About Diff'rent Strokes
Diff'rent Strokes is an American sitcom that originally aired on NBC from November 1978 to May 1985, then moved to ABC for a final season that ran into March 1986. The series centers on Phillip Drummond, a wealthy white widower living in a Park Avenue penthouse in Manhattan, who adopts two young Black brothers from Harlem, Arnold and Willis Jackson, after promising their late mother, his former housekeeper, that he would look after them. The premise placed the boys in an unfamiliar world of privilege, and much of the comedy grew out of the contrast between their upbringing and their new home.
Gary Coleman starred as the younger brother, Arnold, whose quick wit and incredulous catchphrase, 'Whatchu talkin bout, Willis?', became one of the most widely quoted lines in American television. Todd Bridges played the older, more streetwise Willis, and Conrad Bain played the patient, good-humored Mr. Drummond. Dana Plato appeared as Drummond's daughter, Kimberly, and Charlotte Rae played the housekeeper Mrs. Garrett during the early seasons before departing for the spin-off series The Facts of Life.
Beyond its comedy, the show became known for so-called 'very special episodes' that tackled serious subjects such as racism, drug use, and child safety, often closing on a more dramatic or instructive note than a typical sitcom. Diff'rent Strokes ran for eight seasons and 189 episodes, made Coleman a national celebrity, and remains a touchstone of late-1970s and 1980s network television.