http://www.bonethefish.com/viewtopics.php?172

The Facts of Life is an American sitcom that originally ran on the NBC television network from August 24, 1979 to September 13, 1988. A spin-off of the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, the series' original premise focused on the character, Edna Garrett (Charlotte Rae), as she becomes housemother (and later, dietitian as well) to seven girls at the fictional Eastland School, a prestigious all-girls school in Peekskill, New York.

I don't think it ever boned the fish. I watched the complete series recently and was still invested in the characters through season 9. I think they ended it at the right time. Yeah, there were minor problems as the series progressed but it was still watchable despite them.

I thought the expression was "jumped the shark".

Hmm, in any case: Well, the inclusion of Pippa was pretty desparate. All sitcoms in need of a ratings boost (or supposedly in need of) do that, a fun, superfluous character for laughs.

I thought the expression was "jumped the shark".

Hmm, in any case: Well, the inclusion of Pippa was pretty desparate. All sitcoms in need of a ratings boost (or supposedly in need of) do that, a fun, superfluous character for laughs.
That is the expression, he stole the concept and is trying to make this happen

It was pretty good until the end. I thought it was getting tired in season 7 with the edition of George Clooney and "Over Our Heads." But the show got good again after Cloris joined the cast. You could tell by the last year though that it was time to end it. It should have had a great big finale instead of a 2 parter for a series that never happened.

After Jo and Blairs' graduation, that should have been the end! This show went on WAY too long!

After Jo and Blairs' graduation, that should have been the end! This show went on WAY too long!
If it ended when they graduated, then I never would have seen it filmed live in 1987.

Hmm, in any case: Well, the inclusion of Pippa was pretty desparate. All sitcoms in need of a ratings boost (or supposedly in need of) do that, a fun, superfluous character for laughs.
I agree, the addition of Pippa was a mistake. I couldn't stand that girl.

I agree, the addition of Pippa was a mistake. I couldn't stand that girl.
A Cousin Oliver move.

I thought the expression was "jumped the shark".

Hmm, in any case: Well, the inclusion of Pippa was pretty desparate. All sitcoms in need of a ratings boost (or supposedly in need of) do that, a fun, superfluous character for laughs.

That's how I felt about Cloris Leachman's character. Don't get me wrong, she was funny... But honestly the girls were all grown and everyone could have gone their separate ways at that point. I felt like that's how the series should have ended, Edna doing the peace corps thing, nat to college for journalism, tootie to acting school, Blair staying and maybe doing law school then and Jo could also stay and finish her degree.

That's how I felt about Cloris Leachman's character. Don't get me wrong, she was funny... But honestly the girls were all grown and everyone could have gone their separate ways at that point. I felt like that's how the series should have ended, Edna doing the peace corps thing, nat to college for journalism, tootie to acting school, Blair staying and maybe doing law school then and Jo could also stay and finish her degree.

How realistic is it that these 4 young women (who weren't even the best of friends), would continue to live together, for so long? The show should have ended when Jo and Blair graduated, or when Charlotte Rae left the show.

That's how I felt about Cloris Leachman's character. Don't get me wrong, she was funny... But honestly the girls were all grown and everyone could have gone their separate ways at that point. I felt like that's how the series should have ended, Edna doing the peace corps thing, nat to college for journalism, tootie to acting school, Blair staying and maybe doing law school then and Jo could also stay and finish her degree.
Yeah, I think 'Beverly Ann' was added as a sort of semi-superfluous character off of which the girls could bounce ideas and jokes, and provide a sense of accomplishment who hadn't succeeded in the way her sister Edna had. So they added plot devices as adopting Andy and others. The "older sister" character.

I thought the expression was "jumped the shark".

Hmm, in any case: Well, the inclusion of Pippa was pretty desparate. All sitcoms in need of a ratings boost (or supposedly in need of) do that, a fun, superfluous character for laughs.

We can thank TV Guide for "selling out" on the old Jump the Shark website and re-directing it to their site. Bone the Fish is a new term for it and it's meant to be a remake of the original site just with a new name.

I don't think the show ever "Boned the Fish" though the 9th season wasn't as good as the others. There were still some good episodes though even in that final season.

How realistic is it that these 4 young women (who weren't even the best of friends), would continue to live together, for so long? The show should have ended when Jo and Blair graduated, or when Charlotte Rae left the show.


I don't quite agree with you on that one: JO & BLAIR may have quarreled a lot but they always stuck to each other whenever one of them was in trouble. As for TOOTIE & NAT: those 2 were equally close and had the best sense of humour lol!:talk: which is why the 4 of them remained in the same roof for so long

A Cousin Oliver move.

Hmm...I thought that happened with Sean Astin's brother MacKenzie entering the series.

Whatever happened to MacKenzie Astin?

Hmm...I thought that happened with Sean Astin's brother MacKenzie entering the series.

Whatever happened to MacKenzie Astin?
That was, wasn't it? Which got even weirder when the series got two
Cousin Olivers in the last season.

I voted for "they all move in with Mrs. Garrett and work in her shop". Would Natalie and Tootie's parents really have allowed their underage daughters to move into a cramped attic space (four to a room) above a shop in downtown Peekskill? (Downtown Peekskill is run-down and economically depressed).

Even though their moving in together wasn't all that believable, the show remained fairly decent until the bakery burned down and they replaced it with that '80s kitsch store.

(Downtown Peekskill is run-down and economically depressed).
That's what I also heard.

And Blair probably was just thrilled to live there. :rolleyes: ;)

That's what I also heard.

And Blair probably was just thrilled to live there. :rolleyes: ;)

LOL! Maybe it was different in the '80s, but downtown Peekskill looks pretty unpleasant these days. I can't imagine trying to start an upscale bakery and catering service in that run-down neighborhood.

And convincing two sets of upper-class parents to let their underage daughters move in to that neighborhood? When they were living in an exclusive prep school? And when Mr. Ramsey is already a control freak?! No way!

This never would have happened.

https://web.archive.org/web/20070225141752/http://jumptheshark.com/


Other Thoughts:

