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 on ABC from September 27, 1985, to March 7, 1986. This list includes synopses and air dates. Episodes are in air date order.

Series overview

At present, the first four seasons have been released on DVD.^[1]

Season		Episodes	Originally aired
Season		Episodes	First aired	Last aired
	1	24	November 3, 1978 (1978-11-03)	May 4, 1979 (1979-05-04)
	2	26	September 21, 1979 (1979-09-21)	March 26, 1980 (1980-03-26)
	3	22	November 12, 1980 (1980-11-12)	May 20, 1981 (1981-05-20)
	4	26	October 1, 1981 (1981-10-01)	May 20, 1982 (1982-05-20)
	5	24	October 2, 1982 (1982-10-02)	May 14, 1983 (1983-05-14)
	6	24	October 1, 1983 (1983-10-01)	May 19, 1984 (1984-05-19)
	7	24	September 29, 1984 (1984-09-29)	May 4, 1985 (1985-05-04)
	8	19	September 27, 1985 (1985-09-27)	March 7, 1986 (1986-03-07)

Episodes

Season 1: 1978–79

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code
1	1	"Movin' In"	Herbert Kenwith	Ben Starr	November 3, 1978 (1978-11-03)	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 (1978-11-10)	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. Absent: Dana Plato
3	3	"Mother's Last Visit"	Herbert Kenwith	William Raynor and Myles Wilder	November 17, 1978 (1978-11-17)	103
Mr. Drummond's mother visits and is surprised when she sees that his new sons are black, so he tries to make her get over her racial prejudices.
4	4	"The Prep School"	Herbert Kenwith	Teleplay: Alan Rosen & Fred Rubin and Michael Russnow Story: Michael Russnow	November 24, 1978 (1978-11-24)	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.
5	5	"The Spanking"	Herbert Kenwith	Fred S. Fox and Seaman Jacobs	December 1, 1978 (1978-12-01)	104
Arnold hides from Mr. Drummond, so that he will not get spanked for misbehaving, but Willis decides to dole out the punishment himself.
6	6	"Goodbye, Dolly"	Herbert Kenwith	Albert E. Lewin	December 8, 1978 (1978-12-08)	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 (1978-12-15)	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 (1978-12-29)	116
The Drummond family recall past events on their first Christmas with Willis and Arnold. Note: This hour-long clip show was split into two episodes for syndication.
10	10	"The Fight"	Herbert Kenwith	Sandy Veith	January 5, 1979 (1979-01-05)	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 bully known as "The Gooch", who is often discussed on the show but has never appeared in person.
11	11	"The Club Meeting"	Herbert Kenwith	Tom and Helen August	January 12, 1979 (1979-01-12)	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 (1979-01-19)	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 (1979-01-26)	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 (1979-02-02)	112
A distant relative (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 (1979-02-09)	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.
16	16	"The New Landlord"	Herbert Kenwith	Norman Liebmann	February 16, 1979 (1979-02-16)	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"	Herbert Kenwith	Alan Rosen & Fred Rubin	February 23, 1979 (1979-02-23)	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.
18	18	"Mrs. Garrett's Crisis"	Herbert Kenwith	Karyl Geld Miller	March 2, 1979 (1979-03-02)	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 (1979-03-16)	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	20	"The Trip: Part 1"^[2]	Herbert Kenwith	Howard Leeds & Martin Cohan & Ben Starr	March 30, 1979 (1979-03-30)	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.
21	21	"Getting Involved"	Herbert Kenwith	Story: Howard Leeds & Martin Cohan & Ben Starr Teleplay: Norman Liebmann	April 6, 1979 (1979-04-06)	119
Arnold witnesses a robbery and goes to the police, although a threatening phone call forces Mr. Drummond to prevent Arnold's involvement.
22	22	"Willis' Birthday"	Herbert Kenwith	Michael G. Moye	April 13, 1979 (1979-04-13)	121
Willis wants to have his birthday party back in Harlem with his friends, but Mr. Drummond is apprehensive about going there.
23	23	"The Girls School" "Garrett's Girls"	Herbert Kenwith	Teleplay: Howard Leeds & Ben Starr Story: Dick Clair & Jenna McMahon and Howard Leeds & Ben Starr	May 4, 1979 (1979-05-04)	122
Mrs. Garrett helps out the girls of the chaotic dormitory at Kimberly's school. Note: This episode is the pilot for The Facts of Life.

