Cosby Overhauls Mystery Series

Nobody, not even Bill Cosby, really knows why his latest NBC series, “The Cosby Mysteries,” failed in its first time out.

Fail it did. The one-hour drama ranked 51st for the season when it left NBC’s air on hiatus last month.

This week, however, a tweaked, retuned, refurbished “Cosby Mysteries” returns to NBC’s air for “the second seven” of its season run.

Cosby and executive producers made subtle yet significant changes.

Their new mission for “The Cosby Mysteries”: Make them a little funnier, and add a little more mystery.

“We’re trying to refocus on what worked in the show - and a lot worked,” George Schenck said. What didn’t work?

Schenck’s smile was wry. “With a mystery, you’ve got to have suspects,” he said. “And if you have so many regular characters, that means the guest star is guilty!

“We’re changing the formula and taking advantage of what Mr. C. does so well,” Schenck said.