Here’s a milestone that’s bound to make you feel old: classic sitcom Diff’rent Strokes premiered on NBC 45 years ago, on November 3, 1978. The series starred Conrad Bain as Phillip Drummond, a wealthy man who ended up taking in two young boys (played by Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges) following the death of their mother who had worked for Mr. Drummond. Together with Dana Plato as Drummond’s daughter Kimberly and their housekeeper Mrs. Garrett (Charlotte Rae), they all formed a new kind of family… and one that lives in a fancy penthouse apartment.
The series was a fast hit and one of the biggest draws for NBC in this era — with a lot of the attention for the show tuning in to see Gary Coleman’s Arnold character with his iconic catchphrase of “Whatchoo talkin’ bout Willis?” Willis, of course, was his brother, played by the equally talented Todd Bridges, who himself could have been seen on shows such as Fish and Barney Miller before landing this role. Cast members who joined the show in later years included a pre-Designing Women Dixie Carter and Mary Jo Catlett, who younger audiences surely know best as the voice of “Mrs. Puff!”
Diff’rent Strokes welcomed many big-name guest stars to the show, including Janet Jackson, Mr. T, Muhammad Ali, and First Lady Nancy Reagan. It also had a few “very special” episodes, such as the one with a creepy bicycle repair man played by the “Maytag repairman” and “Arthur Carlson” himself, Gordon Jump. The show remained popular for 8 seasons with the final season moving to ABC with an updated, jazzier theme song.
The show spawned some spinoffs, with Charlotte Rae becoming the house mother for the girls of The Facts of Life. While it wasn’t a hit at first, it found its audience and direction by Season 2. The cast of Diff’rent Strokes appeared in the first episode of The Facts of Life to see them off. Not as successful as The Facts of Life was a show called Hello Larry starring McLean Stevenson, which was retroactively put into the Diff’rent Strokes universe via a crossover episode.
Sadly, Diff’rent Strokes is often brought up now with some of the real-life problems the cast had. Gary Coleman had a series of legal battles with his family over his money from doing the show; he also had some unsuccessful business ventures and even worked as a security guard at one point. Sadly, Coleman passed away in 2010 at only 42 years old. Dana Plato’s future was also tragic: She dealt with substance abuse for a good portion of her life and had some trouble with the law, and when things finally started to be on the upswing, she, too, died young, at only 34, only one day after visiting Howard Stern’s radio show. It’s a shame, as sometimes that overshadows the legacy of a series that was enjoyed by so many.
The lone surviving member of the show’s original cast, Todd Bridges, had his own battles in the past, and he has been in recovery for 30 years. Today, he has announced an initiative to help others, with the Society for Ethical Addiction Treatment (SEAT). Their mission is to transform the landscape of addiction treatment by incorporating science-based treatment strategies and standards, leading to better outcomes for individuals, families, and communities. You can read more about SEAT here; we are hoping to have an interview with Mr. Bridges here at KSiteTV in the near future so he can talk more about SEAT as well as his experience doing the show.
Select episodes of Diff’rent Strokes can be found on Tubi TV if you’d like to someday revisit. Since those are currently only from Seasons 5 and 6, your better bet might be to pick up some of the seasons on Amazon.com and support this site in the process!