Season 2: 1979–80

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code
24/25	1/2	"Arnold's Girlfriend"	Gerren Keith	Howard Leeds & Ben Starr & Martin Cohan	September 21, 1979 (1979-09-21)	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.
26	3	"Feudin' and Fussin: Part 1"^[2]	Gerren Keith	Howard Leeds & Ben Starr & Martin Cohan	September 28, 1979 (1979-09-28)	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.
27	4	"Mrs. Garrett's Romance"	Gerren Keith	Jerry Winnick	October 12, 1979 (1979-10-12)	205
Mrs. Garrett dates a much younger man, but finds out he's really looking for a mother instead of a lover.
28	5	"Birds and Bees"	Gerren Keith	Ed Jurist	October 19, 1979 (1979-10-19)	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. Note: This is the final episode airing on Friday nights during the NBC run. The network moved the show to Wednesday nights until the end of the third season. The show moved to Thursday nights during the fourth season, and to Saturday nights during the fifth to seventh seasons. In the eighth (and final) season on ABC, the show aired on Friday nights again.
29	6	"Arnold's Hero" "The Hero"	Gerren Keith	Teleplay: Martin A. Ragaway and Howard Leeds & Ben Starr & Martin Cohan Story: Martin A. Ragaway	October 24, 1979 (1979-10-24)	201
In order to get boxer Muhammad Ali to visit Arnold, Kimberly and Willis tell him that Arnold is dying. Note: This is the first episode to air on Wednesday nights.
30	7	"The Adoption: Part 1"	Gerren Keith	Alan Rosen & Fred Rubin	October 31, 1979 (1979-10-31)	206
The time comes for Mr. Drummond to officially adopt Arnold and Willis, but a junk dealer named Jethro Simpson (Whitman Mayo) claims to be their relative 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.
31	8	"The Adoption: Part 2"	Gerren Keith	Alan Rosen & Fred Rubin	November 7, 1979 (1979-11-07)	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.
32	9	"Father and Son Day"	Gerren Keith	Joseph Sirota and Elaine Newman	November 14, 1979 (1979-11-14)	209
Willis trades in Mr. Drummond for another man (Reggie Jackson) to win an athletic competition.
33	10	"Thanksgiving Crossover: Part 1"^[2]	Gerren Keith	Howard Leeds & Ben Starr & Martin Cohan Story: George Tibbles	November 28, 1979 (1979-11-28)	211
The Alders visit the Drummonds in the final Hello, Larry crossover, when Larry and Mr. Drummond argue over a potential business deal.
34	11	"The Rivals"	Gerren Keith	Albert E. Lewin	December 5, 1979 (1979-12-05)	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. Rae was dismissed from the show and continued her role as Mrs. Garrett on the spin-off "The Facts of Life".
35	12	"Hot Watch"	Gerren Keith	Charles Stewart, Jr. and Charles Stewart, Sr.	December 12, 1979 (1979-12-12)	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.
36	13	"The Dog Story" "A Dog Story"	Gerren Keith	Teleplay: Roland Wolpert Story: Jess Korman	December 19, 1979 (1979-12-19)	213
Arnold may have been bitten by a rabid dog, and he tries to do whatever he can to prevent getting rabies shots.
37	14	"The Election"	Gerren Keith	Teleplay: Ed Jurist Story: Howard Leeds & Ben Starr & Martin Cohan	January 9, 1980 (1980-01-09)	214
Mr. Drummond makes a last minute bid to run for a local political office. Note: Nedra Volz joins the cast as the second housekeeper, Adelaide Brubaker. She would appear as a recurring character during the second through fourth seasons.
38	15	"Friendly Mate"	Gerren Keith	Dawn Aldredge	January 16, 1980 (1980-01-16)	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.
39	16	"Poor Drummond"	Gerren Keith	Teleplay: Ed Jurist and Howard Leeds & Ben Starr & Martin Cohan and Jaie Brashar Story: Jaie Brashar	January 23, 1980 (1980-01-23)	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.
40	17	"Big Business"	Gerren Keith	Teleplay: George Geiger and Ed Jurist & Howard Leeds & Ben Starr & Martin Cohan Story: George Geiger	January 30, 1980 (1980-01-30)	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.
41	18	"Return of the Gooch"	Gerren Keith	Teleplay: Alan Rosen & Fred Rubin Story: Howard Leeds & Ben Starr & Martin Cohan	February 6, 1980 (1980-02-06)	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".
42	19	"Valentine's Day Retrospective" "Valentine's Vigil"	Gerren Keith	Teleplay: Howard Leeds & Ben Starr & Martin Cohan Story: Howard Leeds & Ben Starr & Martin Cohan and Stephen Fischer & Arlene Sanford	February 13, 1980 (1980-02-13)	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.
43	20	"Skin Deep or True Blue" "Guess Who?"	Gerren Keith	Teleplay: Sandy Veith & Donald Ross Story: Howard Leeds & Ben Starr & Martin Cohan	February 20, 1980 (1980-02-20)	221
Kimberly's new love interest is found out to be a bigot when he won't let his sister (Melora Hardin) go on a date with Willis, so Kimberly comes up with a way to teach him a lesson.
44	21	"Teacher's Pet"	Gerren Keith	Sandy Veith & Donald Ross	February 27, 1980 (1980-02-27)	220
Arnold's teacher (Mary Ann Mobley) begins favoring him after she dates Mr. Drummond. Notes: Arnold's friends Dudley (Shavar Ross) and Robbie (Steven Mond) appear for the first time. Mobley would eventually take over the role of Mr. Drummond's second wife, Maggie McKinney-Drummond, in the eighth season.
45	22	"The Slumber Party"	Gerren Keith	Fred S. Fox and Seaman Jacobs	March 12, 1980 (1980-03-12)	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).
46	23	"Arnold Faces Fatality" "The Will"	Gerren Keith	Albert E. Lewin	March 19, 1980 (1980-03-19)	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.
47	24	"The Squealer"	Gerren Keith	Teleplay: Ed Jurist & Alan Rosen & Fred Rubin Story: Joseph Sirota & Elaine Newman	March 26, 1980 (1980-03-26)	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: 1980–81

