List of Diff'rent Strokes episodes

The following is a list of episodes of Diff'rent Strokes, an American sitcom that aired on NBC from November 3, 1978 to May 4, 1985 and ABC from September 27, 1985 to March 7, 1986. This list includes synopses and airdates. Episodes are in original U.S. airdate order; some syndication and overseas airings have varied the running order. Some markets, such as U.K. satellite channel Sky One in the early 1990s, have aired the episodes in production order.

Series overview

All eight seasons have been released on DVD, with the final season released on May 29, 2018.[1]

Season		Episodes		Originally aired			Rank	Rating	Tied with
				First aired	Last aired	Network
	1	24		November 3, 1978	May 4, 1979	NBC	27	19.9	N/A
	2	26		September 21, 1979	March 26, 1980		26	20.3	N/A
	3	22		November 12, 1980	May 13, 1981		17	20.7	Fantasy Island Trapper John, M.D.
	4	26		October 29, 1981	May 20, 1982		36	N/A	N/A
	5	24		October 2, 1982	May 14, 1983		51	N/A	N/A
	6	24		October 1, 1983	May 12, 1984		50	N/A	Matt Houston Oh Madeline
	7	24		September 29, 1984	May 4, 1985		37	14.7	N/A
	8	19		September 27, 1985	March 7, 1986	ABC	69	11.5	N/A

Episodes

Season 1 (1978-1979)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code
1	1	"Movin' In"	Herbert Kenwith	Ben Starr	November 3, 1978	101
Wealthy Phillip Drummond (Conrad Bain) prepares to take in two boys from Harlem, Arnold (Gary Coleman) and Willis Jackson (Todd Bridges), who were the sons of his late housekeeper. Mr. Drummond plans to have the boys live in his Park Avenue apartment with him, his daughter Kimberly (Dana Plato), and new housekeeper Edna Garrett (Charlotte Rae). Arnold appreciates Mr. Drummond's offer to take him in, but Willis wants to move back to their former home in Harlem. Arnold helps convince him otherwise. Note: This episode features the first appearance of Arnold's catchphrase "What'choo talkin' 'bout, Willis?"
2	2	"The Social Worker"	Herbert Kenwith	Budd Grossman	November 10, 1978	102
A social worker (Ellen Travolta) suggests that Willis and Arnold should live with a black family instead of with the Drummonds and Arnold gets the impression that Mr. Drummond agrees with that. Note: Dana Plato does not appear in this episode.
3	3	"Mother's Last Visit"	Herbert Kenwith	William Raynor and Myles Wilder	November 17, 1978	103
Mr. Drummond's mother (Irene Tedrow) visits and is surprised when she sees that his new sons are black, so he tries to make her get over her racial prejudices. Note: Although mentioned by Drummond in many episodes, this is the only occasion where the character is actually seen.
4	4	"The Prep School"	Herbert Kenwith	Story by : Michael Russnow Teleplay by : Alan Rosen & Fred Rubin and Michael Russnow	November 24, 1978	105
Mr. Drummond enrolls Arnold and Willis at his former school, but the headmaster (Howard Morton) makes arrangements for them to fail their entrance exams. Note: Dana Plato does not appear in this episode. Note: This episode features the first appearance of Willis' catchphrase "Say what?"
5	5	"The Spanking"	Herbert Kenwith	Fred S. Fox and Seaman Jacobs	December 1, 1978	104
Arnold hides from Mr. Drummond, so that he will not get spanked for dropping a water bomb on Henry, the maintenance man, but Willis decides to dole out the punishment himself.
6	6	"Goodbye, Dolly"	Herbert Kenwith	Albert E. Lewin	December 8, 1978	106
Arnold's prized doll is sold and Arnold has trouble going to sleep without it, so Mr. Drummond hires a private investigator to track down the doll. The P.I. decides to have a replica made instead, but Arnold knows the difference.
7	7	"The Trial"	Herbert Kenwith	Alan Rosen & Fred Rubin	December 15, 1978	107
Arnold is accused of putting his goldfish Abraham in the hot tub and he is put on trial by the Drummond family to prove his innocence.
8 9	8 9	"Retrospective"	Herbert Kenwith	Budd Grossman, Howard Leeds and Ben Starr	December 29, 1978	116
The Drummond family recall past events on their first Christmas with Willis and Arnold. Notes: This hour-long clip show was split into two episodes for syndication. Produced later in the season but brought forward to be broadcast at Christmas, it features clips from The Fight which was not aired until the episode after this. Some syndication and international packages of the series do not include this episode.
10	10	"The Fight"	Herbert Kenwith	Sandy Veith	January 5, 1979	108
Arnold is forced to deal with a bully at school; Mr. Drummond doesn't want him to fight, but Willis thinks fighting is the only option. Note: This is the first mention of the unseen bully known as "The Gooch," who is often mentioned on the show but never appeared in person.
11	11	"The Club Meeting"	Herbert Kenwith	Tom and Helen August	January 12, 1979	109
Arnold and Willis invite their old friends from Harlem to their new Park Avenue home and let their wealth go to their heads.
12	12	"The Woman"	Herbert Kenwith	Ronald Alexander	January 19, 1979	110
Mr. Drummond wants to marry a woman (Elinor Donahue) who has plans to send the kids away to boarding school.
13	13	"No Time for Arnold"	Herbert Kenwith	Albert E. Lewin	January 26, 1979	111
Arnold fakes bedwetting to get some attention, but when the secret comes out, Willis decides to play a trick on his brother to get even.
14	14	"The Relative"	Herbert Kenwith	Fred S. Fox and Seaman Jacobs	February 2, 1979	112
A distant cousin (LaWanda Page) visits Arnold and Willis and when she sees how well they are living, she fakes an injury to overextend her stay.
15	15	"The Tutor"	Herbert Kenwith	Sandy Veith	February 9, 1979	113
Mr. Drummond hires a tutor for Willis and Arnold who has very unorthodox methods for getting them to learn, but with his help he discovers a mental block that prevents Willis from remembering things that happened in 1975, the year his father died. Note: Dana Plato does not appear in this episode.
16	16	"The New Landlord"	Herbert Kenwith	Norman Liebmann	February 16, 1979	114
A new landlord tries to have the Drummonds thrown out of their penthouse apartment because he doesn't like children.
17	17	"Willis' Privacy" "No Privacy for Willis"	Herbert Kenwith	Alan Rosen & Fred Rubin	February 23, 1979	115
Willis is tired of having Arnold hang around him all the time, so he goes back to Harlem to get away from him - possibly for good. Note: Dana Plato does not appear in this episode.
18	18	"Mrs. Garrett's Crisis"	Herbert Kenwith	Karyl Geld Miller	March 2, 1979	117
Mrs. Garrett experiences a midlife crisis when she feels her life isn't as exciting as her friends' lives, but she soon realizes how much she is needed by the Drummond family.
19	19	"The Job" "Willis' Job"	Herbert Kenwith	Albert E. Lewin	March 16, 1979	118
Willis is hired and fired from a new job all in one day and tries to hide it from Mr. Drummond since he thinks he'll be disappointed in him.
20 21	20 21	"The Trip"[2]	Herbert Kenwith (Part 1) Doug Rogers (Part 2)	Howard Leeds & Martin Cohan & Ben Starr	March 30, 1979	120
In the first of three crossovers with the series Hello, Larry, Mr. Drummond's company buys the radio station where his old war buddy Larry Alder (McLean Stevenson) works, so he and his family travel to Portland, Oregon to visit Larry and his two daughters, Ruthie (Kim Richards) and Diane (Donna Wilkes). Note: Part 2 was originally a Hello, Larry episode. For syndication, international and DVD markets, it is repackaged as a Diff'rent Strokes episode. Some international packages of the series do not include this or the other Hello, Larry crossover episodes.
22	22	"Getting Involved"	Herbert Kenwith	Story by : Howard Leeds & Martin Cohan & Ben Starr Teleplay by : Norman Liebmann	April 6, 1979	119
Arnold witnesses a robbery and goes to the police, although a threatening phone call forces Mr. Drummond to prevent Arnold's involvement.
23	23	"Willis' Birthday" "The Birthday Party"	Herbert Kenwith	Michael G. Moye	April 13, 1979	121
Willis wants to have his birthday party back in Harlem with his friends, but Mr. Drummond is apprehensive about going there.
24	24	"The Girls School" "Garrett's Girls"	Herbert Kenwith	Story by : Dick Clair & Jenna McMahon and Howard Leeds & Ben Starr Teleplay by : Howard Leeds & Ben Starr	May 4, 1979	122
Mrs. Garrett helps out the girls of the chaotic dormitory at Eastland. Note: This episode is the backdoor pilot for the spin-off The Facts of Life, although it contains a number of differences from the eventual series. Garrett's Girls was an early proposed title for The Facts of Life.