Tooty got a breast reduction
Actually, when they started using the wheelchaired ******** cousin (Geri) in like 90 episodes.
Five of the girls disappeared in the second season. Are they living with Chuck Cunningham?
when the girls got their own rooms
WHEN MINDY COHN TOOK UP THE WHOLE SCREEN.
When George Clooney joined the cast
When Molly Ringwald left
When Blair on Facts of Life got fat and Tootie's breasts got bigger than her head.
Two words: CLORIS LEACHMAN!!!!!
When the term "Fats of Life" became appropriate for all the girls, not just Mindy Cohn.
When they (finally!) graduated and they all decided to stay living with each other. Didn't any of the girls want to get a place of her own??
The whole show became stupid when the girls ran the deli with Cloris Leachman and George Clooney.
when the girls moved into Mrs Garrett's...they lived upstarirs of a bakery...give the woman her space!!!!!!
There were some very funny post-Mrs. G episodes, but the girls could probably make it on their own; Cloris Leachman seemed alienated at times.
God, Tootie had some jugs.
Come on now, a boy on this show? (Well, I always wanted to...never mind that)
I was shocked and exasperated when the writers made Jo a heterosexual. Whose rotten idea was this anyway?
I don't mind a little meat on a woman's bones. Fat jokes notwithstanding, they set up Mindy Cohn as "the fat one," but as time wore on she no longer stood out from the crowd in that regard. She fit right in. When you center a story around young people being young, the show's lifespan is directly proportionate to the time it takes those kids to grow up.
Even though the show was never the same without Mrs. Garrett, there were some VERY funny episodes, such as the one in which Blair works at a Mexican Restaurant, the Twilight Zone parody, and the episode where Jo's hair turns blond and Blair's turns green.
It only got better with age. Cloris Leachman was funnier than Mrs Garrett any day (although I do love Mrs. G.) and by the final season all 4 of the girls looked great (especially Blair and Jo). All of the Eastland years are the unwatchable ones.
This show really never jumped. It was always fresh, funny, and creative. I enjoyed watching Blair, Jo, Tootie, and Natalie every week. It did almost leap over the shark when they all graduated from college and the writers still tried to make them stay together. The adding of Makenzie Austin, who played Andy, to the cast also kind of skipped over the shark a little. But even so, this show was pure entertainment. It was great and I hope that they do a reunion show soon.
This was well toward the end of it's final season, but they tried to do a spinoff about college roomie's co-starring David Spade Two words, Dave...Hair Cut.
I agree that the show was still amusing after Mrs. Garrett left, but somehow it just wasn't the same without her.
Facts of Life jumped the shark when George Clooney joined the cast, and jumped back when he left.
When Natalie and her scuzzy boyfriend Snake did the Serta samba.
Facts of Life always seemed fairly lighthearted to me, until one Saturday night, Blair got involved in modeling. She went to a shoot that she had explicitly been told to attend alone and -WHAMMO- the Bob Guccione-wannabe asks her to appear partially undressed for a few shots. Luckily, somehow Charlotte Rae shows up, letting millions of babysat pre-teens learn what kiddie porn is.
That thing with the Kiddie Porn: It was Tootie who was almost conned into posing nude, not Blair.
The Facts of Life SO jumped the shark when Pippa joined. Remember Pippa? She was the ridiculously annoying Australian gal. I think they brought her on to be a "street-wise" troublemaker like Jo started out being. But she was just an annoying brat. She said things like "back off you daggy headbanging veggie-brain". She kept talking in Australian cliches and she just sucked. This was constantly on the verge of jumping the shark (Natalie's near-rape, Andy joining the cast, Mrs. Garret leaving, calling their store "Over Our Head") but didn't finally do the deed until Pippa popped up.
When they mentioned it on The Simpsons and the possibility that Kim Fields is holding out for more money. Please don't start such disturbing rumors about one of my favorite shows.
Special Guest Star Jermanie Jackson!!! What? They couldn't get Tito?
When the girls all grew up and they introduced that little rat Andy Moffet. Too bad he didn't really die in the Twilight Zone take-off.
The episode where the Reagan propaganda corp ordered a "Just Say No" episode in which we learn that bongs are used to smoke marijuana. It went from a tolerable way to kill another half hour of your life to a complete waste of time.
The very existence of this show was its moment of Shark-jumping. In fact, a good case could be made that nothing so swiftly gives an imprimatur of sharkiness as an Alan Thicke theme song. It IS funny, however, to replace the words "Facts of Life" with "the crack ho' life in the song.
I think you are a sick man, whoever you are. The fact that Alan Thicke wrote the theme song (and that of the parent series Diff'rent Strokes) is why he doesn't deserve to die, even though everything else he touches is C.R.A.P. not this show.
This was one of my favorite shows of all time, never did it jump the shark. Well, maybe a catfish with Mrs. Garrett's departure and the addition of Andy to the cast, but that's it.
The show jumped the shark when Natalie was almost raped. Who in their right mind would touch her? And it fell into the sharks when she was the first girl to get laid before marriage setting off all these gasps among the girls.
Remember when Natalie ran for mayor of Peekskill, NY where the show took place? If she had been elected, the shark would have eaten enough to last him the two remaining seasons of this show. Thank god she lost to that crazy space lady.
I can't believe they made a movie out of this crap. Furthermore, I can't believe they based the movie on the Halloween episode! "Blair Witch" my ass!
screen actors guild strike, 1980... lisa whelchel, by her own admission, goes home to texas and gets fat on ice cream... show never recovers...
In the first season, it had Molly Ringwald as one of the students and it REALLY sharked when Molly's parents announced their divorce- and Molly warbled out a pseudo-folk tune on her guitar to console herself. ..and ( possibly due to a cue card and the director's urging), the studio audience APPLAUDED her like she was the next Joan Baez! ARGGH!! Oh, in that episode, it also had Mrs. G. and Molly guilt-trip the headmaster into CANCELING his Hawaiian vacation so he could stay at the school to CONSOLE Molly! Like she was the ONLY person to EVER have her parents split and EVERYONE else's lives had to screech to a grinding halt!
Sexy Lingerie!! or How about Stacy Q, one hit wonder with crimped hair.
In the early episodes (it may even have been the "Different Strokes" episode where the characters were introduced), Blair smokes and is purportedly promiscuous. When the show's format changed and focused on only four of the girls, Blair suddenly became this upright, uptight little woman who did neither. Can we say inconsistent?
I liked this show and thought it was maybe the one spinoff that wound-up being more successful than the show it spun off of. I even forgave the fact that they moved in with Mrs. G after graduation. Hey, it was a hit show, they had to find a way to keep it on the air, right? But, I think the show jumped for me, when Mrs. G left and that other lady replaced her. I think the show should have died right than and there. Also, the change from Jo from street-wise punk kid, to grown woman took some of the magic away as well. The tension between her and Blair was great, but it just went sour after that.
Left the boarding house and moved to the cafe.
I can't believe all the above people really liked this show so much. If anyone wants proof that Americans are idiots, "Whoomp! There it is." The only way this show could have stood a chance would have been if it had premiered a decade or so later, as a Spelling Production. Then all the characters would have been slutty little school girls, who liked to flash garter straps underneath their short, pleated uniform skirts. Instead of that mo-ron Miss Garret, they could have had Joan Collins or somebody like that for the housemistress. Then they could have had her spank that idiotic headmaster. If a show is going to be completely vacuous, at least have some gratuitous sex and violence.
I hated when George Clooney's character banged Tootie, knocked her up and ran out on her. Ol' Toot learned 'The Facts of life' the HARD way. Didn't she then sell the baby on the black market for 20 grand? Did anyone see that episode?
When the girls sang with El Debarge.
When Mrs. Garrett left and Cloris Leachman took over. Why? The girls had a reason to live together in high school, you can even make the case for college. But Blair definitely could have moved out, especially by the time Mrs. G. left and her sister came on.
When Natalie told everyone she was a Jew and everyone was shocked
Trying to make Geri Jewell into a star. Even Charlotte Rae hated her. Geri Jewell was thrown off of the set after she told Charlotte Rae to kiss her "crippled ass".
The character of Jo leaves, The creation of the "What's in store" store, George Clooney joins the cast, Natalie was goes from cute and sarcastic to bloody annoying, Mrs. Garrets hair gets bigger
Blair goes from being the cute rich kid to the fat rich kid.
The Facts of Life jumped from day one and continued to sink even further as one of the worst shows on TV. I remember The Facts of Life being on Saturday nights not Wednesday nights.
When Jo stopped wearing her pony-tail and jeans and got a perm and started wearing power suits.
When they moved from the school to open a store & lived above the store. I loved the show, I miss the old episodes, but the ones that the store, sucked.
This show jumped the shark when Edna Garrett was replaced by the dumb blonde and they moved the show away from the school and to the bakery...card shop...whatever else the shop changed to each week when they got bored.
The show started revving up its shark-jumping engine when the show's setting moved away from the high school and to Mrs. Garrett's gourmet shop. I was just becoming a teenager when this show started, and at the time, I absolutely loved it (Especially the years at Eastland.) Then, last year I had minor surgery that kept me out of work for a week. I was so looking forward to reliving my youth when I discovered the repeats were on some cable channel. Imagine my disappointment: I found the show utterly un-watchable, corny and laughable as an adult. I guess you had to be 13 to enjoy it. Luckily, though, I was able to catch the "drunk driving" episode with Tootie's brother. (BTW: I stopped watching the show its first time around when Blair finds out her med-school boyfriend is a Chippendale dancer !)
When they had Geri on there, it was just pathetic. She was special.
This is my favourite show of all-time but Pippa did totally suck. Me and my friend have an on-going joke...whenever one of us acts like a jerk we call that "being a Pippa". She ruined the show. I could even handle Cloris Leachman and George Clooney but Pippa took the cake. P.S-Facts of life needs to come back!
If hadn't already, this show definitely jumped with the Jermaine Jackson episode. Tootie makes that ridiculous papier mache (sp?) head of JJ, has a meltdown when she thinks she won't be able to go to the concert, and then when she finally gets back to his dressing room JJ's bodygaurds throw the stupid paper head into the bathtub.
when they moved into charollete's house, when cloris leachman came on, when clooney came on, when mackenzie astin came on the show - the show didn't jump the shark - for by that time the shark had already devoured it. the show jumped the shark, truly, when the girls all got as fat as mindy cohn. i guess instead of her losing weight to try to look hot, it all went reversed. i mean, it hurt to see blair fat - but she was still doable. but seeing jo fat was really kinda scary. dykes! oops, i mean yykes!
When Blair bought the Eastland School For Girls. First they go back and it has suddenly and mysteriously gone co-ed after a fabulous renovation that rivaled the Sistine Chapel job. Talk about biting off more than you can chew. That was the last episode that i ever saw. It would have made a good spin-off after nine years though. First there were a school full of girls, then there were just four. Together they got into every kind of trouble you could imagine. From the school grounds, to New York City, to the Outbacks of Austraila. Natelies Dad dies, Blair has a cousin with a disability (who knew?!), Tootie almost becomes a prostitute, and Jo get married. Let's not forget Mrs.G! This is a show that will never get the credit it deserves for all the issues it dealt with, especially in the 80's. I remember a girl committed suicide because her parents divorced. Nothing will ever beat out The Facts of Life!
If I had to pick a moment, I'd have to go with Clooney. That, or when they finally acknowledged that Mrs. Garrett was a reanimated corpse and booted her off the show.
They survived Andy, they survived George, they even might have survived Pippa (though I doubt it.) When Mrs. Garrett left, it just wasn't the same show. Does anyone besides me think seasons 2 and 3 really sucked? I thought it got much better when they moved into the store.
The show definately jumped when Blair went from being truly sexy and pretty to a fat girl wearing loose clothes and heels. The only reason a young red-blooded boy would ever watch it was Blair, but as she got fatter, she got to be a cliche of goody two shoes cliches (I commend her Christian beliefs, but don't force the stuff into the show--it's not fun.). What good is the tension between Jo and Blair if Blair is a porker and a boy would choose Blossum over her? Pul--eeze! By the time the producers stripped it of all shreds of credibility (Jo in suits, Mrs Garrett gone, the ******** girl) it had already jumped and sailed off into the horizon.
I just read a few comments that Pippa was annoying...I just wanted to bring to your attention that she was played by Sherrie Austin, who really is from Austrailia, and she actually is in Nashville writing songs...she has a deal with Arista and released two albums, and had a semi-hit last year with "NEver BEen Kissed" which was a huge hit on Country Music Television (CMT). She just wrote a song for ROnnie Milsap called "Time, Love and Money" which is just great. She's got some immense song-writing skills! Just thought people might like to know what she is up to...
Jo changes - no more toughgirl image. Screwed the whole show up.
When Edna's edibles burned down and then they turned it into "Over our Heads"
I went to Nick at Nites little site and they have a timeline for Facts of Life. What the hell are they talking about? It's- 1) Blair is fine. (Nobody knew about Molly yet). 2) Blair gets fat. 3) Blair is no longer fat. Except 3 might never happened.
Jumped when Mr Bradley left, and again when Jeri came on When Mr. Steven Bradley was unceremoniously axed. I just saw the episode where Eastland was in the midst of a flood, and he saved a horse, 2 rabbits, Tootie and Blair. The one part of that episode that doesn't make sense is when the gang is waiting for the National Guard to save them, and they hear a knock on the door, and hence, assume it's a Guardsmen. However, it turns out it is the horse --who has been tethered outside. How did the horse know how to knock on the door? It's also cool when Blair realizes that Mr. Bradley isn't just the Headmaster, he is 100% all-Man. I have to admit that I was jealous. I guess I lived vicariously through Mr. B.
I had a chance to watch the Nick at Nite marathon and I'd say that this show is one of the quintessential shark jumpers. You say that a show jumps the shark when it peaks. The Facts of Life definitely peaked when the girls graduated Eastland and then moved to the gourmet shop. There was something kind of lost after that. Although there were a few memorable (mostly infamous) episodes after the graduation, I'd say that it was a long, slow, almost painful ride to the final episode which looked like it was rushed together at the last minute (it doesn't even look like a show's final episode ... and it's very strange to watch). Before the graduation episode, the show had a few very good episodes (the kiddie-porn one and the prostitution ones both with Tootie, Natalie's near-rape, Blair with the ******** guy); after the graduation show, it just seemed to be about how they could all keep on living together after high school ... I mean, I think that Blair and Jo were about 25 by the time the show ended and by then there had been so many attempts to breathe new life into it, it was almost useless. Although I have to say that the El DeBarge episode stands out and is forever etched in my memory. But the graduation was definitely the zenith. After that, well, with regards to the shark, I quote Jaws: "We're gonna need a bigger boat."
The El Debarge episode. Blazers abound as our chubby chics compete for the honor of lipsincing the chorus of El Debarge's hit " You wear it well"
I may not get a lot of agreement on this one but I think it jumped after the first season when the producers decided to cut back from the eight or so characters to four central characters. It isn't so much the cut back, but the "elite" four they selected. What the hell went on in this production meeting? I can only picture the network brass saying "OK, lets drop the two cute blondes and the hot brunette (i guess we were never meant to meet Roger), but lets keep the fat ugly pig with the annoying voice and bad one liners." If there is a second jump it would have to be where Andy enters the girls in a singing contest and dubs them "Sexy Lingerie" to meet El Debarge. Mindy Cohn in sexy attire?????? ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. Almost as bad as the Stacey Q episodes.
Cloris Leachman? Give me a break! She's a man, baby....
Why such nastiness about Geri Jewell? I'd rather hear someone criticize her than call her inspirational granted, but at least they tried to feature people with disabilities on a sitcom, played by someone with a disability (who better to play the role?), which is something I haven't seen a lot of since then.
I kind of grew up with this program. I tripped over it as I/they were in high school, initially drawn by Blair's inviting hips and spiked heel boots. But it went through the slowest most gradual downhill I ever saw. I think the boy on the show was the last straw for me. Removing Mrs Garrett was a 'huh?' move and the change of set to the bakery was really nuts (how did i know the bakery'd burn down one day?). The scripts got really inane and repetitious--how many times can Jo and Blair fight before you yawn and change the channel? Then Blair became a porker of the first order--it was like seeing the girls in college who tried to dress up to hide the flab. Jo was not meant to wear suits, and she certainly was not meant to be in those stupid Valerie Bertinelli-ish 'young woman in peril' TV movies. Tootie became quite a dish for awhile and started to dress in an interesting way sometimes (boing!). But then she became porky and it wasn't even fun to watch with the volume off.
So the show is already close to jumping the shark as it is... Beverly Ann is lame, the newly added Andy is a dud -- then they get this god-awful brainchild to add Pippa. Like we really need some Australian chick to run around and add diversity to the show. What purpose did she serve? And why the hell would the girls allow some common thief to live in their house? Remember, when she first started on the show, she was some Australian thief who was lying to them in order to steal stuff. You know what was cool, though? When they tried to talk NBC into doing another season, and the premise was that Blaire was going to run Eastland as a co-ed school? That would've been the bomb-diggity. It could've been funny. At least Pippa wouldn't be around.