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code
48/49	1/2	"The Bank Job"	Gerren Keith	Howard Leeds & Ben Starr & Martin Cohan	November 12, 1980 (1980-11-12)	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.
50	3	"Small Claims Court"	Gerren Keith	Teleplay: Ed Jurist & Gordon Mitchell and Hugh Wedlock & Ben Gershman Story: Hugh Wedlock & Ben Gershman	November 19, 1980 (1980-11-19)	305
Arnold takes a toy store owner to small claims court over a faulty train engine.
51	4	"Substitute Mother"	Gerren Keith	Teleplay: Debra Frank & Scott Rubenstein Story: Patricia Kane and Debra Frank & Scott Rubenstein	November 26, 1980 (1980-11-26)	306
Arnold wants a temporary housekeeper (Denise Nicholas) to become his, Willis's, and Kimberly's new mother while Adelaide is away. When Adelaide plans to return early, Arnold gives her the impression that she's being replaced permanently.
52/53	5/6	"The Accident"	Gerren Keith	Teleplay: Howard Leeds & Ben Starr & Martin Cohan Story: Calvin Kelly and Howard Leeds & Ben Starr & Martin Cohan	December 3, 1980 (1980-12-03)	307/308
A trip to Disney World is canceled when Mr. Drummond is hospitalized after being hit by a drunk driver in a car accident and gets amnesia. If he cannot 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.
54	7	"Little Mother"	Gerren Keith	Ed Jurist	December 10, 1980 (1980-12-10)	310
Kimberly's friend (Kari Michaelsen) is pregnant, and everyone thinks Kimberly is the one who is expecting.
55	8	"Football Father"	Gerren Keith	Sandy Veith and Donald Ross	December 17, 1980 (1980-12-17)	304
Phil 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. Absent: Todd Bridges
56	9	"First Love"	Gerren Keith	Jerry Winnick	December 31, 1980 (1980-12-31)	311
Mr. Drummond doesn't want Willis to see his girlfriend Charlene 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.
57	10	"Count Your Blessings"	Gerren Keith	Marshall Goldberg	January 7, 1981 (1981-01-07)	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.
58	11	"The Loan"	Gerren Keith	Teleplay: Mara Lideks and Howard Leeds & Ben Starr & Martin Cohan Story: Mara Lideks	January 14, 1981 (1981-01-14)	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.
59	12	"Roots"	Gerren Keith	Teleplay: Kurt Taylor and John Donley & Howard Meyers Story: Kurt Taylor	January 21, 1981 (1981-01-21)	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.
60	13	"Junk Food Junkie" "The Junk Food"	Gerren Keith	Dawn Aldredge	January 28, 1981 (1981-01-28)	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. She would make occasional appearances on the show during the third and fourth seasons.
61	14	"The Bus"	Gerren Keith	Glenn Padnick	February 4, 1981 (1981-02-04)	315
Protestors threaten Arnold and his classmates when they become part of a school integration program.
62	15	"The Older Man"	Gerren Keith	Albert E. Lewin	February 25, 1981 (1981-02-25)	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.
63	16	"Where There's Hope"	Gerren Keith	Teleplay: John Donley & Howard Meyers Story: Walter E. Smith	March 4, 1981 (1981-03-04)	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.
64	17	"The Magician" "It's Magic"	Gerren Keith	Teleplay: Louis Smallwood & M. Martez Thomas and Ed Jurist & Gordon Mitchell Story: Louis Smallwood & M. Martez Thomas	March 11, 1981 (1981-03-11)	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.
65	18	"Drummond's Fair Lady"	Gerren Keith	Teleplay: Sandy Veith Story: Jeff Lewis and Sandy Veith	March 18, 1981 (1981-03-18)	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.
66	19	"The Ancestors"	Gerren Keith	Teleplay: Ed Jurist and Calvin Kelly Story: Calvin Kelly	March 25, 1981 (1981-03-25)	320
Mr. Drummond finds out that his ancestor was a slave trader, which affects his plans to build a community center in Harlem.
67	20	"Almost American"	Gerren Keith	Teleplay: Howard Leeds & Ben Starr & Martin Cohan and Glenn Padnick Story: Glenn Padnick and Warren Murray	April 1, 1981 (1981-04-01)	318
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.
68	21	"Room for One More"	Gerren Keith	Fred S. Fox and Seaman Jacobs	May 6, 1981 (1981-05-06)	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.
69	22	"The Athlete"	Gerren Keith	Gordon Mitchell	May 13, 1981 (1981-05-13)	324
A fast-talking baseball coach woos Willis for a high school team, and uses expensive gifts and deception to attain his goal.

