The show's main character, Little Bill, is a fictionalized younger version of Cosby;[8] the show's executive producer, Janice Burgess, described the character as "little Bill Cosby."[9] Each episode features Little Bill learning a lesson while interacting with his large family and group of friends. The show was developed with a panel of educational consultants.[6] The show is set in Philadelphia, Cosby's hometown.[9] Little Bill's personality was inspired by both Cosby himself and his son, Ennis Cosby; Little Bill's catchphrase "Hello, friend!" was originally a greeting that Ennis used.[10]
The series originally ran on Nickelodeon[11] from November 28, 1999 to February 6, 2004, and reruns continued until December 22, 2006.[12] In September 2007, Nickelodeon announced that Little Bill would permanently move to the Noggin channel.[13][14] It premiered on Noggin on September 10, 2007.[5] Reruns continued to air until 2014, when the show was pulled from the air due to allegations of sexual assault against Cosby.[15]
Premise
Set in Philadelphia, the show centers on Little Bill Glover as he explores everyday life through his imagination. Little Bill lives with his parents, his great grandmother Alice (nicknamed Alice the Great), his older sister April, and brother Bobby. Each episode includes a daydreaming sequence where Little Bill imagines a fantastical scenario.[8] At the end of every episode, he breaks the fourth wall by summarizing his day to the audience by talking to the audience or Elephant, his hamster, before going to bed, and a family member offscreen asks, "Little Bill, who are you talking to?" causing Little Bill to laugh.
Broadcast history
Little Bill was first announced in 1997.[10] It aired on Nickelodeon from November 28, 1999 to February 6, 2004. The first eight episodes debuted on Sunday nights before airing on Nick Jr. at a later date. The series secured a regular weekday timeslot on Nick Jr. beginning on September 4, 2000. Nick Jr. aired reruns until December 22, 2006. The series also aired on Nick on CBS from September 16, 2000[16] until September 9, 2006. In September 2007, Little Bill was moved to the Noggin channel,[14] which advertised it as a "new series".[5] Noggin aired five "premiere episodes" from September 10 to September 15, 2007.[5]
Reruns of Little Bill were shown on Noggin and the Nick Jr. channel until February 21, 2014, when Nickelodeon removed the show from its services.[15] In addition to pulling reruns, Little Bill was removed from NickJr.com in 2014.[17] Commenting on the show's removal from television, Distractify wrote: "Perhaps Little Bill should be left in the past."[15]
In 2017, the American Library Association said that the Little Bill series was one of the books most often targeted for removal in school libraries due to the sexual assault allegations against Bill Cosby.[18] In December 2014, TV Guide noted that Little Bill episodes had become difficult to find after the allegations, since the show was no longer aired on television.[19]
William "Little Bill" Glover Jr. (voiced by Xavier Pritchett) is an inquisitive bald 5-year-old boy. He has a knack for storytelling and often finds himself daydreaming his own fantasy worlds. The show's executive producer, Janice Burgess, described Little Bill as "in a way, little Bill Cosby." Little Bill's catchphrase "Hello, friend!" was originally a greeting used by Bill Cosby's late son, Ennis Cosby.[20][9][10]
William "Big Bill" Glover Sr. (voiced by Gregory Hines) is the city's building inspector who is Little Bill, Bobby, and April's father, and Brenda's husband. He is nicknamed Big Bill since both he and his son are named Bill. In an interview, Bill Cosby said that "I am Big Bill."[21]
Brenda Glover (née Kendall) (voiced by Phylicia Rashad) is Little Bill, Bobby, and April's mother, and Big Bill's wife. Brenda's voice actress, Phylicia Rashad, had previously played Clair Huxtable (wife to Cosby's character, Cliff Huxtable) on The Cosby Show and Ruth Lucas (wife to Cosby's other character, Hilton Lucas) on Cosby.[22]
April Glover (voiced by Monique Beasley) is the oldest and only daughter of Brenda and Big Bill. She tends to be competitive and plays basketball.[20]
Robert "Bobby" Glover (voiced by Devon Malik Beckford in Season 1 and Tyler James Williams in Season 2) is the middle child, and oldest son of the Glover children. He is a Boy Scout and plays the violin.[20]
Alice "Alice the Great" Kendall (voiced by Ruby Dee and Anika Walker in a flashback in "Good Ol' Lightning") is the maternal great-grandmother of Little Bill, Bobby, April, and Jamal. Alice is also Brenda and Deborah's grandmother. She is in her seventies and lives with the family.[20]
Elephant is the family pet, a small, light yellow hamster who lives in Little Bill's bedroom. He often rolls around the house in a plastic hamster ball. He was named after Little Bill's favorite animal.
Friends and neighbors
Captain Brainstorm (voiced by Bill Cosby) is Little Bill's favorite superhero. He is an astronaut with his own television show, Space Explorers. He has an orange rocket and an orange space suit.
Miss Murray (voiced by Ayo Haynes in Season 1 and Melanie Nicholls-King in Season 2) is Little Bill's cheerful kindergarten teacher.[20] She wears purple glasses. She marries Dr. Clinkscales in "Miss Murray's Wedding".
Fuchsia Glover (voiced by Nakia Williams in Season 1 and Kianna Underwood in Season 2) is the paternal cousin of Little Bill, Bobby, and April. Her mother is named Vanessa and her father is named Al. She is known for always speaking her mind.[20]
Andrew Mulligan (voiced by Zach Tyler Eisen) is an Irish-American boy who is Little Bill's best friend. He lives two houses away from Little Bill. He has an active imagination like Little Bill, and they often join each other in fantasy sequences. He has a dog named Farfy.[20]
Kiku (voiced by Eunice Cho) is an Asian-American friend of Little Bill's. She likes being creative, putting on puppet shows, and making artwork. She is very ambitious and wants to be president when she grows up.[20]
Alan "Al" Glover (voiced by Michael Green) is Big Bill's brother, Fuschia's father, Vanessa's husband, and Little Bill, Bobby, and April's uncle. He runs a convenience store in town.
Monty (voiced by Cole Hawkins) is the grandson of Alice the Great's friend Emmaline. He uses a wheelchair to get around, and he was born with cerebral palsy. Later in the series, he joins Little Bill's class.
Dorado (voiced by Vincent Canales) is a friend of Little Bill's who is Puerto Rican.
Michael Riley (voiced by Muhammad Cunningham) is a classmate of Little Bill's who moves to the neighborhood from Miami. At first he is somewhat of a bully by playing ranking with Little Bill, but he reforms and befriends him in the end.
Mrs. Shapiro (voiced by Madeline Kahn in her first appearance, and later by Kathy Najimy after Kahn's death) is Little Bill's neighbor.
Dr. Winthrop Clinkscales (voiced by Christopher Grossett) is Mrs. Murray's husband, whom she married in "Miss Murray's Wedding".
^Bill Cosby. "Bill Cosby - June 15, 2014". All of the characteristics of Little Bill include Ennis and Big Bill (I am Big Bill - my memories of around that age).
