''The Facts of Life'' is an American television sitcom created by
Dick Clair
Dick Clair (November 12, 1931 – December 12, 1988) was an American television producer, actor and television and film writer, best known for the television sitcoms '' It's a Living'', '' The Facts of Life'', and ''Mama's Family''.
Early life ...
and
Jenna McMahon and a spin-off of ''
Diff'rent Strokes
''Diff'rent Strokes'' is an American television sitcom, which aired on NBC from November 3, 1978, to May 4, 1985, and on ABC from September 27, 1985, to March 7, 1986. The series stars Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges as Arnold and Willis Jackson, ...
'' that originally aired on
NBC from August 24, 1979, to May 7, 1988, making it one of the longest-running sitcoms of the 1980s. The series focuses on
Edna Garrett (
Charlotte Rae
Charlotte Rae Lubotsky (April 22, 1926 – August 5, 2018) was an American character actress and singer whose career spanned six decades.
Rae was known for her portrayal of Edna Garrett in the sitcoms ''Diff'rent Strokes'' and its spin-off, ...
), as she becomes a housemother (and from the second season onward, a
dietitian
A dietitian, medical dietitian, or dietician is an expert in identifying and treating disease-related malnutrition and in conducting medical nutrition therapy, for example designing an enteral tube feeding regimen or mitigating the effects of c ...
as well) at the fictional Eastland School, an all-girls boarding school in
Peekskill, New York
Peekskill is a city in northwestern Westchester County, New York, United States, from New York City. Established as a village in 1816, it was incorporated as a city in 1940. It lies on a bay along the east side of the Hudson River, across from ...
.
Plot
Season 1
A spin-off of ''
Diff'rent Strokes
''Diff'rent Strokes'' is an American television sitcom, which aired on NBC from November 3, 1978, to May 4, 1985, and on ABC from September 27, 1985, to March 7, 1986. The series stars Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges as Arnold and Willis Jackson, ...
'', the series featured the Drummonds' former housekeeper Edna Garrett (
Charlotte Rae
Charlotte Rae Lubotsky (April 22, 1926 – August 5, 2018) was an American character actress and singer whose career spanned six decades.
Rae was known for her portrayal of Edna Garrett in the sitcoms ''Diff'rent Strokes'' and its spin-off, ...
) becoming the housemother of a dormitory at Eastland School, a private
all-girls school in
Peekskill, New York
Peekskill is a city in northwestern Westchester County, New York, United States, from New York City. Established as a village in 1816, it was incorporated as a city in 1940. It lies on a bay along the east side of the Hudson River, across from ...
. The girls in her care included spoiled rich girl
Blair Warner (
Lisa Whelchel); the youngest, gossipy
Dorothy "Tootie" Ramsey (
Kim Fields) and impressionable
Natalie Green (
Mindy Cohn).
The pilot for the show was
originally aired as the last episode of the first season of ''Diff'rent Strokes'' and was called "The Girls' School (a.k.a. Garrett's Girls)." The plot line for the pilot had Kimberly Drummond (
Dana Plato
Dana Michelle Plato (née Strain; November 7, 1964 – May 8, 1999) was an American actress. An influential "teen idol" of the late 1970s and early 1980s, Plato was recognized for her television work, for which she was included on VH1's list of ...
) requesting that Mrs. Garrett help her sew costumes for a student play at East Lake School for Girls, the school Kimberly attended in Upstate New York, as her dorm's housemother had recently quit. Mrs. Garrett agrees to help, puts on a successful play and also solves a problem for the boyfriend-obsessed Nancy Olsen (
Felice Schachter) as she also meets Blair, Tootie, the small-town girl from Kansas Sue Ann Weaver (
Julie Piekarski), and the budding activist Molly Parker (
Molly Ringwald
Molly Kathleen Ringwald (born February 18, 1968) is an American actress, singer, dancer, and author. She was cast in her first major role as Molly in the NBC sitcom '' The Facts of Life'' (1979–80) after a casting director saw her playing an or ...
). Mrs. Garrett is asked to stay on as the new housemother but states she would rather remain working for the Drummonds at the end of the pilot.
Following the pilot, the name of the school was changed to Eastland and characters were replaced, with Natalie, athletic tomboy Cindy Webster (
Julie Anne Haddock), and Mr. Bradley becoming part of the main group featured. Although Kimberly Drummond is featured as a student at East Lake, her character did not cross over to the spinoff series with Mrs. Garrett. In the show's first season, episodes focus on the issues of seven girls, with the action usually set in a large, wood-paneled common room of a girls' dormitory. Also appearing was the school's headmaster, Mr. Steven Bradley (
John Lawlor) and Miss Emily Mahoney (
Jenny O'Hara
Patricia Joanne "Jenny" O'Hara (born February 24, 1942) is an American film, television, and stage actress. She is best known for Dixie in '' My Sister Sam'' (1986–1988), Janet Heffernan in '' The King of Queens'' (2001–2007), and Nita in ' ...