Season 4: 1981–82

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code
70	1	"Growing Up"	Gerren Keith	Debra Frank & Scott Rubenstein	October 29, 1981 (1981-10-29)	322^[3]
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.
71	2	"First Day Blues"	Gerren Keith	Bruce Taylor	October 8, 1981 (1981-10-08)	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. Absent: Gary Coleman Guest Star: Kim Fields as Tootie. Note: Clarence Gilyard appears in the locker scene.
72	3	"The Model"	Gerren Keith	Teleplay: John Donley & Howard Meyers and Bill Shinkai Story: Bill Shinkai	October 15, 1981 (1981-10-15)	323^[3]
Kimberly's job leads to her beginning a modeling career.
73	4	"The Team"	Gerren Keith	Glenn Padnick	October 29, 1981 (1981-10-29)	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. Kim Fields guest stars as Tootie.
74	5	"The Big Heist"	Gerren Keith	Bruce Taylor	November 5, 1981 (1981-11-05)	405
Arnold attempts to steal an expensive comic book to get into the Gooch's club, and gets taken to court when he's caught.
75	6	"The Double Date" "Blind Date"	Gerren Keith	Jerry Winnick	November 19, 1981 (1981-11-19)	406
Arnold gets his first date with a girl he likes, but things turn sour when Dudley butts in on them.
76	7	"The Ski Weekend"	Gerren Keith	Dawn Aldredge	November 26, 1981 (1981-11-26)	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.
77	8	"The Health Club"	Gerren Keith	Teleplay: Joe Bonaduce Story: Sheryl Levine	December 3, 1981 (1981-12-03)	407
Arnold and Willis try to get into Mr. Drummond's health club, but are turned away because they are African American. When Drummond is honored by the club, a confrontation takes place.
78	9	"The Burial Ground"	Gerren Keith	Teleplay: John Donley & Howard Meyers Story: Bernard Burnell Mack	December 17, 1981 (1981-12-17)	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.
79	10	"Hello, Daddy"	Gerren Keith	Donald Ross	January 14, 1982 (1982-01-14)	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.
80	11	"Jilted"	Gerren Keith	Ed Jurist	January 21, 1982 (1982-01-21)	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.
81	12	"Dreams"	Gerren Keith	Kurt Taylor & Booker Bradshaw	January 28, 1982 (1982-01-28)	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.
82	13	"Kathy"	Gerren Keith	Marshall Goldberg	January 28, 1982 (1982-01-28)	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.
83	14	"Fire"	Gerren Keith	Jill Gordon	February 11, 1982 (1982-02-11)	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.
84	15	"The Squatter"	Gerren Keith	Teleplay: Danny Simon Story: Shelley Landau & Jane Gould	February 18, 1982 (1982-02-18)	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.
85	16	"The Car"	Gerren Keith	Warren Murray	February 25, 1982 (1982-02-25)	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.
86	17	"Crime Story: Part 1" "Crime in the Schools: Part 1"	Gerren Keith	Howard Leeds & Ben Starr & Martin Cohan	March 11, 1982 (1982-03-11)	415
Arnold and Dudley are harassed by two bullies who force them to give them their lunch and money. Willis decides to interfere and gets more than he bargained for.
87	18	"Crime Story: Part 2" "Crime in the Schools: Part 2"	Gerren Keith	Howard Leeds & Ben Starr & Martin Cohan	March 18, 1982 (1982-03-18)	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 him to participate, Arnold takes matters into his own hands.
88	19	"B.M.O.C."	Gerren Keith	Robert Jayson & A. Dudley Johnson, Jr.	March 25, 1982 (1982-03-25)	417
Willis lets his potential membership in an exclusive club go to his head, but falls hard when he alienates the club members.
89	20	"Green Hair"	Gerren Keith	Albert E. Lewin	April 1, 1982 (1982-04-01)	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.
90	21	"Have I Got a Girl for You"	Gerren Keith	Teleplay: Dawn Aldredge Story: Howard Leeds & Ben Starr & Martin Cohan	April 8, 1982 (1982-04-08)	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.
91	22	"Lifesavers"	Gerren Keith	Teleplay: Ed Jurist Story: Jim Tisdale	April 15, 1982 (1982-04-15)	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.
92	23	"Stress? What Stress?"	Gerren Keith	Glenn Padnick	April 22, 1982 (1982-04-22)	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.
93	24	"The Music Man"	Gerren Keith	Larry Rhine	May 6, 1982 (1982-05-06)	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.
94	25	"Short But Sweet"	Gerren Keith	Howard Leeds & Ben Starr & Martin Cohan	May 13, 1982 (1982-05-13)	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. Adelaide's last show.
98	26	"On Your Toes"	Gerren Keith	Albert E. Lewin	May 20, 1982 (1982-05-20)	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: Actor Roger C. Carmel guest stars.

