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The Worst Episodes of Diff'rent Strokes

Every episode of Diff'rent Strokes ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of Diff'rent Strokes!

Worst episode
S1E8 Retrospective (1)
6.1120 votes
Best episode
S6E14 The Hitchhikers (1) (a.k.a.) Hitchhiking (1)
8.095 votes
Top season
Season 6
7.3avg
Binge time
14h 19m
189 episodes
BestEpisodes
WorstEpisodes
BestSeasons
AllEpisodes

Seasons8

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Worst Episode
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    Diff'rent Strokes Season 1 Episode 8 - Retrospective (1)
    6.1/10(120 votes)

    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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  2. Diff'rent Strokes Season 3 Episode 18 - Drummond's Fair Lady
    6.2/10(94 votes)

    S3:E18

    Drummond runs into some stiff competition to the candidate he's chosen to head a new division of his company -- his board members think the attractive young executive's sex disqualifies her -- and his family thinks he's being used.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. Diff'rent Strokes Season 2 Episode 19 - Big Business
    6.3/10(83 votes)

    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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  4. Diff'rent Strokes Season 6 Episode 6 - The Van Drummonds
    6.4/10(82 votes)

    S6:E6

    A short visit to the United States by Phillip Drummond's Dutch cousin Anna and her son Hans becomes an eternity for Arnold and Willis, who are made scapegoats for cousin Hans' mischief.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Paul Haggis

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  5. Diff'rent Strokes Season 8 Episode 8 - So You Want to Be a Rock Star
    6.4/10(78 votes)

    S8:E8

    A music instructor ""backs up"" Arnold after he claims to be an expert sax player in order to impress a girl.

    Director:Mel Ferber
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. Diff'rent Strokes Season 2 Episode 10 - Father and Son Day
    6.5/10(100 votes)

    S2:E10

    Willis' cut-throat competitiveness with another boy at his gym leads him to a decision that he will very much regret, especially after it hurts Mr. Drummond and gives Arnold the right to say ""I told you so."" Baseball great Reggie Jackson makes his acting debut playing a key, but unsuspecting role in Willis' questionable scheme.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown

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  7. Diff'rent Strokes Season 4 Episode 19 - B.M.O.C.
    6.5/10(75 votes)

    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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  8. Diff'rent Strokes Season 6 Episode 19 - The Wedding (2)
    6.5/10(70 votes)

    S6:E19

    Their family and friends assembled, Phillip and Maggie meet at the altar, only to realize each has made a major mistake, in the concluding part of a special two-part story. Charlotte Rae, Dody Goodman, Janet Jackson and Nedra Volz, each of who had appeared in recurring roles on ""Diff'rent Strokes,"" return as their original characters for the Drummond nuptials.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. Diff'rent Strokes Season 8 Episode 9 - Speak No Evil
    6.6/10(72 votes)

    S8:E9

    Father and son are feuding over First Amendment rights when an outraged Arnold objects to a white supremacy organization speaking at his high school and a discerning Drummond can't support Arnold's fury on the basis of the American right to free speech.

    Directors:Gerren Keith, Glenn Padnick
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. Diff'rent Strokes Season 8 Episode 14 - Sam's Big Brother
    6.6/10(71 votes)

    S8:E14

    Arnold's preoccupation with girls and school leaves younger brother Sam alone and bored until Willis steps in, takes over as ""big bro"" and causes a row when Arnold decides to fight back for the title.

