, eventually climbing to 200 participants and destroying a good fraction of the house. Note: This is the first appearance of Alex Ruiz as Lou. Cameo appearance by Joie Lee. Phylicia Rashād (Clair), Malcolm-Jamal Warner (Theo), Tempestt Bledsoe (Vanessa), and Elizabeth Narvaez (Kara) appeared on the episode of A Different World which aired later that evening.
114	16	"No Way, Baby"	Tony Singletary	Carmen Finestra, Gary Kott & John Markus	February 6, 1989	0517
Cliff tracks down the grandfather of one of his patients: an expectant teenage mother with no other family. Clair deduces that the charming man is illiterate. Guest appearances: Sammy Davis, Jr. and Arnold Stang
115	17	"Can I Say Something, Please?"	Tony Singletary	Carmen Finestra, Gary Kott & John Markus	February 9, 1989	0516
Rudy wants to change some of her rules, so Cliff and Clair experiment by letting her stay up as late as she wants, and Rudy learns the valuable lesson that doing what you want has its drawbacks. Guest voice-over: Ed McMahon
116	18	"The Dead End Kids Meet Dr. Lotus"	Tony Singletary	Carmen Finestra, Gary Kott & John Markus	February 16, 1989	0515
Theo consults a voodoo shopkeeper for advice on winning his girlfriend back, but the attempt fails with the ridiculously high prices. Guest appearances: Moses Gunn and Harold Perrineau
117	19	"The Boys of Winter"	Tony Singletary	Carmen Finestra, Gary Kott & John Markus	February 23, 1989	0519
Cliff's old basketball coach comes to visit, and a recent hospital basketball game with doctors vs. attractive young lab workers is recalled on video tape. Guest appearance: U.S. Senator and former NBA basketball player Bill BradleyAbsent: Sabrina Le Beauf
118	20	"It Comes and Goes"	Jay Sandrich	Gary Kott & John Markus	March 9, 1989	0518
Sondra bemoans taking care of the twins.
119	21	"Theo's Women"	Tony Singletary	Mark St. Germain	March 16, 1989	0520
After catching Theo kissing another woman (Vanessa A. Williams) in the lounge of her dormitory, Justine breaks up with him. Desperate to win her back, Theo turns to Cliff for advice. Note: This is the first appearance of Vanessa A. Williams as Jade.
120	22	"Birthday Blues"	Jay Sandrich	Carmen Finestra & Gary Kott	March 30, 1989	0521
Clair's 46th birthday arrives. Guest appearance: Plácido Domingo
121	23	"A Room With No View"	Tony Singletary	Gary Kott & John Markus	April 13, 1989	0522
Vanessa and Rudy argue and fight. After the sisters do physical damage to the house, Cliff exiles them to the basement.
122	24	"What He Did for Love"	Carl Lauten & Chuck Vinson	Carmen Finestra, Gary Kott & John Markus	April 27, 1989	0523
Theo's friend Denny finds an expensive watch and gives it to his girlfriend, but it is soon revealed to be stolen merchandise.
123	25	"Day of the Locusts"	Chuck Vinson	Carmen Finestra & John Markus	May 4, 1989	0524
Sondra comes down with strep throat, prompting her mother Clair and Elvin's mother Francine to "steal" the babies. Sondra then gets highly upset at both her and Elvin's mother.
124	26	"57 Varieties"	Chuck Vinson	Carmen Finestra, Gary Kott & John Markus	May 11, 1989	0525
Theo wants to go to Egypt for an archaeological dig.