Celebrities in DVD TV Shows

Diff'rent Strokes is an American television sitcom that ran for eight seasons, on the NBC network from November 1978 to May 1985, and on ABC from September 1985 to March 1986. The series starred Gary Coleman, Todd Bridges, Conrad Bain, and Dana Plato.

The show revolved around two orphaned children, Arnold and Willis Jackson (Coleman and Bridges), who were taken in by a rich businessman Phillip Drummond (Bain) and his daughter Kimberly (Plato). During the first season, Charlotte Rae also starred as the Drummonds' housekeeper, Mrs. Garrett (who ultimately spun-off into her own successful show, The Facts of Life).

Diff'rent Strokes made stars out of child actors Coleman, Bridges, and Plato, and they became known for the "very special episodes" in which serious issues such as racism, drug use, and child molestation were dramatically explored. And as a result of the overnight success of the tv show, NBC commissioned another new series on their schedule, Hello Larry, to establish a connection with Strokes via an hour-long crossover episode. A spin-off, The Facts of Life (1979-1988), was also made, involving Mr. Drummond's former maid, Mrs. Garrett, as the house-mother for a dormitory at an all-girls private school, East Lake Academy.