Season 2 (1979-1980)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code
25 26	1 2	"Arnold's Girlfriend"	Gerren Keith	Howard Leeds & Ben Starr & Martin Cohan	September 21, 1979	202 203
Arnold is too scared to go to the doctor after he suffers appendicitis, but his fear goes away when he meets a young girl named Alice who is having her tonsils out and they plan to share a room together in the hospital. However, her father (Dabney Coleman) decides against it when he finds out Arnold is black and Mr. Drummond negates a planned real estate deal he had with him. In order to be together, Arnold and Alice run away, which leads to both families frantically searching for them before Arnold's appendix bursts.
27 28	3 4	"Feudin' and Fussin"[2]	Gerren Keith	Howard Leeds & Ben Starr & Martin Cohan	September 28, 1979	204
The Alders visit New York in this second crossover with Hello, Larry, as the Drummonds help Larry get a job hosting a talk show. Note: Basketball player Meadowlark Lemon guest stars. Note: Part 2 was originally a Hello, Larry episode. For syndication, international and DVD markets, it is repackaged as a Diff'rent Strokes episode.
29	5	"Mrs. Garrett's Romance" "Mrs. Garrett's Lover"	Gerren Keith	Jerry Winnick	October 12, 1979	205
Mrs. Garrett dates a much younger man (Philip Charles MacKenzie), but finds out he's really looking for a mother instead of a lover.
30	6	"Birds and Bees"	Gerren Keith	Ed Jurist	October 19, 1979	208
When a neighbor's pregnancy leads to Arnold asking about where babies come from, he is given conflicting stories from both Willis and Mr. Drummond.
31	7	"Arnold's Hero" "The Hero"	Gerren Keith	Story by : Martin A. Ragaway Teleplay by : Martin A. Ragaway and Howard Leeds & Ben Starr & Martin Cohan	October 24, 1979	201
In order to get boxer Muhammad Ali to visit Arnold, Kimberly and Willis tell him that Arnold is dying.
32	8	"The Adoption: Part 1"	Gerren Keith	Alan Rosen & Fred Rubin	October 31, 1979	206
The time comes for Mr. Drummond to officially adopt Arnold and Willis, but a junk dealer named Jethro Simpson (Whitman Mayo) pretends to be their cousin and tries to interfere with the adoption in order to obtain an inheritance coming to the boys. Note: First appearance of Robert Rockwell as Mr. Drummond's lawyer, Tom Bishop.
33	9	"The Adoption: Part 2"	Gerren Keith	Alan Rosen & Fred Rubin	November 7, 1979	207
When it looks like Willis and Arnold will legally have to live with Jethro, the truth about him is revealed and the boys are able to officially become members of Mr. Drummond's family.
34	10	"Father and Son Day"	Gerren Keith	Joseph Sirota and Elaine Newman	November 14, 1979	209
Willis trades in Mr. Drummond for another man (Reggie Jackson) to win an athletic competition.
35 36	11 12	"Thanksgiving Crossover"[2]	Gerren Keith	Story by : George Tibbles Teleplay by : Howard Leeds & Ben Starr & Martin Cohan	November 28, 1979	211
The Alders visit the Drummonds in the final Hello, Larry crossover, when Larry and Mr. Drummond argue over a potential business deal. Note: Part 2 was originally a Hello, Larry episode. For syndication, international and DVD markets, it is repackaged as a Diff'rent Strokes episode.
37	13	"The Rivals"	Gerren Keith	Albert E. Lewin	December 5, 1979	210
A girl feigns interest in Arnold so she can get close to Willis. Note: This is the last episode featuring Charlotte Rae as a cast member, as she continued her role as Mrs. Garrett on the spin-off The Facts of Life. The character exits off-screen, not mentioned until following episodes.
38	14	"Hot Watch"	Gerren Keith	Charles Stewart, Jr. and Charles Stewart, Sr.	December 12, 1979	212
Arnold and Willis find a lost watch in the building, but soon become suspects when it's discovered the watch was taken from a burglarized apartment.
39	15	"The Dog Story" "A Dog Story"	Gerren Keith	Story by : Jess Korman Teleplay by : Roland Wolpert	December 19, 1979	213
Arnold may have been bitten by a rabid dog and he tries to do whatever he can to prevent getting rabies shots.
40	16	"The Election"	Gerren Keith	Story by : Howard Leeds & Ben Starr & Martin Cohan Teleplay by : Ed Jurist	January 9, 1980	214
Mr. Drummond makes a last minute bid to run for a local political office. Note: First appearance of Nedra Volz as the second housekeeper, Adelaide Brubaker, who would appear as a recurring character during the second through fourth seasons. She is not added to the opening credits, instead always being billed with the guest cast on the closing credits (this was due initially to an agreement in Charlotte Rae's contract that she be permitted to return to Diff'rent Strokes should The Facts of Life be axed).
41	17	"Friendly Mate" "Drummond's Blind Date"	Gerren Keith	Dawn Aldredge	January 16, 1980	215
Willis and Arnold set Mr. Drummond up on a blind date, but confusion arises when the dating service thinks Mr. Drummond is black and he also ends up with a second date for the same night.
42	18	"Poor Drummond"	Gerren Keith	Story by : Jaie Brashar Teleplay by : Ed Jurist and Howard Leeds & Ben Starr & Martin Cohan and Jaie Brashar	January 23, 1980	217
Mr. Drummond's failure to obtain a business loan causes the family to think they're on the verge of financial ruin, so Arnold and Willis try to put their dad on welfare. However, a man from the welfare office thinks something is fishy and investigates.
43	19	"Big Business"	Gerren Keith	Story by : George Geiger Teleplay by : George Geiger and Ed Jurist & Howard Leeds & Ben Starr & Martin Cohan	January 30, 1980	216
Arnold and Willis go into the brownie business, but get in over their heads when they alienate Kimberly and overwork Adelaide, so they're forced to make the brownies themselves.
44	20	"Return of the Gooch"	Gerren Keith	Story by : Howard Leeds & Ben Starr & Martin Cohan Teleplay by : Alan Rosen & Fred Rubin	February 6, 1980	218
Arnold takes martial arts lessons to defend himself against the Gooch and gets in trouble when Willis convinces him he has a "killer foot."
45	21	"Valentine's Day Retrospective" "Valentine's Vigil"	Gerren Keith	Story by : Howard Leeds & Ben Starr & Martin Cohan and Stephen Fischer & Arlene Sanford Teleplay by : Howard Leeds & Ben Starr & Martin Cohan	February 13, 1980	219
Arnold and Willis accidentally get locked in the basement of their apartment building, so they recall previous emotional events to pass the time until someone lets them out.
46	22	"Skin Deep or True Blue" "Guess Who?"	Gerren Keith	Story by : Howard Leeds & Ben Starr & Martin Cohan Teleplay by : Sandy Veith & Donald Ross	February 20, 1980	221
Kimberly's new love interest, Roger, is found out to be a bigot when he won't let his sister, Emily (Melora Hardin), go on a date with Willis, so Kimberly comes up with a way to teach him a lesson.
47	23	"Teacher's Pet"	Gerren Keith	Sandy Veith & Donald Ross	February 27, 1980	220
Arnold's teacher, Ms. Osbourne (Mary Ann Mobley), begins favoring him after she dates Mr. Drummond. Notes: This is the first appearances of Shavar Ross and Steven Mond as Dudley Johnson and Robbie Jason, respectively. Mobley would eventually take over the role of Mr. Drummond's second wife, Maggie McKinney-Drummond, in the eighth season after Dixie Carter left the series.
48	24	"The Slumber Party"	Gerren Keith	Fred S. Fox and Seaman Jacobs	March 12, 1980	222
Willis' friends and Kimberly's schoolmates clash over who gets to do what in the apartment and ruin Mr. Drummond's date in the process. Note: Mindy Cohn, Julie Anne Haddock, Kim Fields and Molly Ringwald appear as their characters from The Facts of Life (Natalie, Cindy, Tootie and Molly, respectively).
49	25	"Arnold Faces Fatality" "The Will"	Gerren Keith	Albert E. Lewin	March 19, 1980	223
Arnold's beloved goldfish Abraham dies, so the family tries to hide it from him until they can get a replacement. When Arnold becomes suspicious and happens to notice Mr. Drummond's will, he jumps to the wrong conclusion and thinks that Mr. Drummond is dying.
50	26	"The Squealer"	Gerren Keith	Story by : Joseph Sirota & Elaine Newman Teleplay by : Ed Jurist & Alan Rosen & Fred Rubin	March 26, 1980	224
Willis joins a gang called the Tarantulas, but Mr. Drummond forbids him to associate with them. Unfortunately, Willis defies his orders and eventually finds himself in jail.

