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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S04E01 Growing Up
October 29 find the promo
Show synopsis
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.
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S04E02 First Day Blues
November 5 find the promo
Show synopsis
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.
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S04E03 The Model
November 12 find the promo
Show synopsis
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.
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S04E04 The Team
November 19 find the promo
Show synopsis
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.
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S04E05 The Big Heist
November 26 find the promo
Show synopsis
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.
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S04E06 Double Date (a.k.a.) Blind Date
December 3 find the promo
Show synopsis
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.
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S04E07 The Ski Weekend
December 10 · 30min find the promo
Show synopsis
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.""
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S04E08 Health Club
December 17 find the promo
Show synopsis
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.""
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S04E09 Burial Ground
January 7 find the promo
Show synopsis
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.
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S04E10 Hello, Daddy
January 14 find the promo
Show synopsis
Does Drummond have a third son, there's a young man at the door who claims he does and that he is.
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S04E11 Jilted
January 21 · 30min find the promo
Show synopsis
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.
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S04E12 Dreams
January 28 · 30min find the promo
Show synopsis
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.
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S04E13 Kathy
February 4 find the promo
Show synopsis
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.
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S04E14 Fire
February 11 find the promo
Show synopsis
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.
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S04E15 The Squatter
February 18 find the promo
Show synopsis
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.
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S04E16 The Car
February 25 find the promo
Show synopsis
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.
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S04E17 Crime Story (1) (a.k.a.) Crime in the Schools
March 11 find the promo
Show synopsis
Arnold and his friend Dudley are scared to death by two teenage bullies who pose the intimidating demand ""your lunch money or your life.""
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S04E18 Crime Story (2) (a.k.a.) Crime in the Schools
March 18 find the promo
Show synopsis
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.
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S04E19 B.M.O.C.
March 25 find the promo
Show synopsis
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.
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S04E20 Green Hair
April 1 find the promo
Show synopsis
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.
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S04E21 Have I Got a Girl for You
April 8 find the promo
Show synopsis
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.
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S04E22 Lifesavers
April 15 find the promo
Show synopsis
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.""
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S04E23 Stress? What Stress?
April 22 find the promo
Show synopsis
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.""
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S04E24 The Music Man
May 6 find the promo
Show synopsis
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.
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S04E25 Short But Sweet
May 13 find the promo
Show synopsis
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.
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S04E26 On Your Toes
May 20 find the promo
Show synopsis
A famed choreographer encourages Arnold to learn ballet, but his youthful dancing days could be numbered when Willis' taunting remarks convince Arnold to drop out of an upcoming recital.