When the girls sang with El Debarge it was over for all five of them. But dang Tootie had some rack!!
I loved the Facts of Life and my favorite seasons were #3 and #5. This show actually improved when they dumped four of the original girls from the first year. The addition of Jo in 1980 was a wise move because the tension between her and Blair was one of the most entertaining aspects of this series. During Season 4 the stories were not as funny and memorable as they had been but they managed to bounce back even when they changed locale and opened Edna's Edibles in Season 5. I'd have to say Season 7 was the beginning of the end. The season debuted with a new, hipper version of the familiar theme song but the most irritating aspect of this season was the background music that accompanied the scene changes and the fake laughter that was used on so many of the insipid sitcoms of this time (Alf, Who's the Boss, Growing Pains, etc.) During the early years, the audience laughter and applause was spontaneous and realistic (like All in the Family and Maude) and this change hurt the show, but it was probably necessary since there weren't many good laughs in the scripts. The cast began to stray from their original interpretations of the characters. All of these changes were for the worse and ironically its the last couple seasons that look the most dated now, even though they were hip and contemporary in the mid-80's when they originally aired. All the fantasy and dream sequences during the last few years were also a clue that the writers were running out of ideas. I think the Facts of Life should have stopped after six years. If they could have compressed the best scripts of the last three years into one it would be ended up a much better show. Having said all this, I really am a fan of FOL and am glad Nick at Nite has decided to show it again.
I loved watching this show growing up. I think I've seen pretty much every episode (should I admit that?). There were funny episodes throughout the years, be they set at Eastland, Edna's Edibles or Over Our Heads. (I think the change the show underwent after the first season was the best thing that could have happened. I mean, the show had something like 10 girls and there wasn't really any conflict. Adding Jo and focusing on just four girls saved the show.) Being more tolerant of other viewers, I could even forgive the addition of Pippa to the cast, and even horrible thoughts of the David Spade/Natalie in Soho and "Blair runs Eastland" spinoffs. I could even forgive that there was never a real "goodbye" episode. However, all these years later, I hear that someone has one of Blair's "brilliant ideas" to do a reunion show. And since they can't get Nancy McKeon to do it, they want to kill off Jo and make her funeral the setting of the reunion! I mean, why doesn't someone do a "Cosby Show" reunion set at Cliff's funeral? Or a "Family Ties" reunion set in the wake of Alex's suicide? HORRIBLE idea. If they can't get all four girls, then forget it! Leave us with our childhood memories of this show intact!
It never jumped the shark!! I LOVE this show and it is the best and i watch it every day on Nick At Nite on the marathon.!! Who cannot love Tootie and Blair?
About the time the girls started menopause. I have a theory about this show (and Benson and a couple of other shows) that the network forgot to cancel it. Then one day, some suit was paging through TV Guide and sees it on the listing and says, "Didn't we cancel that five years ago? Edna, get me programming!"
When Brian Robbins guest starred, and had a crush on Natalie. WTF?!?!?! The show lost all validity and credibility at that point. Couldn't they have gotten Dan Schneider?
I tuned in to this "show" the very night it originally premiered, on August 24, 1979. I figured it would probably be a good show, so I decided to give it a chance. Well, this show was so bad that it made me sick about 15 minutes into seeing it. Literally sick. I won't go into details about that because I don't want to gross anyone out. That's how the date of it's premiere has stuck in my mind all these years. Never watched another episode of that piece of junk since then. I thought that this show would lead to NBC's downfall, because they were struggling something fierce back then to try to get decent shows on that network. I figured the show would be dead before 1980, or even after that episode. Well, there must've been alot of fans out there, or NBC just shoved it down everyone's throats, because that thing lasted for 9 more years. But, that's what the network execs at NBC are known for. Keeping slop like this show on the air for a long run, & taking a superb show like freaks & geeks and dropping it after 6 months or so. Although, I will admit, Seinfeld was a great show.
This show totally jumped when Mrs. Garrett left! There was just no show without her wisdom...
The Facts of Life is one of my very favorite shows!!! To whoever said he/she was disappointed that Jo was heterosexual: Whoever said she was anything else BUT heterosexual??????? She was ALWAYS interested in boys!! Don't you remember the sailor named Eddie who she planned to marry?????????? They even eloped from Eastland and were planning on marrying when Mrs. Garrett and Blair caught up with them and talked them out of it!! So, I repeat: whatever in this world gave you the idea that they were even thinking of making the character Jo gay?????????????????????
What was that under Mrs. Garrett's dress where her butt should have been? A watermelon?
I just want to say Nick at Nite blows right now. Who wants to see The Facts of Life 3, 4 times a night? Couldn't they afford any QUALITY shows? And Three's Company-- who the hell are they kidding? That show was always crap, and it's worse 20 years later. But back to FOL-- it had danced with the shark forever, but when those girls got huge and Charlotte Rae left, it JTS all the way into the next millennium. Which is where we are now, and it still sucks.
Edna's Edibles and Co. should have closed up and gone away with dignity. Adding Andy, Pippa, Cloris, and changing the store were pathetic attempts at keeping the show alive!
When all of the girls grew HUGE breasts while still acting like they were 12.
One quick facts of life fact, Juliette Lewis was in one of the last facts of life episodes after blair bought eastland. She played a troubled kid who wanted to leave, and blair made it all better. Surprise, Surprise, Surprise. However, To me the facts of life jumped when in 12 minutes tootie almost gets lured into a life of prostitution.
When Charlotte Rae (Mrs. G) left and that awful (to say the least) Cloris Leachman (Nurse Deisel) entered the scene. It almost jumped when Edna's Edibles caught on fire. But it regained it's self.
This show was always weird, what with Mrs. Garrett on Prozac and her head always wobbling around. Every show seemed to center around food -- no wonder they were so fat.
When Charlotte Rae left, I know it's cuz on the show Mrs. G felt as if she wasn't that helpful to her former fab four of Eastland girls anymore, but when it was just when Charlotte Rae decided to leave - THAT SIGNIFIED THE END of the SHOW!! It all just went downhill from there!
Thank goodness Kim Fields acting has improved in recent years (Living Single). Although none of the people on Facts of Life was anywhere near a high caliber actress, Kim had to be the worst. Always overacting and always smiling so wide (while talking I might add) that there was a very good chance of being blinded by those braces.
The Facts of Life jumped the shark when my friend referred to it as the Fats of Life. Blair used to be hot for goodness sakes.
Tootie said that "Tootie" was her real name but then admits to being Dorothy Ramsey.
First of all EDNA'S EDIBLES! PLEASE! Also I just love when shows make big casting changes and do not acknowledge them, what the hell happened to the other, what, 7 girls, from the house the first season?? I did manage to love the show for awhile, but the men in the house, Pipa, and the "gift" shop or whatever the hell it was...awful. Also they made it seem like they went to school so far away from NYC, you'd think Peekskill was next to Buffalo!!!
I luv FOL, i've watched it since it came on nick at nite, but i was watching the show two nights ago.. yup, that's when there's a new season (which, might i add, is kinda crappy!) and suddenly we have edna's edibles burned down and suddenly we have over their heads, which is just a prelude to the dum de dum... shark attack.
This show jumped when they all decided to stay together. It just didnt make any sense. Then they had to start adding all those bizarre characters like mackenzie astin and george clooney and . . ugh . . . pippa to keep things going. Although I have to say, this show went all over the map for the time it was on, which is a good thing. There was always . . . stuff happening, even when it was stupid. Like a revolving door for characters, moving from place to place, all the stuff with the million different stores they had, the fire, the flood, the trip to australia . . . it was a pretty busy show. Oh yea, and when the show succumbed utterly to 80s pop culture in a way no other show did. I think that was signaled by the decor of the one store they had, with all the pink flamingos and turquoise blue and purple neon.
After watching the shows again on the Nick at Night marathon, it most definitely jumped after Blair and Jo graduated from Eastland. Its like they ran out of story ideas and threw in a bunch of uninteresting new characters and scenarios and hoped no one would notice. It's painful to watch the last season or two, especially when the show morphed into "The FATS of Life." Though, watching the first few seasons again after all these years, there were some pretty awful moments there as well (Tootie almost becomes a hooker, Blair dates a ******** boy, Jo has a friend at military school, untalented Natalie and untalented Tootie try out for the school play, Tootie loves Jermaine Jackson, Blair's grandfather is in the KKK, etc.). Oh yeah, and then there was the episode where Jo finally decides to come out and becomes president of the Eastland chapter of GLAD.
The initial show was nice,but after Jo joined the cast it improved vastly. The idea of the girls at school under one mother-figure was a nice change-and there were so many poigniant,meaningful,relevant and realisitc shows-not surprising in that some of the writers had gone to Facts of Life from One Day At A Time. The graduation of Jo and Blair from High school might have been a move twoards shark-jumping,but the next season-the first Edna's Eddibles year-the show maintained quality,and even into the nest season...but by the end of that season,the girls were starting to show their age,the idea was being stretched out-and although I saw it regularly after the new shop was built-and even after Cloris Leachman joined-I went cold turkey on the series after Blair and Jo graduated college. This series lasted,IMHO,at least three years too long.
How much do they really want us to believe that ALL of THAT happens to a bunch of Well-to-do girls in a boarding school.... Do we really think Blair's father would have her cleaning dishes?
It started on a downhill slide when Ms. Garrett left the show, although there were still some good episodes. But it jumped when they brought on that annoying little Pippa. Every time she opened her mouth I just wanted to grab her by her frizzy hair and choke her!
Mrs G was cool, Cloris Leachman was much better with Mary, those hip chicks from Peekskill were to savvy for Phyllis from Minneapolis.....
This show jumped when they opened the asinine In Over Our Heads store, chock full of essential 80's schlock like inflatable palm trees, neon pictures, and everything in pastel blue and pink. Wonderful. I do admit that I loved Blair during the shows early years. She always wore these stunning boots that made me drool. But I digress, as she was reduced to a tacky 80's shag cut and overblown shoulderpads...Mindy Cohn was a cow. Nancy McKeon was a lesbian and didn't know it. Tootie needed a muzzle. Edna Garrett lost her mind. Sandy Duncan lost her eye. George Clooney lost a plumb acting gig.
It jumped when the show dumped Ms. G and got Beverly Ann, George, Andy and Pippa. I loved it when they dumped the girls from season 1 and 2 and just had the four in the store. I liked the fire show because it was time to update the show but then they went and opened Over Our Heads and it got bad again. Who lives in a small college town and wants to buy a frog lamp or blow up penguins ? The girls needed money (maybe not all of them) so they should have opened a store that featured stuff people need. And did they plan to spin off Facts of Life from the last 2 shows ? I watched the series finale on Nick at Night (and USA a few years back) and saw where Blaire became dean of the school and they had a bunch of new girls (and new boys). I saw the girl who played Blossom (and some more kid stars) on the show and wondered if they was going to spin off Blaire and the new kids at school as a show.
The show went downhill when the girls grew up and the show had to be changed to accomodate their new lives and the absence of some of the actors. No one could ever fill Mrs. Garrett's shoes. The girls would have been better off living in an apartment alone. However, the REAL story to me will always be about a group of unlikely friends who live together at boarding school. So much for college. Oh, and whoever measures the worth of this show by the actresses' bust and waist measurements can pat themselves on their bony shoulders for contributing to today's mentality that says all actresses must be anorexic waifs whose largest collections of fat are actually two silicone bags.
The show never really jumped the shark, if it did, it's when that psycho Cloris Leachman came in to replace Mrs. G. Beverly Ann was the most annoying character ever. Oh, and dont get me started on that Pippa girl. Everyone else didnt bug me at all, even though Tootie was hard to watch some times. The Eastland years were great, and the Edna's Edibles era was okay, but Over Our Heads, ugh.
Probably when Mrs. Garrett played by Charlotte Rae left and was replaced by her sister Beverly Ann played by Cloris Leachman. Both actress are veterans of the stage and screen, Cloris Leachman played Phyllis to annoying perfection on the Mary Tyler Moore Show. Yes warning signs were afoot when they changed locations to the bakery store, still the show forged valiantly ahead and this really sealed the shark descending.
The show jumped the shark after the first season when Jo Polniacheck arrived and they cut the cast to only four girls! i LOVED nancy and molly and sue ann. i loved that the show was set in the dorm. Jo was annoying at best and ruined the show.
When Pippa joined the cast, this show definitely jumped the shark. It may have jumped sooner, but I'll give TFOL the benefit of the doubt for once. Pippa was gratingly annoying and a completely ridiculous Australian stereotype. And I don't give two piles of monkey crap that she really was from Australia and that she now writes country songs. That just makes what she did even worse.
When the gang collectively exceeded a ton in body weight.
An odd show in that it started out as a mess (too many characters to keep track of in the early days), turned into a really great show (once they added Jo and pared the girls own to the four) and then just melted away into a jumbled mess. It jumped for good when Edna's Edibles burned down and she became partners with the girls in Over Our Heads. That opened the door and it went downhill from there. Charlotte Rae left, Andy was added, George Clooney came and went, the horribly out-of-place Cloris Leachman came in, Pippa came... Really, the show just went on too long and the writers ran out of ideas so quickly, they made desperate changes almost every week. It's horrible when bad things happen to decent shows, isn't it?
When Mrs.G Left she was the best. From the last episode Mrs.G was on new characters were added and it got stupid. But The show is on Nick At nite check youir local tv guide to find out more! I liked them best in the first season and I hated molly ringwald I mean talk abuot ANNOYIN!
ok, i love the show, but, I MISS MRS. GARRETT! cloris whatsherface, isn't that bad, but mrs. g will always have a place in my heart. also, when tutti got an 80's poofy hairstyle. i liked the cool little bowl cut thing much better. oh,and where the heck did andy come from and how did natalie almost get raped?
This show went right over the shark when Edna's Edibles burned in an "electrical fire". The girls came back from summer vacation to find the place gutted. It just got worse when they opened "over Our Heads".
Um i don't really think it jumped the shark at this point but um....... BY F'N GOD DID TOOTIE HAVE SOME GREAT BREASTS!! I was watching Fact's of Life the other night on Nick at Nite, and Man she was showing some major cleavage!! Bang Bang!!!
Nancy Mckeon was only 22 when the last show of Facts of Life was taped.... a correction to the above posted complaint: "I mean, I think that Blair and Jo were about 25 by the time the show ended". This complaint implies that the 2 actresses were too old for their parts -- when actually Nancy's character would have graduated from college at the early age of 20 or 21.
It never did jump the shark although I cried when Mrs.G left but her sister was good too. How dare people say it was when they added George and Makenzie those 2 made the show awesome and Makenzie made it great with his spunky pesonality. And dont even let people make fun of Mindy ( Natalie ) she was so funny and i would never call her fat and i would like to meet the cast members and im sure they would be really nice. I love that show and they should definitly make a reunion episode or tv movie because i would be the first one in line for it 4 sure
I grew up with this show, and like many, are seeing it again for the first time as an adult on Nick at Nite. First off, Nancy McKeon used to be my idol as a young girl. The Hell? I dunno what I was thinking. I shoulda known she was bad news the second she stole Michael J. Fox from me. Secondly, I find the whole premise that all of these girls were virgins until Natalie lost her virginity hard to believe. There's a lot to be said of waiting for the right guy or until marriage - far be it from me to judge. But for some reason, I just find the idea of these 4 college age women never doing it hard to swallow. Besides, we've all know girls like Jo, and how many of them are virgins?
This show definitely jumped the shark when Edna Garrett was replaced by whatever her name was - Cloris Leachman. It totally sucked then. Also, has anybody seen The Facts of Life Down Under....sheesh.....once the girls got older and started working in that stupid little gift store......it was over....and it jumped again when Cloris Leachman joined....and it jumped AGAIN when they moved the show to take place in Australia.....and the show kind of sucked at the point when they were older and had those GOD-AWFUL 80s hairdos....uck......but before all that...it was a WONDERFUL show.
I think that when Mrs. G left and was replaced by Beverly Ann, the show started slowly slipping into oblivion. There were some funny shows in the Cloris days but this is when they started coming up with the stupid shows like the Twilight Zone episode and the show where Fabian and the other teen idol were on. George Clooney and Andy added nothing to the character at all either. I grew up watching this show and it will always be my favorite all time show but they did make mistakes. And, hey, when did Blair start getting fat? I never noticed it!
