Diff'rent Strokes
Phillip Drummond, a widowed Manhattan millionaire and president of the mega-firm Trans Allied Inc., adopts two African American orphans from Harlem, 8-year-old Arnold and 12-year-old Willis. Drummond had made a promise to their dying mother, his housekeeper, that he would care for the boys after she passes away; their father had died years earlier. The boys, whom Drummond always introduced as his two sons, went from rags to riches literally overnight. At first, Willis was rather skeptical of their newfound wealth, but eventually, both he and Arnold felt right at home in their newfound surroundings. Also part of the family were Drummond's beautiful daughter, 13-year-old Kimberly; and his no-nonsense housekeeper, Edna Garrett. As the years passed, Mrs. Garrett left to become housemother at the Eastland School for Girls; she was replaced by the cantankerous Adelaide Brubaker and still later, charming Pearl Gallagher. Arnold's friends, Dudley and Robbie (and later, Charlie); Willis' girlfriend, Charlene; cast members from "The Facts of Life"; and Drummond's sister, Sophia, were frequently seen. In early 1984, Drummond found true love, marrying fitness instructor Maggie McKinney; she had a 6-year-old son, Sam. While most series revolved around the typical lessons of growing up, some were quite serious (including a frightening encounter with a child molester and a memorable episode dealing with drug abuse guest starring First Lady Nancy Reagan).
- 1978-1986
- 8 seasons
- Amazon Prime Video
- Comedy, Drama
- TV-14
Phillip Drummond, a widowed Manhattan millionaire and president of the mega-firm Trans Allied Inc., adopts two African American orphans from Harlem, 8-year-old Arnold and 12-year-old Willis. Drummond had made a promise to their dying mother, his housekeeper, that he would care for the boys after she passes away; their father had died years earlier. The boys, whom Drummond always introduced as his two sons, went from rags to riches literally overnight. At first, Willis was rather skeptical of their newfound wealth, but eventually, both he and Arnold felt right at home in their newfound surroundings. Also part of the family were Drummond's beautiful daughter, 13-year-old Kimberly; and his no-nonsense housekeeper, Edna Garrett. As the years passed, Mrs. Garrett left to become housemother at the Eastland School for Girls; she was replaced by the cantankerous Adelaide Brubaker and still later, charming Pearl Gallagher. Arnold's friends, Dudley and Robbie (and later, Charlie); Willis' girlfriend, Charlene; cast members from "The Facts of Life"; and Drummond's sister, Sophia, were frequently seen. In early 1984, Drummond found true love, marrying fitness instructor Maggie McKinney; she had a 6-year-old son, Sam. While most series revolved around the typical lessons of growing up, some were quite serious (including a frightening encounter with a child molester and a memorable episode dealing with drug abuse guest starring First Lady Nancy Reagan).
Season 6 Episode Guide
23 Episodes 1983 - 1984
Episode 1
Mr. T and mr. t
Sat, Oct 1, 1983 25 mins
With a television camera crew shooting a scene from "The A-Team" in Drummond's apartment, Dudley's attractive cousin is visiting, and Arnold becomes jealous when she prefers Mr. T than him, so decides that the best way to win her over is to dress and look exactly like Mr. T by shaving his his into a mohawk and dressing just like him.
Episode 2
The Goat
Sat, Oct 1, 1983 25 mins
In his first few days at junior high, Arnold has trouble breaking out of Willis's shadow. So he comes up with a plan to kidnap the school mascot and then become a hero by "finding" and returning it.
Episode 3
Rashomon II
Sat, Oct 22, 1983 25 mins
After a burglar's attempt to rob the house is foiled, Arnold, Willis, and Drummond all give different accounts of how it happen.
Episode 4
The Lie
Sat, Oct 29, 1983 25 mins
Willis lies about his qualifications so that he can get a job at Arnold's carnival.
Episode 5
Drafted
Sat, Nov 12, 1983 25 mins
A computer glitch which identifies Arnold as being 18-years of age and drafted into the military leaves Drummond fighting mad.
Episode 6
The Van Drummonds
Sat, Nov 19, 1983 25 mins
The Drummonds' Dutch relatives come to visit. However it's anything but a happy visitation for Arnold and Willis, who end up taking the rap for the mischievous behavior of their cousin Hans.
