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The Best Episodes of Diff'rent Strokes Season 4

Every episode of Diff'rent Strokes Season 4 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Diff'rent Strokes Season 4!

Binge this in 1h 30m•Peaking at 7.7/10

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
    Diff'rent Strokes Season 4 Episode 1 - Growing Up
    7.1/10(79 votes)

    #1 - Growing Up

    S4:E1

    His friends' stories of their sexual exploits convince Willis it's time he ""became a man""--now he must convince his steady girl friend Charlene.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writers:Debra Frank, Scott Rubenstein

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  2. Diff'rent Strokes Season 4 Episode 2 - First Day Blues
    7.4/10(84 votes)

    #2 - 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.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. Diff'rent Strokes Season 4 Episode 3 - The Model
    7.1/10(73 votes)

    #3 - The Model

    S4:E3

    Kimberly hopes a summer job will make her more independent, but when it becomes an undreamt chance at international modeling, it may be more independence than her father will agree to.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Howard Meyers

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  4. Diff'rent Strokes Season 4 Episode 4 - The Team
    7.0/10(80 votes)

    #4 - The Team

    S4:E4

    A happy household is torn by the repercussions of meeting racial quotas -- Drummond faces a lawsuit when he hires a black man from outside his company for a prized executive position and Willis seeks justice when told his color is the only thing preventing him from making the school's predominantly black basketball team.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. Diff'rent Strokes Season 4 Episode 5 - The Big Heist
    7.4/10(79 votes)

    #5 - 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.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. Diff'rent Strokes Season 4 Episode 6 - Double Date (a.k.a.) Blind Date
    7.4/10(79 votes)

    #6 - 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.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown

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  7. Diff'rent Strokes Season 4 Episode 7 - The Ski Weekend
    7.7/10(90 votes)

    #7 - 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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  8. Diff'rent Strokes Season 4 Episode 8 - Health Club
    7.7/10(85 votes)

    #8 - 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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  9. Diff'rent Strokes Season 4 Episode 9 - Burial Ground
    7.0/10(75 votes)

    #9 - Burial Ground

    S4:E9

    Arnold and Willis go on a hunger strike to save a historic landmark when they learn construction by Drummond's company may destroy what could be an ancient Indian burial ground.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Howard Meyers

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  10. Diff'rent Strokes Season 4 Episode 10 - Hello, Daddy
    7.6/10(85 votes)

    #10 - 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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  11. Diff'rent Strokes Season 4 Episode 11 - Jilted
    7.3/10(69 votes)

    #11 - 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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  12. Diff'rent Strokes Season 4 Episode 12 - Dreams
    7.1/10(71 votes)

    #12 - 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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  13. Diff'rent Strokes Season 4 Episode 13 - Kathy
    7.2/10(81 votes)

    #13 - Kathy

    S4:E13

    Arnold and his friend Kathy face big challenges in their lives and each holds the key to overcoming the other's obstacles, but when Arnold takes the first step forward, their entire relationship takes a big step backwards.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. Diff'rent Strokes Season 4 Episode 14 - Fire
    7.2/10(73 votes)

    #14 - 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.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. Diff'rent Strokes Season 4 Episode 15 - The Squatter
    7.1/10(81 votes)

    #15 - The Squatter

    S4:E15

    Drummond learns the hard way that converting apartments into condominiums can mean hurting lots of innocent people when he becomes the unsuspecting ""victim"" of an eccentric tenant he's displacing.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Danny Simon

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  16. Diff'rent Strokes Season 4 Episode 16 - The Car
    7.3/10(76 votes)

    #16 - 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.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. Diff'rent Strokes Season 4 Episode 17 - Crime Story (Part 1) (a.k.a.) Crime in the Schools
    7.1/10(82 votes)

    #17 - Crime Story (Part 1) (a.k.a.) Crime in the Schools

    S4:E17

    Arnold and his friend Dudley are scared to death by two teenage bullies who pose the intimidating demand ""your lunch money or your life.""

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. Diff'rent Strokes Season 4 Episode 18 - Crime Story (Part 2) (a.k.a.) Crime in the Schools
    6.8/10(82 votes)

    #18 - Crime Story (Part 2) (a.k.a.) Crime in the Schools

    S4:E18

    Arnold doesn't know when to leave well enough alone after Willis comes to his rescue, he gets himself involved in an ""undercover"" scheme to capture the ""punks"" at school who have been harassing him.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown

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  19. Diff'rent Strokes Season 4 Episode 19 - B.M.O.C.
    6.3/10(71 votes)

    #19 - B.M.O.C.

    S4:E19

    Willis' obsession with joining an ""exclusive"" high school club rocks the Drummond household and leaves several victims in its wake, including a shaken Arnold who takes his brother's ""insensitive"" actions to heart.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown

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  20. Diff'rent Strokes Season 4 Episode 20 - Green Hair
    7.4/10(81 votes)

    #20 - 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.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown

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  21. Diff'rent Strokes Season 4 Episode 21 - Have I Got a Girl for You
    6.7/10(79 votes)

    #21 - Have I Got a Girl for You

    S4:E21

    Aunt Sophia's matchmaking unites an unsuspecting Drummond with her ""working-class"" hairdresser, but a slip of Arnold's tongue ignites charges that Drummond is a snob, turning a ""budding romance"" into a roaring feud.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown

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  22. Diff'rent Strokes Season 4 Episode 22 - Lifesavers
    7.4/10(73 votes)

    #22 - 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.""

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Ed Jurist

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  23. Diff'rent Strokes Season 4 Episode 23 - Stress? What Stress?
    6.5/10(74 votes)

    #23 - Stress? What Stress?

    S4:E23

    Stress is diagnosed as the cause of hard-working Drummond's frequent attacks of pain, but suddenly young, healthy and ""normal"" Willis learns that he, too, is a prime candidate for the same debilitating ""attacks.""

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown

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  24. Diff'rent Strokes Season 4 Episode 24 - The Music Man
    7.2/10(83 votes)

    #24 - The Music Man

    S4:E24

    Willis sets what he's sure is a ""cinch"" audition for girl friend Charlene to sing with his musical group, but his ""big plane"" hit a sour not when Arnold's intervention threatens to destroy both Charlene's chances with the group and her relationship with Willis.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. Diff'rent Strokes Season 4 Episode 25 - Short But Sweet
    7.2/10(77 votes)

    #25 - Short But Sweet

    S4:E25

    Arnold feels shortchanged, he's growing older but he's not getting any taller and he's convinced that's the reason why he doesn't have a girl friend.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown

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Season 4 Ratings Summary

"Growing Up" is the best rated episode of "Diff'rent Strokes" season 4. It scored 7.1/10 based on 79 votes. Directed by Gerren Keith and written by Debra Frank, Scott Rubenstein, it aired on 10/29/1981. This episode is rated 0.3 points higher than the second-best, "First Day Blues".