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 daughter Kimberly, for whom their deceased mother previously worked. During the first season and first half of the second season, Charlotte Rae also starred as the Drummonds' housekeeper, Mrs. Garrett.
Where to watch
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Tubi TV
see all options Availability data: JustWatch
- Seasons
- 8
- Episodes aired
- 189
- Latest aired
- S08E19
- Total runtime
- 14h 19min
Timeline when each season aired
- Season 1 November 1978 – May 1979 24 episodes
- Season 2 September 1979 – March 1980 26 episodes
- Season 3 November 1980 – May 1981 22 episodes
- Season 4 October 1981 – May 1982 26 episodes
- Season 5 October 1982 – May 1983 24 episodes
- Season 6 October 1983 – May 1984 24 episodes
- Season 7 September 1984 – May 1985 24 episodes
- Season 8 September 1985 – March 1986 19 episodes
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S03E01 The Bank Job (1)
November 12 find the promo
Show synopsis
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.
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S03E02 The Bank Job (2)
November 12 find the promo
Show synopsis
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.
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S03E03 Small Claims Court
November 19 find the promo
Show synopsis
Arnold has his day in court when an unfortunate ""train"" of events puts him at odds with a less than understanding merchant.
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S03E04 Substitute Mother
November 26 find the promo
Show synopsis
Arnold falls head-over-heels for a temporary housekeeper and embarks on a romantic scheme he hopes will make her a permanent member of the Drummond household.
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S03E05 The Accident (1)
December 3 find the promo
Show synopsis
The festive family celebration of Drummond's 50th birthday suddenly becomes a disaster after a drunk driver puts Drummond in the hospital, unconscious, his life hanging in the balance, in the first episode of a special two-part story.
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S03E06 The Accident (2)
December 3 find the promo
Show synopsis
When Drummond finally comes to, he is suffering from amnesia and unless he can regain his memory, he may lose not only his business, but also custody of Arnold, Willis and Kimberly.
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S03E07 Little Mother
December 10 find the promo
Show synopsis
Kimberly's efforts to help a pregnant girl friend, have Willis and Arnold convinced the Kimberly's the one expecting.
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S03E08 Football Father
December 17 find the promo
Show synopsis
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.
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S03E09 First Love
December 31 find the promo
Show synopsis
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.
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S03E10 Count Your Blessings
January 7 find the promo
Show synopsis
Arnold tries a regimen of stretching exercises and a change of diet to speed his growth, but Drummond finds he must go to a very special source to get the boy to accept that he will never be tall.
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S03E11 The Loan
January 14 find the promo
Show synopsis
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.
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S03E12 Roots
January 21 find the promo
Show synopsis
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.
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S03E13 Junk Food Junkie (a.k.a.) Junk Food
January 28 find the promo
Show synopsis
Arnold's poor dental checkup and a visit by Drummond's health-conscious sister, Sophia, launches Drummond on a campaign to have ""junk"" food machines banned from Arnold's school, even though Arnold's drive for his class' presidency may depend on keeping the machines in place.
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S03E14 The Bus
February 4 find the promo
Show synopsis
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.
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S03E15 The Older Man
February 25 find the promo
Show synopsis
Through Blair's makeup artistry, 15-year-old Kimberly discovers she can pass for 20, but when she accepts a date with a 25-year-old and the passes start flying, she finds there may be more to being older than looking it.
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S03E16 Where There's Hope
March 4 find the promo
Show synopsis
Arnold's tenth birthday party means a lot to him, but for some reason it means a whole lot more to the one person he's determined won't be invited -- a pesky young lady who always tries just too hard to be friends.
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S03E17 The Magician (a.k.a.) It's Magic
March 11 find the promo
Show synopsis
Arnold's ""famous"" magic disappearing act, designed to impress a magazine reporter and special guest star Dallas Cowboys' defensive end Ed ""Too Tall"" Jones, leaves him dangerously high and dry, with no place to go but down -- about 30 stories.
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S03E18 Drummond's Fair Lady
March 18 find the promo
Show synopsis
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.
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S03E19 The Ancestors
March 25 find the promo
Show synopsis
Drummond and his sister Sophia inherit a prime piece of land in Harlem from a long lost ancestor, but their plan to dedicate it to a cultural center in his name could spell disaster if the truth of their ancestor's life gets out.
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S03E20 Almost American
April 1 find the promo
Show synopsis
Arnold's dejection at being grounded for a ""D"" on a history test turns to inspiration after an immigrant studying for naturalization introduces him to another perspective on America.
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S03E21 Room for One More
May 6 find the promo
Show synopsis
Dudley, fearing his foster father's lost job means he's headed back to the orphanage, cons Arnold into getting Drummond to consider adopting him into their family.
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S03E22 The Athlete
May 13 find the promo
Show synopsis
The coach of the city's top high school baseball team is after Willis and is prepared to do anything to make it possible for Willis to attend his school.