Bernie Kukoff
Director
Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
Season 5
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.
Released Nov. 3, 1978
Episode 29 min
10+
Keywords: tmdb.wealthy, tmdb.orphan, tmdb.manhattan-new-york-city, tmdb.sitcom, tmdb.family-relationships, tmdb.class-differences, tmdb.widower + 53 more, tmdb.interracial-adoption, tmdb.adopted-child, tmdb.brother-brother-relationship, tmdb.african-american, imdb.famous-opening-theme, imdb.catch-phrase, imdb.9-year-old, imdb.13-year-old, imdb.8-year-old, imdb.12-year-old, imdb.laugh-track, imdb.bunk-bed, imdb.interracial-family, imdb.intentionally-misspelled-title, imdb.apostrophe-in-title, imdb.two-word-title, imdb.cult-tv, tmdb.child-care, imdb.1970s, imdb.1980s, imdb.manhattan-new-york-city, imdb.culture-clash, imdb.wealth, imdb.class-differences, imdb.adopted-child, imdb.adopted-son, imdb.little-boy, imdb.teenager, imdb.teenage-girl, imdb.housekeeper, imdb.maid, imdb.widower, imdb.millionaire, imdb.african-american, imdb.father-daughter-relationship, imdb.brother-sister-relationship, imdb.brother-brother-relationship, imdb.father-son-relationship, imdb.single-parent, imdb.single-father, imdb.orphan, imdb.interracial-adoption, imdb.family-relationships, imdb.new-york, imdb.child-actor, imdb.new-york-city, imdb.adoption, imdb.sitcom, imdb.sitcom-comedy, imdb.20th-century, imdb.child-abuse, imdb.bigotry, imdb.racism
Watch Providers: Tubi TV
Production Companies: Norman Lear/Tandem Productions, Embassy Television, Embassy Pictures Corporation, Tandem Productions
Network: ABC
Country: United States
Languages:
English
S5E1 - Shoot-Out at the O.K. Arcade
Arnold is determined to defeat brother Willis at his own game and dethrone him as local video game champ, but in doing so Arnold's passion becomes a destructive ""addiction"" that could have serious consequences.
Oct. 2, 1982, midnight
S5E2 - In the Swim
Willis is completely supportive of Kimberly's transfer into his public school, until his sister's ""innocent"" actions begin getting him into hot water.
Oct. 9, 1982, midnight
S5E3 - Cyrano De Jackson
Arnold's on the outs with his best friend Dudley after he innocently offers to help his bashful buddy win the heart of a young lady -- who falls for Arnold instead.
Oct. 16, 1982, midnight
S5E4 - Big Brother
Arnold's got a ""can't lose"" plan for curing a new classmate's loneliness -- sharing big brother Willis -- but his kind of intentions leave Arnold feeling like the lonely, only child.
Oct. 23, 1982, midnight
S5E5 - The Peacemaker
Willis' personal safety is in jeopardy when his noble attempt to mediate a feud between rival gangs backfires, forcing him to take a drastic step to insure his protection -- purchasing a handgun.
Oct. 30, 1982, midnight
S5E6 - Substitute Teacher
Arnold and his buddies fabricate a ""little white lie"" in an attempt to get rid of an overly-conscientious substitute teacher, but their tell tale could result in more than just removing the teacher from the classroom -- it could destroy his entire career.
Nov. 6, 1982, midnight
S5E7 - The Older Woman
A false I.D. and a false bravado create real problems for Willis and a beautiful ""older"" woman when an evening on the town doesn't go quite as he had planned.
Nov. 13, 1982, midnight
S5E8 - A Case of Overexposure (a.k.a.) Overexposure
Arnold must face the bare facts -- his chances of winning a prestigious school election seem desperately slim, thanks to an ""overexposed"" candid campaign photo taken by sister Kimberly.
Nov. 20, 1982, midnight
S5E9 - Memories
A long lost trunk returned to the boys contains a tape recording of their deceased mother which brings to the surface a previously unrecognized problem that triggers uncharacteristic behavior from a usually happy-go-lucky Arnold.