Season 5: 1982–83

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code
99	1	"Shoot-Out at the O.K. Arcade"	Gerren Keith	Teleplay: Howard Leeds & Martin Cohan Story: Howard Leeds, Martin Cohan & Blake Hunter	October 2, 1982 (1982-10-02)	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	Teleplay: Blake Hunter Story: Blake Hunter, Howard Leeds & Martin Cohan	October 9, 1982 (1982-10-09)	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 marks her first appearance as Pearl Gallagher, the third and final housekeeper. She was a recurring character during the fifth season and became an official cast member in the sixth season.
101	3	"Cyrano De Jackson"	Gerren Keith	Paul Robinson Hunter	October 16, 1982 (1982-10-16)	0504
Arnold tries to help Dudley woo classmate Lisa (Nikki Swasey), but the plan backfires when Lisa thinks Arnold is the one who likes her. Notes: This is Lisa's first appearance on the show. Dana Plato does not appear in this episode.
102	4	"Big Brother"	Gerren Keith	Bruce Taylor	October 23, 1982 (1982-10-23)	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.
103	5	"The Peacemaker"	Gerren Keith	Don Segall	October 30, 1982 (1982-10-30)	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 (1982-11-06)	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 (1982-11-13)	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	Teleplay: Bob Peete Story: Bob Peete & Sandy Fries	November 20, 1982 (1982-11-20)	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 to win the class election.
107	9	"Memories"	Gerren Keith	Teleplay: Howard Meyers & Paul Haggis Story: Howard Meyers, Paul Haggis & Brian K. Moody	November 27, 1982 (1982-11-27)	0508
Arnold takes it hard when he hears his mother's voice (Betty A. Bridges, Todd Bridges' real-life mother) again on an old audio tape, and tries to pretend to lose the tape permanently.
108	10	"Push Comes to Shove"	Gerren Keith	Richard Eckhaus	December 4, 1982 (1982-12-04)	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 (1982-12-11)	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 (1982-12-18)	0512
Arnold helps out a streetcorner 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 (1983-01-08)	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 a friend (Lawrence Monoson) and ends up in a tragic car accident.
112	14	"Parents Have Rights Too"	Gerren Keith	Martin Cohan	January 15, 1983 (1983-01-15)	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 (1983-01-22)	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 (1983-02-05)	0516
Arnold and Dudley befriend a bicycle shop owner named Mr. Horton (Gordon Jump), who is actually 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 (1983-02-12)	0517
After watching an X-rated 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 making his move on Dudley (who had been given a sedative "to relax"), saving their friend from a potentially frightening experience. Note: Conrad Bain again delivers a message about child molestation at the beginning of the episode. Bain also does a voice over 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	Teleplay: Bruce Taylor Story: Jennifer Burton Kurtz & Mitchell Wayne Cohen	February 19, 1983 (1983-02-19)	0518
Kimberly impresses professional skater Dorothy Hamill with her ice skating, and is taken under her wing. But Kimberly is overwhelmed by the hard work it takes to become a professional skater, and devises a way out.
117	19	"Hall Monitor"	Gerren Keith	Marshall Goldberg	March 12, 1983 (1983-03-12)	0519
Kathy transfers to Arnold's school and is treated very poorly. 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	Teleplay: Howard Meyers & Paul Haggis Story: Bill Shinkai	March 26, 1983 (1983-03-26)	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 (1983-04-09)	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	Teleplay: Mitchell Wayne Cohen Story: Jennifer Burton Kurtz, Sheila Scott & Diane Schroeder	April 30, 1983 (1983-04-30)	0522
Arnold needs to submit a story for a journalism contest at school, and when he finds out there's a student selling drugs there, he writes his story about that. The principal soon confronts him about it and tries to get him to expose his sources; when he refuses, the principal has the story withdrawn from the contest. When the situation makes the newspaper, it gets the attention of First Lady Nancy Reagan, who makes a visit to Arnold's school to speak to his class about the dangers of drug use.