), an Eastland teacher who was dropped after the first four episodes. Early episodes of the show typically revolve around a central morality-based or "lesson teaching" theme. The show's pilot episode plot included a storyline in which Blair Warner insinuates that her schoolmate Cindy Webster is a lesbian, because she is a tomboy and frequently shows affection for other girls. Other season one episodes deal with issues including
drug use, sex,
eating disorder
An eating disorder is a mental disorder defined by abnormal eating behaviors that negatively affect a person's physical or mental health. Only one eating disorder can be diagnosed at a given time. Types of eating disorders include binge eating d ...
, parental relationships and
peer pressure
Peer pressure is the direct or indirect influence on peers, i.e., members of social groups with similar interests, experiences, or social statuses. Members of a peer group are more likely to influence a person's beliefs, values, and behavior. A g ...
.
Seasons 2–8
The producers felt that there were too many characters given the limitations of the half-hour sitcom format and that the plotlines should be more focused to give the remaining girls more room for character development. Four of the original actresses—
Julie Anne Haddock (Cindy),
Julie Piekarski (Sue Ann),
Felice Schachter (Nancy) and
Molly Ringwald
Molly Kathleen Ringwald (born February 18, 1968) is an American actress, singer, dancer, and author. She was cast in her first major role as Molly in the NBC sitcom '' The Facts of Life'' (1979–80) after a casting director saw her playing an or ...
(Molly)—were written out of the show, although the four did make periodic guest appearances in the second and third seasons, and all but Molly Ringwald appeared in one "reunion" episode in the eighth season. Mr. Bradley's character was also dropped and replaced by Mr. Charles Parker (
Roger Perry). Mr. Parker appeared in episodes through the beginning of season 5. In addition to being housemother to the remaining girls, Mrs. Garrett became the school
dietitian
A dietitian, medical dietitian, or dietician is an expert in identifying and treating disease-related malnutrition and in conducting medical nutrition therapy, for example designing an enteral tube feeding regimen or mitigating the effects of c ...
as the second season began.
Jo Polniaczek (
Nancy McKeon), a new student originally from
the Bronx
The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Yor ...
, arrived at Eastland on scholarship. A run-in with the law forced the four to be separated from the other girls and work in the cafeteria, living together in a spare room next to Mrs. Garrett's bedroom. The season two premiere of the retooled series saw an immediate ratings increase. By its third season (1981–82), ''Facts of Life'' had become NBC's No. 1 comedy and No. 2 overall NBC program, beating its predecessor, ''Diff'rent Strokes'', for the first time.
In 1983, Jo and Blair graduated Eastland Academy in the highly anticipated season four finale "Graduation". To keep the four girls under one roof, the hour-long season five premiere "Brave New World" saw Mrs. Garrett go into business for herself and open a gourmet food venture named Edna's Edibles. The four girls came to live and work with Mrs. Garrett in this new refreshed space. In September 1985, NBC moved the seventh season of the series to its burgeoning Saturday night lineup at 8:30, as a lead-in for the new series ''
The Golden Girls
''The Golden Girls'' is an American sitcom created by Susan Harris that aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 9, 1992, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning seven seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Bea Arthur, Betty White ...
'' at 9 pm. In an attempt to refresh the "ratings work horse" and increase ratings,
George Clooney
George Timothy Clooney (born May 6, 1961) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including a British Academy Film Award, four Golden Globe Awards, and two Academy Awards, one for his acting and the othe ...
was added to the regular cast and Mrs. Garrett's store was gutted by fire in the season seven premiere "Out of the Fire". The follow-up episodes "Into the Frying Pan" and "Grand Opening" had the girls join together to rebuild the store with a pop culture-influenced gift shop, called Over Our Heads. The changes proved successful as all three episodes placed in the top ten ratings each week. By the end of the season, ''TV Guide'' reported, "''Facts'' success has been so unexpected that scions of Hollywood are still taken aback by it ...''Facts'' has in fact been among NBC's top-ranked comedies for the past five years. It finished twenty-seven overall for the 1985–1986 season, handily winning its time slot against its most frequent competitors, ''
Airwolf
''Airwolf'' is an American action military drama television series that centers on a high-technology military helicopter, code-named ''Airwolf'', and its crew. The show follows them as they undertake various exotic missions, many involving esp ...
'' and ''
Benson''. Lisa Whelchel stated, 'We're easily overlooked because we've never been a huge hit; we just sort of snuck in there.'"
