NBC axed Diff'rent Stroke due to low ratings. ABC then picked up the show for a few more months until the show was gone for good. Why exactly did they pick it up? Was it a last gasp to try to revive it? Was it due to fan reaction and pressure to keep it on?

I just noticed a similarity to Scrubs. It was on NBC for 7 years before going to ABC for its 8th and final season.
ABC felt asif they could revive DS.

Just as Taxi was picked up by NBC for its last season I believe...anyway...Diff'rent Strokes...."jumped the shark" when Drummond married Maggie and that awful kid was added to cuten it up ala, Robbie Rist (The Brady Bunch) & Ricky Segal (The Partridge Family), only problem lets face it "DIff'rent Strokes" was horrible when NBC dumped it, so ABC must have been pretty desperate to pick it up!

Just as Taxi was picked up by NBC for its last season I believe...anyway...Diff'rent Strokes...."jumped the shark" when Drummond married Maggie and that awful kid was added to cuten it up ala, Robbie Rist (The Brady Bunch) & Ricky Segal (The Partridge Family), only problem lets face it "DIff'rent Strokes" was horrible when NBC dumped it, so ABC must have been pretty desperate to pick it up!


The show was always watchable as long as gary coleman was on there, it just wasn't as strong as previous years

ABC picked it up so they could start a Friday comedy block. Joining such comedies as Benson and Webster. Mr. Belvedere was entering its first full season too after launching the previous season in mid-season.

Three's a Crowd was set to come back for a second season, but ABC went and picked up Diff'rent Strokes instead.

With this being the 1985-86 season, from what I recall, NBC was the top rated network. I think ABC figured they had nothing to lose by picking up a show that NBC cancelled in hopes it would give them some new viewers.

After all, why shouldn't NBC's loss be ABC's gain?

This was a good 5 or 6 years before ABC came up with its "TGIF" night of programming, so at this point, I'm sure they were desperate for any new viewers.

And you can tell that ABC attempted to make a go of it -- the updated the sets, the theme song, etc. They definately had hope riding on the series.

And you can tell that ABC attempted to make a go of it -- the updated the sets, the theme song, etc. They definately had hope riding on the series.

Well actually ABC kinda have no choice as far the the theme music and maybe the set according to IMDB,because NBC had the copyrights to the original theme and maybe the set.

Like on the NBC movie Willie Coleman went to ABC personally to get the show back on the air after a conversation with the folks at Tandem a deal was made and because of different rights and clearences the set and theme were changed even Arnold's bedroom was changed

There was suppose to be a 9th season but was cancelled during a rehersal for what was to be the premire

There was suppose to be a 9th season but was cancelled during a rehersal for what was to be the premire

Wow,that kinda explains the lackluster ABC finale.

Why was Dixie Carter replaced? Did she go on to other things (I don't really remember when Des. Women started) or did Tandem or ABC want a different person in the role?

Dixie left on her own. She was not comfortable in the Maggie role(and has stated this in interviews) so when "DW" came up, she accepted the chance to work with her old pals from "Filthy Rich".

She left to do another show before designing women

Wow,that kinda explains the lackluster ABC finale.

wonder what would happend if there was another season of diff rent strokes anyone know what would happend on the new season

She left to do another show before designing women


No, she didn't Sol. There was no other show. Maybe she didn't jump right into DW after leaving DS, but there was no other show.

Dixie's TV resume--1978, shortlived On Our Own, then Filthy Rich, then DS, then DW, then Family Law and recurring on Ladies' Man.

No, she didn't Sol. There was no other show. Maybe she didn't jump right into DW after leaving DS, but there was no other show.

Dixie's TV resume--1978, shortlived On Our Own, then Filthy Rich, then DS, then DW, then Family Law and recurring on Ladies' Man.



I will double check

Like on the NBC movie Willie Coleman went to ABC personally to get the show back on the air after a conversation with the folks at Tandem a deal was made and because of different rights and clearences the set and theme were changed even Arnold's bedroom was changed


Actually, neither NBC or ABC owned anything pertaining to the series. DS is an intellectual property owned by the producers of the series -- Tandem/Embassy (now Sony). And as such, Sony holds the copyright -- which includes the music rights, catch phrases, etc.

Both NBC and ABC only paid a licensing fee to air the show. Naturally there is always a certain amount of creative influence -- like veto power over cast choice, direction of storylines, etc. but that has nothing to do with ownership rights.

The updated theme song and redesigned sets for the ABC season had more to do with them wanting the show to appear to a bit different than it had on NBC. After all, why pick up and air a show that had the same look and feel it had on a rival network?

Another example of this type of network move occured when ABC dropped WONDER WOMAN and CBS picked it up. Executives at CBS and the show's producers came to a mutual agreement to make some changes so that it was slightly different. They updated the setting from the 1940's to the 1970's and also made slight modifications to WW's costume.

The only time a network has any ownership of a series is when said network produces the series -- either solely or in partnership with a production company.