Did anyone notice that during the transition period of Edna leaving Eastland to open up Edna's Edibles, that Mr. Parker pretty much turned into biggest ******* on the planet? He was completely insensitive, egotistical, and uncaring. His personality wasn't exactly like that (at least to that extreme) in the previous season(s), so it's pretty obvious that the writers basically turned him into a villainous cartoon character in order to justify Edna leaving her position as the school's dietician. How lame. I think one of my ear drums popped after listening to Edna's whining when Mr. Parker made one of his unreasonable requests. Just the thought of Mrs. G screeching "BUT MR. PAARRRKKEERRR!", makes me ill.
This was indeed a brilliant show and remains to this day my favourite sitcom. Though corny yes, the feel of the show was something that others can only hope to accomplish. You could see a little bit of yourself in each one of the girls. The smartest thing the powers-that-be could have done was to do away with Sue Ann, Nancy, Cindy, and Molly after season one. Bringing Jo on gave focus to the show, and conflict. The basis of all stories is conflict. I think The Facts of Life was quite enjoyable right up until the end. Though it morphed through the years and new characters were added (I didn't enjoy Pippa either, but it could have been worse), it was quite watchable through the last season. One of the things I enjoyed most was watching the girls grow up. I think the fat jokes and style jokes can be put aside, as I'm sure all of you were beautiful and model-like and looked simply fabulous during the 80s.
The show did what it was supposed to do. Entertain young teenage girls. It never pretended to be Shakespearean. It was on the air for 9 years and even though it's ratings were on the decline it was still winning it's time slot when it was cancelled.
You cannot ignore the whole fashion genre that went on in the span of this show! I don't like it too much but sometimes I'll stay tuned just to see what horrific fashion statement will be had. It started with the rollerskating, cords tucked in knee socks, rainbow suspenders, long hair to the ruffly blouses, super straight legged designer jeans of the 80's and the Flock of Seagulls imitation hairdo!
This show was really good until they all started wearing makeup and shoulderpads. Jo was suppose to be a tomboy and then she grew up to look like a hooker? This is just not right.
Mrs. G moved to africa, and who knows what happened to the other girls of the '79 cast.
I'd definitely vote for Beverly Ann but I remembered being particularly jarred by Jo's pizza-making episode. I have no idea why, but I think it opened a season and I knew the writers had run out of material.
The addition of Andy signalled the downward spiral, with Pippa being the final nail in the coffin. I must say that I am really disturbed at the people who refer to the girls' fluctuating weights. People gain weight, people lose weight. Some people are fat, some are thin. Get over and stop being so damned shallow.
Facts Of Life NEVER jumped! Are you kidding me? Everyone keeps saying how tomboyish Jo was. Well Jo was the first one to (almost) get married in the first season she appeared in. And when Blair's friend "accidentally" left her baby with the girls, Jo was pretty mother like towards the baby (next to Mrs G. of course) So beneath that gruff exterior there IS a soft heart.
FOL is a classic, with a timeless message. However, it DID indeed jump in 1985, with the addition of Andy. Now, I love FOL and the cast, but the character of Andy DOES NOT WORK, and no amount of his little "oh i'm so cool i'm the womanizer everyone worship me" act is going to make me like him any better. Now, the show was retooled in 1980 to concentrate on a smaller group, so why did they have to add obnoxious characters like Andy? Oh, and don't even get me started on Pippa.
I love the Facts of Life, but there's one problem with it. Mrs. Garrett left back in '86 to get married again (actually, I think Charlotte Rae thought the girls didn't need a motherly character now that Tootie and Natalie were out of high school and Blair and Jo were out of college) and in comes Mrs. G's sister - Beverly Ann. Totally not Mrs. Garrett. Totally not in place with Facts of Life. Too bad the show only lasted another two years - but it might've been because of a new, definitely not in place, character!
FOL is an American classic. However, it was a show that jumped when Andy arrived. People have to understand that the character of Andy DOES NOT WORK, and no amount of his "oh i'm so cool i'm a womanizer everyone worship me" shtick is going to make me like him any better. Oh, and don't even get me started on Pippa. This show was retooled in 1980 because they focused on too many people, then they add on all these new characters that didn't need to be there? ::SHARK ALERT SHARK ALERT:
I don't think the show ever jumped the shark (it got close when Mrs. G left the show and Beverly Ann replaced her) I pretty much grew up on that show and I was soo glad when I found out that it was airing on Nick at Nite. I didn't like the first season much, because I saw it after seeing the last three or four seasons and the show just wasn't right without Jo around. I keep reading about how people thought the girls got fat, and I think the only one that really got fat was Blair. It almost jumped the shark again when Pippa joined the cast. I was thrilled when Jo got married, and to a nice guy like Rick! Rick and Jo 4eva! I think that if you can't get past the show's low points, you're not really a fan.
This show Jumped during the casting of it. It should be called "FATSO LIFE." I'm sorry.
Those girls were fat as hell! WHat was the casting director thinking? Mindy Cohn was a pig, Lisa Whelchel a cow, Kim Fields a manatee (with giant knockers) and Nancy McKeon a whale. They should have named it "The Beasts Of Life". When Geri the "sidewinder" joined it made me gag!
When Natalie finally got some Snake. I am still maladjusted to this day because of that. They built this episode up for weeks, months, seems like years saying it was a very special "Facts" and that it contained mature subject matter. I think they had to promote it for so long so people would actually believe that seat smasher was finally desireable to someone. Snake must have just got back from shore leave and didnt realize Mrs Garrett would have been a better catch. When you resort to Natalie getting boinked, you know the end is near.
When Arnold and Mr. Drummond from Diff'rent Strokes payed a visit to the girls at their dorm on the show.
Many people don't know this, but to boost the ratings of the show, producers were forced to have Natalie have cosmetic surgery to closely resemble famous football coach, John Madden. Producers thought that any resemblance would draw more male viewers to the show, thus clenching that time slot. FYI, this was actually the producers second attempt at this, there was a complete failure on Tootie's augmentation to look more like John Amos.
After season one when they narrowed down to 4 girls living above the cafeteria instead of a true girls prep school
This is to the A##hole in comment 2 it is not funny to make funny of people with disabilities i myself am disabled and for your info jerk she had Cerebral palsy not retardation your the ****** pea brain! All in all a great show never jumped never will.
When Mrs. G bought the gourmet shop and the girls moved it. This was much better as a show about some girls living away from home at boarding school. When Jo and Blair graduated, they should have booted them out and rotated in some younger girls, and kept the show about the school. A rotating cast might have kept the show better longer.
I noticed several people saying Natalie was first to "do it". I remember that episode, and when Blair and especially Jo told her to be careful, I felt they were speaking from experience. Remember, Jo had previously dated that very cute professor and was going to marry him -- I hardly think she was still a virgin. I don't think the show implied that she was, either.
Can someone please explain the gargantuan orange- lacquered atrocity on Mrs. Garrett's head? Just what is she smuggling into Eastland underneath that 'do? Even when they showed her at bedtime in a nightgown, her hair would be down, but just the back. She still had that beehive high as ever 24 hours a day. Seriously, the day the show jumped was when Jo and Blair started going to college.
The Facts of Life never jumped the shark. I enjoyed every episode up to the end. I hope that Nancy McKeon considers changing her mind about the Facts of Life reunion and makes an appearance. Killing off Jo would be wrong. The theme song got an upbeat version in the 7th season (1985-1986), which made me a little upset, but I still watched the show.
Too many jumps to name. They were so desperate towards the end. I personally hated when they moved. The move to the Catskills, or wherever, was it. The store was so depressing and the lack of youth... what was their demographic. Then they added other characters that now I acknowledge as George Clooney and the son of Patty Duke Astin, but at the time I hated them. But mainly it was the move that made me stop. I stopped long before Natalie lost IT.
Is it just me or did the addition of Andy seem to throw the show's focus -that of four GIRLS grow up- off kilter?
When "Edna's Edibles" burned down and they opened up the new store "Over Our Heads" and sold a lot of crap. This started a downward spiral that led to George Clooney joining the cast, a guest appearances by El Debarge, Cloris Leachman, "Pippa", that ridiculous David Spade spinoff and a whole lot of other stuff. The shop burning down really was a turning point.
In the beginning of Facts of Life they had nine girls, a headmistress, and a headmaster. After the first season the producers realized how badly the show was doing in the ratings, and that most of it had to do w/ all the redundant girls. They had two stuck-up bitches, one tomboy, two whores (blair was one), two sarcastic whiners (Natalie was one), and two little girls who were just there to be bubbly and cute. (Tootie and the girl from Sixteen Candles) They took out six girls, which left a snobbish, bitchy whore (Blair), a sarcastic whiner (Natalie), and a bubbly little twit (Tootie). They needed a tough girl, so they added Jo as the troubled tomboy. This was good. Now stories could actually have a focus, rather than jump from character to character w/out closure for anyone. The trouble began as Natalie lost weight after her breast reduction, while Blair gained weight, and then she made the producers change her character to suit her Christian beliefs. Tootie lost her cuteness, and gained a sexy shape, but the producers kept shoving her into the cutesy role, which she had outgrown. Her clothes made her look fat, not kid-like. Jo, oh, Jo, without the perm, she was the most attractive by the end. Natalie got heavy again, had sex, almost got raped, but still, the way she was dressed and the way she was portrayed with the writing and story setup, she stopped being the sarcastic girl, and juist became a whinny, tubby, whore. Blair wasn't Blair anymore. And the introduction of Andy, George, Cloris Bleachman (look at her hair) and that Australian dingo-bimbo, was just so wrong. It went back to the beginning, when there were two many characters for the storylines. Oh, and Cloris Bleachman was unnecessary, the girls should have been given the house, and told to run the bakery. It would have made more sense why they stayed together after Mrs. G left.
I grew up with this show, and was roughly the same age as the Jo and Blair characters. I remember the episode when Natalie was dressed like a hobo or something, and was almost raped or molested. That was when the fin protruded from the water for me. Why can't comedies in America *just be funny* and lay off the freakin' "very special episode" crappola?
I must say I don't know whether to be shocked or encouraged by the unrestrained hostility toward Geri Jewell. On the one hand, speaking as a person with CP myself, it's refreshing not to see the nauseating, oh-so-politically-correct, platitudes normally directed toward people like Jewell--how "inspirational" and "courageous" she is and the like. Ecch! On the other, I don't see the need to go the other extreme and treat her as if she were the Antichrist! The posts about Jewell being unlikeable I find very, very hard to believe--since no one outside this site has ever mentioned her in a negative light, I have to wonder where the poster got his/her information. As for her reportedly saying, "Kiss my crippled a**!" all I can say is, you go girl! Where is it written that just because a person is disabled they have to be so much nicer than the people around them? We're expected to be passive, smiling, childlike little doormats--if the above story is true, I applaud Geri for standing up for herself, regardless of the reason! It may surprise you to learn that we CP's have the same character defects the rest of you do, and do occasionally have the urge to tell folks to f--- off. Frankly, a lot of you "normals" need to be told that from time to time. What none of the posters here realize is that Norman Lear did a very daring thing by casting Geri Jewell. Disabled people until the eighties were the "invisible minority"--gimps were meant to be seen in telethons and institutions, not out in (gasp) public!! Disabled characters, if used at all, were invariably played by an able-bodied actor. (Imagine Tootie being played by a white girl in blackface and you realize how idiotic that is.) Granted, most of the shows featuring Geri were heavy-handed and maudlin, but that's not her fault. All the more reason to hire gimp writers, people. Adding Geri didn't make this show jump the shark. She was the best thing to happen to it, and I quit watching when she LEFT.
Check out the episodes where Eastland goes co-ed and Blair is in charge. The lead smart-ass punk is played by a very YOUNG Seth Green (Scott Evil).
Once Natalie and Tootie got older, the show started to slide. The problem was that it was a slow death. It was smart of the producers to pare the cast down after the first season. BTW, the first seaon had an anti-drug theme in an episode which was when Jimmy Carter was President. I just thought whoever complained about "The Reagan Just Say No" episode might want to know this.
The show used to be really good until Andy, Pippa, George and Beverly Ann joined. When Ms. Garrett left it should have been cancelled, she was the heart of the show. And Jo was such a lesbian. I remember thinking that when I was a kid and she first came on. Even towards the end she had the look man. And Blair did gain weight but have you seen her now? She is majorly hot again, and i hated it when she got that butch haircut (it looked the same as Jo's, it was strange) and she has those huge shoulder pads. I hate those things. Stacy Q episodes were really scary. I saw her on mama's family once too. And pippa was so damn annoying, always trying to be tough (yeah she was a Jo clone) and Andy was annoying too. He and Beverly made me snooze. And I hated it when towards the last few seasons they focused on Natalie and her writing. WHo cares? I used to think she was funny with her one liners and her jokes and giggling (she always seemed to laugh at everything on the set) but then she got serious. I hear that the reunion is set to film soon and everyone is set to be there. I hear it has to do with Natalie (of course) and the rest of them come to see her. but have you seen Tootie's hair now? Its white and and has thick dread locks. I was like ewww, she looked better on living single.
I would say it was when Edna left, but it actually started to jump when Jo took her ponytail down, and it really jumped when Edna's Edibles went up in flames and they came up with that hokey new store full of junk. There were some good shows after that, but it wasn't quite the same. It was the time where Natalie stopped being funny, Edna made the occasional appearance and seemed to be slowly losing her grip on sanity, new people started to join the cast, season by season, like that flippin' Pippa who sounded like an Eliza Doolittle understudy reject and George Clooney who seemed to have nothing better to do than hang around with a young boy. Hmmm. And I am a minority, I guess, cause I actually liked Andy. And for all those fat posts...yeah, the girls did gain throughout the series...but doesn't anyone remember that Blair got real skinny again during college and had that big hair which made her head look too big for her body? The absolute sinker of the show were those horrific Stacy Q episodes. There is a reason she was a one hit wonder. The real wonder is how she even got one hit...that song bit the low one. Anorexic is thy name. And was her talking voice for real? And the show almost jumped early on in the series when someone told Tootie she could sing and was the darling of all the school plays. Ohmigosh! More irritating than her constant heavy breathing. Are we to believe by that spectacular rendition of "Wash that Man Right Out of my Hair" that she just blew all the others auditioning away??? That school must be full of tone-deaf, talentless girls. When Tootie started singing "Some Enchanted Evening" and Natalie rolled coconuts over the stage, how I wished she had thrown the damn coconuts and took Tootie out!
So a bunch of producers and writers sit down with some coffee, donuts and LSD and they say: "Here's an idea. Let's take a chunky middle-aged crone with heavily shellacked hair and put her in charge of a snotty rich diva with an eating disorder; a frustrated lesbian tomboy with a bad New York accent; a whiny, cud-chewing bovine who looks like everyone's grandmother; and a small black girl who has 46-DDD cans by the time she's eight (not to mention an orthodontic apparatus so complex that it looks like a bus transmission exploded in her mouth). For irony, we can park them over a bakery called Edna's Edibles so that they all balloon up over 250 pounds (the irony being that none of them is even remotely edible). For kicks we can throw in a twitchy wheelchair-bound CP victim who wants to be a comedian but is about as funny as a radiation leak at a preschool. Sounds like a hit!" This, my friends, is how great horror gets written.
This show jumped the shark definitely when Mrs. Garrett left the show! It was already on the verge of jumping when Tootie got a mushroom haircut, when Jo and Natalie got bangs, and when Edna's Edibles came on the show. When Cloris Leachman came on the show it definitely jumped! George Clooney was a good addition but he was only on for a couple of seasons. How pathetic!
This show jumped anytime Geri Jewell was on. I'm sorry for her affliction, but she just was not funny, but anytime she spoke, the laugh track would be turned on full blast. As a child I would laugh at her lame jokes out of pity and because the laugh track seemed to be demanding that I laugh. That was blatant manipulation. The producers should be ashamed of themselves, it wasn't fair to the audience or Geri.
So obvious! There were a lot of changes during the previous season: new hairstyles, new clothes styling, new set, new video cameras, new laugh track. It was a radically different show in September 1985 versus May 1985. And the change helped for a while: there were fantasy plots with the truck stop thing and the El DeBarge singing contest, along with some weaker entries (Mrs. Garrett's alleged infidelities, Blair's 21st birthday), but on the whole it worked for the year. After Beverly Ann joined the cast and gave more prominence to Andy and Pippa, that's when it really went. Really, the show is about the four girls, and the mother figure to provide support. You don't need anything more than than. Pippa and Andy were useless, but George provided a more mature male counterpoint on the show, as well as some eye candy. But really, kids, it's all about the writing. Linda Marsh and Margie Peters refined everybody's role and added some needed topicality to the show, but after they left (1986, I think), the show got really silly and died a quick death.