Season 3 (1980-1981)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code
51 52	1 2	"The Bank Job"	Gerren Keith	Howard Leeds & Ben Starr & Martin Cohan	November 12, 1980	302 303
Arnold wants to impress Tootie with his "riches" when the Drummond family goes on a trip, so he and Willis go to the bank to make a withdrawal, but the two of them along with Mr. Drummond get trapped during a holdup by robbers. In the end, quick thinking by Arnold and Mr. Drummond saves the day. Note: Kim Fields guest stars as Tootie.
53	3	"Small Claims Court"	Gerren Keith	Story by : Hugh Wedlock & Ben Gershman Teleplay by : Ed Jurist & Gordon Mitchell and Hugh Wedlock & Ben Gershman	November 19, 1980	305
Arnold takes a toy store owner to small claims court over a faulty train engine.
54	4	"Substitute Mother"	Gerren Keith	Story by : Patricia Kane and Debra Frank & Scott Rubenstein Teleplay by : Debra Frank & Scott Rubenstein	November 26, 1980	306
Arnold wants a temporary housekeeper (Denise Nicholas) to become his, Willis' and Kimberly's new mother while Adelaide is away. When Adelaide returns early, Arnold inadvertently gives her the impression that she's being replaced permanently.
55 56	5 6	"The Accident"	Gerren Keith	Story by : Calvin Kelly and Howard Leeds & Ben Starr & Martin Cohan Teleplay by : Howard Leeds & Ben Starr & Martin Cohan	December 3, 1980	307 308
A trip to Disney World is canceled when Mr. Drummond is hospitalized after being hit by a drunk driver in a car crash and is rendered amnesiac. If he can't recover his memory, Mr. Drummond may lose all of his assets, as well as custody of his children, so his kids try to help him get his memory back. When he starts to remember details about Kimberly and not about Willis and Arnold, they decide to leave and go back to Harlem.
57	7	"Little Mother"	Gerren Keith	Ed Jurist	December 10, 1980	310
Kimberly's friend, Ellen Marshall (Kari Michaelsen), is pregnant and everyone thinks Kimberly is the one who is expecting.
58	8	"Football Father"	Gerren Keith	Sandy Veith and Donald Ross	December 17, 1980	304
Mr. Drummond bribes a hard-nosed football coach (Greg Mullavey) into letting Arnold join the team by buying new uniforms for them, but he regrets his decision when he finds out how the coach is motivating the kids. Note: This episode marks the first appearance of Le Tari as Dudley's adoptive father, Ted Ramsey.
59	9	"First Love"	Gerren Keith	Jerry Winnick	December 31, 1980	311
Mr. Drummond doesn't want Willis to see his girlfriend Charlene (Janet Jackson) because it's interfering with his schoolwork, so the two make secret arrangements to be together. Note: Janet Jackson makes her first appearance on the show as Charlene DuPrey.
60	10	"Count Your Blessings"	Gerren Keith	Marshall Goldberg	January 7, 1981	309
Arnold is heartbroken when he finds out he will not do much growing when he gets older, so Mr. Drummond arranges for a business associate's handicapped daughter (Melanie Watson, in her first of four appearances as Kathy) to show him how fortunate he really is.
61	11	"The Loan"	Gerren Keith	Story by : Mara Lideks Teleplay by : Mara Lideks and Howard Leeds & Ben Starr & Martin Cohan	January 14, 1981	312
Arnold wants to help a young doorman get started in business, so he loans him some money to bet on a sure thing in a horse race.
62	12	"Roots"	Gerren Keith	Story by : Kurt Taylor Teleplay by : Kurt Taylor and John Donley & Howard Meyers	January 21, 1981	313
Willis' friends think that he and Arnold have lost touch with where they came from, so they adopt a more Afro-centric attitude and alienate the rest of the family.
63	13	"Junk Food Junkie" "The Junk Food"	Gerren Keith	Dawn Aldredge	January 28, 1981	314
Arnold is made to give up junk food, which is difficult, since his school has junk food vending machines and having them removed may hurt his chances at winning a school election. Note: Dody Goodman makes her first appearance as Mr. Drummond's sister, Sophia, who would make occasional appearances on the show during the third and fourth seasons.
64	14	"The Bus"	Gerren Keith	Glenn Padnick	February 4, 1981	315
Protesters threaten Arnold and his classmates when they become part of a school integration program.
65	15	"The Older Man"	Gerren Keith	Albert E. Lewin	February 25, 1981	316
Kimberly dons a wig for a class play and ends up getting a date with an older man, so Arnold and Willis try to put a stop to it. Note: Lisa Whelchel and Mindy Cohn (from The Facts of Life) guest star as Blair and Natalie, respectively.
66	16	"Where There's Hope"	Gerren Keith	Story by : Walter E. Smith Teleplay by : John Donley & Howard Meyers	March 4, 1981	317
Arnold is adamant about not wanting a pesky young girl (Monika Furness) at his birthday party, but things become serious when he finds out the girl is very sick, so he pays her a visit at the hospital to cheer her up.
67	17	"The Magician" "It's Magic"	Gerren Keith	Story by : Louis Smallwood & M. Martez Thomas Teleplay by : Louis Smallwood & M. Martez Thomas and Ed Jurist & Gordon Mitchell	March 11, 1981	301
Arnold is trapped on a ledge 30 stories up after he tries to impress his family, a reporter and football player Ed "Too Tall" Jones with his magic act.
68	18	"Drummond's Fair Lady"	Gerren Keith	Story by : Jeff Lewis and Sandy Veith Teleplay by : Sandy Veith	March 18, 1981	319
Mr. Drummond recommends a woman for a position at his company, but runs into opposition from his coworkers because of her sex and his children, because they think she's using him to get the job.
69	19	"The Ancestors"	Gerren Keith	Story by : Calvin Kelly Teleplay by : Ed Jurist and Calvin Kelly	March 25, 1981	320
Mr. Drummond finds out that his ancestor was a slave trader, which affects his plans to build a community center in Harlem.
70	20	"Almost American" "Night School"	Gerren Keith	Story by : Glenn Padnick and Warren Murray Teleplay by : Howard Leeds & Ben Starr & Martin Cohan and Glenn Padnick	April 1, 1981	318
Mr. Drummond grounds Arnold for a bad grade on his history test. A student in an immigration and naturalization class (Rosalind Chao) becomes the suspect in a robbery. Notes: This episode was a backdoor pilot for a potential series focusing on the immigration and naturalization class, but it was never picked up. The Drummonds have a very small role in this episode. Chao would later play Arnold's teacher, Miss Chung.
71	21	"Room for One More"	Gerren Keith	Fred S. Fox and Seaman Jacobs	May 6, 1981	321
Arnold tries to get Mr. Drummond to adopt Dudley when he finds out his foster father (Le Tari) may not be able to keep him.
72	22	"The Athlete"	Gerren Keith	Gordon Mitchell	May 13, 1981	324
A fast-talking baseball coach woos Willis for a high school team and uses expensive gifts and deception to attain his goal. Recording date: April 17, 1981[3]

