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Diff'rent Strokes(TV show/series, 1978-1986)

TV-PG
| 30min per episode | Genres: Comedy, Kids & Family, Drama

Scripted Reality in 8 seasons with 189 episodes

Diff'rent StrokesRating: 3.5/5 (with 129 votes)
Diff'rent Strokes is an American television sitcom, which aired on NBC from November 3, 1978, to May 4, 1985, and on ABC from September 27, 1985, to March 7, 1986. The series stars Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges as Arnold and Willis Jackson, respectively, who are two boys from Harlem taken in by a wealthy Park Avenue businessman and his daughter. Phillip Drummond (Conrad Bain) is a widower for whom their deceased mother previously worked; his daughter, Kimberly, is played by Dana Plato. During the first season and the first half of the second season, Charlotte Rae also starred, as Mrs. Edna Garrett, the Drummonds' first housekeeper, who ultimately spun off into her own sitcom, The Facts of Life, as a housemother at the fictional Eastland School. The second housekeeper, Adelaide Brubaker, was played by ()
Poster of Diff'rent Strokes

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About Diff'rent Strokes

The series stars Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges as Arnold and Willis Jackson, two African American boys from Harlem who are taken in by a rich white Park Avenue businessman named Phillip Drummond and his daughter Kimberly, for whom their deceased mother previously worked. During the first season and first half of the second season, Charlotte Rae also starred as the Drummonds' housekeeper, Mrs. Garrett.

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Diff'rent Strokes Seasons and Episodes

09/27/1985Season 8 - 19 episodes
#1 | 09/27/1985Sam's Missing (1)
A family whose little boy died, forces the father to kidnap Sam, who is shopping for some snacks in a grocery store. After the kidnapping, the man threatens to kill Sam's parents if he attempts in any way to escape.
#2 | 09/27/1985Sam's Missing (2)
The Drummonds, desperate to get Sam back, go on the news to try and advertise to get Sam back. In the meantime Sam risks everything to tell the Drummonds where he is.
#3 | 10/04/1985Bully for Arnold
Guarding the school bully's girlfriend, Ramona, seems like a simple task to Arnold, until his natural Jackson ""charm"" creates some problems, Ramona falls head over heels for him and Herman, the bully, wants to rearrange his face.
#4 | 10/11/1985Love on the Run
Sam and Arnold fear that the time their parents are spending apart is a symptom of an ailing marriage and the boys attempt to give them a dose of romance, hoping it will be the cure that will keep them from divorce.
#5 | 10/18/1985Willis Goes to College
Willis takes a big step when he leave home for college, but fears his initiation to dorm life is only one of the freshman experiences he may not be ready to handle.
#6 | 10/25/1985Arnold's Job
Arnold's dream of becoming an ""overnight"" success as a photo-journalist run headlong into reality when he gets his first job on a local newspaper.
#7 | 11/08/1985A Tale of Two Teachers
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar guest stars as a high school English teacher who gives Arnold a ""classic"" punishment for ""goofing off"" in class and the freshman quickly learns his lesson when his penace is teaching ""A Tale of Two Cities"" to his rowdy classmates.
#8 | 11/15/1985So You Want to Be a Rock Star
A music instructor ""backs up"" Arnold after he claims to be an expert sax player in order to impress a girl.
#9 | 11/29/1985Speak No Evil
Father and son are feuding over First Amendment rights when an outraged Arnold objects to a white supremacy organization speaking at his high school and a discerning Drummond can't support Arnold's fury on the basis of the American right to free speech.
#10 | 12/06/1985Arnold's Bad Rep
Arnold succumbs to peer pressure and boasts he went ""all the way"" with his girlfriend, but his lie puts him in a more awkward position once the girl finds out about his claim to fame.
#11 | 12/13/1985It's My Party and I'll Cry if I Want To
Drummond has ""insured"" that Sam will have an unforgettable birthday party by arranging for a local television personality to be the main attraction, until the swash-buckling ""Captain Jack"" steals the show and the birthday boy jumps ship.
#12 | 01/10/1986Arnold's Initiation
Arnold's initiation into the ""cool"" club at school jeopardizes his friendship with the mildly-retarded dishwasher at the Hamburger Hangar, after a prank Arnold ""must"" pull causes the man to lose his job.
#13 | 01/17/1986Bulimia
Arnold suspects that Kimberly has an eating disorder when his slender sister is secretly gorging himself, but not gaining any weight. Arnold seeks Drummond's help in confronting Kimberly with her problem and the family comes together to help her fight the eating disorder, bulimia.
#14 | 01/24/1986Sam's Big Brother
Arnold's preoccupation with girls and school leaves younger brother Sam alone and bored until Willis steps in, takes over as ""big bro"" and causes a row when Arnold decides to fight back for the title.
#15 | 01/31/1986Arnold's Tangled Web
To prevent Drummond from seeing his ""F"" in geometry, Arnold arranges to have Drummond's signature forged on his report on his report card, but the scheme backfires when Drummond insists on a personal inspection of Arnold's grades.
#16 | 02/07/1986Lifestyles of the Poor and Unknown
Sam's contempt for a classmate who incessantly insults and badgers him is pacified when he learns that the boy is an orphan who's jealous of Sam's ""perfect"" family life.
#17 | 02/21/1986The Big Bribe
A date with a gorgeous girl has Arnold walking on a cloud, until he learns she was bribed by Willis to go out with him.
#18 | 02/28/1986The Photo Club
Arnold is disgruntled over being partnered with archenemy Lisa in photography class but his frustration soars when the two are accidentally locked together in the basement darkroom.
#19 | 03/07/1986The Front Page
Arnold's feature story about his high school football team threatens to turn into a controversial expose for the school newspaper when he witnesses team members buying steroids.
09/29/1984Season 7 - 24 episodes
10/01/1983Season 6 - 24 episodes
10/02/1982Season 5 - 24 episodes
10/29/1981Season 4 - 26 episodes
11/12/1980Season 3 - 22 episodes
09/21/1979Season 2 - 26 episodes
11/03/1978Season 1 - 24 episodes
?Specials - 2 episodes

Additional Information

Production country: United States of America (USA)
Original language: English (EN)
Spoken languages: English (EN)
Translated into 10 languages: German (DE), English (EN), Spanish (ES), French (FR), Hebrew (HE), Italian (IT), Japanese (JA), Portuguese (PT), Russian (RU), Chinese (Mandarin) (ZH)
Status: Ended
First episode released on: 11/03/1978
Last episode released on: 03/07/1986
Creator: Jeff Harris, Bernie Kukoff
Screenwriter: Ben Starr, Budd Grossman, Howard Leeds, Martin Cohan
Composer: Alan Thicke, Al Burton, Gloria Loring
Alternative titles in other countries (from previews, ads etc.):
"Blanco y negro"
"Branco & Negro"
"Minha Família é uma Bagunça"
"Arnold et Willy"
"Il mio amico Arnold"
"Different Strokes"

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WatchPlayStream ID: SHOWS:1045, Added: 05/11/2018, Last updated: 04/08/2024