If this show were to debut today, it would never make it past the first season. However, in the year of its debut (1979), FOL (and every other piece of dreck that aired at that time) had three factors working in its favor. 1) There were only three networks to choose from, 2) VCRs were expensive playthings for techno geeks, and, most important, 3) remote controls were only available with the most expensive TV sets. The combination of technological advances (videos and universal remotes) and a wider range of choices (i.e., the advent of cable and specialty channels) heralded the welcome end of the era when the big three networks were able to take their audiences for granted.
It jumped when I realized I would never have Jo, man she was so stinking hot. I watched that show just for her.
This show should never have gotten off the ground and Mrs. Garrett should have stayed on Diff'rent Strokes.
Loved the show, HATED the inconsistencies! An earlier episode has Natalie mentioning she has a sister...then years later she's an only child. But the BIGGEST inconsistency was in 1988 when the brought back Nancy, Sue-Anne and Cindy from the 1979 episodes for a reunion show. The whole plot of that episode was that Jo "never knew" Nancy, Sue-Anne and Cindy because they were from '79 and Jo came in '80, so she felt left out. Well too bad this episode makes NO sense because Jo DID know all of them! In the 1980 season those girls were still on it, only as extras, but I specifically remember the episode where Tootie was eves dropping on everyone and Jo was totally talking to Nancy and Sue-Anne. Then in the 1988 reunion episode they act like they never met in their lives! They kept asking "Jo where were you that first year at Eastland?" That episode really pissed me off!
Reading these posts, I don't know whether to laugh or cry. I never watched this show much after the first season - guess I thought it was more of a girl-type show, but I did see enough of it to learn the major (original) characters. Is everything that you people are saying happened to this show DOCUMENTED FACT?!?! Did the cast really beef up that much? Did the faces, places, and spaces actually spin around like an out-of-control superconducting cyclotron? Were new characters introduced that were really this annoying? Natalie was the first to get porked AND someone tried to rape her!?!? This is what the show became? Actually, I'm thankful that I never witnessed the agonizing decline and protracted fall of this program.
I Loved Facts of Life, but those final 2 years went WAAAAAAYYYY down...so low even a shark couldn't breath! The one episode that really P*ssed me off was one of the more recent ones from '87 or 88. It had all those girls from the original 1979 episodes that got canned come back for a reunion (Minus Molly Ringwald of course...she had better things to do, funny how molly really blew on FOL and was the WORST character, yet she went on to be the most successful!) Anyway, It really jumped when they brought now grown up Nancy, Sue-Anne and Cindy back for the reunion and the plot revolved around how Jo felt left out because she "Never knew" Nancy, Sue-Anne or Cindy because she came to eastland a year later. HELLO! that was such an inconsistency in the script writing! If you look back on the first year Jo was there and Nancy, Sue-Ann and Cindy were STILL on the show WITH Jo for a few episodes! There was the one where Blaire Accepted a date with Roger and JO says "You mean NANCY'S Roger?" and Tootie goes around gossiping and gets everyone in fighting with each other so Mrs. Garret calls all the girls INCLUDING Nancy, Cindy and Sue-Anne for one of her lame lectures. Jo is right there with the rest of the girls. And there's the first episode with Jo where they get punished and have to work in the cafeteria and Molly and Cindy are there making fun of them. Then 6 years later they bring those girls back and they're like "Oh, hi Jo, nice to meet you, we've never ever met you before in our lives!" PLEASE! I would rather see a reunion with Geri Jewell! Yea, it would really be a laugh to see her bumbling back onto the set STILL mumbling "I'm not drunk! I have CP!" Did you see her on the E True Hollywood story? "I was the highest paid actress with a disability and I couldn't even afford a place to live!" Um, did you say "Actress?" I say "Subject for public ridicule."
This show soooooooooo jumped the shark when Jo got married. They should have just made her gay!! She looks and acts gay!! and It would have made all of us lil gay teenage girls very happy, because come on what gay girl in the 80's did not have a crush on jo? she was just sooo beautiful.
When the girls went to Australia. And Europe. Anytime a show takes its cast members on a "special trip", you know there's nothing left but a steep plunge to the ratings basement.
It jumped when Mrs. Garrett left Eastland and opened up the bakery. Maybe they should have stuck it out at Eastland and put new students into the mix......it's worked for Law and Order. And everyone else, stop picking on Tootie's boobs, Natalie's weight, & Blair's weight. Hello. Why are you looking at a 15 year olds boobs?
I just saw the reunion movie, and TV Land just did a marathon of the Facts of Life. I just have to say what lame plots this show had. It tried to hard to present the issue of the days, like prostition, drinking, racism etc etc. I thought the reunion movie was good though, I find it hard to belive that Natalie ended up with that guy. What did he see in her?
This was a really good show until season two when they got rid of Molly. Hey you know, Jo was my favorite one after that. I did still watch the show. And I didn't mind when they added Jo but the show was never the same after the first season because they got rid of some charactures and they got a new stage or background scene or settings for the show. They got two different "back grounds" or settings for the show after that! The should have kept the show to the original format I think.Hell,the original format plus Jo would have been great!
Just caught the "Facts Of Life" reunion movie on ABC....it was surprisingly good! The cast members slipped effortlessly back into their roles and it was great seeing the old gang from a show I grew up with back together again. Someone here posted a comment asking how Natalie ended up with such a babe of a guy....but I thought it was pretty awesome Natalie had a couple of guys fighting over her and she ended up with a very attractive fellow. Granted, she has never been a sex goddess or anything, but Natalie was always my favorite character because of her humor and her incredible personality, and it is good that the writers of the reunion film knew this and understand that looks aren't everything. The film also had a couple of nice touches...Blair's "Blair Witch" licence plate made me crack up. The script also seemed to contain a reference to Nancy McKeon's new role on "The Division," which I thought was clever, and the telefilm also had a subtle but very effective nod to the Sept. 11 tragedy and aftermath during the final dinner scene. Very moving. However, the movie left me wondering...why no mention of Andy or Beverly Ann? Who exactly WAS Tootie married to? It didn't look like Jeff in that picture. Overall, though, the reunion film was very satisfying and surprisingly well-written.
Facts of life was a very addictive show but I would say the shark jumped when the combination of George Clooney was added to the cast and Jo and Natalie graduated from High school it got stale then.
The Facts of Life totally jumped the shark when Edna's Edibles burned down, Jo & Blair got the WORST hairdos of all time. Mrs Garrett knew it was coming, she got the hell out of Peekskill before it was too late.
I was always a fan of this show. It was as realistic as a sitcom could be. Blair was popular, Natalie couldn't get a date, and Tootie went for jocks. All was well in the world. Then came the reunion. Here it comes. First of all, they are all extremely successful. Yeah, Tootie sure showed potential back in school. Oh, I forgot. Not Tootie, it's Dorothy now. I don't want to watch a stupid show with a girl named Dorothy. I want to see Tootie, plain and simple. But most important, Natalie, who now needs to be weighed on a metric scale she is so huge. She has more chins then Chinatown for heavens sake. But hey, I have nothing against horizontally challenged people but...tell me two decent looking guys would be fighting over her. Please...she should be happy she could find anyone. A single date would be a plus for her. Not only do the two guys find out about each other, but then they fight over her. They should have been happy they didn't need to roll her in flower before sex anymore and find someone in their weight class. I know this sounds like I'm reaming fat people, but I'm not. Just ask yourself this...when was the last time an ugly fat chick had two good looking guys fighting over her, especially when they find out about each other.
This show never jumped the shark, the dolphin, the whale or any other water dwelling animal. BTW, all you jerks who pick on Pippa, if you knew anything about how this sitcoms are made, you would direct your criticism towards the writers. BIG BIG CHEERS to Pippa for being able to add an ounce of humor to the horrible lines she was fed week after week!
The Facts of Lfe jumped the shark when all the girls got fat! Precisely when Edna's Edible's appears in the picture. Ironic? It seems that every actress put on at least 20 lbs! Including (Kim Fields, a.k.a. "Tootie", who put on a good 40 plus!)
To the poster who complained about Natalie`s near-rape and wondered "who in their right mind would touch her?" Rape is not an act of sex, it`s an act of power. Every woman has to worry about it whether she`s old or young, fat or slim, ugly or pretty. Of course, it just goes to show how crappy the show is for failing to teach this important lesson.
I personally have perceived Jo to be a lesbian. She acted like a man, talked like a man, and dressed like a man. But then Eddie arrived and Jo couldn't keep her hands off. She even wore a DRESS. That is not typical of the character of Jo I have known since I first saw her. Then, several seasons later, Eddie revealed he was married and Jo cried like a little bitch. That is completely out of her character. And then she got married and left the show. Flush this bullcrap down the toilet--it is done.
When Edna found out one of her old friends was now so poor that she had to eat dogfood. This was such a shameless and obvious attempt to demonize Reagan because he wanted to cut Social Security. The best part was at the end when Edna, through a bucket of tears, says that immortal line- "I don't want to eat DOGFOOD!" But I guess we should count our blessings. If the show was on now we'd probably see her eating the stuff.
Facts of Life jumped when they graduated and the show continued with them. If the show had been about the school and new girls would come for a few years and then graduate, this would have worked. The only reason to watch the last few years was Blairs high heeled boots.
I caught a rerun of this show the other day and was rather startled to see Tootie almost lured into prostitution while on a visit to the "big city". The thing that REALLY shocked me, though, was that Tootie and the other girls looked down on the teen hooker who was pressured into getting Tootie to go home with her pimp and herself! I thought that Mrs. Garret and the girls would invite the young hooker home with them, or at least call Child Protective Services or something, but no, they just gathered up their bundles and fled...leaving the girl to probably get her head bashed in by her pissed off pimp. Nice solidarity, ladies!
The first season was pretty weak. Then they trimmed the cast, added Nancy McKeon, and hired better writers who knew how to make the girls sound intelligent and believable, not like Gidget clones. It was smooth sailing from then on.
The change to George Clooney did it for me - stopped watching entirely - sorry, they had a better guy on there - Ryan Cassidy and they didn't explain his exit - and the show seemed to get desperate and lose heart after that.
As soon as Tootie was no longer wearing those rollerskates I knew something was amiss. It's just like the way Chuck vanished from "Happy Days" and was never mentioned again. This really disturbed me as a child.
Easy. The Jermaine Jackson episode. That was a stupid ass episode. Tootie crying her fuggin' eyes out over Jermaine Jackson and Mrs. Garrett feels sorry for her and takes her. That was it for me!!!
Starting in 1985-86 the shows I thought were more entertaining. They featured less conflict among the characters than the earlier shows did. However, in 87-88(the final season) with Blair and Jo both college graduates, Tootie a college sophomore, and Natalie canning smelts, the show began to lose alot of its "mojo". Each show of that season seemed to focus on one character at a time, instead of the whole gang.
This show was great for the first two seasons.The problem is they dumped half the cast after season two(five other student girls and the principle.)Obviously, when Charlotte Rae left and Chloris Leechman joined the cast, this was a serious shark jumper.How about that stupid episode when Natalie sleeps with Snake?Out of all the girls she would be the last one I would pick because of her unattractive looks and annoying personality, and I'm being kind!!I have tremendous respect for Lisa Whelchel who refused to do that script based on her Christian values, so big ugly Mindy Cohn jumped at the chance for five minutes of glory.Little Andy didn't help matters either.
When Natalie became promiscuous with Snake ... the show losts its differentiation from the OTHER shows. The girls on Facts of Life were to be role models -- not sluts. Because of Natalies poor choice to sleep around ... the show lost its unique edge of integrity. I never liked Natalie anyway.
Andy and the new student from Austrailia? Yes, four women who are in college, with the exception of Natalie, are going to live with a 12 year old and an exchange student? No wonder Mrs G. got married and reentered the Peace Corps!
When Natalie decided to lose her flower with Snake- not because it was totally unrealistic that that guy would do her (although that's true) but because the moral of the episode was complete bullcrap: "don't do it with your long term boyfriend even if you're about 23 years old because then he'll have gotten what he wanted and will be done with you." Natalie wasn't "sleeping around"- she and her beloved, articulate Snake had been each other's special person for quite a while and she was well past her teenage years. So then they do it and Snake decides to blow her off. Yeah right- like he got what he wanted and then was done with her; he'd been sticking it out and listening to her gums flap because he couldn't resist the temptation to one day get buck naked her with her. Yup.
GERI JEWELL. She's not a jewel, she's barely a Cubic Zirconia. I'm not ripping on disabled people, but if you're going to be (supposedly) a comic, BE FUNNY! She'd say something that wasn't the least bit funny, and the audience would sort of politely chuckle in a "My isn't she inspirational?" sort of way. Reminds me of the second disabled kid on "South Park" who told unfunny jokes and stole TIMMY's thunder. I agree with the poster who dissed Molly Ringwald. I couldn't stand her picking up that guitar and belting out a number about women's rights, or the environment, or whatever. The girl who played Sue Ann was a major hottie, however. A shame she didn't survive the cutdown.
I was never a big fan of the show but I take my hat off to it for lasting so long. It almost jumped after the horrible first season but made a comeback when they cut down the cast. Too many cast members spoil the broth and you can't have a good show with 20 characters in a half hour time slot. I also applaud Charlotte Rae. She starting looking better as she got older. In the first season she was fat and looked like she was 80! The next season, she lost a lot of weight, darkened her red hair and got plastic surgery and looked 30 years younger. The beginning of the end game when the girls put on weight. At first, it was "three skinny chicks and a chubb" and by the last season it was "three chubbs and a hippo". And what was with Natalie always being pusued by good looking guys? She was ugly as sin, was not funny, didn't have a good personality, AND SHE WAS ANNOYING AND WHINEY? In the recent reunion movie she even had two gorgeous guys fighting over to marry her and she was uglier and more annoying than ever! And both these guys were bumming out over the thought of not having a future with Natalie? OH PLA-ESE!
Edna Garret leaves the show and is replaced by that Chloris Leachman 'Beverley' character. Feh. Who remembers Blair from the very early boarding school episodes? Tollhouse cookies, dun.
What were they trying to do by bringing Mackenzie on the show, provide cuteness or something? That's the same mistake Gimme a Break made. . .Also, I'm real sick of hearing how Mindy Cohn was fat and Blair was a "porker". Sorry you pedophiles couldn't get off watching young girls with tight bodies each week when the show came on, but look on the bright side: with less shows out their to feed your nasty habits, maybe you'll get over your pathetic fetish. Looks aside, Natalie and Blair were funny characters, so get over it!
F.O.L. JUMPED WHEN THE PRODUCERS ELIMINATED THE CHARACTERS OF NANCY, SUE ANN, AND CINDY (I COULDN'T HAVE CARED LESS ABOUT MOLLY), AND BROUGHT JO ON THE SHOW. IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, THE F.O.L. SET-UP ON AN EPISODE OF DIFF'RENT STROKES FOCUSED ON NANCY OLSON. NANCY WAS HOT!!!
I like this show, finally a teenage girls show. I think all teens could relate, but hey we girls needed something. I think it was great that weight was gained, hey that IS real life. Also try growing up in front of the whole world. The pressure to be thin is outrageous. I think they could have kept some of the other original girls on a recurring basis. I liked their characters you know variety. I also thought Geri was a blessing. I mean the world still does not recognize all people and we should at least as Americans. It did get hard to watch after the Edna's Edibles burned down, but they always tried to have social issues and morals to tell us about. I like the reunion, but Jo/Nancy McKeon was truly missed. I wish she would just realize she has done a lot since then, the Tracy Thurman story and the mafia wife movies. It is great to be remembered for such an interesting character. I didn't really think Jo was gay. She was opinionated, strong, independent, and able to defend/protect herself. I admired her.
This show jumped when Natalie and Blair got so fat, those actresses should have been fired. The producers should have known everybody wants to see tight little bodies in schoolgirl uniforms.
When Natalie is almost raped. That jumped the shark because people are still quipping about 'who would touch her', etc. The Whole point of that episode, just like the All In The Family episode where Edith is nearly raped, was to convey the very serious message that sexual assault isn't truly a sex crime, but a violent crime. It has very little to do with physical attraction, and tons to do with power. So, if people are still saying "who would rape Natalie, she's such a pooch", then the "very special" FoL episode which tried to convey a very important message to its target demographic (who are in a high-risk category for being victims of sexual assault), failed. Either that or some people have mastered typing skills without having brains.