Charlotte Rae initially reduced her role in seasons six and seven and later decided to leave the series altogether, believing she had done all she could do with her character and desired to move on to other projects. In season eight's heavily promoted one-hour premiere, "Out of Peekskill" Mrs. Garrett married the man of her dreams and joined him in Africa while he worked for the
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an Independent agency of the U.S. government, independent agency and program of the Federal government of the United States, United States government that trains and deploys Volunteering, volunteers to provide international De ...
. Mrs. Garrett convinces her sister, Beverly Ann Stickle (
Cloris Leachman
Cloris Leachman (April 30, 1926 – January 27, 2021) was an American actress and comedian whose career spanned nearly eight decades. She won List of awards and nominations received by Cloris Leachman, many accolades, including eight Primetime ...
), to take over the shop and look after the girls. The character of Beverly Ann had a similar personality to Leachman's previous Emmy-winning role as Phyllis Lindstrom on two 1970s CBS sitcoms – ''
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (also known simply as ''Mary Tyler Moore'') is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns and starring actress Mary Tyler Moore. The show originally aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977. Mo ...
'' and ''
Phyllis''. Beverly Ann later legally adopted Over Our Heads worker Andy Moffett (
Mackenzie Astin
Mackenzie Alexander Astin (born May 12, 1973) is an American actor.
Early and personal life
Astin was born on May 12, 1973, in Los Angeles, California, the son of actress Patty Duke and actor John Astin. His brother is actor Sean Astin. He at ...
) in the episode "A Boy About the House". Describing the new changes to ''The Facts of Life''
Brandon Tartikoff
Brandon Tartikoff (January 13, 1949 – August 27, 1997) was an American television executive who was the president of NBC from 1981 to 1991. He was credited with turning around NBC's low prime time reputation with such hit series as ''Hill Stre ...
, NBC Entertainment President, said he "was surprised that ''The Facts of Life'' performed well this season, as, with a major cast change and all, I thought it might not perform as it had in the past. ''Facts'' has been renewed for next season."
Final season
In the ninth and final season, the series aired on NBC's Saturday lineup at 8 pm, NBC still had confidence in the series, making it the 8 p.m. anchor, kicking off the network's second-highest rated night (next to Thursdays). For February
Nielsen rating sweeps, the writers created a controversial storyline in this season for the episode titled "The First Time", in which Natalie became the first of the girls to lose her
virginity
Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...
. Lisa Whelchel refused this storyline that would have made her character, not Natalie, the first among the four young women in the show to lose her virginity. Having become a
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...
when she was 10, Whelchel refused because of her religious convictions. Whelchel appeared in every episode but asked to be written out of "The First Time". The episode ran a parental advisory before starting and placed 22nd in the ratings for the week.
With the show still easily winning its timeslot, NBC had made plans to renew ''The Facts of Life'' for a 10th season but two castmates – Mindy Cohn and Nancy McKeon – chose to leave at the conclusion of season nine.
Cast
Main characters
Recurring characters
A key recurring character was Geri Tyler (
Geri Jewell), Blair's cousin who has
cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be problems with sen ...
. Jewell's character primarily was created in order to show Blair's more sympathetic side but Cousin Geri eventually inspired many other people with disabilities interested in the entertainment industry. Other recurring characters included the judgment-impaired Miko Wakamatsu (
Lauren Tom
Lauren Tom (born August 4, 1961) is an American actress. Her roles include Lena St. Clair in '' The Joy Luck Club'', Julie in the NBC sitcom ''Friends'', Dot in the final season of '' Grace Under Fire'', and the voices for Amy Wong in ''Futuram ...
), the delivery boy Roy (
Loren Lester
Loren Lester (born October 4, 1960) is an American screen, stage and voice actor best known as the voice of DC Comics superheroes Nightwing and Robin in various media, starting with the DC Animated Universe. He is also a graduate of the Occidenta ...
) who was enamored with Jo, the royal princess Alexandra (
Heather McAdam) and the snobbish Boots St. Clair (
Jami Gertz). Shoplifter Kelly (
Pamela Segall) was billed as a regular during the fifth season. Other guest roles included the boyfriends of the girls; Jo's parents, played by
Alex Rocco
Alex Rocco (born Alessandro Federico Petricone Jr.; February 29, 1936 – July 18, 2015) was an American actor. Known for his distinctive, gravelly voice, he was often cast as villains, including Moe Greene in ''The Godfather'' (1972) and his Pr ...
and
Claire Malis; Blair's parents, played by
Nicolas Coster
Nicolas Dwynn Coster (born December 3, 1933) is a British-American actor, most known for his work in daytime drama and as a character actor on nighttime television series, such as ''Wonder Woman'', '' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'', '' T. J. ...
and
Marj Dusay
Marjorie Ellen Mahoney Dusay (; née Mahoney; February 20, 1936 – January 28, 2020) was an American actress known for her roles on American soap operas. She was especially known for her role as Alexandra Spaulding on ''Guiding Light'', a role ...
