Diff'rent Strokes

Diff'rent Strokes

β˜… 7.1Β (299 votes)
1978πŸ“Ί 8 Seasons🎞 189 Episodes⏱ 30m / epTV Series
ComedyFamilyDrama

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.

Watch S1E1

First Aired

1978-11-03

Status

Ended

Network

ABC

Seasons

Season 1 Episodes

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Movin' In

E1. Movin' In

Multi-millionaire Phillip Drummond, who has agreed to the death-bed wish of his housekeeper to raise her two small sons as his own, welcomes 8-year-old Arnold and 12-year-old Willis into his lavish penthouse. Anxious to make them feel at home, he showers them with gifts and love -- and is puzzled when he learns that the boys are planning to sneak from the lap of luxury back to Harlem. Aiding Drummond in his effort to make the street-wise, ghetto youngsters feel welcome in the affluent white world are Drummond's new housekeeper Mrs. Garrett and his 13-year-old daughter Kimberly.

β˜… 5.0

The Social Worker

E2. The Social Worker

Arnold's eavesdropping leads to trouble when a misunderstanding causes Willis and him to think that Mr. Drummond no longer wants them around; he has heard Drummond tell a social worker that ""black children belong with black families.""

Mother's Last Visit

E3. Mother's Last Visit

Mr. Drummond's socialite and rather snobbish mother arrives and finds there's a lot she doesn't like about her son's new sons, but she soon learns a valuable lesson about what's really important in a person.

Prep School

E4. Prep School

When Mr. Drummond tries to get Arnold and Willis into an exclusive prep school, it turns out to be just a little too exclusive for everyone's tastes.

The Spanking

E5. The Spanking

Arnold ignores warnings and continues to drop water balloons from the balcony. Mr. Drummond's decision to punish Arnold for the prank with a spanking becomes a learning lesson for Willis too, when he insists that he be the one to spank Arnold -- but where's Arnold?

Goodbye Dolly

E6. Goodbye Dolly

When Arnold loses his favorite doll, he makes sure that his misery is shared equally by the various members of his household, who soon try everything to get it back.

Cast

Conrad Bain

Conrad Bain

Phillip Drummond

Gary Coleman

Gary Coleman

Arnold Jackson

Todd Bridges

Todd Bridges

Willis Jackson

Mary Jo Catlett

Mary Jo Catlett

Pearl Gallagher

Danny Cooksey

Danny Cooksey

Sam McKinney

Mary Ann Mobley

Mary Ann Mobley

Maggie Drummond

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