121	23	"Romeo and Juliet"	Dolores Ferraro	Robert Jayson & A. Dudley Johnson, Jr.	May 7, 1983 (1983-05-07)	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 (1983-05-14)	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: 1983–84

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code
123	1	"Mr. T and Mr. t" "Arnold Meets Mr. T"	Gerren Keith	Teleplay: Bruce Taylor Story: Howard Leeds, Blake Hunter, Martin Cohan & David W. Duclon	October 1, 1983 (1983-10-01)	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. Note: This was Dana Plato's final season as a regular cast member.
124	2	"The Goat"	Gerren Keith	Robert Jayson & A. Dudley Johnson, Jr.	October 15, 1983 (1983-10-15)	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, a goat, 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 (1983-10-22)	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 (1983-10-29)	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 (1983-11-12)	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 (1983-11-19)	0609
Mr. Drummond's cousin Anna and her son Hans (Conrad Bain and Dana Plato, respectively, in dual roles) 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	Teleplay: Phil Margo & Jack Gross Story: Rosemary Lee Potter and Phil Margo & Jack Gross	November 26, 1983 (1983-11-26)	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 (1983-12-03)	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	Teleplay: Tim O'Donnell Story: Howard Leeds, Blake Hunter & Martin Cohan	December 10, 1983 (1983-12-10)	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 (1983-12-17)	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 (1984-01-07)	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 (1984-01-14)	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	Teleplay: Howard Leeds, Howard Meyers & Mark Miller Story: Howard Leeds, Blake Hunter & Martin Cohan	January 21, 1984 (1984-01-21)	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) on the show. She was only a guest star in this season and becomes a regular cast member during the seventh season.
136	14	"The Hitchhikers: Part 1" "Hitchhiking: Part 1"	Gerren Keith	Glenn Padnick & Sydney Julien	January 28, 1984 (1984-01-28)	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" "Hitchhiking: Part 2"	Gerren Keith	Glenn Padnick & Sydney Julien	February 4, 1984 (1984-02-04)	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. Note: Conrad Bain again delivers a message at the beginning, urging kids and their parents to discuss the dangers of hitchhiking, and also does a voice over 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 (1984-02-11)	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: This was Cooksey's first appearance as Sam McKinney, the 6-year-old son of Maggie McKinney. He has a recurring role on the show in this season, and becomes a cast member during the seventh and eighth seasons.
139	17	"Hooray for Hollywood: Part 2"	Gerren Keith & Leslie H. Martinson	Teleplay: Bruce Taylor Story: Howard Leeds, Blake Hunter & Martin Cohan	February 18, 1984 (1984-02-18)	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	Part 1: Howard Meyers & Mark Miller Part 2:Teleplay: Dawn Aldredge & Judith Bustany Story: Ifa Baeza	February 25, 1984 (1984-02-25)	0620/0621
Part 1: 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. Part 2: 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 appear together.
142	20	"The Honeymoon's Over"	Gerren Keith	Teleplay: Robert Jayson & A. Dudley Johnson, Jr. Story: Howard Leeds, Blake Hunter & Martin Cohen	March 17, 1984 (1984-03-17)	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	April 7, 1984 (1984-04-07)	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	Teleplay: Robert Jayson & A. Dudley Johnson, Jr. Story: Bobby Herbeck	April 14, 1984 (1984-04-14)	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 (1984-05-05)	0612
After a falling out with her father, Charlene moves in with the Drummonds and ends up fighting with Willis.
146	24	"The Boyfriend"	Gerren Keith	Teleplay: Ifa Baeza, Bruce Taylor, Howard Meyers & Mark Miller Story: Howard Leeds, Blake Hunter & Martin Cohan	May 19, 1984 (1984-05-19)	0614
Kimberly plans to move in with her boyfriend, who her dad doesn't like, by tricking the family into thinking she's moving in with her girlfriend instead. Last appearance as a series regular: Dana Plato Note Starting in the seventh season, Plato becomes a recurring guest star.