; Tootie's parents, played by
Chip Fields (Kim Fields's real-life mother) and
Robert Hooks
Robert Hooks (born Bobby Dean Hooks; April 18, 1937) is an American actor, producer, and activist. Along with Douglas Turner Ward and Gerald S. Krone, he founded The Negro Ensemble Company. The Negro Ensemble Company is credited with the lau ...
and Natalie's parents, played by
Norman Burton and
Mitzi Hoag. Characters from ''Diff'rent Strokes'' also appeared in some episodes of both season one and season two. Other recurring characters included Tootie's boyfriend Jeff Williams (Todd Hollowell), Blair's boyfriend Cliff (
Woody Brown), and Charles Parker (
Roger Perry), who served as headmaster of Eastland following Lawlor's exit from the show.
Production
Development
''The Facts of Life'' was produced first by
T.A.T. Communications Company, later known as Embassy Television (Norman Lear's production companies) and then as Embassy Communications and
Columbia Pictures Television
Columbia Pictures Television, Inc. (abbreviated as CPT) was launched on May 6, 1974, by Columbia Pictures as an American television production and distribution studio. It is the second name of the Columbia Pictures television division Screen Gems ...
(through ELP Communications) on January–May 1988 episodes of the series.
Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures Television Inc. (abbreviated as SPT) is an American television production and distribution studio. Based at the Sony Pictures Studios complex in Culver City, it is a division of Sony Entertainment's unit Sony Pictures Entertainm ...
currently owns the distribution rights to the sitcom. From 1979 to 1982, the show was produced at
Metromedia Square
Metromedia Square (later known as Fox Television Center from 1986 to 1996) was a radio and television studio facility located at 5746 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California on the southeastern corner of Sunset and Van Ness Avenue ...
in Los Angeles, California. In 1982, production moved to
Universal City Studios and then to
Sunset Gower Studios
Sunset Gower Studios is a television and movie studio at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Gower Street in Hollywood, California. Established in 1912, it continues today as Hollywood's largest independent studio and an active facility for telev ...
in 1985.
Theme music
The show's theme was composed by Al Burton,
Gloria Loring
Gloria Loring-Lagler (born Gloria Jean Goff; December 10, 1946) is an American singer and actress. She is known for playing Liz Chandler on ''Days of Our Lives'' for six years (1980–86). She and singer-actor Carl Anderson performed the duet " ...
and her then-husband,
Alan Thicke
Alan Thicke (born Alan Willis Jeffrey; March 1, 1947December 13, 2016) was a Canadian actor, songwriter, and game and talk show host. He is the father of singer Robin Thicke. In 2013, Thicke was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame. Thicke was be ...
. The well-known opening lyric "You take the good, you take the bad ..." came later as the first season lyrics, some of them performed by Rae and the original cast, differed from those that followed, later sung by Loring. The original lyrics eventually shifted to the closing credits before being dropped entirely. Burton, Loring and Thicke had previously composed the theme to ''Diff'rent Strokes'', which was sung by Thicke.
Episodes
Television films
''The Facts of Life Goes to Paris''
''
The Facts of Life Goes to Paris'', a two-hour TV movie in which Mrs. Garrett and the girls travel to France, aired September 25, 1982. It scored 18.1/31 in the Nielsen Ratings. The movie was later added to the American syndication package, separated into four half-hour episodes; however, the original cut of the film appears on the Season 4 DVD set in 2010. The TV movie was directed by
Asaad Kelada
Asaad Kelada ( ar, أسعد قلادة; born May 11, 1940) is an American television director of many American television sitcoms.
Early life
Kelada was born in Cairo, Egypt and he studied drama under Youssef Chahine at the American University ...
.
''The Facts of Life Down Under''
''
The Facts of Life Down Under'', another two-hour TV movie, aired Sunday, February 15, 1987 placing a strong No. 13 for the week garnering 21.4/32. This was strategic
counterprogramming by NBC, which placed the movie against the conclusion of
ABC's highly publicized
miniseries
A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. " Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries forma ...
''
Amerika''. The Telemovie was also syndicated as four half-hour episodes in later U.S. airings.
[Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970–1995'', Oxford University Press, 1996 p55]
''The Facts of Life Reunion''
''
The Facts of Life Reunion'', a two-hour TV movie reunion aired on ABC November 18, 2001, in which Mrs. Garrett and the girls are reunited in Peekskill, New York, for the Thanksgiving holiday. It occasionally aired in the United States on
ABC Family
The American cable and satellite television network that is now known as Freeform was originally launched as the CBN Satellite Service on April 29, 1977, and has gone through several different owners (and six different name changes) during its h ...