Nov. 27, 1982, midnight
S5E10 - Push Comes to Shove
Arnold's unexpected confrontation with the new building manager's son leads to a chilling series of events that could get the entire Drummond family evicted.
Dec. 4, 1982, midnight
S5E11 - The Executives
Willis learns that even a little power in the wrong hands can be dangerous when he oversteps the bounds of his authority in his afterschool job at his father's office.
Dec. 11, 1982, midnight
S5E12 - Santa's Helper
Arnold falls innocent victim to a beguiling street-corner Santa who has an ulterior financial motive for hiring him as a holiday ""helper.""
Dec. 18, 1982, midnight
S5E13 - A Growing Problem
At 16, Willis thinks he's man enough and old enough to ""top"" a few drinks with the guys, but Drummond's objections send Willis storming out of the house intent on proving his father wrong.
Jan. 8, 1983, midnight
S5E14 - Parents Have Rights, Too
Drummond's plans for a quiet and private weekend ""alone"" don't quite work out as he had intended, when a storm sends Arnold, Willis and Kimberly home from a camping trip early -- catching him off guard in a compromising situation.
Jan. 15, 1983, midnight
S5E15 - Independent Woman
A new job and a handsome new boss add up to trouble for an innocent Kimberly when her new employer starts displaying a more than casual interest in her -- hoping that his ""special attention"" will help land him a position within Drummond's prestigious company.
Jan. 22, 1983, midnight
S5E16 - The Bicycle Man (1)
Unaware that he's being lured into the carefully crafted trap of a child molester, Arnold eagerly agrees to perform a simple task in return for an overly generous reward from a ""friendly"" neighborhood merchant.
Feb. 5, 1983, midnight
S5E17 - The Bicycle Man (2)
Arnold and Dudley's ""friendship"" with a local merchant reaches a dangerous turning point when, unbeknownst to the boys, the man, who is actually a child molester, is about to make his move.
Feb. 12, 1983, midnight
S5E18 - Family on Ice
Kimberly is overjoyed when Olympic Gold Medalist Dorothy Hamill sees great promise in her as a competitive figure skater, but she's even more astounded when Drummond agrees to let her leave the New York ""nest"" to train full time with the award-winning skater -- in Los Angeles.
Feb. 19, 1983, midnight
S5E19 - Hall Monitor
Arnold's good intentions backfire when his efforts to help his handicapped friend Kathy adjust to life in public school cost him the esteem of his classmates and the friendship of pals Dudley and Robbie.
Feb. 26, 1983, midnight
S5E20 - The Cricket
To try to curb Arnold's run of bad luck, Drummond gives him a pet cricket, but the Japanese ""good luck charm"" brings nothing but sleepless nights and dreams of ""pesticide"" to the rest of the household.
March 5, 1983, midnight
S5E21 - Roommates
The household's turned upside down when Drummond becomes Arnold's roommate for a week.
March 12, 1983, midnight
S5E22 - The Reporter
Determined to prove he didn't fabricate a story about drug abuse in his grade school just to win a journalism contest, Arnold takes his article to the New York City newspaper sponsoring the competition, and when they run his story on the front page, Arnold receives some unexpected more support from First Lady Nancy Reagan.
March 19, 1983, midnight
S5E23 - Romeo and Juliet
Arnold's Romeo is steeped in more turmoil than Shakespeare ever intended when he's tricked by his ""best friends"" into playing opposite arch-nemisis Lisa's Juliet.
April 30, 1983, midnight
S5E24 - My Fair Larry (a.k.a.) My Fair Lady
School ""thug"" Larry coerces Willis into teaching him how to ""make it"" with girls, but things go from bad to worse when Larry's first target is Willis' sister Kimberly.
May 7, 1983, midnight
Network: ABC
Episode Runtime: 29 min.
Season Runtime: 204 min.
Released: Nov. 3, 1978
Last Air Date: March 7, 1986, midnight
Status: Ended
Certification: TV-PG
Common sense age: 10+
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