Season 7: 1984–85

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code
147	1	"A Haunting We Will Go"	Gerren Keith	Ken Hecht & Bob Brunner	September 29, 1984 (1984-09-29)	0708
In this take-off on Ghostbusters, Arnold and Sam explore a haunted house. Notes: Actors John Astin and Ray Bolger guest star. Starting this season, Danny Cooksey and Dixie Carter join the cast as main regulars. This is also the final season airing on NBC.
148	2	"Arnold and Lisa's Mother"	Gerren Keith	Robert Jayson & A. Dudley Johnson, Jr.	October 13, 1984 (1984-10-13)	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 16, 1984 (1984-10-16)	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	Teleplay: Ken Hecht & Bob Brunner Story: Susan Kessler & Maria Alexander	October 20, 1984 (1984-10-20)	0703
Willis' new girlfriend is actually an undercover cop trying to bust drug dealers at school.
151	5	"Arnold's Strike"	Gerren Keith	Howard Meyers	October 27, 1984 (1984-10-27)	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 (1984-11-03)	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	Teleplay: Bruce Taylor Story: Bruce Taylor, Bob Brunner & Ken Hecht	November 10, 1984 (1984-11-10)	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 (1984-11-17)	0713
Arnold and Sam go into business selling roach spray, but Arnold's greed causes Sam to go his own way. Note: Actor Hervé Villechaize guest stars.
155	9	"The Honorable Arnold J. Jackson"	Mel Ferber	Dan Kennicott & Michael Curley	November 24, 1984 (1984-11-24)	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 (1984-12-01)	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.
157	11	"Tonsils"	Mel Ferber	Bruce Taylor	December 8, 1984 (1984-12-08)	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	Teleplay: Bruce Taylor Story: Bruce Taylor, Bob Brunner & Ken Hecht	December 15, 1984 (1984-12-15)	0712
Arnold has to ask Carmella for help when his plans for a school talent show fall apart.
159	13	"Baseball Blues"	Gerren Keith	Robert Jayson & A. Dudley Johnson, Jr.	January 5, 1985 (1985-01-05)	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.
160	14	"Arnold Saves the Squirrel"	Mel Ferber	Toni Wunsch & Max Katz	January 12, 1985 (1985-01-12)	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 (1985-01-19)	0715
Sam's scout troop is asked to work with a bunch of senior citizens on projects, but Sam's assigned senior citizen 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 humiliated by his troopmates and decides he hates all old people, so Mr. Drummond has a talk with the senior to get him to patch things up with Sam.
162	16	"Harry Birthday Drummond"	Gerren Keith	Jack Gross, Jr. & Phil Margo	January 26, 1985 (1985-01-26)	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.
163	17	"Sam's New Pal"	Gerren Keith	Ken Hecht & Bob Brunner	February 2, 1985 (1985-02-02)	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	Teleplay: Jose Rivera Story: Max Katz & Toni Wunsch	February 9, 1985 (1985-02-09)	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 (1985-02-16)	0720
Arnold is pressured to drink by an alcoholic classmate. His parents find out and lay down the law, but when he catches his friend 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 (1985-02-23)	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 (1985-03-02)	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 (1985-03-09)	0702
Mr. Drummond goes undercover at his company to find out how his employees really feel about working there.
169	23	"Street Smarts"	Gerren Keith	Teleplay: Bruce Taylor Story: Gary Coleman	March 23, 1985 (1985-03-23)	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 (1985-05-04)	0724
Arnold and Sam befriend 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: This is the final episode airing on NBC, which was cancelled due to low ratings. The series was moved to ABC for the eighth (and final) season. Dixie Carter does not appear in this episode, and would be dismissed from the series and replaced by Mary Ann Mobley in the eighth season.

