Little Bill is an American animated children's television series created by Bill Cosby for Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. block. Cosby also composed some of the theme music, appeared in live-action in the show's opening sequence, and voiced the recurring character of Captain Brainstorm. It was Cosby's second animated series, after Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids.
The show's main character, Little Bill, is a fictionalized younger version of Cosby and his late son, Ennis Cosby; 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.
The series originally ran on Nickelodeon from November 28, 1999, to February 6, 2004. Reruns continued to air until 2014, when the show was pulled from the air due to allegations of sexual assault against Cosby.
Premise
Set in Philadelphia, the show centers on 5-year-old, African-American "Little" Bill Glover as he discovers 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.
- 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 1980s sitcom The Cosby Show and Ruth Lucas (wife to Cosby's other character, Hilton Lucas) on Cosby.
- April Glover (voiced by Monique Beasley) is the 10-year-old oldest child and only daughter of Brenda and Big Bill. She tends to be competitive and plays basketball. In 2017, the American Library Association reported that the Little Bill series of books was most often targeted for removal in school libraries due to the sexual assault allegations against Bill Cosby.
Production, broadcast, and home media
Little Bill was first announced in 1997. The series also aired on CBS during the Nick on CBS block from September 16, 2000 until September 9, 2006. In September 2007, Little Bill was moved to the Noggin channel, which advertised it as a "new series".
During the 2000s, several episodes were released to VHS and DVD by Paramount Home Media Distribution. Though never added to Paramount+, episodes remain available for purchase through the video stores of Amazon, Apple and Fandango at Home.
Main video releases
{| class="wikitable"
! Name
! Release date
! Number of episodes
! Episode titles
|-
| Me and My Family
| June 5, 2001
| align="center" | 4
|
- "Are We There Yet?"/"Super Family Fun Land!"
- "The Neighborhood Park"/"The Magic Quilt"
|-
| Big Little Bill
| June 5, 2001
| align="center" | 4
|
- "Big Kid"/"Just a Baby"
- "The Bills Go to Work"/"Miss Murray's Wedding"
|-
| What I Did at School
| August 21, 2001
| align="center" | 4
|
- "Picture Day"/"Copy Cat"
- "The Snack Helper"/"The Stage Trick"
|-
| I Love Animals!
| February 5, 2002
| align="center" | 4
|
- "The Zoo"/"My Pet Elephant"
- "Wabbit Worries"/"Wabbit Babies"
|-
| Merry Christmas, Little Bill!
| September 24, 2002
| align="center" | 3
|
- "Merry Christmas, Little Bill!"
- "Summertime in the Wintertime"/"Snowracer"
|}
Episodes on Nick Jr. compilation DVDs
{| class="wikitable"
! Name
! Release date
! Number of episodes
! Episode titles
|-
| Nick Jr. Holiday
| September 24, 2002
| align="center" | 1
|
- "Merry Christmas, Little Bill!"
|-
| Nick Jr. Celebrates Spring!
| March 2, 2004
| align="center" | 2
|
- "The Skating Lesson"/"Mr. Moth"
|-
| Nick Jr. Favorites Vol. 1
| May 24, 2005
| align="center" | 1
|
- "Little Bill's Adventure with Captain Brainstorm"
|-
| Nick Jr. Favorites Vol. 2
| October 18, 2005
| align="center" | 1
|
- "Little Bill's Giant Space Adventure"
|-
| Nick Jr. Favorites Vol. 3
| February 7, 2006
| align="center" | 2
|
- "Same Moon, Same Sun, Same Star"/"All Together Now"
|-
| Nick Jr. Favorites Vol. 4
| June 6, 2006
| align="center" | 2
|
- "Racing Time"/"All Tied Up"
|-
| Nick Jr. Favorites Holiday
| September 26, 2006
| align="center" | 1
|
- "Merry Christmas, Little Bill!"
|-
| Nick Jr. Favorites Vol. 5
| March 13, 2007
| align="center" | 2
|
- "The Zoo"/"My Pet Elephant"
|-
| Nick Jr. Favorites Vol. 6
| August 7, 2007
| align="center" | 2
|
- "Ready, Set, Read!"/"I Got a Letter"
|}
Awards
Emmy Awards
- 2001 – Outstanding Individual in Animation - Jane Howell and Jonny Belt
- 2003 – Outstanding Performer In An Animated Program – Gregory Hines
- 2004 – Outstanding Children's Animated Program
Peabody Award
- 2001