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The Best Episodes of Diff'rent Strokes

Every episode of Diff'rent Strokes ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Diff'rent Strokes!

The Best Episodes of Diff'rent Strokes

The series stars Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges as Arnold and Willis Jackson, two African American boys from Harlem who are taken in by a...

Seasons8

  1. Background image for The Trip (2)
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #1 - The Trip (2)

    S1:E21

    The stars of "Diff'rent Strokes" and "Hello, Larry" get together in a special, hilarious hour in which Phillip Drummond realizes that the purchase of a Portland radio station could mean the loss of a job for his old friend Larry Alder. **Part two originally aired as an episode of "Hello, Larry".

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    Director:Unknown
  2. Background image for Undercover Lover
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #2 - Undercover Lover

    S7:E4

    Willis becomes the middleman in a police effort to halt use and trafficking of drugs at his high school.

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    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown
  3. Background image for Little Mother
    7.9/10(87 votes)

    #3 - Little Mother

    S3:E7

    Kimberly's efforts to help a pregnant girl friend, have Willis and Arnold convinced the Kimberly's the one expecting.

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    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Ed Jurist
  4. Background image for The Bank Job (1)
    7.8/10(97 votes)

    #4 - The Bank Job (1)

    S3:E1

    Willis accompanies Arnold as he sets out to withdraw some money from his bank account to pay for his first ""real"" date, but two bank robbers force a change of plans when they attempt their own, very large withdrawal, in the first episode of a special two-part story.

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    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown
  5. Background image for Football Father
    7.8/10(91 votes)

    #5 - Football Father

    S3:E8

    After Arnold fails to measure up to the demands of the basketball, baseball and volleyball teams, Drummond convinces the boy to try football on for size and then pays the coach a clandestine visit to ensure Arnold a place on the team.

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    Director:Gerren Keith
  6. Background image for The Ski Weekend
    7.7/10(86 votes)

    #6 - The Ski Weekend

    S4:E7

    Kimberly must face the biggest decision of her life -- whether to spend a ski weekend with a popular boy or turn down the opportunity to get away on her own and remain, in her mind, daddy's ""little girl.""

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    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown
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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Diff'rent Strokes

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  8. Background image for Health Club
    7.7/10(81 votes)

    #7 - Health Club

    S4:E8

    Arnold and Willis face a puzzling dilemma -- how to tell Drummond that the award he worked so hard for comes from a health club with a ""restricted membership.""

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    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown
  9. Background image for Hello, Daddy
    7.7/10(81 votes)

    #8 - Hello, Daddy

    S4:E10

    Does Drummond have a third son, there's a young man at the door who claims he does and that he is.

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    Director:Gerren Keith
  10. Background image for Small Claims Court
    7.5/10(77 votes)

    #9 - Small Claims Court

    S3:E3

    Arnold has his day in court when an unfortunate ""train"" of events puts him at odds with a less than understanding merchant.

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  11. Background image for The Bus
    7.5/10(81 votes)

    #10 - The Bus

    S3:E14

    Arnold's excitement at being one of a small group of students in an exchange program with an all-white school is turned to fear by a threatening phone call from a zealous busing opponent.

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    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown
  12. Background image for First Day Blues
    7.5/10(80 votes)

    #11 - First Day Blues

    S4:E2

    Willis has the normal jitters on his first day of high school, and in his hurry to make friends, hooks up with a bad group, goes overboard to impress them, and, for his efforts could wind up in jail.

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    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown
  13. Background image for The Bank Job (2)
    7.4/10(77 votes)

    #12 - The Bank Job (2)

    S3:E2

    Drummond offers himself and his company airplane as hostages to protect Arnold and Willis, but his sons' future hangs in the balance when the robbers announce their own very different choice of hostages, in the conclusion of a special two-part story.

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    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown
  14. Background image for Roots
    7.4/10(72 votes)

    #13 - Roots

    S3:E12

    Willis and Arnold turn the Drummond household upside down as they try to prove to their old Harlem neighbors -- and themselves -- that they haven't lost tough with their cultural roots.

