Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
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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Episode 1 - Growing Up
Release Date: 1981-10-29His friends' stories of their sexual exploits convince Willis it's time he ""became a man""--now he must convince his steady girl friend Charlene.
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Episode 2 - First Day Blues
Release Date: 1981-11-05Willis has the normal jitters on his first day of high school, and in his hurry to make friends, hooks up with a bad group, goes overboard to impress them, and, for his efforts could wind up in jail.
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Episode 3 - The Model
Release Date: 1981-11-12Kimberly hopes a summer job will make her more independent, but when it becomes an undreamt chance at international modeling, it may be more independence than her father will agree to.
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Episode 4 - The Team
Release Date: 1981-11-19A happy household is torn by the repercussions of meeting racial quotas -- Drummond faces a lawsuit when he hires a black man from outside his company for a prized executive position and Willis seeks justice when told his color is the only thing preventing him from making the school's predominantly black basketball team.
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Episode 5 - The Big Heist
Release Date: 1981-11-26Arnold is elated when he's accepted into an ""elite"" club at school, but his membership could lead to consequences far beyond his wildest dreams when he learns he must commit a crime as part of his secret initiation.
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Episode 6 - Double Date (a.k.a.) Blind Date
Release Date: 1981-12-03Arnold's big plans for his first real ""date"" are quickly deflated when parental-imposed restrictions threaten to ruin his encounter before it ever gets off the ground.
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Episode 7 - The Ski Weekend
Release Date: 1981-12-10Kimberly must face the biggest decision of her life -- whether to spend a ski weekend with a popular boy or turn down the opportunity to get away on her own and remain, in her mind, daddy's ""little girl.""
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Episode 8 - Health Club
Release Date: 1981-12-17Arnold and Willis face a puzzling dilemma -- how to tell Drummond that the award he worked so hard for comes from a health club with a ""restricted membership.""
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Episode 9 - Burial Ground
Release Date: 1982-01-07Arnold and Willis go on a hunger strike to save a historic landmark when they learn construction by Drummond's company may destroy what could be an ancient Indian burial ground.
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Episode 10 - Hello, Daddy
Release Date: 1982-01-14Does Drummond have a third son, there's a young man at the door who claims he does and that he is.
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Episode 11 - Jilted
Release Date: 1982-01-21When Willis takes his steady girl friend for granted, his selfishness sends her out with another guy -- who won't ignore her, but there may be hope for happiness if a self-appointed Cupid succeeds in his plan.
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Episode 12 - Dreams
Release Date: 1982-01-28A cancelled fishing trip leaves Arnold having a series of bad dreams that the entire family loses sleep over, until a psychiatrist's examination reveals what really is causing his nighttime terror.
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Episode 13 - Kathy
Release Date: 1982-02-04Arnold and his friend Kathy face big challenges in their lives and each holds the key to overcoming the other's obstacles, but when Arnold takes the first step forward, their entire relationship takes a big step backwards.
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Episode 14 - Fire
Release Date: 1982-02-11A fire traps Drummond and his family in their penthouse and has him ""working"" overtime trying to protect them without letting on that there's anything wrong.
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Episode 15 - The Squatter
Release Date: 1982-02-18Drummond learns the hard way that converting apartments into condominiums can mean hurting lots of innocent people when he becomes the unsuspecting ""victim"" of an eccentric tenant he's displacing.
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Episode 16 - The Car
Release Date: 1982-02-25When his girl friend plans on taking a drive with someone else, a careless Willis -- refusing to be outdone -- gets an idea for a real joy ride neither of them will forget.
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Episode 17 - Crime Story (Part 1) (a.k.a.) Crime in the Schools
Release Date: 1982-03-11Arnold and his friend Dudley are scared to death by two teenage bullies who pose the intimidating demand ""your lunch money or your life.""
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Episode 18 - Crime Story (Part 2) (a.k.a.) Crime in the Schools
Release Date: 1982-03-18Arnold doesn't know when to leave well enough alone after Willis comes to his rescue, he gets himself involved in an ""undercover"" scheme to capture the ""punks"" at school who have been harassing him.
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Episode 19 - B.M.O.C.
Release Date: 1982-03-25Willis' obsession with joining an ""exclusive"" high school club rocks the Drummond household and leaves several victims in its wake, including a shaken Arnold who takes his brother's ""insensitive"" actions to heart.
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Episode 20 - Green Hair
Release Date: 1982-04-01An adamant Drummond ignores sister Sophia's pleas to get involved in a group effort to combat air pollution, until Kimberly becomes victimized by the unnatural phenomenon.
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Episode 21 - Have I Got a Girl for You
Release Date: 1982-04-08Aunt Sophia's matchmaking unites an unsuspecting Drummond with her ""working-class"" hairdresser, but a slip of Arnold's tongue ignites charges that Drummond is a snob, turning a ""budding romance"" into a roaring feud.
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Episode 22 - Lifesavers
Release Date: 1982-04-15A quick-thinking, fast-acting Willis saves Arnold from a near-fatal accident and in doing so unleashes an adoring monster who dedicates his life to repaying his ""hero.""
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Episode 23 - Stress? What Stress?
Release Date: 1982-04-22Stress is diagnosed as the cause of hard-working Drummond's frequent attacks of pain, but suddenly young, healthy and ""normal"" Willis learns that he, too, is a prime candidate for the same debilitating ""attacks.""
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Episode 24 - The Music Man
Release Date: 1982-05-06Willis sets what he's sure is a ""cinch"" audition for girl friend Charlene to sing with his musical group, but his ""big plane"" hit a sour not when Arnold's intervention threatens to destroy both Charlene's chances with the group and her relationship with Willis.
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Episode 25 - Short But Sweet
Release Date: 1982-05-13Arnold feels shortchanged, he's growing older but he's not getting any taller and he's convinced that's the reason why he doesn't have a girl friend.
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Episode 26 - On Your Toes
Release Date: 1982-05-20A famed choreographer encourages Arnold to learn ballet, but his youthful dancing days could be numbered when Willis' taunting remarks convince Arnold to drop out of an upcoming recital.