Season 4 (1981-1982)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code
73	1	"Growing Up"	Gerren Keith	Debra Frank & Scott Rubenstein	October 29, 1981	322[4]
With Arnold's help, Willis gets everyone out of the house so he and his girlfriend Charlene can make love for the first time. However, when the moment occurs, things don't go as smoothly as he expected.
74	2	"First Day Blues"	Gerren Keith	Bruce Taylor	November 5, 1981	402
Willis has trouble making friends at his new school, until it's discovered that his family is rich, so he gets asked to buy marijuana for a party. Guest Star: Kim Fields as Tootie. Notes: Gary Coleman does not appear in the episode. Clarence Gilyard appears as one of Willis' classmates.
75	3	"The Model"	Gerren Keith	Story by : Bill Shinkai Teleplay by : John Donley & Howard Meyers and Bill Shinkai	November 12, 1981	323[4]
Kimberly's job leads to her beginning a modeling career.
76	4	"The Team"	Gerren Keith	Glenn Padnick	November 19, 1981	403
Willis is upset when he doesn't make the basketball team because a white student takes his place, so he plans to take legal action. Notes: Gary Coleman does not appear in this episode, being temporarily absent due to a contract dispute. Kim Fields guest stars as Tootie, in part to cover for Arnold's absence, some of his dialogue being adapted for her.
77	5	"The Big Heist"	Gerren Keith	Bruce Taylor	November 26, 1981	405
Arnold attempts to steal an expensive comic book (Amazing Spider-Man issue 14) to get into the Gooch's club and gets taken to court when he's caught.
78	6	"The Double Date" "Blind Date"	Gerren Keith	Jerry Winnick	December 3, 1981	406
Arnold gets his first date with a girl he likes, but things turn sour when Dudley butts in on them.
79	7	"The Ski Weekend"	Gerren Keith	Dawn Aldredge	December 10, 1981	401
Kimberly goes on a ski trip with her friend, but doesn't let the family know that there will be boys there. Mr. Drummond and Willis end up surprising her by paying an unannounced visit, but get surprised themselves when they see the boys.
80	8	"The Health Club"	Gerren Keith	Story by : Sheryl Levine Teleplay by : Joe Bonaduce	December 17, 1981	407
Arnold and Willis try to get into Mr. Drummond's health club, but are turned away because they are black. When Drummond is honored by the club, a confrontation takes place.
81	9	"The Burial Ground"	Gerren Keith	Story by : Bernard Burnell Mack Teleplay by : John Donley & Howard Meyers	January 7, 1982	409
Drummond's building project is discovered to be on the site of an Indian burial ground, which leads to a conflict with a member of the Indian tribe.
82	10	"Hello, Daddy" "Like Father, Like Son?"	Gerren Keith	Donald Ross	January 14, 1982	404
The son of a woman Mr. Drummond knew during the Korean War shows up claiming that Mr. Drummond is his father. This leads to a reunion with the woman and the truth about who the father really is. Notes: Arnold does not appear in this story, due to Gary Coleman's temporary absence due to a contract dispute. He appears in a brief separately filmed cameo at the end of the story, explaining that he is away in the country staying with relations of Mr. Drummond's.
83	11	"Jilted"	Gerren Keith	Ed Jurist	January 21, 1982	408
When Charlene feels Willis is taking her for granted, she dumps him. Willis soon hears she's seeing another guy and he decides it's time to move on, but Arnold has plans to bring them back together.
84	12	"Dreams"	Gerren Keith	Kurt Taylor & Booker Bradshaw	January 28, 1982	412
Arnold begins having nightmares after he finds out Mr. Drummond is going on a business trip, so a therapist is needed to unlock Arnold's fears.
85	13	"Kathy"	Gerren Keith	Marshall Goldberg	February 4, 1982	411
Arnold gets reassurance from Kathy when he plays Abraham Lincoln in a school play, but when he tries to get her to use her crutches instead of sitting in a wheelchair, she is furious and blows his confidence before showtime. Note: Rosalind Chao makes her first appearance as Miss Chung, the teacher of Arnold's class. (She had previously played a different character in the third season episode Almost American)
86	14	"Fire"	Gerren Keith	Jill Gordon	February 11, 1982	413
A fire has the family trapped in the building and when smoke starts coming through the vents, it makes everyone think the end is near.
87	15	"The Squatter"	Gerren Keith	Story by : Shelley Landau & Jane Gould Teleplay by : Danny Simon	February 18, 1982	410
A woman (Audrey Meadows) becomes a squatter in the Drummonds' house after she is forced out of her apartment due to a condominium conversion Mr. Drummond is involved with.
88	16	"The Car"	Gerren Keith	Warren Murray	February 25, 1982	414
Willis takes the car out without Mr. Drummond's permission in order to pick up Charlene for a date and gets in trouble when he hits a police officer's motorcycle.
89	17	"Crime Story: Part 1" "Crime in the Schools: Part 1"	Gerren Keith	Howard Leeds & Ben Starr & Martin Cohan	March 11, 1982	415
Arnold and Dudley are harassed by two bullies who force them to hand over their lunch and money. Willis decides to interfere and gets more than he bargained for. Note: Shannon Presby, who co-starred in The New Kids, portrays one of the bullies.
90	18	"Crime Story: Part 2" "Crime in the Schools: Part 2"	Gerren Keith	Howard Leeds & Ben Starr & Martin Cohan	March 18, 1982	416
After Willis is hospitalized for trying to stop the bullies, Arnold is asked to participate in a sting operation to nab them. When Mr. Drummond refuses to allow this, Arnold takes matters into his own hands, as he feels responsible for Willis being hospitalized.
91	19	"B.M.O.C."	Gerren Keith	Robert Jayson & A. Dudley Johnson, Jr.	March 25, 1982	417
Willis lets his potential membership in an exclusive club go to his head, but falls hard when he alienates the club members.
92	20	"Green Hair"	Gerren Keith	Albert E. Lewin	April 1, 1982	418
Kimberly's hair turns green before a date, due to using a copper bowl affected by acid rain to wash her hair, which gets the Drummond family talking about how to help the environment.
93	21	"Have I Got a Girl for You"	Gerren Keith	Story by : Howard Leeds & Ben Starr & Martin Cohan Teleplay by : Dawn Aldredge	April 8, 1982	419
Mr. Drummond has a good time going out with a hairdresser, but when he doesn't invite her to a posh party, she feels like he is secretly embarrassed by her.
94	22	"Lifesavers"	Gerren Keith	Story by : Jim Tisdale Teleplay by : Ed Jurist	April 15, 1982	420
Willis saves Arnold's life, so Arnold feels obligated to dote on him constantly. In order to get Arnold off his back, he sets up a fake robbery at his job so Arnold can save him and even the score. When Arnold finds out what Willis is up to, he decides to have a little fun with the "robber," not knowing that a real robber has come to hold up the place.
95	23	"Stress? What Stress?"	Gerren Keith	Glenn Padnick	April 22, 1982	421
Willis finds out he has very high stress levels, so Mr. Drummond wants him to lay off on his extracurricular activities, much to Willis' chagrin.
96	24	"The Music Man"	Gerren Keith	Larry Rhine	May 6, 1982	422
Willis joins a musical group and wants Charlene to join as well, but Kimberly ends up impressing his bandmates so much that they want her in the group instead.
97	25	"Short But Sweet"	Gerren Keith	Howard Leeds & Ben Starr & Martin Cohan	May 13, 1982	424
Arnold isn't interested in celebrating his birthday because he feels girls aren't interested in him, particularly one girl he really likes, but things change when he invites the girl to his party. However, his intentions aren't made clear and she comes to the party with someone else. Note: This is the last episode featuring Nedra Volz as Adelaide.
98	26	"On Your Toes"	Gerren Keith	Albert E. Lewin	May 20, 1982	423
Arnold attends Kimberly's ballet recital and decides he wants to learn ballet, which makes Willis very uncomfortable and he tries to put a stop to it. Note: Roger C. Carmel guest stars.