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  15. Background image for The Big Heist
    7.4/10(75 votes)

    #14 - The Big Heist

    S4:E5

    Arnold is elated when he's accepted into an ""elite"" club at school, but his membership could lead to consequences far beyond his wildest dreams when he learns he must commit a crime as part of his secret initiation.

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    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown
  16. Background image for Double Date (a.k.a.) Blind Date
    7.4/10(75 votes)

    #15 - Double Date (a.k.a.) Blind Date

    S4:E6

    Arnold's big plans for his first real ""date"" are quickly deflated when parental-imposed restrictions threaten to ruin his encounter before it ever gets off the ground.

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    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown
  17. Background image for Lifesavers
    7.4/10(68 votes)

    #16 - Lifesavers

    S4:E22

    A quick-thinking, fast-acting Willis saves Arnold from a near-fatal accident and in doing so unleashes an adoring monster who dedicates his life to repaying his ""hero.""

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    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Ed Jurist
  18. Background image for Substitute Mother
    7.3/10(73 votes)

    #17 - Substitute Mother

    S3:E4

    Arnold falls head-over-heels for a temporary housekeeper and embarks on a romantic scheme he hopes will make her a permanent member of the Drummond household.

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  19. Background image for Count Your Blessings
    7.3/10(72 votes)

    #18 - Count Your Blessings

    S3:E10

    Arnold tries a regimen of stretching exercises and a change of diet to speed his growth, but Drummond finds he must go to a very special source to get the boy to accept that he will never be tall.

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    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown
  20. Background image for Junk Food Junkie (a.k.a.) Junk Food
    7.3/10(84 votes)

    #19 - Junk Food Junkie (a.k.a.) Junk Food

    S3:E13

    Arnold's poor dental checkup and a visit by Drummond's health-conscious sister, Sophia, launches Drummond on a campaign to have ""junk"" food machines banned from Arnold's school, even though Arnold's drive for his class' presidency may depend on keeping the machines in place.

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    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown
  21. Background image for The Older Man
    7.3/10(75 votes)

    #20 - The Older Man

    S3:E15

    Through Blair's makeup artistry, 15-year-old Kimberly discovers she can pass for 20, but when she accepts a date with a 25-year-old and the passes start flying, she finds there may be more to being older than looking it.

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    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown
  22. Background image for The Ancestors
    7.3/10(73 votes)

    #21 - The Ancestors

    S3:E19

    Drummond and his sister Sophia inherit a prime piece of land in Harlem from a long lost ancestor, but their plan to dedicate it to a cultural center in his name could spell disaster if the truth of their ancestor's life gets out.

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    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Ed Jurist
  23. Background image for Jilted
    7.3/10(66 votes)

    #22 - Jilted

    S4:E11

    When Willis takes his steady girl friend for granted, his selfishness sends her out with another guy -- who won't ignore her, but there may be hope for happiness if a self-appointed Cupid succeeds in his plan.

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    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Ed Jurist
  24. Background image for Fire
    7.3/10(68 votes)

    #23 - Fire

    S4:E14

    A fire traps Drummond and his family in their penthouse and has him ""working"" overtime trying to protect them without letting on that there's anything wrong.

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    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown
  25. Background image for The Car
    7.3/10(71 votes)

    #24 - The Car

    S4:E16

    When his girl friend plans on taking a drive with someone else, a careless Willis -- refusing to be outdone -- gets an idea for a real joy ride neither of them will forget.

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    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown
  26. Background image for Green Hair
    7.3/10(76 votes)

    #25 - Green Hair

    S4:E20

    An adamant Drummond ignores sister Sophia's pleas to get involved in a group effort to combat air pollution, until Kimberly becomes victimized by the unnatural phenomenon.

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    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown

Best Episodes Summary

"The Trip (2)" is the best rated episode of "Diff'rent Strokes". It scored 10/10 based on 1 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Woody Kling, it aired on 3/30/1979. This episode scored 0.0 points higher than the second highest rated, "Undercover Lover".