Bill Cosby has a new TV gig, though it’s unlikely to be a ratings winner.
The comedian will appear on several shows and spots on the Philadelphia School District’s local-access station and serve as a volunteer creative consultant.
The programming, including some student-produced segments, will include messages on homework, SAT preparation and vignettes about students and their communities.
The creator of “The Cosby Show” said Tuesday that the programming will reinforce lesson plans and give parents the opportunity to talk with their children about education.
“This can become a friend to the kid who finds that he or she is a bit shy or a bit slow in the classroom,” he said. “The student can turn to that station to get help, even the student who may not know why he or she needs to be studying.”
The station also will show reruns of Cosby’s “Picture Pages,” a program for preschoolers that originally aired in the late 1970s and ’80s.
Cosby, a 66-year-old Philadelphia native, attended the city’s public schools and has a bachelor’s degree from Temple University and a doctorate in education.
“The great thing about Bill is, not only does he have a passion and a vision for helping children, but he has a way of conveying the truth that is both poignant and humorous,” school district CEO Paul Vallas said.
The programming will begin airing in the fall.