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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!

Binge this in 11h 54m•Peaking at 7.9/10

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 rich white Park Avenue businessman named Phillip Drummond and his

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    Diff'rent Strokes Season 6 Episode 14 - The Hitchhikers (1) (a.k.a.) Hitchhiking (1)
    7.9/10(91 votes)

    #1 - The Hitchhikers (1) (a.k.a.) Hitchhiking (1)

    S6:E14

    Kimberly and Arnold break a long-standing family rule and face death when, on their return from a shopping trip, they find themselves short of cash and decide to hitch a ride home rather than call home for assistance.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. Diff'rent Strokes Season 3 Episode 7 - Little Mother
    7.8/10(93 votes)

    #2 - Little Mother

    S3:E7

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

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Ed Jurist

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  3. Diff'rent Strokes Season 3 Episode 8 - Football Father
    7.8/10(97 votes)

    #3 - 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.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Donald Ross

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  4. Diff'rent Strokes Season 6 Episode 1 - Mr. T and mr. t
    7.8/10(92 votes)

    #4 - Mr. T and mr. t

    S6:E1

    Arnold's ecstasy over meeting his hero Mr. T goes from elation to emulation when the young girl he's trying to impress snubs him in favor of his idol. Former bouncer and bodyguard Mr. T, who came to national prominence as Sylvester Stallone's opponent in ""Rocky III"" and was the star of the hit television series ""The A-Team,"" makes a special guest appearance as ""The A-Team's"" B.A.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. Diff'rent Strokes Season 6 Episode 15 - The Hitchhikers (2) (a.k.a.) Hitchhiking (2)
    7.8/10(86 votes)

    #5 - The Hitchhikers (2) (a.k.a.) Hitchhiking (2)

    S6:E15

    Hitchhiking leads to kidnapping for Arnold and Kimberly, but Arnold escapes and he is so disoriented he is unable to remember the location of the kidnapper's apartment so that the police can rescue Kimberly who's till being held captive.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. Diff'rent Strokes Season 6 Episode 18 - The Wedding (1)
    7.8/10(80 votes)

    #6 - The Wedding (1)

    S6:E18

    Maggie's reaction to a proposed pre-nuptial agreement threatens to hamper Phillip's happiness -- but could eliminate Arnold's fear about ""inheriting"" a strict new mother and a pesky little brother.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writers:Mark Miller, Howard Meyers

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Diff'rent Strokes

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  7. Diff'rent Strokes Season 7 Episode 23 - Street Smarts
    7.8/10(74 votes)

    #7 - Street Smarts

    S7:E23

    Although Arnold boasts he held his own in a mugging, Drummond fears the incident goes deeper than Arnold will admit and becomes concerned when he finds Arnold has sought a dangerous method of protection.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. Diff'rent Strokes Season 7 Episode 24 - A Special Friend
    7.8/10(93 votes)

    #8 - A Special Friend

    S7:E24

    Arnold and Sam's new friendship with a street performer gets mired in fear and confusion when they discover she has epilepsy.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. Diff'rent Strokes Season 3 Episode 1 - The Bank Job (1)
    7.7/10(102 votes)

    #9 - 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.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. Diff'rent Strokes Season 4 Episode 7 - The Ski Weekend
    7.7/10(91 votes)

    #10 - 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.""

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. Diff'rent Strokes Season 4 Episode 8 - Health Club
    7.7/10(86 votes)

    #11 - 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.""

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. Diff'rent Strokes Season 5 Episode 13 - A Growing Problem
    7.7/10(81 votes)

    #12 - A Growing Problem

    S5:E13

    At 16, Willis thinks he's man enough and old enough to ""top"" a few drinks with the guys, but Drummond's objections send Willis storming out of the house intent on proving his father wrong.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Ed Jurist

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  13. Diff'rent Strokes Season 5 Episode 17 - The Bicycle Man (2)
    7.7/10(151 votes)

    #13 - The Bicycle Man (2)

    S5:E17

    Arnold and Dudley's ""friendship"" with a local merchant reaches a dangerous turning point when, unbeknownst to the boys, the man, who is actually a child molester, is about to make his move.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Blake Hunter

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  14. Diff'rent Strokes Season 6 Episode 10 - Mrs. Z
    7.7/10(78 votes)