Season 8: 1985–86

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code
171/172	1/2	"Sam's Missing"	Gerren Keith	Part 1: Ken Hecht & Bob Brunner Part 2: Richard Gurman	September 27, 1985 (1985-09-27)	0804/0805
Part 1: A father (Royce D. Applegate) who suffers the loss of one of his sons decides to kidnap Sam to replace him. Part 2: Sam manages to call home and tell Arnold where he is by giving him the phone number, and then the police traced it to the kidnapper's location to arrest the kidnapper and Sam came home to be reunited with his family. Note: This is the first episode to air on ABC. Mary Ann Mobley takes over from Dixie Carter in the role of Maggie.
173	3	"Bully for Arnold"	Gerren Keith	Robert Jayson & A. Dudley Johnson, Jr.	October 4, 1985 (1985-10-04)	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 (1985-10-11)	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.
175	5	"Willis Goes to College"	Tony Singletary	Richard Gurman	October 18, 1985 (1985-10-18)	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 (1985-10-25)	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 (1985-11-08)	0808
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar returns as Arnold's teacher (see "Substitute Teacher") 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 (1985-11-15)	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 (1985-11-29)	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"	Gerren Keith	Teleplay: Jose Rivera Story: Robert Jayson & A. Dudley Johnson, Jr.	December 6, 1985 (1985-12-06)	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 (1985-12-13)	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 in him.
182	12	"Arnold's Initiation"	Tony Singletary	Robert Jayson & A. Dudley Johnson, Jr.	January 10, 1986 (1986-01-10)	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	Teleplay: Ken Hecht & Bob Brunner Story: Janna Lowell	January 17, 1986 (1986-01-17)	0811
Arnold gets blamed when food starts disappearing from the house, but he soon discovers that Kimberly, who has developed bulimia, is the culprit. Final Appearance of: Dana Plato.
184	14	"Sam's Big Brother"	Mel Ferber	Susan H. Lee	January 24, 1986 (1986-01-24)	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 (1986-01-31)	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 (1986-02-07)	0816
Sam gets into a fight at Hamburger Hangar with a kid (Carl Steven) who constantly picks on him. Sam later discovers the bully is a foster child and is very jealous of what Sam has.
187	17	"The Big Bribe"	Mel Ferber	Teleplay: Robert Jayson & A. Dudley Johnson, Jr. Story: Janna Lowell	February 21, 1986 (1986-02-21)	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. Final Appearance of: Todd Bridges.
188	18	"The Photo Club"	Jeremiah Morris	Robert Jayson & A. Dudley Johnson, Jr.	February 28, 1986 (1986-02-28)	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 Ann Mobley and Mary Jo Catlett's final appearances on the show.
189	19	"The Front Page"	Gerren Keith	Al Aidekman & Richard Gurman	March 7, 1986 (1986-03-07)	0819
Arnold finds out that several athletes at school are using anabolic steroids, so he goes undercover to expose the full story. Notes: Peter DeLuise plays one of the athletes. This is the final episode of the show.

References

↑ DVD release info at TVShowsOnDVD.com
↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Part 2 is an episode of Hello, Larry.
↑ 3.0 3.1 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".

External links

List of Diff'rent Strokes episodes at TV.com
List of Diff'rent Strokes episodes at the Internet Movie Database