Season 5 (1982-1983)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code
99	1	"Shoot-Out at the O.K. Arcade"	Gerren Keith	Story by : Howard Leeds, Martin Cohan & Blake Hunter Teleplay by : Howard Leeds & Martin Cohan	October 2, 1982	0501
Arnold tries to outdo Willis on an arcade game, but constant playing takes a toll on his schoolwork.
100	2	"In the Swim"	Gerren Keith	Story by : Blake Hunter, Howard Leeds & Martin Cohan Teleplay by : Blake Hunter	October 9, 1982	0502
Kimberly decides to transfer to Willis' school and gets into a confrontation when she tries to join the all-male swim team. Note: Mary Jo Catlett makes her first appearance as Pearl Gallagher, the third and final housekeeper. She will appear in most remaining episodes of the series, and is added to the opening billed cast the following season.
101	3	"Cyrano De Jackson"	Gerren Keith	Paul Robinson Hunter	October 16, 1982	0504
Arnold tries to help Dudley woo classmate Lisa Hayes (Nikki Swasey), but the plan backfires when Lisa thinks Arnold is the one who likes her. Note: First episode to feature Arnold's classmate Lisa. However, despite being sweet on Arnold in this episode, subsequent appearances portray them as enemies.
102	4	"Big Brother"	Gerren Keith	Bruce Taylor	October 23, 1982	0503
A classmate of Arnold's (Joey Lawrence) is given a lot of attention by the rest of the Drummond family, leaving Arnold to feel unwanted. Note: Huntz Hall guest stars.
103	5	"The Peacemaker"	Gerren Keith	Don Segall	October 30, 1982	0506
Willis tries to negotiate peace between two rival groups of students at his school, but when one of the students, Larry (Andrew Dice Clay), has his stuff stolen, Willis becomes the prime suspect and is forced to get a gun to protect himself.
104	6	"Substitute Teacher"	Gerren Keith	Robert Jayson & A. Dudley Johnson, Jr.	November 6, 1982	0505
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar plays a substitute teacher that makes life hard for Arnold and Dudley, so they try to make things difficult for him in return. When one of their pranks leads to Arnold getting hit by accident, they go to the principal and tell him that it was done on purpose, which gets the teacher in trouble and nearly gets him suspended until Arnold and Dudley come clean about what really happened.
105	7	"The Older Woman"	Gerren Keith	Debra Frank & Scott Rubenstein	November 13, 1982	0507
Willis wears a fake mustache to get into a club and lands a date with the waitress (Shari Belafonte).
106	8	"A Case of Overexposure" "Overexposure"	Gerren Keith	Story by : Bob Peete & Sandy Fries Teleplay by : Bob Peete	November 20, 1982	0509
When Kimberly submits a candid picture of Arnold with his butt exposed to a photo contest, he is infuriated and demands that Kimberly withdraw it, but the picture remains in the contest by mistake and almost ruins Arnold's chances of winning the class election.
107	9	"Memories"	Gerren Keith	Story by : Howard Meyers, Paul Haggis & Brian K. Moody Teleplay by : Howard Meyers & Paul Haggis	November 27, 1982	0508
Arnold takes it hard when he hears his mother's (Betty A. Bridges, Todd Bridges' real-life mother) voice again on an old audio tape and pretends to lose the tape permanently.
108	10	"Push Comes to Shove"	Gerren Keith	Richard Eckhaus	December 4, 1982	0510
Arnold's confrontation with the son of the new building manager leads to Mr. Drummond punching the manager (William G. Schilling) in the face and almost gets the family thrown out of the building.
109	11	"The Executives"	Gerren Keith	Albert E. Lewin	December 11, 1982	0511
Arnold, Kimberly and Willis get jobs at Mr. Drummond's company, but when Willis finds out that minority kids don't have the same opportunities at employment, he goes undercover to see for himself and goes too far.
110	12	"Santa's Helper"	Gerren Keith	Bruce Taylor	December 18, 1982	0512
Arnold helps out a street corner Santa Claus (Garrett Morris), who takes advantage of Arnold and his family's kindness by robbing the Drummonds.
111	13	"A Growing Problem"	Gerren Keith	Ed Jurist	January 8, 1983	0513
Willis is forbidden to go to a party when Mr. Drummond finds out there will be drinking there. After Willis disobeys and is caught, he decides to move in with Jerry (Lawrence Monoson) and ends up in a car crash.
112	14	"Parents Have Rights Too"	Gerren Keith	Martin Cohan	January 15, 1983	0514
Mr. Drummond sneaks around behind the kids' backs while dating his tax attorney (Louise Sorel) and invites her over to the apartment while the rest of the family's away, but when they return early, Mr. Drummond has to explain her presence.
113	15	"Independent Woman"	Gerren Keith	John Donley	January 22, 1983	0515
Kimberly stops working at Mr. Drummond's company and takes a job at a burger place, but is sexually harassed by her boss. When he finds out that Kimberly's family is wealthy and live on Park Avenue, he apologizes and ends up becoming romantically involved with her, for the purpose of advancing in her dad's company. Arnold soon learns what he is up to and tells Kimberly.
114	16	"The Bicycle Man: Part 1"	Gerren Keith	Blake Hunter	February 5, 1983	0516
Arnold and Dudley befriend a bicycle shop owner named Mr. Horton (Gordon Jump), who is later revealed to be a pedophile trying to scope the two unwary boys out. Note: The show begins with a message from Conrad Bain to discuss child molestation with friends and family.
115	17	"The Bicycle Man: Part 2"	Gerren Keith	Blake Hunter	February 12, 1983	0517
After watching a pornographic cartoon at the bike shop, Arnold decides he's had enough of Mr. Horton and goes home, leaving Dudley behind. Arnold lets slip details about his experiences with the seemingly congenial Mr. Horton and Mr. Drummond calls the authorities. The police arrive just as Mr. Horton is about to make a move on Dudley (who had been given sedatives to "make him feel good"), saving their friend from a potentially frightening experience. Note: Bain delivers another message about child molestation at the beginning of the episode and does a voiceover PSA saying "If you know of a problem with child sexual abuse, please contact your local law enforcement or social service agency."
116	18	"Family On Ice"	Gerren Keith	Story by : Jennifer Burton Kurtz & Mitchell Wayne Cohen Teleplay by : Bruce Taylor	February 19, 1983	0518
Kimberly impresses professional skater Dorothy Hamill with her ice skating and is taken under her wing. However, Kimberly is overwhelmed by the hard work it takes to become a professional skater and devises a way out. Note: Dana Plato, who played Kimberly, had given up skating career in favor of TV.
117	19	"Hall Monitor"	Gerren Keith	Marshall Goldberg	March 12, 1983	0519
Kathy transfers to Arnold's school and is treated very poorly because of her disability. When she becomes hall monitor, she rules with an iron fist and doles out demerits to everyone except Arnold. When Arnold feels the heat from his friends over getting away with everything, he tries to get Kathy to lighten up, but she refuses and gets tough with Arnold instead.
118	20	"The Cricket"	Gerren Keith	Story by : Bill Shinkai Teleplay by : Howard Meyers & Paul Haggis	March 26, 1983	0520
When Arnold faces a streak of bad luck, he is given a lucky cricket to help him out. Arnold's fortunes soon change and he tries to use the cricket to get out of trouble with the Gooch, but the cricket escapes and Arnold has to come up with a back-up plan.
119	21	"The Roommates"	Gerren Keith	Howard Leeds	April 9, 1983	0521
Mr. Drummond trades rooms with Willis while he is busy studying for exams. However, sharing a room with Arnold leads to discomfort for Mr. Drummond, while Arnold finds much humor at his expense.
120	22	"The Reporter"	Gerren Keith	Story by : Jennifer Burton Kurtz, Sheila Scott & Diane Schroeder Teleplay by : Mitchell Wayne Cohen	April 30, 1983	0522
Arnold struggles to find a subject for the school's journalism contest. When he discovers that drugs are being sold at the school, he sets up a meeting with the dealer so he can write about it. Once the story is submitted, the principal confronts Arnold, demanding that the boy reveal his sources. When Arnold doesn't (because classmate Robbie is involved), his story gets disqualified as made-up. The principal also doesn't want any negative publicity for the school. Arnold takes the story to a big-city newspaper, where the situation is reported. This gets the attention of First Lady Nancy Reagan, who visits the family's home and Arnold's school, and speaks to his class about the dangers of drug use. David Mendenhall portrays the juvenile drug-pusher. Recording date: March 10, 1983[5]
121	23	"Romeo and Juliet"	Dolores Ferraro	Robert Jayson & A. Dudley Johnson, Jr.	May 7, 1983	0523
Arnold is tricked into playing Romeo opposite Lisa's Juliet in a class play. Although Arnold works hard for his performance, Lisa is overcome with stage fright and Arnold has to help her out.
122	24	"My Fair Larry" "My Fair Lady"	Gerren Keith	John Donley & Bruce Taylor	May 14, 1983	0524
Willis' classmate Larry (Andrew Dice Clay) wants his help to get a date with a girl at school (Jami Gertz), so Willis gets Kimberly to assist him, but Larry falls in love with her.