. Nancy McKeon (Jo) did not appear in this movie; her character's absence is explained as being on assignment as a police officer.
Syndication
NBC aired daytime reruns of ''The Facts of Life'' from December 13, 1982 until June 28, 1985 at 10 a.m. (and later noon) on the daytime schedule. Episodes aired on television stations nationwide from September 15, 1986 to September 10, 1993, then aired on the
USA Network
USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Madiso ...
on and off from September 13, 1993 to September 11, 1998. In August 1994, the network celebrated the show's 15th anniversary with a day-long marathon of 14 episodes featuring new interviews with Rae, Whelchel and Cohn. Episodes aired on
Nick at Nite
Nick at Nite (stylized as nick@nite) is an American nighttime basic cable television channel that broadcasts over the channel space of Nickelodeon. It typically broadcasts Mondays to Thursday nights from 9 p.m. - 6:30 a.m. ET/ PT, Friday nights fr ...
from September 4, 2000 to June 28, 2001, although the network did not air certain episodes that contained highly mature content during primetime (including the first-season episode "Dope"), instead opting to air episodes with more serious topics at late night/early morning times.
TV Land
TV Land is an American pay television channel owned by Paramount Global through its networks division. Originally a spinoff of Nick at Nite consisting exclusively of classic television shows, the channel now airs a combination of recent and cl ...
aired 48 hours of ''The Facts of Life'' episodes on its "Fandemonium Marathon Weekend" on November 17–19, 2001. The
Hallmark Channel
The Hallmark Channel is an American television channel owned by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., which in turn is owned by Hallmark Cards, Inc. The channel's programming is primarily targeted at families, and features a mix of television movies an ...
aired ''The Facts of Life'' from July 1 to November 1, 2002. Episodes were available on
Comcast
Comcast Corporation (formerly known as American Cable Systems and Comcast Holdings),Before the AT&T merger in 2001, the parent company was Comcast Holdings Corporation. Comcast Holdings Corporation now refers to a subsidiary of Comcast Corpora ...
's
Video-On-Demand
Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos without a traditional video playback device and the constraints of a typical static broadcasting schedule. In the 20th century, broadcasting in the form of o ...
service from August 8, 2005 to July 31, 2006 and again from the August 6, 2007 until Tube Time's shutdown date on December 31, 2009. On July 16, 2008 full episodes and short "minisodes" of ''The Facts of Life'' became available online via Hulu. On March 12, 2012,
TeenNick
TeenNick is an American pay-TV channel that is operated by the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Aimed primarily at teens and tweens, its programming includes a variety of live-action series inherited from sister channel Nic ...
added the series to their morning lineup; however, the series' addition to the channel was short-lived, as it left the schedule on April 3, 2012. The series premiered on
The Hub on April 2, 2012, where it rerun until March 31, 2013 and later moved to
Logo TV
Logo TV (often shortened to Logo, and stylized as Logo.) is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Media Networks, a division of Paramount Global. Launched in 2005, Logo was originally dedicated to lifestyle and entertainment prog ...
. Most recently,
Antenna TV started airing ''The Facts of Life'' on January 2, 2020. The series also airs on Logo TV in various time slots. As of March 2022, the series has also been airing in daily blocks and on Saturdays in day long marathons on the
GAC Family
Great American Family is an American cable television network. Owned by Great American Media, it broadcasts family-oriented general entertainment programming, including television series and made-for-TV movies.
It was originally established i ...
cable network.
International airings
* In Brazil, the show aired on
Nick at Nite
Nick at Nite (stylized as nick@nite) is an American nighttime basic cable television channel that broadcasts over the channel space of Nickelodeon. It typically broadcasts Mondays to Thursday nights from 9 p.m. - 6:30 a.m. ET/ PT, Friday nights fr ...
as ''Vivendo e Aprendendo'' (''Living and Learning'' in English).
* In Latin America and Mexico, the show aired as ''
Los Hechos de la Vida'' aired on
The Warner Channel and
Nick at Nite
Nick at Nite (stylized as nick@nite) is an American nighttime basic cable television channel that broadcasts over the channel space of Nickelodeon. It typically broadcasts Mondays to Thursday nights from 9 p.m. - 6:30 a.m. ET/ PT, Friday nights fr ...
.
* In Italy, seasons one through nine were aired in 1983–1992 (dubbed as usual in Italian), on the terrestrial television network
Canale 5
Canale 5 () is an Italian free-to-air television channel of Mediaset, owned by MFE - MediaForEurope. It was the first private television network to have a national coverage in Italy in 1980.
On 4 December 2012, Mediaset launched Canale 5 HD, a ...
, the first Italian commercial network, and later on other local commercial television networks. The Italian version was named ''
L'albero delle mele'', which means ''The apple tree'' (the word "apple" is popularly used euphemistically in Italian as a reference to teenage girls).
