Take 5: Brooklyn's finest
In a photo released in 1992 of a scene in "The Cosby Show," Phylicia Rashad, portrays Clair Huxtable, left, Clarice Taylor, portrays Anna Huxtable, center, and Bill Cosby, portrays Dr. Cliff Huxtable. (1992) Credit: NBC
"Russian Dolls," a reality series debuting Aug. 11 on Lifetime, focuses on a colorful group of Russian-Americans living in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. And while this may be one of the few reality shows set in that borough, Brooklyn has played a prominent role in many scripted series. Take these five:
1. THE HONEYMOONERS (1955-56) -- The Kramdens and Nortons lived at 358 Chauncey St. That building actually was Jackie Gleason's childhood address in Bushwick; the show, however, was set in Bensonhurst.
2. THE PATTY DUKE SHOW (1963-66) -- Brooklyn Heights was home to the Lane family, which included look-alike cousins Patty and Cathy (Patty Duke, right).
3. WELCOME BACK, KOTTER (1975-79) -- Gabe Kotter (Gabriel Kaplan) returned to teach at his alma mater, James Buchanan High School, where he had found the student body had changed dramatically. Buchanan's exteriors were shot at Bensonhurst's New Utrecht High School, Kaplan's alma mater.
4. THE COSBY SHOW (1984-92) -- The dual-career Huxtables also called the upscale Heights their home (even if the exteriors of the house were shot on St. Luke's Place in Manhattan).
5. EVERYBODY HATES CHRIS (2005-09) -- Chris Rock's memories of growing up in Bedford-Stuyvesant were the inspiration for this sitcom starring Tyler James Williams as the young Chris.
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