Diff'rent Strokes backdrop
Diff'rent Strokes poster
Comedy
Family
Drama

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...

Filter By Season8

  1. 10.0/10(1 votes)

    #1 - The Trip (2)

    Loading...
    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".

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:N/A
  2. 7.8/10(85 votes)

    #2 - Little Mother

    Loading...
    S3:E7

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

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Ed Jurist
  3. 7.7/10(93 votes)

    #3 - The Bank Job (1)

    Loading...
    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.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:N/A
  4. 7.7/10(88 votes)

    #4 - Football Father

    Loading...
    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.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:Gerren Keith
  5. 7.7/10(78 votes)

    #5 - Health Club

    Loading...
    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.""

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:N/A
  6. 7.7/10(75 votes)

    #6 - A Growing Problem

    Loading...
    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.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Ed Jurist
  7. Trending NowTRENDING NOW

    The 20 WORST Episodes of Diff'rent Strokes

    READ
  8. 7.7/10(139 votes)

    #7 - The Bicycle Man (2)

    Loading...
    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.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:N/A
  9. 7.7/10(68 votes)

    #8 - Street Smarts

    Loading...
    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.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:N/A
  10. 7.6/10(84 votes)

    #9 - The Ski Weekend

    Loading...
    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.""

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:N/A
  11. 7.6/10(79 votes)

    #10 - Hello, Daddy

    Loading...
    S4:E10

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

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:Gerren Keith
  12. 7.6/10(71 votes)

    #11 - Memories

    Loading...
    S5:E9

    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.

    0 Comments
    View all
  13. 7.6/10(153 votes)

    #12 - The Bicycle Man (1)

    Loading...
    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.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:N/A
  14. 7.6/10(62 votes)

    #13 - Family on Ice

    Loading...
    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.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:N/A
  15. 7.6/10(151 votes)

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

    Loading...
    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.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:N/A
  16. 7.6/10(85 votes)

    #15 - A Special Friend

    Loading...
    S7:E24

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

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:N/A
  17. 7.5/10(75 votes)

    #16 - Small Claims Court

    Loading...
    S3:E3

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

    0 Comments
    View all
  18. 7.5/10(77 votes)

    #17 - Substitute Teacher

    Loading...
    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.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:N/A
  19. 7.5/10(68 votes)

    #18 - Undercover Lover

    Loading...
    S7:E4

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

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:N/A
  20. 7.5/10(66 votes)

    #19 - Sam's New Pal

    Loading...
    S7:E17

    Sam is taken aback when he realizes his new ""buddy"" is a girl, but Mr. Drummond is even more dumbfounded when the kids want to have a sleepover.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:N/A
  21. 7.4/10(75 votes)

    #20 - The Bank Job (2)

    Loading...
    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.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:N/A
  22. 7.4/10(70 votes)

    #21 - Roots

    Loading...
    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.

    0 Comments
    View all
  23. 7.4/10(78 votes)

    #22 - The Bus

    Loading...
    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.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:N/A
  24. 7.4/10(78 votes)

    #23 - First Day Blues

    Loading...
    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.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:N/A
  25. 7.4/10(72 votes)

    #24 - The Big Heist

    Loading...
    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.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:N/A
  26. 7.4/10(67 votes)

    #25 - Lifesavers

    Loading...
    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.""

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Ed Jurist

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 N/A and written by Woody Kling, it aired on 3/30/1979. This episode scored 2.2 points higher than the second highest rated, "Little Mother".