* In France, seasons one to nine (dubbed in French and titled ''
Drôle de vie'') which means ''Funny Life'', aired in 1987 until 1988 on the terrestrial television network
La Cinq
La Cinq () was France's first privately owned free-to-air television network. Created by politician Jérôme Seydoux and Italian media mogul Silvio Berlusconi, the network broadcast from 1985 to 1992.
The contract for France's fifth terres ...
, and seasons one to nine aired on
TF1
TF1 (; standing for ''Télévision Française 1'') is a French commercial television network owned by TF1 Group, controlled by the Bouygues conglomerate. TF1's average market share of 24% makes it the most popular domestic network.
TF1 is part ...
from 1991 until 1996 as part of a block called ''
Club Dorothée.
* In the United Kingdom, unlike ''
Diff'rent Strokes
''Diff'rent Strokes'' is an American television sitcom, which aired on NBC from November 3, 1978, to May 4, 1985, and on ABC from September 27, 1985, to March 7, 1986. The series stars Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges as Arnold and Willis Jackson, ...
'', ''The Facts of Life'' has never aired on terrestrial television. A few seasons aired on the UK
BSB satellite channels, and after BSB merged with
Sky Television, the entire series was shown on
Sky One
Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non- terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...
.
* In Canada, ''The Facts of Life'' was a mainstay on
CBC Television
CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French- ...
– the Canadian public broadcaster, airing concurrently with the NBC airings as well as weekdays in
stripped reruns at 4:00 p.m. (4:30 p.m. in Newfoundland) until April 1992.
Crossroads Television System
Yes TV (stylized as yes TV) is an independently owned Canadian nonprofit and CRTC-licensed religious broadcasting television system in Canada. It consists of three conventional over-the-air television stations (located in the Greater Toronto Area ...
(CTS), a Christian-based network, aired it from September 2006 to 2009. Beginning on September 15, 2007, ''The Facts of Life'' aired weekends at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on
Canwest
Canwest Global Communications Corporation, which operated under the corporate name Canwest, was a major Canadian media conglomerate based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, with its head offices at Canwest Place. It held radio, television broadcasting an ...
's digital specialty channel,
DejaView, which later moved it to weekdays at 4:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. in March 2010. As of 2019, Hamilton, Ontario-based
CHCH currently airs the series on weekdays at 4:00 p.m. (Eastern Time). The entire series is also currently available for online streaming on
CTV.ca, as part of an ad-supported
video on demand
Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos without a traditional video playback device and the constraints of a typical static broadcasting schedule. In the 20th century, broadcasting in the form of o ...
service called CTV Throwback.
Reception
Ratings
''The Facts of Life'' was originally not a ratings winner on Friday nights in its summer debut in 1979 or in its second tryout in the spring of 1980. It ranked 74th of 79 shows on the air in the year-end Nielsen ratings and was NBC's lowest-rated series. The show was put on hiatus and extensively retooled in preparation for season two. In November 1980, season two of ''The Facts of Life'' premiered in a Wednesday 9:30 p.m. time slot, where it immediately flourished, peaking in January 1981 with a 27.4 rating and 41 share; it ranked No. 4 for the week. The program became NBC's fourth highest-rated scripted series, after ''Little House on the Prairie'', ''Diff'rent Strokes'' and ''CHiPs''.
By the third season, the series moved time slots to 9:00 pm. Wednesdays and soon became NBC's highest-rated comedy series and NBC's No. 2 overall series, after ''
Real People''. For its seventh season, it moved to Saturdays at 8:30 p.m., to bolster the premiering series ''
The Golden Girls
''The Golden Girls'' is an American sitcom created by Susan Harris that aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 9, 1992, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning seven seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Bea Arthur, Betty White ...
'' at 9 p.m. in the newly formed Saturday night comedy block. At the start of the eighth season, the series was moved forward a half-hour to the toughest time slot on television – Saturday at 8 pm, which brought the ratings down from its season seven high. Still, the series easily won its time slot and garnered high numbers in the coveted teen and 18–49 demographics. One of the highest rated season eight episodes saw the original season one cast return for a mini-reunion. Titled "The Little Chill", it placed No. 19 for the week with an 18.2 rating and 31 share. In the article "Ratings Top with Teens" appearing in the January 19, 1988 edition of ''
USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
'', ''The Facts of Life'' was ranked as one of the top 10 shows in a survey of 2,200 American teenagers.
Nielsen Ratings
*1979–1980 – #74
*1980–1981 – #26
*1981–1982 – #24 (Tied with ''
Little House on the Prairie
The ''Little House on the Prairie'' books is a series of American children's novels written by Laura Ingalls Wilder (b. Laura Elizabeth Ingalls). The stories are based on her childhood and adolescence in the American Midwest (Wisconsin, Kansa ...
