Theogate

Theogate is the second episode of Season 4 of The Cosby Show, also the 76th overall episode in the series. The episode was directed by Jay Sandrich and written by John Markus. The episode originally aired in the United States on NBC on October 1, 1987.

Synopsis
When Theo comes home late after a cross country meet and raids the kitchen, then the principal calls the house, Clair decides to investigate why ... by holding a mock trial.

Plot summary
Theo and Cockroach come home unusually late from a track meet, and the Huxtables got a phone message earlier from the track coach. They both deny anything out of the ordinary happened, but attorney Clair knows better; she finds this odd, since the coach had traditionally taken the team out to eat afterwards. Theo covers himself by saying they simply didn't eat at the restaurant.

After the school principal calls, requesting a parent/teacher conference, Cliff and Clair both hold a "mock trial" for Theo and Cockroach at the Huxtables' for Clair to get to the bottom of the situation. Theo finally confesses that he and Cockroach were kicked off the track team after making fun of an overweight female employee at a fast-food restaurant the team had stopped at on the way home.

Clair tells Theo she expects him to be honest and forthcoming with the truth, and that it is difficult to keep lying to cover himself for his misdeeds. Theo is then remorseful and announces he plans to apologize to the woman he and Cockroach made fun of.

Note: Bill Cosby and Keshia Knight Pulliam appeared on the episode of A Different World which aired later that evening.  [[Sabrina Le Beauf and Geoffrey Owens both do not appear in this episode.