"Pilot" (also known as "Theo's Economic Lesson") is the pilot and the first episode of the of the American sitcom "The Cosby Show". "Pilot" originally aired in the United States on NBC on Thursday, September 20, 1984, at 8:00 PM ET. This episode debuted the week before the official start of the 1984–85 United States network television season. They only have 4 children in this episode. Denise, Theo, Vanessa & Rudy. Sondra, the first born, is introduced until later in that season, Episode 4; she however, is not in the featured/mentioned in the intro. The confrontation with Theo in this episode is seen again in a flashback in the series finale "And So We Commence". The episode was directed by Jay Sandrich and written by Ed. Weinberger and Michael J. Leeson. The episode was a critical and commercial success, achieving both high ratings and positive critical feedback.