Season 6 (1983-1984)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code
123	1	"Mr. T and Mr. t" "The Idol"	Gerren Keith	Story by : Howard Leeds, Blake Hunter, Martin Cohan & David W. Duclon Teleplay by : Bruce Taylor	October 1, 1983	0606
When an episode of The A-Team is filmed in the Drummonds' apartment, Arnold has to compete with Mr. T for the affection of Dudley's cousin Angela, so Arnold tries to turn himself into a mini Mr. T, with embarrassing results.
124	2	"The Goat"	Gerren Keith	Robert Jayson & A. Dudley Johnson, Jr.	October 15, 1983	0603
When Arnold is given the cold shoulder from teachers and classmates at his new school, he concocts a plan to steal the school mascot and pretend to rescue it to get some positive attention, but he gets in trouble with the family when the goat gets loose in the apartment.
125	3	"Rashomon II"	Gerren Keith	Howard Meyers	October 22, 1983	0601
A burglar holds the family hostage in the apartment, but is knocked out and arrested. Mr. Drummond, Willis and Arnold all have different interpretations of what happened, but Pearl, who was in the kitchen and saw everything, tells Kimberly what really took place. Note: The episode title and plot device of the story are inspired by the movie Rashomon.
126	4	"The Lie"	Gerren Keith	John Donley & Clay Graham	October 29, 1983	0604
Willis lies to Arnold about knowing first aid in order to get a job at the school carnival, but when Arnold gets an electrical shock, Willis doesn't know how to save him. He later confesses to Arnold what happened and Arnold is angry when he finds out the truth.
127	5	"Drafted"	Gerren Keith	Dawn Aldredge	November 12, 1983	0608
A computer error leads to Arnold getting mail to sign up with the Selective Service System, even though he is too young. When Mr. Drummond complains, he is visited by the authorities, leading Arnold to think he will be drafted.
128	6	"The Van Drummonds"	Gerren Keith	Paul Haggis	November 19, 1983	0609
Mr. Drummond's cousin Anna (Bonar Bain, Conrad Bain's identical twin brother) and her son Hans (Dana Plato in a dual role) visit the family. As soon as they arrive, Hans starts causing trouble and blames Arnold and Willis for it.
129	7	"The Moonlighter"	Gerren Keith	Story by : Rosemary Lee Potter and Phil Margo & Jack Gross Teleplay by : Phil Margo & Jack Gross	November 26, 1983	0611
Arnold finds out his favorite teacher (Jayne Kennedy) is moonlighting at a gentlemen's club and sneaks into the club to find out if it's true.
130	8	"Coming of Age"	Gerren Keith	Dawn Aldredge	December 3, 1983	0605
Kimberly finds out she'll be getting a trust fund on her 18th birthday and has plans to travel to Europe. When Mr. Drummond refuses to support her decision and threatens to keep the money from her until she's older, Kimberly plans to work as an au pair for a European family.
131	9	"Assert Yourself"	Gerren Keith	Story by : Howard Leeds, Blake Hunter & Martin Cohan Teleplay by : Tim O'Donnell	December 10, 1983	0607
Arnold plans to have Dudley run for class president so he can control him behind the scenes. When Arnold sees that Dudley isn't doing things the way he wants him to, he decides to run against him. In the end, both lose out to a third candidate.
132	10	"Mrs. Z"	Gerren Keith	Al Lewin	December 17, 1983	0610
After Mr. Drummond becomes the target of an extortionist, he hires an imposing female bodyguard to protect his family.
133	11	"The Senior Class Queen"	Gerren Keith	Bernard Burnell Mack	January 7, 1984	0613
When Kimberly tries to get into Willis' all-male letterman's club at school, he gets back at her by becoming a contestant in the school's beauty pageant.
134	12	"Where's There's Smoke"	Gerren Keith	Bruce Taylor	January 14, 1984	0602
Arnold takes up smoking cigarettes to impress the kids at school, but ruins his brand new sweater when he gets burning ashes on it. He then learns the dangers of smoking from Dudley's father, who is in need of surgery because of his habit.
135	13	"Drummond's Lady"	Gerren Keith	Story by : Howard Leeds, Blake Hunter & Martin Cohan Teleplay by : Howard Leeds, Howard Meyers & Mark Miller	January 21, 1984	0615
Mr. Drummond tries to make a business deal with exercise instructor Maggie McKinney (Dixie Carter) and falls in love with her. Note: This is Carter's first appearance as Maggie McKinney (later Maggie McKinney-Drummond), who appeared as a recurring character in this season, and is added to the opening billed cast in the following season.
136	14	"The Hitchhikers: Part 1"	Gerren Keith	Glenn Padnick & Sydney Julien	January 28, 1984	0616
Arnold and Kimberly hitchhike to get home for Mr. Drummond's birthday party and are picked up by a man who takes them to his apartment and tries to have his way with Kimberly. Note: This episode begins with an introduction from Conrad Bain, who urges kids and their parents to discuss the dangers of hitchhiking.
137	15	"The Hitchhikers: Part 2"	Gerren Keith	Glenn Padnick & Sydney Julien	February 4, 1984	0617
Arnold escapes from the kidnapper and makes it home, but leaves Kimberly behind and can't remember where she is. A policeman helps Arnold remember by hypnotizing him and getting him to reveal the license plate number of the kidnapper so the police can track him down to arrest him. After the police arrested the man, Kimberly and Arnold have reunited with the family and to celebrate Mr. Drummond's birthday party. Note: Conrad Bain again delivers a message at the beginning, urging kids and their parents to discuss the dangers of hitchhiking and does a voiceover PSA at the end, saying "If you know of a case of sexual assault or an attempted sexual assault, please contact your local law enforcement agency or emergency medical facility."
138	16	"Hooray for Hollywood: Part 1"	Gerren Keith & Leslie H. Martinson	Howard Leeds, Blake Hunter & Martin Cohan	February 11, 1984	0618
Mr. Drummond travels to Hollywood and proposes to Maggie and finds out she has a young son named Sam (Danny Cooksey). Meanwhile, Arnold and Dudley try to meet the star of Knight Rider (David Hasselhoff) and sneak into a car on the set that's about to be blown up. Note: An un-billed Jonathan Harris is the voice of "Frankenstein's Creature." This is Cooksey's first appearance as Sam McKinney, Maggie's 6-year-old son; he appears in all remaining episodes of the series, and is added to the opening billed cast for the final two seasons.
139	17	"Hooray for Hollywood: Part 2"	Gerren Keith & Leslie H. Martinson	Story by : Howard Leeds, Blake Hunter & Martin Cohan Teleplay by : Bruce Taylor	February 18, 1984	0619
David Hasselhoff rescues Arnold and Dudley just in time and the rest of the family find out about Mr. Drummond's marriage plans. Arnold is less than thrilled, especially when he finds out he's getting a new little brother as part of the deal.
140 141	18 19	"The Wedding" "Drummond's Wedding"	Gerren Keith	Howard Meyers & Mark Miller Story by : Ifa Baeza Teleplay by : Dawn Aldredge & Judith Bustany	February 25, 1984	0620 0621
Arrangements are being made for the wedding between Mr. Drummond and Maggie and Maggie becomes furious when she finds out that Mr. Drummond's lawyer suggested a pre-nuptial agreement. The wedding is about to take place, until Maggie and Mr. Drummond realize that neither of them called anybody to perform the ceremony. Note: Wedding guests include Mrs. Garrett, Adelaide and Aunt Sophia, all of whom hadn't appeared on the show for some time prior to this episode. This is also the only time in which Mr. Drummond's current and previous housekeepers all appear together. Additionally, Drummond's lawyer and friend Tom Bishop, Willis' girlfriend Charlene, Dudley, and Dudley's father Ted all appear in this episode, resulting in the highest number of recurring guest characters seen within a single episode of the series.
142	20	"The Honeymoon's Over"	Gerren Keith	Story by : Howard Leeds, Blake Hunter & Martin Cohen Teleplay by : Robert Jayson & A. Dudley Johnson, Jr.	March 3, 1984	0622
Mr. Drummond and Maggie return from their honeymoon and find out that Arnold had been taking advantage of Sam while they were away.
143	21	"The Bar Mitzvah Boy"	Linda Day	Martin Cohan	March 17, 1984	0623
When Arnold loses interest in attending church, he tries to find a religion more to his liking, so he decides to convert to Judaism, but is convinced otherwise by a rabbi (Milton Berle).
144	22	"Kathy's Olympics"	Ellen Chaset Falcon	Story by : Bobby Herbeck Teleplay by : Robert Jayson & A. Dudley Johnson, Jr.	March 24, 1984	0624
Arnold is in charge of keeping donations for a fundraising drive at school, but loses the money when he puts it in an old pair of shoes that gets thrown out, so the rest of the family has to dig through the garbage to find them. Fortunately for Arnold, Sam saved the shoes and money from being thrown away.
145	23	"The Houseguest"	Gerren Keith	Bruce Taylor	May 5, 1984	0612
After an argument with her father, Charlene moves in with the Drummonds and ends up fighting with Willis. Note: This is Janet Jackson's final appearance as Charlene DuPrey.
146	24	"The Boyfriend"	Gerren Keith	Story by : Howard Leeds, Blake Hunter & Martin Cohan Teleplay by : Ifa Baeza, Bruce Taylor, Howard Meyers & Mark Miller	May 12, 1984	0614
Kimberly plans to move in with her boyfriend, whom her dad doesn't like, by tricking the family into thinking she's moving in with her girlfriend, Michelle (Dana Kimmell) instead. Note: This is Dana Plato's final appearance as a regular cast member; starting in the seventh season, Plato becomes a recurring guest star.