When they went to Australia, it definitely jumped. That whole storyline about the jewel thieves was crap, and Natalie moaning about wanting to see Ayer's Rock and then meeting that hot sheep rancher out in the middle of nowhere. Unbelievable.
First season when they pared down the cast to 4 and fired the wrong girls. They should have dumped Natalie and never brought Jo in. They should have kept Cindy (Julie Anne Haddock) and Nancy (Felice Schachter). I think it was during Cloris Leachman's first year on the show, the original cast, (less Molly Ringwald who had become John Hughes' teen queen by then) had a reunion and Cindy had developed into a babe. If anybody had seen the E! True Hollywood Story on this show you will see that Felice Schachter (Nancy Olson) had become a bona fide babe. Fans got stuck watching a screeching fat girl and a grating Tomboy skank with bad teeth. Couldn't Nancy McKeon afford to get braces? I watched the show for the first three years hoping they'll bring Cindy and Nancy Olson back but they didn't and I didn't come back either. By the way, Felice Schachter is a production coordinator for the show Third Watch and has her own production company as well as a law degree I believe. Be that as it may, FOL seems to have set the character pattern for other female oriented shows like Designing Women and Golden Girls. They all had the tough talker, the beauty/sexpot, the ditz and the sarcastic one.
This is a hard one. The whole 85/86 season -- Mrs. G leave, Clooney, Mac Astin, Cloris Leachman, the clothes (what were they thinking?) Each episode that season went further into the abyss.
The annoying princess Alexandra that was such a dip and and idiot that we wished her parents were dethroned by a horrible kiln explosion. Cousin Geri was just annoying. She frequently would just "be there" for no reason. And her one liners weren't at all funny.
The Facts of Life Jumped the Shark when Natalie woke Tootie up to tell her about her first sexual experience. It was awful and disgusting. I am an infinitely worse person for having seen that.
Good lord. What were they thinking putting Geri Jewell on television. Totally not funny. On top of being crippled, ******** & incomprehendable she was totally UNfunny. If anything she made the whole show unconfortable. People with disabilities in a sit-com are going to be laughed at. That's the last thing they need. God knows no one was laughing at her jokes. Now Tootie in rollerskates racing Geri in a wheelchair...now there would have been a storyline. Also making Jo a straight girl in dresses majorly jumped the shark.
What was going on with all the newer characters? George Clooney as the handy man/friend, Pippa, Andy. The core characters were enough to make the show work. Personally (and i know this is gonna be RRRREEEEAAALLLL unpopular), I loved Beverly Anne much more than Edna Garrett. The day she played Stacy Q's "Two of hearts" on the piano I knew we had a winner for comic relief. The show never jumped the shark, but that recent movie definetely dangled it awfully close....
Capitalizing on 80's trends, Blair, Jo and Mrs. Garret go to a male strip club for Mrs. Garret's birthday. This may not have ruined the show (I actually liked the Edna's Edibles seasons, it was when it became "Over Our Heads" That it got very bad.) but it really jumped it for me. To me, Facts was not about subject matter like this. Seeing Mrs. Garret getting all excited while men gyrate in bikinis near her is one of those "burned onto the eyeballs" images. I never could look at the show the same way after that. And then Blair found out her boyfriend was dancing in the club. Not only that but he danced BADLY.
“The Facts of Life” was amazing. Beginning as an unfunny and unmemorable show about little girls at a boarding school, it began to “jump” almost immediately and continued “jumping” every couple of episodes for years. By the end, it had become this huge mess about four elephantine women living over a bakery, which was sometimes a gift shop, with Cloris Leachman as a brain-damaged, incoherent “mother figure,” MacKenzie Astin as a “cute” little boy who should have been clubbed like a baby seal, and “Pippa,” Australia’s answer to Stepin Fetchit. Feature players included “Cousin Geri,” who was supposed to make you feel good about cerebral palsy, but would leave you praying for merciful death, and, for some reason, George Clooney. Every season, it got more insane. I wish it had never ended. By now, I’m sure they’d all be living in a diving bell at the center of the sun with a penguin, former members of New Kids on the Block, and Rip Taylor.
Eventually the characters held no resemblance to their original purpose. They all sort of morphed into the same characters delivering the same bland writing. Jo was no longer a rebel or mouthy. Blair was no longer a snob. Tootie was no longer an airhead. Natalie got all smug. It's cool that the characters learned things and changed and stuff, but I wished they stayed a little more true to the characters.
I'm sorry, but people that watched Facts to scope out young chicks in tight uniforms totally missed the point. It was meant to be as much of a babe-fest as Steel Magnolias and Beaches. I totally admire those who managed to keep the show running for 9 seasons, and to save it after its awful first season. A show that had mediocre ratings staying in the game that long is commendable. In 1979, when the show aired, critics thought it would be the end of NBC as a network. NBC was having some hard times, as the only shows that got anywhere on the ratings in 1979 were Diff'rent Strokes (from which Facts was spun), CHiPs, Dukes of Hazzard, and Little House on the Prairie. Facts, once they overhauled it for the better for 1980-81, carried the network through its dark era, improved its own ratings drastically, and helped save the network until Cheers, Family Ties, Hill Street Blues, and Cosby put it back on top. Jo's addition to the cast in '80 was totally necessary. I'm also put off by those who "can't believe she wasn't a lesbian." Her character being straight, but tomboyish showed a lot of girls that you don't have to be prissy, like Barbies, talk like a baby, and wear pink to be feminine, that interests have no bearing on femininity or sexual orientation. Her black to Blair's white grew both characters and made them more than two-dimensional, something that Natalie and Tootie's characters should have had the opportunity to have, but didn't so much as well. But, I must admit that the show did jump. It was in the 85-86 (seventh) season when MacKenzie Astin was added to the show. For one, I have no idea how they explained his appearing, his lines were awful, his character was unbelieveable. Plus, for four girls that, in 1979 were ages 11-16, had become 17-22 by 1985, and were all still living together! That was too fantastic to be true. They were sorely in need of fresh blood and writing in 1985, and didn't get it in MacKenzie. Cloris's character was OK, but only emphasized how wacky the idea of these four women still living together really was, and took away almost all of the credibility. Finally, in 1988, Blair buys the fledgling school, and, like a freight train, it hits them all that they, at ages 20-25, all would be better off doing something else...getting lives, maybe. Plus, in those last 2 and a half seasons, the story lines got really dumb (along with the '86-on theme remix. The 1980-86 version was much better). They got more portly, but that was OK. Didn't bother me a bit. Natalie's character was important to keep, almost noble, because we needed some sort of voice to kind of diffuse some of the pressure many young girls have to be stick figures and painted up more than the Golden Gate Bridge. Good show, but should have ended when Edna's Edibles burned down and she left the show. I am disappointed that the network didn't go through with its original plan to spin off a series with Lisa Whelchel's Blair as headmistress of the newly co-ed Eastland. It may have tanked, but it would have been interesting to try, and would have tied up loose ends, even given a change of scenery.
Facts of Life was,IMO,a better show than the show it spun off from,giving Charlotte Rae's character much more depth and making her more of a person.I liked Jo because she added so much spunk,and was the perfect character for the snobbish Blair to play off of.Gradualy,they became better friends than either ever admitted. However,after Edna's Eddibles burned down the show lost much of it's original spirit.These four girls were still living together under Mrs.Garret-who made less and less appearances-and her new store?The whole idea was almost gone-and the two older girls were halfway through college.
In order for a show to jts, it has to have a peak, then decline. If the FOL had a peak, it was the first season with Edna's Edibles. This was the first time it ever resembled anything close to what a show should be, i.e. normal. The set was pleasant and homey, it was a business, it provided the characters with conflicts and dilemas, and it was an easy way to bring guest characters in and out of story-lines. I believe this was the season where they had the Halloween episode, which, at best, was cute and somewhat amusing. But before this the show was horrible. And as if they couldn't handle the responsiblity of actually writing for a real show, the blockheads running the thing seemed to search for ways to feed it to the shark. (Edna's Edibles was quite a coup for our show! Let's burn the damn thing to the ground!!!) Eveyone here seems to agree, even those who loved the show, that the FOL has more jump sharking moments than any other in the history of TV. Charlotte Rae leaving the show is too easy. There's about a dozen other choices, all which have been mentioned.
i think it jumped the shark when cloris leachman joined and when jo turned business like yuck but thats it. im surprised by the whole idea of ppl getting mad that they got fat.HELLO! none of u r super models! this is real life and even though the show has not too many realistic themes being fat is. more than half of america is overweight. the facts of life is that ppl lose and gain weight.
At some point the girls all started wearing enough makeup and hair spray that they probably had to be propped up to avoid toppling on the sound stage. That's about when the writing died.
After the 1st season,when Nancy,Sue Ann,Cindy,and Molly were pushed into the background to make room for Jo. At least the producers let them stick around for the next 2 seasons,but Molly Ringwald was dropped after only the 2nd episode of the 2nd season. That had to be a blow for her. Felice Schachter,Julie Piekarski[now Julie Probst],and Julie Anne Haddock were all seriously hot and great eye candy,why they didn't stay for the entire run of the series is beyond me. If they had,we wouldn't of had to see Andy,Pippa,or George the handyman I'll bet!! Give me Nancy or Sue Ann in a tube top and short shorts ANY DAY over any of the other useless later characters!!
Did anyone else ever think that Jo could have been played by John Travolta in drag?
Everyone is forgetting that Post Edna G there was a time after over ourheads went bankrupt or something and that multi purpose storefront room became a kitchen. Well the show was really boring than because there was no centerpoint for the plot to revolve around. But it was a bad show in general.
I think that the show lasted twice as long as it should have and started to decline when the girls moved from above the cafeteria (what was with that?) to the food shop. I must say that as a kid, Mrs. Garrett's mannerisms and appearance (especially her head) scared me.
This show never jumped! It's always been funny and realistic. Also, I'm sick and tired of hearing about the girls' weight, or anything else to do with their looks for that matter. No wonder so many girls and women feel bad about how they look! I sure hope that the rest of the world shares the opinion of most of these posters, because if so, then I fear for the human race. So what if the girls were a little hefty? They were still beautiful, on the outside AND especially on the inside, where IT REALLY COUNTS. That's why someone like Natalie can have guys fighting over her. She was funny, friendly, and smart. So were Blair, Tootie, and Jo. Besides, it's not like the people who are bashing them are perfect looking either.
Maybe I'm just slow (it's obvious that to posters here, "wheelchair" equals "******") but I don't understand all the bashing of Geri Jewell. I don't think she was really all that funny, but it seems like people are objecting to her wheelchair as much as to her humor, or lack thereof. Lean in close, guys, I'm gonna tell you a secret: Just because someone is in a wheelchair, that doesn't mean they're ********. Geri Jewell is not ********. Her disorder does not affect her reasoning capabilities. It's true that she's not all that funny, so if you're going to slam her, do it for the right reasons. There are various muscular and nerve disorders that can put someone in a wheelchair, and most of them don't affect the brain. Some of us are in wheelchairs because we were unlucky enough to suffer spinal cord injuries, which, incidentally, doesn't make us "tards", but probably makes you one if you're too ignorant to know or try to understand the difference.
This show was okay when I was a teenager, but I don't like it now. I'm over 40...tastes change. What gripes me is that on one of that show's unofficial web sites, it says the show began during Aug. of 1979. That's bull. I graduated from high school during May 1979, and that show was on TV when I was a Junior and a Senior. My friends & I used to discuss it. I rarely watched it after I got out of high school. I think the show should have been canceled instead of putting that God-awful Cloris Leachman on it. The shark gobbled up the show after she got hired, and then puked it out. Blehhh!
To the above poster with the great insight on Geri Jewell-thanks for the info, but we know she isn't ********. She's just a "comedian" who's not the least bit funny and drags down every scene she appears in. An able-bodied "comic" this unfunny wouldn't get within a mile of a guest shot on a series, let alone a recurring role. I guess that's what bugs me about her. Get some good material Geri, or get the hell out of show biz.
During the 80's America had a brief love affair with anything Austrialian. ie Men at Work, The Thornbirds, the movie My brilliant Career. Thus explains the introduction of that horrible little hermaphrodite PIPPA to the cast of Facts of Life.
The post-season 1 Eastland years were the best, but Edna's Edibles' years are also just as good. As for Over Our Heads... Andy and Pippa sucked, but I actually LIKED Beverly Ann. Yeah, she was no Mrs. G., but no one could fill her shoes. Bev was neat because she was goofy. Remember when she accidentally talked Nat into skydiving and said "Oh, things like this always happen when I try to make sense!" I still laugh at that today. :D
On Day one...setting the show in Peakskill NY as if it were some affluent, trendy, upscale town in New York state. A couple of years ago I was driving through New York and saw the exit for Peakskill which got my adrenaline running. I could finally see where the "girls" spent their formative years. I took the exit which wound way up the side of a mountain. I thought I was entering some hidden utopia and instead ended up in a smaller version of Newark, NJ. The place is a dump. The downtown is deserted. I tried to imagine where Edna's Edibles could have possibly have been. Perhaps it was formerly where the Family Dollar store now was...or maybe where the Check Cashing boutique was. Blair would have NEVER set foot in this crapper.
Cloris Leachman rules!! Beverly Ann was the best thing that ever happened to FOL. It's those horrid Eastland years that were the bottom of the barrell. Started out awful and got better with age.
WHEN CLORIS LEACHMAN JOINED THE SHOW IS WHEN THE SHOW JUMPED. SHE DRIVES ME CRAZY WITH EVERYTHING SHE DOES.
When I was a kid, I was just getting interested in girls when the show debuted. I had crushes on many of the girls that were in the original cast (especially that blonde athlete character), and was somewhat let down when the eliminated most of them for the second season to make room for Jo. While I was heart-broken, I must admit it did improve the show.
That reunion special didn't just jump the shark- it did cartwheels over it. Jo didn't even show up. What was up with the attempt to replace her with a look and act like daughter? That little girl must have been the results of a a test tube genetic cloning experiment gone horribly wrong! We are fortunate that Beverly Ann and Pippa didn't show up!!The poor shark would be in intensive care. These horrible reunion shows must be stopped, before they get their own cable network!!
This was one of my fave shows in the eighties, but it jumped the shark in the last few years w/ the additions of Beverly Ann, Pippa. I give the writers credit though, for retooling it after the first season and adding Jo (the most complex character). Once all the girls were out of high school, it should have ended. But to those w/ the fat jokes, who among you all had perfect bodies during puberty? I mean these actresses went through puberty onscreen. I know I wouldn't want to be seen on television through those horrific years. And by the end, when they were fully matured women, they were not all overweight and funny looking. And as a kid, the thought never occurred to me that Jo was a lesbian. Can you not be a tomboy and straight?
this show jump a few times but always managed to save face. But too many cast changes finally took it's toll. I forgave to Mrs. Garrett for Beverly Anne substitution. I even got past the George (Return of the Killer Tomato) clooney addition, But the Aussie chick took the cake. (compliments of the TV movie). Just another example of a show trying to maintain the "cute Factor"
I really think the show started to suck when Tootie stopped roller-skating around Eastland and started wearing regular. Right after that she ballooned by about 700lbs. At least with the skates she was getting some exercise. I can't explain why the others got fat. Maybe living over the bakery...how did no one ever have an eating disorder on this show....
This show jumped the shark when Jo got prettier than Blair. It just worked against the story line.
This show probably is unique for jumping on day one, jumping back, and jumping again. The first year was the standard Bad Sitcom at it's worst. Then they retooled it, and it got much better. Then in the last 3 or so years everything fell apart: The girls were getting older, Mrs Garrett left, we're subjected to George Clooney, Mackenzie Austin, Cloris Leachman...and Pippa. Then the girl's personalities changed, Blair wasn't the snob, Tootie was more a dunce than a ditz, Jo lost her New York attitude, and Natalie just got mean and sarcastic. And those fashions, oh boy those fashions. Lisa Welchel had this hair that that screamed Miami Vice vs. an accident at the mousse plant (and looked VERY masculine), and everyone else had these up-to-the-second fashions that had to have been out of style by the time the shows aired. They tied themselves to non-celebrities like SuziQ and ElDebarge. So, the show was fine until the final few years when it really seemed like it came to a bumpy landing. BUT, I must at least give Lisa Welchel some credit. I saw her "Blair spots" for Hallowween on Nick at Nite a few years back. Not only has she not aged much since the show ended in 1988, she had the ability to joke about her lack of a carrer. ("Oh my Gosh! Do I sound washed up?") It's not what you'd expect from the average home-schooling preacher's wife (fun?? On Halloween?? Don't tell Pat Robertson!)