Episode 7
The Moonlighter
Sat, Nov 26, 1983 25 mins
Arnold is upset when his favorite teacher lies to him about working as a waitress at a sleazy nightclub.
Episode 8
Coming of Age
Sat, Dec 3, 1983 25 mins
With her 18th birthday approaching, Kimberly decides that she wants to delay her college education so she can live in Europe for a year. However, Drummond is dead-set against the idea.
Episode 9
Assert Yourself
Sat, Dec 10, 1983 25 mins
With only two days left until the class election, Arnold resigns as Dudley's campaign manager and decides to run against him.
Episode 10
Mrs. Z
Sat, Dec 17, 1983 25 mins
After appearing on TV for giving a huge donation to charity, Drummond is threatened by extortionists. Instead of giving in to their demands, he tries to catch them in the act by hiring a bodyguard who turns out to be the female version of Mr. T.
Episode 11
The Senior Class Queen
Sat, Jan 7, 1984 24 mins
Kimberly wants to force the school to admit girls into the Letterman's club. Willis opposes this idea, so he enters the school's beauty pageant to prove his point.
Episode 12
Where There's Smoke
Sat, Jan 14, 1984 30 mins
Arnold and Dudley give into peer pressure and experiment with smoking. They realize they don't like the effects of cigarettes, but the real persuasion to have them kick the habit comes from someone very close to home from Dudley - his father, whom despite having had a lung operation, is still a chronic smoker.
Episode 13
Drummond's Lady
Sat, Jan 21, 1984 25 mins
After an unfavorable first encounter with a local fitness host named Maggie McKinney, Drummond still decides to invest in her business. He soon realizes that he wants it to be more than a business venture.
Episode 14
The Hitchhikers: Part 1
Sat, Jan 28, 1984 25 mins
Philip has warned his children on the dangers of hitchhiking. Despite this, Arnold and Kimberly decide to thumb a ride when they find themselves short on cash (instead of swallowing some pride and calling home to get picked up). A seemingly friendly man named Bill decides to give them a ride, but when he makes a "wrong turn", he shows his true colors and forces them to go to his house, where he holds them captive.
Episode 15
The Hitchhikers: Part 2
Sat, Feb 4, 1984 30 mins
As a very worried Philip wonders where Arnold and Kimberly are, they are held captive by a schizophrenic man named Bill, who is determined to seduce Kimberly. Arnold (who has been drugged) manages to escape and finds his way home, but Philip and the others find themselves in a race against time trying to get the details out of Arnold before Bill can attack Kimberly.
Episode 16
Hooray for Hollywood: Part 1
Sat, Feb 11, 1984 25 mins
After Maggie breaks off their relationship, Drummond decides to take the family to Hollywood to meet up with her and find out why.
Episode 17
Hooray for Hollywood: Part 2
Sat, Feb 18, 1984 25 mins
Drummond proposes marriage to Maggie, only to find out that she has a 7-year old son named Sam. Everyone is excited about the prospect of having new family members except for Arnold who feels that he will be neglected.
Episode 18
The Wedding
Sat, Feb 25, 1984 25 mins
Drummond's wedding plans hit a snag after his lawyer convinces him to ask Maggie to sign a prenuptial agreement, which does not go over too well with her.
Episode 19
The Honeymoon's Over
Sat, Mar 3, 1984 25 mins
On the night of a big party, Arnold is stuck at home babysitting Sam.
Episode 20
The Bar Mitzvah Boy
Sat, Mar 17, 1984 25 mins
Arnold thinks of converting to Judaism when he sees how many presents and checks his friend Robbie collects for his Bar Mitzvah.
Episode 21
Kathy's Olympics
Sat, Mar 24, 1984 25 mins
As part of Kathy's wheelchair games, Arnold decides to host a fund-raising party. He gets stuck with Lisa as a date and bribes Robby to take Kathy. He faces a problem when Maggie throws away his old sneakers which contain the donated money.
Episode 22
The Houseguest
Sat, May 5, 1984 25 mins
Charlene temporarily moves in to the Drummond household after a fight with her father. She soon realizes that she and Willis have different ideas about marriage.
Episode 23
The Boyfriend
Sat, May 12, 1984 25 mins
Kimberly lies to Drummond about moving in with her boyfriend whom he is not very fond of to begin with.