July 20, 2023 – Diff’rent Strokes

Happy Throwback Thursday! Today we’re spotlighting the year 1978, the year Diff’rent Strokes premiered on NBC! It starred Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges as Arnold and Willis Jackson, two boys from Harlem adopted by a rich Park Avenue businessman, played by Conrad Bain and his daughter, played by Dana Plato. Charlotte Rae also starred as the family’s housekeeper, Mrs. Edna Garrett. She’d ultimately get her own spinoff, The Facts of Life.
Diff’rent Strokes was explicitly devised for both Conrad Bain and Gary Coleman. Bain had co-starred in the successful show Maude, and producer Norman Lear was looking for another show for him to star in. Gary Coleman caught producers’ attention after appearing in several commercials and TV guest roles. Lear saw the immense potential in him, and decided that he and Bain would make a good pair for the project. NBC immediately showed interest, and an older brother for Coleman was added, with Todd Bridges offered the role without needing an audition.
Diff’rent Strokes became known for its “Very Special Episodes”, notably an anti-drug episode featuring First Lady Nancy Reagan. There were also episodes that tackled the issues of bulimia, epilepsy, alcoholism, and the dangers of hitchhiking.
At one time, Coleman was the highest-paid child actor on TV. At the peak of the show’s popularity, he was making $100,000 per episode. In 1989, he successfully sued his parents and business advisor over the misappropriation of his assets, only to declare bankruptcy ten years later. Bridges and Plato also had issues after the show ended in 1986. Both faced legal issues and struggled with drug addictions, with tabloids calling their personal problems the “curse of Diff’rent Strokes“. Learn more here.