I was born in the 80's, but I remember watching Facts of Life with my older sister back in the day and I've caught up on a lot of them through Hallmark Channel. This show, in my opinion, never jumped. The addition of Beverly Ann, Andy, and Pippa sure didn't help it any, but this show never jumped even with them.
To all those fools who try to blame Pippa for this show jumping the shark...read some 'backstory' on FOL for the real reason this show jumped. The story is this--the producers wished to bring some new blood and youth to the show with a character from Australia. The four fats of life resented such a move from the outset and began to pull childlike temper tantrams on the set and had Pippa's lines cut and completely removed from some scenes. There was even an episode that was written to feature Pippa as the lead singer of a FOL band but the four regular fat cows on the show actually boycotted the production! That's right...they refused to be part of the episode unless they could all sing and have Pippa's exposure reduced. What a bunch of jealous cows! And you have the nerve to put the shark jumping on Pippa? Get REAL! This is a perfect example of the need to look beyond the facade and get to the REAL story for genuine jump the shark liability.
I'm convinced that the show managed to jump the shark (the atrocious first season), jump back (the next few seasons, which were pretty decent for an 80's sitcom), jump again (Edna Garrett hitting the road), then rejump again (the last episode, where Blair purchased Eastland, bringing the show full-circle). A spin-off at the end (which is what the last episode was intended to set up) probably wouldn't have lasted long, but would have been reasonably watchable.
To all the posters out there who feel the need to insult the girls because of their weight I say two things. First this show wasnt put on the air to make dateless teenage boys get some wood in their pants. Secondly I would also venture to say that right now most of you are balding and probably have a pot belly of your own. I'm sure of course that when you see old geezers like Walker texas Ranger dating a young girl on his show you dont look at that as ridiculous but let a woman have some weight on her and you cant wait to point fingers.... This show was dwindled down from 8 or 9 girls to 4 for a reason. I would bet that they did this so we could get to know the characters better. Look at the show called "8 is Enough" how well do you know each one of the characters? Theres too many, so the Facts of Life people were smart to dwindle it down to 4 girls. I would say they were trying to appeal to viewers by choosing a girl each from a different category They chose a snobbish, rich girl that you love to hate, a black girl, a tomboy, and a heavyset girl all of which were chosen probably in hopes that they would attract all types of teenage girl viewers who saw themselves in these girls. I would say it jumped the shark when Mrs G left. She held it together and once the girls lives started revolving outside of one another that was the final jump. I loved the show and still do. Pippa was an annoyance, i think if they had chosen an american actress things might have gone better and she wouldnt have been so hated. As for the clothes that what people were wearing back then and they were appealing to a teenage audience
I liked the diverse personalities of the girls on the show. Even the Beverly Ann years were watchable (including Pippa), although not nearly as good as the Mrs. Garrett years. It had its bad moments, but overall, it is a good program for teen and preteen girls to learn from. There were generally morals to each episode. Now, I want to set a few of these posters straight regarding the weight issue: The ONLY girl who was TRULY CHUBBY was NATALIE. The other three, although they did gain some weight on the show, were merely shapely. HEAR ME OUT... there is a DIFFERENCE between FAT and a FEW CURVES. GET WITH IT, people, and QUIT MAKING FUN of folks who ACTUALLY HAVE MEAT ON THEIR BONES! When I was a kid, I was curvaceous and reasonably slender, but I actually felt that I was fat. Back then, I bought those worthless magazines geared for young teen girls, and wound up feeling worse because I wasn't "quite as thin" as the models. I've gained quite a bit of weight since that time... I'm average height and I tilt the scales at a whopping 175 lbs.; why, I'd LOVE to weigh 130 again; if anything, for the sake of my health. Also, what does WEIGHT matter if a person has a good HEART and PERSONALITY!? There, I've said my piece... hope it helps.
It was definitely the episode when Blair is caught cheating on a mid-term. So what happens? we get to hear Blair proselytize and beat her chest righteously? What REALLY would have happened? Come on, Blair would hav ebeen thrown out or, baring that, Mrs. G would have punished in some private fashion - maybe a good sound hairbrushing. Face it, Blair and sometimes Jo could have used that.
Two things: 1) Natalie laughs at all her own jokes. 2) The best most hilarious episode is the one where Blair falls in love with the ******** guy (who is played by some hot, model perfect guy, yeah...that is real) and tries to teach him to paint. He knocks over the easel, and Blair says, "Miz Garret, I just know everything he COULD BE" and Mrs Garrett screaches: "BLAAAAAAAAIIIIRRRR....What about what he iiiiiiiiiissss????? He's RETAAAAARRRRRRRDED!!!" I kid you not. Unintentionally hilarious.
I think "The Facts of Life" Jumped the Shark after Edna's Edibles burned down and was replaced by a trendy clothing store called "Over Our Heads." That's when things really fell apart. The annoying kid (I think his name was Andy) came on, George Clooney was in and Charlotte Rae was out. When Edna's Edibles burned down, so did "The Facts of Life."
jumped with the store/bakery story lines.. am i the only one who felt the sexual tension between joe and blair in the early seasons? maybe as a baby-dyke i was projecting but what little queer girl didnt dig the thought of those two, its the only reason i tuned in.....
You take the good...about 1 1/2 seasons....You take the bad...pretty much the rest! You take 4 girls out of the bunch and "join them at the hip" with their den mum forever after and you pretty much have "The Facts of Life"! Too bad Gloria Loring couldn't keep a singing career going with that and the other sappy 80's "Shane & Kimberly, Days of Our Lives theme Friends and Lovers" charting the saccharine airwaves! Why was it necessary to "dump" nearly all of the other girls, even the half-way interesting ones (and yes, for a while there Molly Ringwold had better things going for herself!) and "sequester" this odd foursome for the rest of eternity and rarely if ever hear from anyone else again? The plots to keep the remainders around in the same space again & again were lame and thinly written. Also, in the first season ones what was the deal with nearly every scene, no matter what the season (including the storm someone else mentioned) at least two of the girls were in "Daisy Duke" hotpants or super shortshorts?! Including Blair? Did the producers have some sort of teen-girl fantasy going? I didn't bother with the reuinion, but if these girls all stayed together over the years they would probably (except Jo, who I hear was killed off) in present day be sitting around male-bashing their husbands/exes/boyfriends of today predictably!
I think it held itself together when it whittled itself down to four characters, I have to say I wasn't happy. In uncapable hands, things could have gotten old really fast with such a large cast, but they could have had the option of discarding characters one-by-one who weren't working. Or, they could have, at least, had a "Number 5" slot, which they could have used in a revolving door style, bringing in a new girl and than replacing her when she wore out her welcome. There was just too much potential there. However, bringing on Jo did bring a new angle to the show, with being Blair's nemesis. And Tootie and Natalie as best friends was fun. And, if we never had Jo, we would have never had her handicapped cousin. I think that when they moved into the house behind Edna's Edibles, things were starting to get desperate. You would think graduating to higher levels of education would keep the storylines fresh. I know that by the time it was Andy, Pippa, and Cloris Leachman, it had jumped the shark, so sometime before that.
I know that it seems like people are jumping on the Geri Jewell subject to be mean...but she was annoying because her presence was was obviously gratuitous. She wasn't funny AT ALL, I cringed at her attempts to do stand-up (no pun intended) and even at age 8, I was like "They obviously had some reason for putting her on besides the plot. This show is getting stupid!" The first "gay Jo" comment was made because Jo was introduced as a very dyke-y character just aching to come out...It's like we were all just waiting for the day when we had the Very Special Episode where she comes out and everyone gasps...THEN we had to deal with the stupid Cute Adopted Kid...WHY did all the shows in this era resort to that? At least their Special Guest Star episodes weren't too common, like on Alice every other week - "Oh my God, it's Tom Wopat! What are you doing in Peekskill?" Though, really, I would have enjoyed that episode had it occurred :-)
Seasons 2, 3, & 4 (when Mrs. G was the school dietician and the girls lived adjacent to the cafeteria) was very ahead of its time and very funny. "Sex Symbol" is a classic episode with the classic line where Natalie exclaims, "From now on it's good-bye Natalie, hello Hot-Lips!" with this, Natalie exits stage left a la Mae West, leaving the girls dumbfounded and the audience cheering. And yes, it's easy for people to bust "Fact of Life" chops because these girls were NOT SUPPOSED to be modelesque-types. They were supposed to be "average-type" young women that other "average-type" young women could relate to. If you want T&A, turn it to the Playboy channel. I've gotta say however, that seasons 1, 5 thru 9 should have been buried at sea. The writers should have either extended the girl's high school careers (like Head of the Class or 90210) or just pulled the plug. I'm suprised the show lasted so long after they all moved to Edna's Edibles. Actually, the best episode is the two-parter in season two, "New Girl". Jo walks in looking like a tough biker-dude. Blair takes her first look at Jo and says, "I'm sorry, but delivery boys have to take the other route..." Joe removes her biker helmut, revealing her long, pretty brown locks of hair, "Delivery boy? Gimme a break! Is this where I'm supposed to check in?" Blair is shocked and chortles, "I don't believe this!" Natalie says, "YOU don't believe it? I was going to ask him to the fall dance!" Classic stuff. Networks need to bring back this type of quality and wholesomeness for this generation of teenagers.
Little jump: when Tootie said "thingamabobs"! What an insult. I don't see how the use of the word CONDOM could have alienated anyone who wouldn't have been alienated by the them of that still-ridiculed episode. But the BIG jump, y'all, was when my girl EDNA GARRETT split. She was the glue that held this show together. I think I stomached MAYBE two episodes without her. I mean, I like Cloris Leachman, but in SMALL DOSES. I can't believe this show was on for all those years. Glad some cast members went on to more success (Kim Fields, George Clooney), but I'm sorry I have to LAUGH when I see 'Jo' (cant remember her real name) trying to do (melo)drama in that lifetime show. This is a gal who should star in how-to videos!!!
When Cloris Leachman came aboard in season 8 as Mrs Garrett's flighty sister Beverly Ann. As much as I love Cloris, the girls had simply outgrown their need for a "house mother" and could have done just fine without her. Also, Pippa was completely unnecessary and took focus away from the main 4 characters. FOL also had a horrible finale which was a feeble attempt to make the show "young" again by having Blair buy Eastland and turn it into a co-ed school. Seth Green, Juliette Lewis and a pre-Blossom Mayam Bialik were among the new students in this 2-part episode which was intended to be a possible spin-off. Natalie, Tootie and Jo were carelessly tossed aside and were not given the proper farewell deserving of a 9-season sitcom!
I think FOL jumped the shark when Jo and Blair graduated. While several of the "Edna's Edibles" shows were funny, the show was clearly drifing away from its original premise. The farther the show drifted, the harder the network pushed to keep it on the air, the worse the show became. The characters didn't develop, they mutated, and don't even start me on the post Mrs. G seasons!
The show was fairly believable, until I think the bakery burned down. The girls all bought a storeful of toys and novelties and told Mrs. Garrett, "We'll call it- OVER OUR HEADS!" Then you hardly ever see any of the girls actually working in the store. I couldn't figure out if the store even still existed during the Cloris Leachman years. I guess along the way the girls closed the store, or this plot device simply disappeared. It was great to see everyone back together, except for Jo, in the reunion movie. However, too much of the story focused on the men vying for Natalie's love. Why should we care about these new characters we had never seen?
I admit it, I adored this show as a teenager in the eighties. Even now I have fond memories of it, and watching reruns brings back pleasant memories. No, it was not a great show, perhaps not even a good show. But it brought a bit of stability to my life, and I even found one episode (the one in which the girls' classmate commits suicide) to even be a bit helpful during my bouts with depression. Somehow, the show's magic stayed with me even after the move to "Edna's Edibles" (actually, some of these episodes were among my favorites). But for some reason, after the fire that consumed "Edibles" and the opening of "Over Our Heads", the show lost its magic for me. Once viewing the first few episodes of that season, I began watching only occasionally, and by the time Charlotte Rae left the cast I had stopped watching altogether. Perhaps it was because of one painful episode from the first "Over Our Heads" season - the one which relates the birth of Blair's little sister from the infant's point of view. This has to be one of the worst episodes of any program ever written, almost painful in its cloying, contrived sweetness -- and don't forget the sickening voice provided for Blair's infant sister! The addition of George Clooney didn't work, either, and, of course, the "Trashy Lingerie" episode with El Debarge was another low point. I'm kind of sorry I stopped watching, though, as I would have liked, in retrospect, to see how the "girls" worked with Cloris Leechman (one of the best actresses of this or any other time, in my opinion). But after the first few "Over Our Heads" episodes, I just found the show unwatchable.
Day one. Unwatchable -- largely due to Charlotte Rae's cloyingly self-conscious mugging. Not a believable bone in her body. The girls did their best, which wasn't very good (where are any of them today?), but they simply couldn't compete with Miss Rae's "aren't I cute?" line-readings. Never saw more than a few minutes of this show after my first experience of its awful mediocrity.
Facts of Life is a strange one. It *started* in the shark's mouth. With like 100 girls running around it was just too dang confusing. Then season two they went down to 4 girls and could concentrate on characters, and it was pretty decent. Then along comes season 4 and it all goes to crap again! After that it was a sloooow painful death.
I've seen a lot of comments about Geri, and while I have not yet gone through the whole page, I have to say this... Geri, ****** or not, was annoying. Sure, it's cool that they had a disabled regular on the show. Sure, it made a lot of young, impressionable kids like me realize that ******* can do this sort of thing. However, bottom line - she was annoying, and the show jumped when she joined the cast. Cloris Leachman comes in at a close second as being the most annoying character on that show, and it should have ended when Charlotte Rae left. She was the only one on that show other than Nancy McKeon that was even remotely funny.
when the girls were in college and were interviewed about the ways eastland changed them. And that movie with them in Europe was awful. But the show truly jumped when they started giving advice to andy and pippa. Natalie actually had the best comic timing when they were older. I love this show.
When Edna left it was a major jump. Much has been posted here about Blair's weight. Did anyone actually watch the WHOLE show? Blair was normal in the first (it was a half season) season. Then she was fat all thru the Eastland years. Then for the first year of college. Then she dumped a ton. For the last 3 or 4 years she was THIN. Tootie never like Jermaine Jackson. She liked Michael Jackson. She just liked Jermaine for that one episode as they could get him. Also the Princess Alexandria was brought in to "replace" Blair. There was a serious talk of a "Blair and Jo" go to college spin-off. She would have replaced the Blair character if it happened. I don't think I read anything about that annoying guy that liked Jo throughout the Eastland years. (not the sailor guy). Also only Jonathan on "Who's The Boss" kept McKenzie(sp?) Austin from being the gayest teen (male) on TV. Jo was the biggest lesbian on TV. Sure no one said Jo was a lesbian. You didn't have to say Tootie was black. But we knew anyway. Also remember the episode where the Black guy convinces Tootie she isn't "black enuff." He says they all "dance white." Tootie says "well then I must be white too 'cause I taught them everything they know." Then the black guy dances and Jo looks at him and says "another myth shattered." [e.g. all blacks have rhythm.]
I started watching FOL when I myself was in boarding school (with *nuns*! Aargh...) so while I knew the show was laughably unrealistic I loved it, especially series 2 and 3. However I think that the show should have stayed at the school with a rolling stock of characters as the existing characters graduated. After Eastlands the show lost its sparkle for me, and I rarely watched it. BTW my favourite character was Natalie as I could relate to her personality and uniform size. Now I live in England and have no access to reruns, which is highly annoying as I'd love to watch the first few series again.
I think when the theme song went pop metal on us, it was tooth time. The first one with mrs. G singing was pretty ridiculous but the one after that was the bomb. Another web site the name of which escapes me where they vote on tv theme songs constantly had it at number one by many people although I wouldn't put it that high. Top 15 maybe but it doesn't compare to the true greats, Angie, Wkrp, Charles in Charge, Laverne and Shirley. When a sitcom gives a theme song a makeover, it's time to get out the harpoon. I think Blair who before she hit fifty on the show had beautiful hair. It was a little crazy seeing these full grown women trying to carry on youthfulness and make it work.