Season 7 (1984-1985)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code
147	1	"A Haunting We Will Go"	Gerren Keith	Ken Hecht & Bob Brunner	September 29, 1984	0708
In this take-off on Ghostbusters, Arnold and Sam explore a haunted house. Note: John Astin and Ray Bolger guest star. Starting this season, Danny Cooksey and Dixie Carter join the cast as regular cast members.
148	2	"Arnold and Lisa's Mother"	Gerren Keith	Robert Jayson & A. Dudley Johnson, Jr.	October 6, 1984	0706
Lisa's mother takes over teaching Arnold's class and Lisa forces him and his friends to be nice to her or she'll rat them out to her mom. But Arnold finds out that Lisa's mom doesn't like her telling on her classmates, so he decides to sabotage her science project as revenge.
149	3	"Bed-Wetting"	Gerren Keith	Bruce Taylor	October 13, 1984	0701
Sam develops a bedwetting problem and the family begins showing him a lot more attention, which rubs Arnold the wrong way.
150	4	"Undercover Lover"	Gerren Keith	Story by : Susan Kessler & Maria Alexander Teleplay by : Ken Hecht & Bob Brunner	October 20, 1984	0703
Willis' new girlfriend (Anne-Marie Johnson) is actually an undercover cop trying to bust drug dealers at school.
151	5	"Arnold's Strike" "The Strike"	Gerren Keith	Howard Meyers	October 27, 1984	0704
Arnold and his classmates protest dress code changes at school, but when the principal (Dick Sargent) threatens suspension, Arnold is the only one willing to stand for his beliefs.
152	6	"Sam's Father"	Gerren Keith	Dan Kennicott & Michael Curley	November 3, 1984	0710
Maggie's ex-husband (Hoyt Axton) wants Sam to stay with him instead of with the Drummonds.
153	7	"Carmella Meets the Gooch"	Gerren Keith	Story by : Bruce Taylor, Bob Brunner & Ken Hecht Teleplay by : Bruce Taylor	November 10, 1984	0711
Foreign exchange student Carmella faces off against Arnold, develops a crush on Willis and helps Sam fight the Gooch.
154	8	"Arnold the Entrepreneur"	Gerren Keith	John B. Collins	November 17, 1984	0713
Arnold and Sam go into business selling roach spray, but Arnold's greed causes Sam to go his own way. Note: Hervé Villechaize and Edie McClurg guest star.
155	9	"The Honorable Arnold J. Jackson"	Mel Ferber	Dan Kennicott & Michael Curley	November 24, 1984	0707
Arnold is forced to choose between his friend Robbie and a girl he likes when she accuses Robbie of being a nerd and Arnold has to judge the matter in student court.
156	10	"The Gymnasts"	Gerren Keith	Bob Brunner & Ken Hecht	December 1, 1984	0714
Willis' friend, a promising athlete who lost the use of his legs in a car accident, gets a gymnasium named after him and sees a performance by the gold-medal-winning U.S. men's gymnastics team from the 1984 Summer Olympics. After seeing them perform, he becomes self-conscious about the fact that he can never walk again and decides to give up on himself. Note: Gary Coleman does not appear in this episode.
157	11	"Tonsils"	Mel Ferber	Bruce Taylor	December 8, 1984	0705
Sam has to have his tonsils removed but is afraid to go to the hospital. When Mr. Drummond has to undergo surgery himself, he and Sam try to face their fears together.
158	12	"Arnold's Songbird"	Gerren Keith	Story by : Bruce Taylor, Bob Brunner & Ken Hecht Teleplay by : Bruce Taylor	December 15, 1984	0712
Arnold has to ask Carmella for help when his plans for a school fundraiser fall apart.
159	13	"Baseball Blues"	Gerren Keith	Robert Jayson & A. Dudley Johnson, Jr.	January 5, 1985	0716
Mr. Drummond tries to turn around Sam's losing baseball team; in order to do so, he has to leave Sam on the bench. Note: Baseball player Lance Parrish guest-stars. Gary Coleman does not appear in this episode.
160	14	"Arnold Saves the Squirrel"	Mel Ferber	Toni Wunsch & Max Katz	January 12, 1985	0709
Arnold and Sam try to keep a children's television show from getting taken off the air.
161	15	"Sam Adopts a Grandparent"	Gerren Keith	Susan H. Lee and Sylvia Alan	January 19, 1985	0715
Sam's scout troop is asked to work with a bunch of senior citizens on projects, but Sam's assigned senior citizen (John McIntire) calls Sam a brat and refuses to help, so Sam has to put together a model airplane by himself. Failing to do so, Sam is so humiliated by his troopmates, he decides he hates all old people, so Mr. Drummond has a talk with the senior to get him to patch things up with Sam. Note: Stephen Dorff plays one of Sam's troopmates.
162	16	"Harry Birthday Drummond"	Gerren Keith	Jack Gross, Jr. & Phil Margo	January 26, 1985	0718
Maggie and Sam surprise Mr. Drummond for his birthday by having Kimberly return from France to visit him. She brings a present of her own, the Drummond family tree, but the happiness turns to sadness when Mr. Drummond realizes that he is the last person to carry on the Drummond name. Arnold comes up with a solution; he and Willis will have their names legally changed to "Drummond," which makes Mr. Drummond happy, but Willis has second thoughts. Note: Dana Plato guest stars.
163	17	"Sam's New Pal"	Gerren Keith	Ken Hecht & Bob Brunner	February 2, 1985	0717
Sam becomes friends with another kid in the building, but is horrified when he finds out the kid isn't a boy but is a girl (Soleil Moon Frye). Mr. Drummond convinces him that being friends with a girl isn't so bad, so Sam decides to have her stay the night for a sleepover, which makes both their fathers nervous.
164	18	"Russian Embassy"	Gerren Keith	Story by : Max Katz & Toni Wunsch Teleplay by : Jose Rivera	February 9, 1985	0719
Arnold's toy rocket crash lands at the Russian embassy and nearly causes an international incident.
165	19	"Cheers to Arnold"	Lee Lochhead	Bruce Taylor	February 16, 1985	0720
Arnold is pressured to drink by his friend Ricky (Robert Jayne), who is alcoholic. His parents find out and lay down the law, but when he catches Ricky with some of Mr. Drummond's liquor-- and is mistakenly accused of using it himself-- he has to get his friend to clean himself up.
166	20	"A Camping We Will Go"	Lee Shallat Chemel	Bruce Taylor	February 23, 1985	0721
Mr. Drummond takes Sam and Arnold camping, but is unable to compete with Sam's more-experienced dad.
167	21	"Beauty is in the Eye of Arnold"	Selig Frank	Robert Jayson & A. Dudley Johnson, Jr.	March 2, 1985	0722
Arnold enjoys going out with a classmate, but his friends think she isn't good enough for him and gets him to dump her for a pretty cheerleader.
168	22	"Blue Collar Drummond"	Gerren Keith	Robert Jayson & A. Dudley Johnson, Jr.	March 9, 1985	0702
Mr. Drummond goes undercover at his company to find out how his employees really feel about working there. Note: Barney Martin, Jack Riley and Lee Weaver guest star.
169	23	"Street Smarts"	Gerren Keith	Story by : Gary Coleman Teleplay by : Bruce Taylor	March 23, 1985	0723
Arnold is mugged on his way home from school and is so traumatized that he begins carrying a knife with him. In order to get him to open up about the incident, Mr. Drummond arranges for a crime-prevention demonstration at his school, but the demonstration becomes too real for Arnold.
170	24	"A Special Friend"	Gerren Keith	Ken Hecht & Bob Brunner	May 4, 1985	0724
Arnold and Sam befriend Karen, a street performer, much to Mr. Drummond's dismay. When they try to tell her they can't hang out with her anymore, she begins having an epileptic seizure. At first, the two are scared by the incident, but later on they start to make jokes about her condition. When Pearl overhears them, she reveals that she herself is epileptic, which causes the two to patch things up with their friend. Notes: Dana Plato guest stars. This is the final episode airing on NBC. Dixie Carter left the series at the end of this season and replaced by Mary Ann Mobley in the final season.