'')
*1982–1983 – #32
*1983–1984 – #24
*1984–1985 – #34
*1985–1986 – #27
*1986–1987 – #31
*1987–1988 – #37 (Tied with ''
Highway to Heaven
''Highway to Heaven'' is an American fantasy drama television series that ran on NBC from September 19, 1984, to August 4, 1989. The series starred Michael Landon as Jonathan Smith, an angel sent to Earth in order to help people in need. Victor ...
'')
Awards
*
Emmy Award
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
nomination for Best Actress (1982) –
Charlotte Rae
Charlotte Rae Lubotsky (April 22, 1926 – August 5, 2018) was an American character actress and singer whose career spanned six decades.
Rae was known for her portrayal of Edna Garrett in the sitcoms ''Diff'rent Strokes'' and its spin-off, ...
* Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Technical Direction/Electronic Camerawork/Video Control for a Series (1986) – for episode "Come Back to the Truck Stop, Natalie Green, Natalie Green".
* Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Hairstyling for a Series (1987) – for episode "'62 Pickup".
*
TV Land Award for Pop Culture Icon in 2011.
Home media
On April 21 and 22, 2001,
Columbia House
Columbia House was an umbrella brand for Columbia Records' mail-order music clubs, the primary iteration of which was the Columbia Record Club, established in 1955. The Columbia House brand was introduced in the early 1970s by Columbia Records ...
released ''The Facts of Life: The Collector's Edition'', a 10-volume "Best of" the series on
VHS (40 episodes in all). With the advent shortly thereafter of TV on DVD and Columbia House's eventual move from the
direct marketing model of exclusive series, the tapes were discontinued.
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (abbreviated as SPHE) is the home video distribution division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation.
Background
SPHE is responsible for the distribution of the Sony Pictures li ...
released the first two seasons on DVD in
Region 1 on May 9, 2006 with new interviews with most of the cast, including first season regulars Felice Schachter and Julie Anne Haddock. To promote the DVD's release, McKeon, Whelchel and Cohn appeared together on various TV shows such as ''
Entertainment Tonight
''Entertainment Tonight'' (or simply ''ET'') is an American first-run syndicated news broadcasting newsmagazine program that is distributed by CBS Media Ventures throughout the United States and owned by Paramount Streaming. ET also airs in Aus ...
'', ''
Today
Today (archaically to-day) may refer to:
* Day of the present, the time that is perceived directly, often called ''now''
* Current era, present
* The current calendar date
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Today'' (1930 film), a 1930 A ...
'', and ''
CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by t ...
Showbiz'' to reminisce about their time on the show and talk about their lives presently; unfortunately, Fields was unable to take part due to other commitments. The third season was released on October 24, 2006. This release failed to match the success of the first and second seasons, sales-wise. The first and second seasons were also released in Region 4 on March 7, 2007. In 2010,
Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory is an American home video and music company founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases include previously released feature films, classic and contemporary television series, animation, live music, and comedy ...
acquired the rights to the series and released the fourth season on Region 1 DVD on May 4, 2010. Special features include ''The Facts of Life Goes To Paris'', a made-for-TV-movie (which originally aired a few days prior to the fourth season debut) and a "Know ''The Facts'': Trivia Game." They have subsequently released seasons five through nine on DVD.Mill Creek Entertainment re-released the first and second seasons on DVD on May 20, 2014. It is unknown as to whether or not Mill Creek will release any further seasons. On January 13, 2015,
Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory is an American home video and music company founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases include previously released feature films, classic and contemporary television series, animation, live music, and comedy ...
released ''The Facts of Life – The Complete Series'' on DVD in Region 1. The 26-disc set contains all 201 episodes of the series as well as the two made-for-TV films (''
The Facts of Life Goes to Paris'' and ''
The Facts of Life Down Under'') and other bonus features including an all-new cast reunion. ''
The Facts of Life Reunion'' film is not included in this collection and has yet to be released on DVD.
Attempted spin-offs
The various attempts at spin-offs were
backdoor pilots
A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other distri ...
, which were shown as episodes of ''The Facts of Life''.
*"Brian & Sylvia" – A season two episode in which Tootie and Natalie go to Buffalo, New York to visit Tootie's Aunt Sylvia, a black woman (played by
Rosanne Katon
Rosanne Katon (born February 5, 1954) is an American model, actress, comedian and activist. She was ''Playboy'' magazine's Playmate of the Month for its September 1978 issue. Her centerfold was photographed by Mario Casilli.
Background
Katon ...
) who has recently married a white man, played by
Richard Dean Anderson
Richard Dean Anderson (born January 23, 1950) is a retired American actor and producer. He began his television career in 1976, playing Jeff Webber in the American soap opera series ''General Hospital'', and then rose to prominence as the lead ...