I grew up watching Facts, which is odd, because I'm a guy, and I loved it. The show was a lot of fun, and doesn't get the respect from NBC I think it should have. Facts debuted at a terrible time in NBC's history. The season before Facts debuted, NBC only had 4 shows in the Top 30 (Little House on the Prairie #14, CHiPs #25, and Diff'rent Strokes #27), and one was the Monday Night Movie! NBC was experiencing success with Diff'rent Strokes, and, when its first terrible spin-off, "Hello, Larry" flopped, NBC was getting desperate. Facts debuted, and was a terrible mess. One critic even commented that it signaled the end of NBC, it was so bad. And I must admit that the first season theme was the stupidest TV theme I've ever heard. However, version 2, which ran from '80-'85, was excellent. Facts' first season rating was #74. NBC couldn't risk a whole lot more, and decided to overhaul the show for '80, and Facts' rating shot up to #26, and never fell below #40 for the rest of the 9-season run. When the show was finally canceled, it held NBC's record for the longest-running show it had ever aired. However, when MacKenzie Astin, the rather precocious prepubescent boy joined the cast, it seemed to be an acknowledgement that the formula was wearing out and they needed to inject the show with something new. When Edna's burned down, Clooney had his stint, then Mrs. G left, and Leachman replaced her, the show was never the same. There were still plenty of good episodes with Leachman, but the show just wasn't the same. It was on its way out. Then, in the last season, '87-'88, they add Pippa. It just seemed that after '84-'85, Facts started taking on characters like the Titanic did seawater. Oh, and I'm also in the camp that the pop-metal theme song re-do wasn't very good at all. But, when you're 9 seasons old, and sitting in a lineup with Cheers, Night Court, Family Ties, The Golden Girls, Matlock, The A-Team, and Cosby, all fresh and rolling in the ratings, it's not hard to see how Facts got second-rate developments toward the end. However, I do wish they would have spun off Blair and her acquisition of Eastland. That might have had staying power. The last episode, in fact, was supposed to be the new series' pilot. However, I don't think it ranks with the likes of Webster, Benson, and Gimme a Break, which all ran so far past their usefulness and successfulness that programming execs would have forgotten about them. Facts stayed between #24 and #34 for all but the first and last seasons. That's not bad.
The episode where they sang with El Debarge. Who is El Debarge, you ask? Just a lousy pop singer from the 80's with a greasy geri curl. Or how about Tootie going crazy over trying to meet Jermaine Jackson. Crazy. These girls may have learned the facts of life, but they sure as hell didn't learn about good taste in music!
The show was great and got better when they chopped it down to 4 girls. The show was sailing along smoothly. Then suddenly Mrs. Garrett splits and the ride becomes a little bumpy and slowly but surely the show begins to sink into the murky depths of the Cancellation Sea where "the shark" resides. But I'll always remember the light fun of the show.........and the delightful discovery of little Tootie not being so "little" anymore. Wow she grew into a sexy teen! Thank God for reruns.
Oh god. As soon as Mrs. Garrett left and we met "Beverly Ann Stickle" the show was ****. I mean, it had some ****ty ups and downs before then, but that was just horrible. It made me seriously just want to cry. And she had no purpose, either...
The most stomach turning moment of FOL came when Mrs Garrett was trying to persuade one of the girls to hang on to her virginity. She revealed that she and the departed Mr G. waited 'til their wedding night to consummate, and then said "and it was good" with that trademark whine of hers. "AND IT WAS GOOD?" The thought of an aroused, or satiated, Edna Garrett remains as frightening in 2004 as it was ca. 1985. Another low was the "Very Special Episode" in which a new girl came to Eastland, was snubbbed by Blair and killed herself- which was the first episode I ever saw. As I recall the "big moment" came after the new girl downed a bottle of pills and was taken to the hospital- Mrs. G. took the phone call and all the (now contrite) girls crowded around her for the entirely expected "she's going to be alright, isn't she?"/" She's dead " exchange followed by fade to black and commercial break. And, of course, Tootie acting as if she was insane in order to wear down Mrs Garrett's resistance to seeing Jermaine Jackson remains a pop culture high water mark of the decade. Also haunting was the episode in which one of the reanimated corpse-like Gabor sisters played a cosmetics baroness who rather cruelly discussed how ridiculous the overly made up Natalie looked with her standing there. The irony of a woman wearing so much make up one anticipated that one day it might shatter and fall off revealing the wizened and frightening 200 year old creature within commenting on how bad Natalie looked was quite painful.
When they all started wearing identical hairdos. Jo: "You live, you go one, you die...that's life." I never forgot that!
The writers and producers ruined a great show when they had Natalie lose her virginity to snake. Lisa Whelchel was right when she refused the part ... Mindy Cohn should have respected herself more and done the same. The show declined in value and content from that episode on!
The show jumped the shark when it was revealed that Eastland Academy was set in Peekskill, New York. You see, FOL is a spinoff of "Diff'rent Strokes", and the DS character Kimberly Drummond was a day student at Eastland. Yet DS was set in New York, and if you look at a map of New York State, you find that Peekskill and NYC are 46.7 miles apart! Are we supposed to believe that Kimberly took a daily round-trip commute of 93.4 miles? I mean, really!
I could take the graduations, the store buring down, the store's New Wave makeover, Mrs. Garrett's leaving, and even Beverly Anne's arrival. But the Sha-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-las?At that point, the show jumped past the shark . . . and over the moon. At least, the theme song didn't change to "Hot Rod Lover" (Freud would have had a field day with that title).
In the episode where Natalie is in the truck stop and imagines her fellow cast members are characters in a story she is writing..."All I need now is for Charo to walk through the front door!"...and she does. Guest appearances by Charo is most definitely a shark leapfrogging moment.
For me this show jumped in the first season with the episode where Tootie unknowingly buys a bong from some record store. She has no idea what it's for and thinks it's decorative, but Mrs. Garrett knows otherwise and flips. But this show really jumped the shark with the reunion episode that was one of the worst things ever filmed. Everything about it was crap, from the writing to the production values. Not to mention the plot, which had us believing that big-ol-Natalie is being lusted after by multiple handsome men. Yeah right.
Geri Jewel, although not the greatest actress was one of the first physically challenged individuals on tv. To the poster above who called her "crippled, ********, and incomprehensible, you really should not be so critical, and be happy you don't have cerebral palsy like she did. BTW, she was not ********, her IQ was above average. Also, CP is a developmental disability which causes motor coordination difficulty. So don't be insensitive.
That rarest of occasions when an original from one show gets their own show without dooming EITHER. Mrs. Garrett was present at the beginning of "Diff'rent Strokes" and her departure didn't hinder either show's performance. That early interaction between shows was great, but as happens all too often, it faded fast. I'm in the minority here because "The Facts of Life" didn't suffer until well after what I consider it's turning point: eliminating four of the original seven girls. Producers thought that scope was too wide, so they narrowed it. With seven girls, there would have plenty of scenarios they could have explored with each of them. Each girl had a distinct identity and the issues to match: Blair ("the rich one"), Sue Ann ("the smart one"), Cindy ("the athlete"), Molly ("the plain one"), Natalie ("the chubby one"), Tootie ("the black one"), and Nancy ("the pretty one"; actually, there was more than one). Edna Garrett was the perfect choice to juggle the different personalities and get them to work together as a unit. By limiting Sue Ann, Cindy, Nancy, and Molly to occasional appearances before zoning them out altogether, producers also limited all the girls in learning to get along with each other, which they weren't able to do so well at the get-go. Perhaps that first graduation should have been pushed back a few years, included a majority of the early girls, and marked the end of the show. Once Blair and Jo went to college, it was unrealistic to think that they would still live and hang with Natalie and Tootie. Instead, this transition led to several changes, some inevitable and some with no rhyme or reason. The original premise always works best.
I don't think this show ever really jumped, not even with the addition of different characters. Although the thought of some ritzy boarding school in Peekskill was a little far fetched. Okay, my husband was born and raised in Peekskill where this show took place, and a lot of his family still lives there, so I visit Peekskill a lot. I find it hard to believe they'd put a ritzy boarding school in that rathole. No offense, but Peekskill is better known for crack dealing than academia.
Beverly Ann (Cloris) was really not the shark-jump IMO. It was the abysmal final and 9th season! The plots were getting so far-fetched and they writers really blew it by adding too many new characters, like the horrible Pippa and the annoying Casey who did not seem like a guy Blair would go for. Also,did you notice by the end,the plots all sounded alike! Example: Tootie and Natalie's boyfriends meet,but they dont get along at first; Tootie meets Jeff's grandmother, but they dont get along at first; Jo's dad meets Rick, but they dont get along at first. They pulled the plug at the right time! If they'd gone for a 10th season, the shark would have had a feast!
I am tempted to say this show jumped when Pippa came on the scene, but she was just the final nail in the coffin. I tuned out long before that! It was when Edna's Edibles had burned down and they decided to reinvent the characters as "businesswomen". Sheesh. Clooney and Astin where as bland as could be, and that new "rock" theme song (with the electric guitar at the beginning) was another sign. The clothes they had them wearing made them look like junior Designing Women (though that show hadn't premiered yet). The REAL writing on the wall was that same year, THE GOLDEN GIRLS made its debut on the same name. Four women, DECADES older, who were funnier, hipper, had better chemistry with each other and DATED MORE!!! Granted, not many actors have the comic timing of Bea Arthur, but this unfortunate schedule positioning of a better show made the show seem to have sunk even lower when there might have still been hope for it.
The show, to me, seemed to remain decent after Mrs. Garrett left, but that last season was very dull. Pippa comes in almost out of nowhere and just moves in with them. It wasn't really her I didn't like, but the stories at that point.
While there really wasn't much reason for the show to continue after Blair and Jo graduated, the first "Edna's Edibles" year wasn't too bad. However, I tuned out completely after Edna's Edibles burned down. It didn't help that that same year, they changed the theme song to that horrible "rock" style and Samwise Gamgee's less talented, very annoying brat of a brother joined the cast. I was unfortunte enough to catch the reruns of the episodes I missed the first time when they were on Nick at Nite, and I can see that I didn't miss much.
One of this show's unofficial sites ran a 25th anniversary poll, with season eight being declared the best season, the "rock remix" theme song being the best theme song, and "Over Our Heads" (that horrible novelty shop) winning best set. I demand a recount, because the show had jumped long before any of those came about. They really should not have continued after the older girls graduated, or at least not continued the way they did. I find it too unbelieveable that the girls would continue living together with Mrs. Garrett in the guise of helping run a store/restraunt turned novelty (read: crap) store. Had the show ended with Blair and Jo's graduation, we wouldn't have had that god-awful "fire" episode or the stupid Christmas episode where they sang for a prison, the "rock remix" theme wouldn't exist (at least not as an official theme for the show), the sub-par movie where they go to Australia wouldn't have been produced, Charlotte Rae wouldn't have left, and Cloris Leechman, George Clooney with his then-mullett, the annoying brat boy and the more annoying Aussie chick wouldn't have shown up.
When Tootie couldn't see Jermaine Jackson and she totally lost it and went into a fanatical/delusional crisis which Mrs. Garrett had to calm through comparisons to the Beatles??? Also, I seem to recall Lisa Whelchel leaving and being replaced by someone callled "Pippa". God save us all.
IMHO, the biggest jts was when the girls moved from Eastland to Edna's Edibles. Actually,this show jumped the shark so many times it is hard to keep track. Yet it still lingered on the air - and viewers, like myself, for some reason continued to watch. I even looked forward to seeing the gang back together again on the Reunion Movie. I must say it was probably the most awful and painful thing I have ever seen - a total flop with little or no plot.
This show saved my life. I used to live on Junction Blvd. in Queens and almost turned to prostitution until I saw the episode with Tootie and the call girl. I even was wearing Sexy Lingerie. My name is Jeanie and I owe my life to this show.
To me, this show had three diving boards and they all revolve around Jo Polniciak. First - Jo as Prom Date Barbie: Jo gets asked out to some fancy country club cotillion. They dress her up and have "the moment" where she walks out, supposedly like a princess, but she still looked hideous. It turns but the guy only asks her because he thinks she's tough she must be easy. She whops him one with her shoe and Mrs. Garrett offers comfort while you know it's all Blair can do to keep from saying, "I told you so" but instead she's sympathetic. Next - Jo Singing "It Had to Be You": The girls come back to Eastland after either Spring Break or Summer Vacation (which I think they all took together) but they each have a moment where they are actually apart and when they get back to school they each tell the story of what they did with their rare moment apart from the others. Tootie comes across Jo in a "poignant moment", playing impromptu piano (juice?) bar singing "It Had to Be You". I think this one episode is the reason she didn't show up for the reunion movie. And lastly, Jo and Super Rich Guy: After they finally graduate and move out to live over Edna's Edibles (I watched the show after this, but I have no idea why). Anyway, Jo, again, is being sought after by some super rich guy that we will never see again after this episode. He is very handsome and after she rejects him for the zillionth time he comes to pick her up and dressed up in a morning suit with a horse and carriage out back, so as to further woo tough fair maiden. Get this. Jo's response is "Did somebody die?" Despite having attending a fancy schmancy boarding school for four years, Blair still has to somehow explain to unprivileged, unworldly Jo what morning clothes. I watched the show until Edna's Edibles burned down. I seem to remember a few episodes with that lady and her son, but I could not tell you what the last episode of this show was to save my life. They should have ended it with graduation and called it a day.
THE FACTS OF LIFE was a decent spinoff of DIFFERENT STROKES, where Charlotte Rae's character, Mrs. Garrett, was spun off and became the den mother at Eastman, some private girls' school in the east, I think. The producers madea smart move at the end of the first season and got rid of most of those girls (Molly Ringwald included) and concentrated on Natalie, Tootie, and Blair. Nancy McKeon was a welcome breath of fresh air as Jo and she Lisa Whelchel, Kim Fields, and Mindy Cohn eventually melded into a tight eensemble of actresses who worked really well together. This show was fun when it stayed light but whenever it tried to get "serious", which I gguess would fall under the "A Very Special Episode" umbrella, the show got laughable. These shows got more laughs than the shows were intentionally funny. The additions of George Clooney and Mackenzie Astin did very little to spice up the proceedings. Who would have thought at the time that Clooney would become a film superstar? I never saw that coming. The show's solid shark jump occurred though with the departure of Charlotte Rae. She was the glue that held the show together and Cloris Leachman as Beverly Ann was a poor substitute. No offense to Ms. Leachman, a wonderful actress, but to get thrown into a show like at this at the end of its run and try to get audiences to accept her was an impossible mission.
Like a lot of people, l felt that the changes that were made after the first season of The Facts Of Life was for the best in improving the quality of the show. But after watching the first season of shows on my cable system's video on demand service, l now feel that the downsizing of the cast was uncalled for. I like the group interaction of the girls(Blair, Tootie, Natalie, Nancy, Cindy, Sue Ann ,and Molly), and for the producers not to see that was very stupid. My favorite downsized characters were Nancy and Sue Ann. I think that in addition to keeping Blair, Tootie, and Natalie, the producers should have kept Nancy and Sue Ann. By keeping these two characters, the show would had been more appealing to reach a wider audience. The addition of Jo could still take place to give the show more spice and attitude. The only changes l felt were needed was getting rid of Miss Mahoney after the first four episodes, and Mr.Bradley, the school's headmaster. I liked Mr.Bradley in the first four episodes because he was cool and human. But, over time in the final nine episodes of season one, he became arrogant, pushy, and self-centered. And, he became not only the school's headmaster, but also the school's "housefather", to Mrs.Garrett's housemother role. He always challenged Mrs.Garrett decision's about the girls, and blamed everything that was wrong about the girls on her. This to me was completing wrong because Mrs.Garrett was more smarter and human than Mr.Bradley. And, Mrs.Garrett should had never been promoted to food service. She should had been the school's housemother all along. Had the changes after the first season had been kept to a few, the show would had looked more sharper with Mrs.Garrett, Blair, Tootie, Natalie, Nancy, Sue Ann, and Jo as the main characters.
The problem with the Facts was that there was inconsistency running around the show. Jo had known Nancy, Sue Ann, Cindy, and Molly since they had gone to school together. After all, they all except for Molly, were seen until the 4th season of the show. Just because Jo wasn't around during the first season doesn't mean that when the reunion episode occured in the Beverly Anne and Over Our Heads years doesn't mean that Jo and thee other 3 original girls had to be re-written as not having known each other. Jo was also shown to be friends with Cindy, who was also a tomboy but not as tough as Jo. Jo was friends with these girls (except for Molly whom we didn't see after her one guest-appearance in season 2). Since Beverly Anne and Andy were the newer cast members, it would have been logical that either of them felt left out. Sure Beverly Anne was Mrs. Garrett's sister and they've had a strained relationship over the years, there could have been talk about Mrs. Garrett--whom Nancy, Molly, Sue Anne, and Cindy also loved--which would have made Beverly Anne jealous. Andy being a boy knew Mrs. Garrett but I don't think he'd want to be around a bunch of girls and girl talk etc. He could have been written as feeling left out because he's the resident kid. