Highly Overrated But Still Good

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

My son and I just discovered "Little Bill" awhile back on the Noggin network, and we both love it. It has wonderful elements designed to engage the audience - believable characters, sensible situations, great tempo-setting music and plausible story lines. A careful watcher will discern the elements of Mr. Cosby's social ethos in this show - families which come in all shapes and sizes; social situations where we learn tolerance, dignity and proper expression; and my favorite, people who actually do something about a situation, instead of just complaining about the government or social pressure (race, ethnicity, status, etc).The solid portrayals of family members and middle-class workers also help to dispel the media-blitz myth of African-Americans as either poor people on welfare, or rich criminals, sports stars or rappers, another hallmark of Mr. Cosby's quest for recognition and dignity in the black middle-class. Altogether, a very fine show with values galore that most families with kids will enjoy.

You would think a PhD in Education would actually help Bill Cosby create a show worth letting your kids watch. I'm very disappointed in this show. I remember when it first came out and I thought it would be great for my son to watch. My son has Autism. He knew more at 5 than Little Bill. I have no clue where the writers get their material; but they either have kids of their own with low IQs, or they are just never around real 5 year olds. I have a three year old now, and she knows as much as (or even more than) Little Bill. That's pretty sad. The only show that seems to compare to Little Bill is Caillou. Both shows center around whiny kids who can't understand why the world isn't revolving around them. But the kids never change. How can a character NOT evolve? Watching this show is not a pleasure. I was hoping over the years the writers would actually learn how a five year old really acts. That has not happened. Spare yourself the torture and watch just about anything else. There are a few other shows I hate as much, but I'd rather watch Oswald and listen to Fred Savage sing off key and off tempo than this nonsense.

There's been many instances where I have gone to sleep watching Nick at Nite, and woken up to this drivel. And each time, it's because Little Bill's annoying voice is repeating the same thing over and over. Take this morning, for instance. I was awoken at around 11:30 to "Swoop swoop, zoopity zoop, 1 2 3, zoopity zee", and all sorts of stuff that kept repeating the "Zoopity" line. I kept trying to get to sleep, but it went on for what had to have been 20 minutes. I even yelled at the TV, but it wouldn't stop it. If you need to make sure you are up early, this is the perfect alarm clock. But otherwise, I hate this show for waking me up on many summer/spring break mornings.

This is a really sweet, charming cartoon based on Bill Cosby's childhood. The animation is unique and evocative of the era. I especially love the relationship between Little Bill and his great-grandmother, whom he calls Alice the Great. A nice little family show.