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The Best Episodes of The Facts of Life

Every episode of The Facts of Life ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of The Facts of Life!

Binge this in 1d 14h•Peaking at 3.5/10

Mrs. Edna Garrett, housemother and dietitian at the Eastland School, teaches a group of girls in her charge how to solve those problems that every teenager has to face.

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    The Facts of Life Season 1 Episode 1 - Rough Housing
    3.5/10(4 votes)

    #1 - Rough Housing

    S1:E1

    The series opens with the Drummonds (from Diff'rent Strokes) visiting Eastland to see Mrs. Garrett (their ex-housekeeper). They arrive right in the middle of the Harvest Queen competition and Blair is sure she's going to win. So when Cindy considers running, Blair makes some snide comments about Cindy's femininity.

    Director:Nick Havinga
    Writers:Brad Rider, Glenn Padnick

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  2. The Facts of Life Season 1 Episode 2 - Like Mother, Like Daughter
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #2 - Like Mother, Like Daughter

    S1:E2

    It's Parent's Night at Eastland and Blair's sophisticated mother arrives bringing with her, her flirtatious tendancies which prompt rumors when she becomes ""friendly"" with a married man.

    Director:Jim Drake
    Writer:Jerry Mayer

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  3. The Facts of Life Season 1 Episode 3 - The Return of Mr. Garrett
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #3 - The Return of Mr. Garrett

    S1:E3

    Mrs. Garrett is surprised by a visit from her ex-husband, Roger, who wants the two of them to remarry. However, his gambling ways rub off on the girls who begin gambling on poker games and loosing what little money they have..

    Director:Jim Drake
    Writer:Martin Ragaway

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  4. The Facts of Life Season 1 Episode 4 - I.Q.
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #4 - I.Q.

    S1:E4

    Tootie accidentally comes across a paper which lists the I.Q. scores of each one of the girls. Nancy received the highest score and Sue Ann scored the lowest, this puts extra pressure on each one of them just prior to midterm exams.

    Director:Jim Drake
    Writers:Sara Jane Gould, Shelly Landau

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  5. The Facts of Life Season 1 Episode 5 - Overachieving
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #5 - Overachieving

    S1:E5

    Tootie's father comes for a visit and doesn't like the activities that Tootie is being exposed to. Believing that Mrs. Garrett is a bad influence, Mr. Ramsey decides to have Tootie transfer out of Eastland.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Jerry Mayer

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  6. The Facts of Life Season 1 Episode 6 - Emily Dickinson
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #6 - Emily Dickinson

    S1:E6

    Blair is so caught up with her latest boyfriend that she forgets about an English assignment in which she has to write a poem. So, at the last minute she plagiarizes a poem by Emily Dickinson and turns it in as her own. Things get worse when she's the only one who gets an A and Mr. Bradley enters her poem in a contest.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of The Facts of Life

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  7. The Facts of Life Season 1 Episode 7 - Dieting
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #7 - Dieting

    S1:E7

    Blair and Sue Ann kid each other about their weight and Sue Ann takes Blair's comments a little too seriously. However, when Blair sets Sue Ann up on a blind date which will involve going swimming, Sue Ann goes on a starvation diet leading to a collapse. Meanwhile, Mrs. Garrett also jumps on the dieting wagon, trying to fit in a size 12 dress.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Martin Ragaway

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  8. The Facts of Life Season 1 Episode 8 - The Facts of Love
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #8 - The Facts of Love

    S1:E8

    Mrs. Garrett begins teaching a sex-education class at Eastland and her tactics are against the more prudish suggestions of Mr. Bradley. Meanwhile, Blair takes the ideas from class and expirements with her latest boyfriend, Steve.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Jerry Mayer

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  9. The Facts of Life Season 1 Episode 9 - Flash Flood
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #9 - Flash Flood

    S1:E9

    A flood hits Peekskill which prompts Blair and Tootie to race out to the stables to save some animals from being washed away. However the damn breaks and Blair and Tootie become in danger of being washed away.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Jerry Mayer

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  10. The Facts of Life Season 1 Episode 10 - Adoption
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #10 - Adoption

    S1:E10

    Mr. Bradley gives the girls an assignment having to do with their family trees. However, Natalie is reluctant to show hers in class do to the fact that the family that raised her is her adopted family. This prompts Blair to help Natalie find the name of her real mother by using her mother's clout to cut through some red tape and sealed records.

    Director:Asaad Kelada
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. The Facts of Life Season 1 Episode 11 - Running
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #11 - Running

    S1:E11

    Mr. Bradley's need to have Eastland win prompts him to manipulate Sue Ann into competing in a running competition. Sue Ann had previously ran but this year decided not to, however, Mr. Bradley uses Cindy's better racing times to goad Sue Ann into competing.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. The Facts of Life Season 1 Episode 12 - Molly's Holiday
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #12 - Molly's Holiday

    S1:E12

    Molly is down in the dumps due to her parents getting a divorce. So she gets some help from the girls who plan to reunite her parents. Things hit the fan, when her father arrives with a new girlfriend.