Season 8 (1985-1986)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code
171 172	1 2	"Sam's Missing"	Gerren Keith	Ken Hecht & Bob Brunner Richard Gurman	September 27, 1985	0804 0805
Royce D. Applegate portrays family man Donald Brown, whose wife and he have never recovered from the death of their son. Accordingly, he kidnaps Sam as a replacement, while he is shopping for snacks at the grocery store. Telling his family that Sam was rescued from the streets, Donald tells Sam that he'll kill Sam's parents if Sam doesn't cooperate. During the middle of a home makeover, the Drummonds learn of Sam's kidnapping and they distribute flyers and go on the news to raise awareness. Maggie unravels emotionally. Mr. Drummond offers a $50,000 reward, which an extorionist attempts to claim. Meanwhile, Donald becomes more and more distant from his wife and son, trying to prevent them from learning that Sam was not found but stolen. Sam calls his family and gives them the Browns' phone number, which the police trace to Sam's location. They arrest Donald, and Sam returns home. Notes Dana Plato guest stars. This is the first episode to air on ABC. Mary Ann Mobley joins the cast, replacing Dixie Carter as "Maggie".
173	3	"Bully for Arnold"	Gerren Keith	Robert Jayson & A. Dudley Johnson, Jr.	October 4, 1985	0802
A tough guy (Forest Whitaker) wants Arnold to take care of his girlfriend while he is away, but the girl develops feelings for Arnold. Note: Jason Hervey makes his first appearance as Arnold's friend, Charlie.
174	4	"Love on the Run"	Gerren Keith	Jose Rivera	October 11, 1985	0801
Mr. Drummond and Maggie are too busy to spend time together, which has Sam worried that their marriage may be in trouble, so he and Arnold put together a romantic evening for the two of them. Note: Dana Plato guest stars.
175	5	"Willis Goes to College"	Tony Singletary	Richard Gurman	October 18, 1985	0807
Willis has a hard time adjusting to college, so he decides to drop out. However, he changes his mind when he finds out he's not the only one having trouble adjusting.
176	6	"Arnold's Job"	Gerren Keith	Ken Hecht & Bob Brunner	October 25, 1985	0803
Arnold hopes to become a photojournalist and ends up getting a job at a newspaper, but he becomes disillusioned when he's asked to run errands instead of taking pictures.
177	7	"A Tale of Two Teachers"	Gerren Keith	Richard Gurman	November 8, 1985	0808
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar returns and has Arnold take over teaching the class for one day. Arnold isn't thrilled about the assignment at first, but after reading the assigned book (A Tale of Two Cities), he gets excited about the opportunity. His classmates, however, give him a hard time.
178	8	"So You Want to Be a Rock Star"	Mel Ferber	Al Aidekman & Barry Rubinowitz	November 15, 1985	0810
Arnold tries to learn the saxophone to impress a girl, but is so bad that his friends try to kick him out of their rock group. Note: Musician Clarence Clemons guest stars.
179	9	"Speak No Evil"	Gerren Keith	Glenn Padnick	November 29, 1985	0809
Arnold and his friends find out that a white-supremacist group will be speaking on campus, so they decide to interrupt their assembly by throwing rotten food at them. When Mr. Drummond finds out, he objects to Arnold's behavior, saying the group has as much right to speak as everyone else because of the First Amendment. This leads to the rest of the family choosing sides, but soon Arnold comes around and sees things his dad's way.
180	10	"Arnold's Bad Rep"	Mel Ferber	Story by : Robert Jayson & A. Dudley Johnson, Jr. Teleplay by : Jose Rivera	December 6, 1985	0812
Arnold lies to his friends about having sex with a girl, which leads to her deciding to have sex for real... which Arnold isn't ready for.
181	11	"It's My Party and I'll Cry If I Want To"	Gerren Keith	Al Aidekman	December 13, 1985	0806
Sam manages to get a popular children's show host for his birthday party, but is disappointed when his friends are more interested in the guest than him.
182	12	"Arnold's Initiation"	Tony Singletary	Robert Jayson & A. Dudley Johnson, Jr.	January 10, 1986	0813
Arnold pulls a prank at the local burger place in order to get into a club, but his prank causes a mentally challenged worker (John Schuck) to get fired, so Arnold tries to make things right.
183	13	"Bulimia"	Barbara Schultz	Story by : Janna Lowell Teleplay by : Ken Hecht & Bob Brunner	January 17, 1986	0811
Arnold gets blamed when food starts disappearing from the house, but he soon discovers that Kimberly, who has developed bulimia, is the one who has been eating all the food in the house. Note: This is Dana Plato's final appearance in the series as Kimberly Drummond.
184	14	"Sam's Big Brother"	Mel Ferber	Susan H. Lee	January 24, 1986	0814
Sam begins to hang out with Willis a lot more than with Arnold, making Arnold feel left out. Meanwhile, Mr. Drummond is enthusiastic about seeing Halley's Comet with the family, but the brotherly feud almost ruins the occasion.
185	15	"Arnold's Tangled Web"	Selig Frank	Barry Rubinowitz	January 31, 1986	0815
Arnold enlists a hustler (Chick Vennera) to help him conceal a poor grade from Mr. Drummond, but the ruse becomes increasingly tricky to maintain.
186	16	"Lifestyles of the Poor and Unknown"	Mel Ferber	Barry Gold	February 7, 1986	0816
Sam gets into a fight at Hamburger Hangar with Kurt, a kid (Carl Steven) who constantly picks on him. Sam later learns that Kurt is a foster child very jealous of what Sam has. Note: This is Mary Ann Mobley's final appearance in the series as Maggie McKinney.
187	17	"The Big Bribe"	Mel Ferber	Story by : Janna Lowell Teleplay by : Robert Jayson & A. Dudley Johnson, Jr.	February 21, 1986	0817
Willis gets the sister of one of his old girlfriends (Robin Givens) to go out with Arnold by giving her concert tickets. When Arnold finds out, he is angry at what Willis did, but it turns out the girl likes Arnold for real. Note: This is Todd Bridges' final appearance in the series as Willis Jackson.
188	18	"The Photo Club"	Jeremiah Morris	Robert Jayson & A. Dudley Johnson, Jr.	February 28, 1986	0818
Arnold and Lisa get stuck working together on a school assignment and get locked in their school's darkroom. This leads to the two of them coming to an understanding about their adversarial relationship and they both end up liking each other, but it doesn't last. Note: This is Mary Jo Catlett's final appearance in the series as Pearl Gallagher.
189	19	"The Front Page"	Gerren Keith	Al Aidekman & Richard Gurman	March 7, 1986	0819
Arnold finds out that several athletes at school are using anabolic steroids, so he goes undercover to expose the full story. Note: Peter DeLuise plays one of the athletes.

See also

• List of Hello, Larry episodes
• List of The Facts of Life episodes

References

1. DVD release info Archived October 25, 2012, at the Wayback Machine at TVShowsOnDVD.com
2. Part 2 is an episode of Hello, Larry.
3. https://i.imgur.com/Tgkb2ye.jpg
4. This episode was originally produced for Season 3 but was postponed because of a writer's strike. "Diff'rent Strokes Episode Guide - Diff'rent Strokes Season Episodes - TV.com".
5. https://i.imgur.com/rvBpRZ4.jpg

External links

• List of Diff'rent Strokes episodes at TV.com
• Diff'rent Strokes – list of episodes at IMDb