    #14 - Mrs. Z

    S6:E10

    Drummond's provided with police protection of a most unusual kind after his charitable philanthrophy leads to a $1,000,000 extortion threat against him.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. Diff'rent Strokes Season 2 Episode 1 - Arnold's Girlfriend (1)
    7.6/10(109 votes)

    #15 - Arnold's Girlfriend (1)

    S2:E1

    Arnold has appendicitis and Drummond has to deal with the bigotry of Fred Tanner, a potential housing project investor whose daughter is the key to getting Arnold to sit still for the operation.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. Diff'rent Strokes Season 4 Episode 10 - Hello, Daddy
    7.6/10(86 votes)

    #16 - 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.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Donald Ross

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  17. Diff'rent Strokes Season 5 Episode 16 - The Bicycle Man (1)
    7.6/10(166 votes)

    #17 - The Bicycle Man (1)

    S5:E16

    Unaware that he's being lured into the carefully crafted trap of a child molester, Arnold eagerly agrees to perform a simple task in return for an overly generous reward from a ""friendly"" neighborhood merchant.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Blake Hunter

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  18. Diff'rent Strokes Season 5 Episode 18 - Family on Ice
    7.6/10(67 votes)

    #18 - Family on Ice

    S5:E18

    Kimberly is overjoyed when Olympic Gold Medalist Dorothy Hamill sees great promise in her as a competitive figure skater, but she's even more astounded when Drummond agrees to let her leave the New York ""nest"" to train full time with the award-winning skater -- in Los Angeles.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown

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  19. Diff'rent Strokes Season 5 Episode 24 - My Fair Larry (a.k.a.) My Fair Lady
    7.6/10(157 votes)

    #19 - My Fair Larry (a.k.a.) My Fair Lady

    S5:E24

    School ""thug"" Larry coerces Willis into teaching him how to ""make it"" with girls, but things go from bad to worse when Larry's first target is Willis' sister Kimberly.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown

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  20. Diff'rent Strokes Season 7 Episode 16 - Harry Birthday Drummond
    7.6/10(74 votes)

    #20 - Harry Birthday Drummond

    S7:E16

    Kimberly returns home from school in Paris to surprise Drummond on his birthday prompting Arnold and Willis to try and match her special gift, they decide to change their name to Drummond, until Willis suddenly has second thoughts.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown

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  21. Diff'rent Strokes Season 1 Episode 7 - The Trial
    7.5/10(121 votes)

    #21 - The Trial

    S1:E7

    When Arnold is in trouble for putting his goldfish in Mr. Drummond's hot tub, Willis insists that it is wrong to convict him without a trial. The whole family, with Mrs. Garrett as judge, comes up with an important verdict.

    Director:Herbert Kenwith
    Writer:Unknown

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  22. Diff'rent Strokes Season 1 Episode 12 - The Woman
    7.5/10(115 votes)

    #22 - The Woman

    S1:E12

    Mr. Drummond's intention to marry an attractive widow doesn't meet with his children's approval, and Arnold, Willis and Kimberly devise a scheme they hope will turn his ""romantic"" proposal into a disaster.

    Director:Herbert Kenwith
    Writer:Unknown

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  23. Diff'rent Strokes Season 2 Episode 6 - Birds and Bees
    7.5/10(106 votes)

    #23 - Birds and Bees

    S2:E6

    Willis' fishy version of the facts of life leaves Arnold with misconceptions and Mr. Drummond on tender hooks. Arnold repeats his ""knowledge"" to a neighbor's daughter, but the girl's mother is not amused.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writers:Martin Ragaway, Ed Jurist

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  24. Diff'rent Strokes Season 3 Episode 14 - The Bus
    7.5/10(86 votes)

    #24 - 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.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. Diff'rent Strokes Season 5 Episode 6 - Substitute Teacher
    7.5/10(82 votes)

    #25 - Substitute Teacher

    S5:E6

    Arnold and his buddies fabricate a ""little white lie"" in an attempt to get rid of an overly-conscientious substitute teacher, but their tell tale could result in more than just removing the teacher from the classroom -- it could destroy his entire career.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown

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Best Episodes Summary

"The Hitchhikers (1) (a.k.a.) Hitchhiking (1)" is the best rated episode of "Diff'rent Strokes". It scored 7.9/10 based on 91 votes. Directed by Gerren Keith and written by Unknown, it aired on 1/28/1984. This episode scored 0.1 points higher than the second highest rated, "Little Mother".