    Director:Gary Shimokawa
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. The Facts of Life Season 1 Episode 13 - Dope
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #13 - Dope

    S1:E13

    Blair and Sue Ann befriend two new girls. All seems to go okay with them until they learn that their friends use drugs.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Jerry Mayer

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  14. The Facts of Life Season 2 Episode 1 - The New Girl (1)
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #14 - The New Girl (1)

    S2:E1

    Streetsmart Bronx native, Jo Polniaczeck arrives at Eastland.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Jerry Mayer

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  15. The Facts of Life Season 2 Episode 2 - The New Girl (2)
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #15 - The New Girl (2)

    S2:E2

    Mrs. Garrett bails the girls out of jail and announces that they all have been expelled from Eastland. However, they can stay if they move in with Mrs. Garrett and work in the cafeteria. This prompts Jo's want to leave to become even stronger.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. The Facts of Life Season 2 Episode 3 - Double Standard
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #16 - Double Standard

    S2:E3

    Blair is sure that an old friend of hers', Harrison Andrews is going to invite her to a cotillion, however she is thrown for a loop when he invites Jo.

    Director:Asaad Kelada
    Writer:Linda Marsh

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  17. The Facts of Life Season 2 Episode 4 - Who Am I?
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #17 - Who Am I?

    S2:E4

    Tootie begins to think long and hard about her race and how she's being treated at Eastland, thanks to a new boy whom Tootie took an interest in. Tootie soon begins to shun Natalie, Jo and Blair and even backs out of a dance contest because her dance partner is white.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Linda Marsh

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  18. The Facts of Life Season 2 Episode 5 - Cousin Geri
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #18 - Cousin Geri

    S2:E5

    When Blair's cousin, Geri, arrives for a visit, Mrs. Garrett, based on Blair's behavior, thinks she's embarrassed of Geri since she has cerebral palsy. However later Mrs. Garrett realizes she's really jealous of her since Geri is also a successful comedienne.

    Director:Asaad Kelada
    Writer:Unknown

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  19. The Facts of Life Season 2 Episode 6 - Shoplifting
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #19 - Shoplifting

    S2:E6

    It's Edna's birthday and the girls want to buy her a gift. Blair told them that she would buy the gift but Jo, Natalie, and Tootie decide to buy their own gift. They decide to buy a cool Hawaiian shirt for Mrs. Garrett because it's on sale. When they go to the store they find the sale has ended. Jo decided to steal the shirt. Later, Mrs. Garrett decides to return the shirt and discovers it was stolen.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  20. The Facts of Life Season 2 Episode 7 - Teenage Marriage (1)
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #20 - Teenage Marriage (1)

    S2:E7

    Jo's boyfriend, Eddie, surprises her by making a sudden visit to Peekskill, but she gets even more of a surprise when he proposes marriage.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Jerry Mayer

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  21. The Facts of Life Season 2 Episode 8 - Teenage Marriage (2)
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #21 - Teenage Marriage (2)

    S2:E8

    Jo is unsure of whether or not to accept Eddie's proposal but finally decides to go ahead with the wedding, despite the feelings of Mrs. Garrett, Blair, Natalie and Tootie.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Jerry Mayer

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  22. The Facts of Life Season 2 Episode 9 - Gossip
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #22 - Gossip

    S2:E9

    When Tootie overhears a secret that Blair tells Jo about Nancy's beau, she lets the secret slip and Nancy and Blair get into a fight which leads Blair to give Jo the silent treatment. Things get worse, when Tootie mistakes Mrs. Garrett for being drunk, when really her eyes had been dilated by her eye doctor prompting her to be a little topsy turvy. The rumor of Mrs. Garrett's drunken sprawl could cost her her job.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  23. The Facts of Life Season 2 Episode 10 - Breaking Point
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #23 - Breaking Point

    S2:E10

    Blair is running for class president but things get out of hand when one of the candidates commits suicide.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Linda Marsh

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  24. The Facts of Life Season 2 Episode 11 - Sex Symbol
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #24 - Sex Symbol

    S2:E11

    Natalie hits it off with Neil, a boy she meets at a dance and they later begin studying together. However, rumors are spread that Natalie and Neil did more than just study which brings on calls from a number of boys who want to study with Natalie. Natalie encourages these rumors when she goes out with the boys due to the fact that Blair, Jo and Tootie laughed at the notion that Natalie could be a sex symbol.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Linda Marsh

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  25. The Facts of Life Season 2 Episode 12 - The Secret
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #25 - The Secret

    S2:E12

    Shortly after winning an award, Jo learns that her jailbird father, is getting paroled and that he would like to attend the awards ceremony. However, an ashamed Jo, tries to keep her father from attending as well as tries to keep secret the fact that her dad is in prison.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Jerry Mayer

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Best Episodes Summary

"Rough Housing" is the best rated episode of "The Facts of Life". It scored 3.5/10 based on 4 votes. Directed by Nick Havinga and written by Brad Rider, Glenn Padnick, it aired on 8/24/1979. This episode scored 3.5 points higher than the second highest rated, "Like Mother, Like Daughter".