Diff'rent Strokes

Diff'rent Strokes a television sitcom that aired on the NBC television network. In pre-production, the original proposed title was 45 Minutes From Harlem. This sitcom starred Gary Coleman as Arnold Jackson and Todd Bridges as his older brother, Willis. They played two black children from a poor Harlem neighborhood whose deceased mother previously worked for a rich white widower, Philip Drummond Conrad Bain, who eventually adopted them. They lived in a penthouse with Mr. Drummond, his daughter Kimberly Dana Plato, and their maid. Outside of the Drummond household, there were a large number of supporting characters seen over the years. Philip's sister Sophia was regularly seen in the fourth season, playing matchmaker for her brother in hopes of getting Philip to marry again. The television sitcom The Facts of Life 1979 – 1988 was a spin-off of Diff'rent Strokes, involving Mr. Drummond's former maid, Mrs. Garrett, as the house-mother for a dormitory at an all-girls private school, East Lake Academy. The series was introduced in the first season Diff'rent Strokes episode "The Girls School". There were a number of changes made for the actual series, including the name of the school, which became Eastland Academy; and Kimberly (featured in "The Girls School" as a student) did not appear in the spin-off. In addition, Charlotte Rae was guaranteed that she could return to Diff'rent Strokes, should the new series fail. When The Facts of Life proved to be a success, a number of its characters made guest appearances on Diff'rent Strokes. The television sitcom that aired on the NBC television network from November 3, 1978 to May 4, 1985, and on ABC from September 27, 1985 to March 7, 1986.