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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!

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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 1 Episode 21 - 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".

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Woody Kling

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  2. Diff'rent Strokes Season 7 Episode 4 - 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.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. Diff'rent Strokes Season 4 Episode 7 - The Ski Weekend
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #3 - 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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  4. Diff'rent Strokes Season 4 Episode 11 - Jilted
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #4 - 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.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Ed Jurist

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  5. Diff'rent Strokes Season 5 Episode 16 - The Bicycle Man (1)
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #5 - 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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  6. Diff'rent Strokes Season 5 Episode 17 - The Bicycle Man (2)
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #6 - 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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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Diff'rent Strokes

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  7. Diff'rent Strokes Season 1 Episode 8 - Retrospective (1)
    7.0/10(1 votes)

    #7 - Retrospective (1)

    S1:E8

    Mr. Drummond and family gather around their Christmas tree and recall the many humorous incidents that the family has shared since Arnold and Willis moved in. This special one-hour episode features highlights from previous shows.

    Director:Herbert Kenwith
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. Diff'rent Strokes Season 1 Episode 22 - Getting Involved
    7.0/10(1 votes)

    #8 - Getting Involved

    S1:E22

    When Arnold is witness to a hold up, the robber tries to ensure that the youngster will not identify him.

    Director:Herbert Kenwith
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. Diff'rent Strokes Season 2 Episode 5 - Mrs. Garrett's Romance
    7.0/10(1 votes)

    #9 - Mrs. Garrett's Romance

    S2:E5

    The Drummond household's curiosity over Mrs. Garrett's new beau turns first to surprise and then to alarm. Mrs. Garrett is in a dither over her first date with Leon, especially when it is followed by a very important question.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. Diff'rent Strokes Season 2 Episode 19 - Big Business
    7.0/10(1 votes)

    #10 - Big Business

    S2:E19

    Willis and Arnold scheme to make extra ""dough"" by selling brownies, only to discover they can't stand the heat of big business and may soon have to get out of the kitchen.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Ed Jurist

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  11. Diff'rent Strokes Season 4 Episode 12 - Dreams
    7.0/10(1 votes)

    #11 - Dreams

    S4:E12

    A cancelled fishing trip leaves Arnold having a series of bad dreams that the entire family loses sleep over, until a psychiatrist's examination reveals what really is causing his nighttime terror.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Booker Bradshaw

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  12. Diff'rent Strokes Season 1 Episode 1 - Movin' In
    5.0/10(4 votes)

    #12 - Movin' In

    S1:E1

    Multi-millionaire Phillip Drummond, who has agreed to the death-bed wish of his housekeeper to raise her two small sons as his own, welcomes 8-year-old Arnold and 12-year-old Willis into his lavish penthouse. Anxious to make them feel at home, he showers them with gifts and love -- and is puzzled when he learns that the boys are planning to sneak from the lap of luxury back to Harlem. Aiding Drummond in his effort to make the street-wise, ghetto youngsters feel welcome in the affluent white world are Drummond's new housekeeper Mrs. Garrett and his 13-year-old daughter Kimberly.

    Director:Herbert Kenwith
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. Diff'rent Strokes Season 1 Episode 16 - The New Landlord
    3.0/10(1 votes)

    #13 - The New Landlord

    S1:E16

    The kids devise a scheme hoping to make Arnold convince the new landlord to let the family keep the penthouse.

    Director:Herbert Kenwith
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. Diff'rent Strokes Season 1 Episode 2 - The Social Worker
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #14 - The Social Worker

    S1:E2

    Arnold's eavesdropping leads to trouble when a misunderstanding causes Willis and him to think that Mr. Drummond no longer wants them around; he has heard Drummond tell a social worker that ""black children belong with black families.""

    Director:Herbert Kenwith
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. Diff'rent Strokes Season 1 Episode 3 - Mother's Last Visit
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #15 - Mother's Last Visit

    S1:E3

    Mr. Drummond's socialite and rather snobbish mother arrives and finds there's a lot she doesn't like about her son's new sons, but she soon learns a valuable lesson about what's really important in a person.

    Director:Herbert Kenwith
    Writer:Myles Wilder

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  16. Diff'rent Strokes Season 1 Episode 4 - Prep School
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #16 - Prep School

    S1:E4

    When Mr. Drummond tries to get Arnold and Willis into an exclusive prep school, it turns out to be just a little too exclusive for everyone's tastes.

    Director:Herbert Kenwith
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. Diff'rent Strokes Season 1 Episode 5 - The Spanking
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #17 - The Spanking

    S1:E5

    Arnold ignores warnings and continues to drop water balloons from the balcony. Mr. Drummond's decision to punish Arnold for the prank with a spanking becomes a learning lesson for Willis too, when he insists that he be the one to spank Arnold -- but where's Arnold?

    Director:Herbert Kenwith
    Writer:Seaman Jacobs

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  18. Diff'rent Strokes Season 1 Episode 6 - Goodbye Dolly
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #18 - Goodbye Dolly

    S1:E6

    When Arnold loses his favorite doll, he makes sure that his misery is shared equally by the various members of his household, who soon try everything to get it back.

    Director:Herbert Kenwith
    Writer:Unknown

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  19. Diff'rent Strokes Season 1 Episode 7 - The Trial
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #19 - 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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  20. Diff'rent Strokes Season 1 Episode 9 - Retrospective (2)
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #20 - Retrospective (2)

    S1:E9

    Mr. Drummond and family gather around their Christmas tree and recall the many humorous incidents that the family has shared since Arnold and Willis moved in. This special one-hour episode features highlights from previous shows.

    Director:Herbert Kenwith
    Writer:Unknown

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  21. Diff'rent Strokes Season 1 Episode 10 - The Fight
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #21 - The Fight

    S1:E10

    Willis puts Arnold in training to fight the local bully, but Mr. Drummond insists more civilized solutions be employed.

    Director:Herbert Kenwith
    Writer:Unknown

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  22. Diff'rent Strokes Season 1 Episode 11 - The Club Meeting
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #22 - The Club Meeting

    S1:E11

    Willis invites his neighborhood club from Harlem to visit, but things get out of hand when he tries to impress them with his new wealth.

    Director:Herbert Kenwith
    Writer:Unknown

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  23. Diff'rent Strokes Season 1 Episode 12 - The Woman
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #23 - 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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  24. Diff'rent Strokes Season 1 Episode 13 - No Time for Arnold
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #24 - No Time for Arnold

    S1:E13

    A lonely Arnold comes up with a method of gaining his family's attention. Unfortunately his plan works a little too well; he ends up with everyone's attention, including the family doctor.

    Director:Herbert Kenwith
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. Diff'rent Strokes Season 1 Episode 14 - The Relative
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #25 - The Relative

    S1:E14

    LaWanda Page guest stars as a cousin of Willis and Arnold who, after seeing the boys in their comfortable new surroundings, knows she should stay closer to her long-lost little relatives.

    Director:Herbert Kenwith
    Writer:Seaman Jacobs

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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".