    Director:Mel Ferber
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. Diff'rent Strokes Season 3 Episode 11 - The Loan
    6.7/10(81 votes)

    S3:E11

    Arnold learns the true value of a dollar when Drummond turns down his request to lend $4,000 to the apartment building doorman anxious to take part in an attractive business deal.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. Diff'rent Strokes Season 5 Episode 11 - The Executives
    6.7/10(78 votes)

    S5:E11

    Willis learns that even a little power in the wrong hands can be dangerous when he oversteps the bounds of his authority in his afterschool job at his father's office.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. Diff'rent Strokes Season 4 Episode 23 - Stress? What Stress?
    6.7/10(77 votes)

    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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  14. Diff'rent Strokes Season 8 Episode 3 - Bully for Arnold
    6.7/10(75 votes)

    S8:E3

    Guarding the school bully's girlfriend, Ramona, seems like a simple task to Arnold, until his natural Jackson ""charm"" creates some problems, Ramona falls head over heels for him and Herman, the bully, wants to rearrange his face.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. Diff'rent Strokes Season 1 Episode 6 - Goodbye Dolly
    6.8/10(137 votes)

    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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  16. Diff'rent Strokes Season 1 Episode 4 - Prep School
    6.8/10(135 votes)

    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 2 Episode 4 - Feudin' and Fussin' (2)
    6.8/10(91 votes)

    S2:E4

    Arnold's well-intentioned endorsement of Larry Alder's hosting talents to a New York TV big-wig gives Larry the opportunity of a lifetime and brings the family to the big apple. Larry's try-out as a New York television talk-show house may be doomed from the start, one disaster follows another and not everyone on the Alder team may be rooting for him to win the job. **Part two originally aired as an episode of "Hello, Larry".

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. Diff'rent Strokes Season 4 Episode 18 - Crime Story (2) (a.k.a.) Crime in the Schools
    6.8/10(85 votes)

    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 5 Episode 3 - Cyrano De Jackson
    6.8/10(83 votes)

    S5:E3

    Arnold's on the outs with his best friend Dudley after he innocently offers to help his bashful buddy win the heart of a young lady -- who falls for Arnold instead.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown

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  20. Diff'rent Strokes Season 4 Episode 21 - Have I Got a Girl for You
    6.8/10(82 votes)

    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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  21. Diff'rent Strokes Season 3 Episode 9 - First Love
    6.8/10(80 votes)

    S3:E9

    Drummond orders Willis to spend more time with his studies and less time with his ""first love,"" but Willis and Arnold concoct a plan they're sure will fulfill the wishes of both father and son.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown

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  22. Diff'rent Strokes Season 5 Episode 8 - A Case of Overexposure (a.k.a.) Overexposure
    6.8/10(79 votes)

    S5:E8

    Arnold must face the bare facts -- his chances of winning a prestigious school election seem desperately slim, thanks to an ""overexposed"" candid campaign photo taken by sister Kimberly.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown

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  23. Diff'rent Strokes Season 8 Episode 15 - Arnold's Tangled Web
    6.8/10(75 votes)

    S8:E15

    To prevent Drummond from seeing his ""F"" in geometry, Arnold arranges to have Drummond's signature forged on his report on his report card, but the scheme backfires when Drummond insists on a personal inspection of Arnold's grades.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  24. Diff'rent Strokes Season 7 Episode 21 - Beauty is in the Eye of Arnold
    6.8/10(73 votes)

    S7:E21

    Arnold is faced with a dilemma when his friends insist he take a cute cheerleader to the dance instead of the girl Arnold really likes who they consider an ""ugly duckling.""

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. Diff'rent Strokes Season 8 Episode 11 - It's My Party and I'll Cry if I Want To
    6.8/10(69 votes)

    S8:E11

    Drummond has ""insured"" that Sam will have an unforgettable birthday party by arranging for a local television personality to be the main attraction, until the swash-buckling ""Captain Jack"" steals the show and the birthday boy jumps ship.

    Director:Gerren Keith
    Writer:Unknown

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Worst Episodes Summary

"Retrospective (1)" is the worst rated episode of Diff'rent Strokes. It scored 6.1/10 from 120 votes. Directed by Herbert Kenwith and written by Unknown, it aired on December 29, 1978. This episode scored 0.1 points lower than the second lowest rated, "Drummond's Fair Lady".

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