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

Best Episodes Summary

"Little Mother" is the best rated episode of "Diff'rent Strokes". It scored 7.9/10 based on 83 votes. Directed by Gerren Keith and written by Ed Jurist, it aired on 12/10/1980. This episode scored 0.1 points higher than the second highest rated, "Mr. T and mr. t".

  • Little Mother
    7.9/1083 votes
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    #1 - Little Mother

    Season 3 Episode 7 - Aired 12/10/1980

    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

  • Mr. T and mr. t
    7.8/1083 votes
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    #2 - Mr. T and mr. t

    Season 6 Episode 1 - Aired 10/1/1983

    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: N/A

  • The Hitchhikers (1) (a.k.a.) Hitchhiking (1)
    7.8/1078 votes
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    #3 - The Hitchhikers (1) (a.k.a.) Hitchhiking (1)

    Season 6 Episode 14 - Aired 1/28/1984

    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: N/A

  • The Hitchhikers (2) (a.k.a.) Hitchhiking (2)
    7.8/1078 votes
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    #4 - The Hitchhikers (2) (a.k.a.) Hitchhiking (2)

    Season 6 Episode 15 - Aired 2/4/1984

    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: N/A

  • The Bank Job (1)
    7.7/1092 votes
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    #5 - The Bank Job (1)

    Season 3 Episode 1 - Aired 11/12/1980

    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: N/A

  • Football Father
    7.7/1087 votes
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    #6 - Football Father

    Season 3 Episode 8 - Aired 12/17/1980

    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

  • The Ski Weekend
    7.7/1082 votes
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    #7 - The Ski Weekend

    Season 4 Episode 7 - Aired 12/10/1981

    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: N/A

  • Health Club
    7.7/1077 votes
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    #8 - Health Club

    Season 4 Episode 8 - Aired 12/17/1981

    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: N/A

  • The Bicycle Man (2)
    7.7/10134 votes
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    #9 - The Bicycle Man (2)

    Season 5 Episode 17 - Aired 2/12/1983

    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: N/A

  • Family on Ice
    7.7/1059 votes
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    #10 - Family on Ice

    Season 5 Episode 18 - Aired 2/19/1983

    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: N/A

  • My Fair Larry (a.k.a.) My Fair Lady
    7.7/10149 votes
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    #11 - My Fair Larry (a.k.a.) My Fair Lady

    Season 5 Episode 24 - Aired 5/7/1983

    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: N/A

  • Mrs. Z
    7.7/1071 votes
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    #12 - Mrs. Z

    Season 6 Episode 10 - Aired 12/17/1983

    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: N/A

  • The Wedding (1)
    7.7/1073 votes
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    #13 - The Wedding (1)

    Season 6 Episode 18 - Aired 2/25/1984

    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

    Writer: Howard Meyers, Mark Miller

  • Street Smarts
    7.7/1067 votes
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    #14 - Street Smarts

    Season 7 Episode 23 - Aired 3/23/1985

    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: N/A

  • A Special Friend
    7.7/1084 votes
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    #15 - A Special Friend

    Season 7 Episode 24 - Aired 5/4/1985

    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: N/A

  • Hello, Daddy
    7.6/1077 votes
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    #16 - Hello, Daddy

    Season 4 Episode 10 - Aired 1/14/1982

    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

  • Memories
    7.6/1068 votes
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    #17 - Memories

    Season 5 Episode 9 - Aired 11/27/1982

    A long lost trunk returned to the boys contains a tape recording of their deceased mother which brings to the surface a previously unrecognized problem that triggers uncharacteristic behavior from a usually happy-go-lucky Arnold.

    Director: Gerren Keith

    Writer: Howard Meyers, Paul Haggis

  • A Growing Problem
    7.6/1071 votes
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    #18 - A Growing Problem

    Season 5 Episode 13 - Aired 1/8/1983

    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

  • The Bicycle Man (1)
    7.6/10145 votes
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    #19 - The Bicycle Man (1)

    Season 5 Episode 16 - Aired 2/5/1983

    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: N/A

  • Where There's Smoke
    7.6/1063 votes
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    #20 - Where There's Smoke

    Season 6 Episode 12 - Aired 1/14/1984

    Arnold and Dudley succumb to peer pressure and ignore warnings against cigarette smoking, only to have the harsh realities brought to light by Dudley's father, a chronic smoker.

    Director: Gerren Keith

    Writer: N/A

  • A Haunting We Will Go
    7.6/1088 votes
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    #21 - A Haunting We Will Go

    Season 7 Episode 1 - Aired 9/29/1984

    When Arnold and Sam creep through the crevices of the neighborhood's haunted house they find the ghost boasts a bounty of surprises--the biggest being a love for people and contempt for war.

    Director: Gerren Keith

    Writer: N/A

  • The Trial
    7.5/10109 votes
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    #22 - The Trial

    Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 12/15/1978

    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: N/A

  • The Woman
    7.5/10102 votes
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    #23 - The Woman

    Season 1 Episode 12 - Aired 1/19/1979

    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: N/A

  • Arnold's Girlfriend (1)
    7.5/10101 votes
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    #24 - Arnold's Girlfriend (1)

    Season 2 Episode 1 - Aired 9/21/1979

    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: N/A

  • Small Claims Court
    7.5/1073 votes
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    #25 - Small Claims Court

    Season 3 Episode 3 - Aired 11/19/1980

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

    Director: Gerren Keith

    Writer: Ed Jurist, Whitey Mitchell