(the future star of ''MacGyver'' and ''Stargate SG-1'').
Ja'Net DuBois
Jeannette Theresa Dubois (August 5 – February 17, 2020), known professionally as Ja'Net DuBois, Ja'net DuBois, and Ja'Net Du Bois (), was an American actress and singer. She was best known for her portrayal of Willona Woods, the neighborhood ...
of ''
Good Times
''Good Times'' is an American television sitcom that aired for six seasons on CBS, from February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans and developed by executive producer Norman Lear, it was television's first African ...
'' played Ethel, who was both Tootie's grandmother and Sylvia's mother.
The episode never developed into a series and in the season five episode "Crossing the Line", Tootie mentions Brian's and Sylvia's interracial marriage and says that the two have recently gotten divorced.
*"The Academy" – A season three episode set at Stone Academy, an all-boys military school that was near Eastland. In this episode, the girls at Eastland attended a dance with the boys from the military school. The boys included actors
Jimmy Baio, Ben Marley,
David Ackroyd
David Ackroyd (born May 30, 1940) is an American actor, who first came to prominence in soap operas such as '' The Secret Storm'' and '' Another World''.
Early life
On May 30, 1940, Ackroyd was born in East Orange, New Jersey; he moved to Wa ...
,
Peter Frechette, and
John P. Navin Jr.
*"Jo's Cousin" – Another season three episode, in which Jo visits her family in the Bronx, including her cousin Terry, a fourteen-year-old girl (played by
Megan Follows) going through adolescence in a family full of men. The family included actors
Grant Cramer
Grant Cramer (born November 10, 1961) is an American actor and producer who has starred in films and on television. He is the son of actress Terry Moore and Stuart Warren Cramer III, and a great-grandson of engineer and inventor Stuart W. Cram ...
,
John Mengatti,
Donnelly Rhodes, and
D.W. Brown.
*"The Big Fight" – A season four episode set at Stone Academy, a boys' military school. Natalie comes to visit a boy who tries to impress her with his boxing. This episode includes the same cast from the season three episode "The Academy", with the addition of '80s 'nerd' icon
Eddie Deezen
Edward Harry Deezen (born March 6, 1957) is an American actor and comedian, best known for his roles as "nerd" characters in films including '' Grease'', '' Grease 2'', '' Midnight Madness'', '' I Wanna Hold Your Hand'', ''1941'', and ''WarGames' ...
.
*"Graduation" – This spin-off was to revolve around Blair and Jo's life at Langley College.
*"Big Apple Blues" – A season nine episode in which Natalie spends the night with a group of eccentric young people living in a
SoHo
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century.
The area was devel ...
loft, and decides to remain in New York to begin her life. Two of the tenants in the loft were played by
David Spade and
Richard Grieco
Richard John Grieco Jr. (born March 23, 1965) is an American actor and former fashion model. He played Detective Dennis Booker in the popular Fox series ''21 Jump Street'' (1988–89) and its spin-off ''Booker'' (1989–90). He has also starred ...
.
*"The Beginning of the End/Beginning of the Beginning" – The two-part series finale sees Blair buying Eastland to prevent its closing. Blair finds that the school is in such dire financial straits that she is forced to make the school co-ed. Blair then essentially adopts the Mrs. Garrett role as she presides over the school and is forced to deal with the trouble-making students in a plot line that is highly reminiscent of the season two premiere. The new Eastland students included
Seth Green,
Mayim Bialik
Mayim Chaya Bialik ( ; born December 12, 1975) is an American actress, game show host, and author. From 1991 to 1995, she played the title character of the NBC sitcom ''Blossom''. From 2010 to 2019, she played neuroscientist Amy Farrah Fowler on ...
, future Oscar-nominee
Juliette Lewis
Juliette Lake Lewis (born June 21, 1973) is an American actress and alternative rock singer. She is known for her portrayals of offbeat characters, often in films with dark themes. Lewis became an " it girl" of American cinema in the early 1990s ...
, and
Meredith Scott Lynn
Meredith Scott Lynn (born March 8, 1970) is an American actress, producer, and director, best known as Anne in ‘’Days of Our Lives’’ (2012-2017).
Early life
Lynn's mother is a former teacher.
Lynn attended the High School of Performi ...
.
Notes
References
External links
*
*
''The Facts of Life'' siteat www.televisionhits.com: Extensive site for the television series.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Facts of Life, The
1970s American school television series
1970s American sitcoms
1979 American television series debuts
1980s American school television series
1980s American teen sitcoms
1988 American television series endings
American television spin-offs
English-language television shows
NBC original programming
Television series about teenagers
Television series by Sony Pictures Television
Television shows set in New York (state)