--- title: Bill Cosby: 'Cosby Show' Producer Hopes Fans Will Still Watch description: The Cosby Show producer Tom Werner expressed hope that viewers might separate the fictional patriarch from rape allegations leveled at Bill Cosby. canonical: https://time.com/3980839/cosby-show-producer-scandal/ author: Dan Kedmey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-07-31T21:24:32.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T09:48:14.695Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: 'Cosby Show' Producer Hopes Fans Will Still Watch og:description: "The legacy of the show is obviously very important to me," he said og:url: https://time.com/3980839/cosby-show-producer-scandal/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte8467842643fee95/69885d68f887dc8e02e91a77/gettyimages-464386790.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: GettyImages-464386790 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 'Cosby Show' Producer Hopes Fans Will Still Watch twitter:description: "The legacy of the show is obviously very important to me," he said twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte8467842643fee95/69885d68f887dc8e02e91a77/gettyimages-464386790.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # _Cosby Show_ Producer Hopes Fans Will Still Watch  by [Dan Kedmey](https://time.com/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Jul 31, 2015 9:24 PM UTC  Red Sox Chairman Tom Werner during a media availability at Jet Blue Park on Feb 25, 2015. Red Sox Chairman Tom Werner during a media availability at Jet Blue Park on Feb 25, 2015.Barry Chin—The Boston Globe/Getty Images  by [Dan Kedmey](https://time.com/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Jul 31, 2015 9:24 PM UTC _The Cosby Show_ producer Tom Werner expressed hope on Friday that viewers would separate the show’s fictional patriarch, Heathcliff Huxtable, from the widespread [accounts](http://time.com/3976487/bill-cosby-deposition-gloria-allred/) of sexual assault leveled at lead actor Bill Cosby. Werner declined to comment specifically on the allegations in an [interview](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/bill-cosby-producer-breaks-silence-812438) with _The Hollywood Reporter_, opting instead to focus on the show’s cultural significance. “The legacy of the show is obviously very important to me because the show was a groundbreaking show and it portrayed a middle-class African-American family in a very positive way,” Werner said during a publicity tour for his Starz series, _Survivor’s Remorse_ _._ “I’m hoping that people will still be able to watch the show and identify with the Huxtables,” he added. Werner has been largely reticent on the scandal since he issued a joint statement with producing partner Marcy Carsey last November, calling the accusations against Cosby “beyond our knowledge or comprehension.” In all, 46 women have come forward with rape accusations, prompting cable channels to [yank](http://time.com/3949363/cosby-hazzard-reruns/) reruns of _The_ _Cosby Show._ \[[_THR_](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/bill-cosby-producer-breaks-silence-812438)\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3980839/cosby-show-producer-scandal/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3980839/cosby-show-producer-scandal/"},"headline":"Cosby Show Producer Hopes Fans Will Still Watch","datePublished":"2015-07-31T21:24:32.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T09:48:14.695Z","description":"\"The legacy of the show is obviously very important to me\"","url":"https://time.com/3980839/cosby-show-producer-scandal/","keywords":["Television","Bill Cosby topic"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte8467842643fee95/69885d68f887dc8e02e91a77/gettyimages-464386790.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Dan Kedmey","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/dan-kedmey/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte8467842643fee95/69885d68f887dc8e02e91a77/gettyimages-464386790.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"GettyImages-464386790","caption":"Red Sox Chairman Tom Werner during a media availability at Jet Blue Park on Feb 25, 2015.","creditText":"Barry Chin—The Boston Globe/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3980839/cosby-show-producer-scandal/","name":"Cosby Show Producer Hopes Fans Will Still Watch"}}]}] ```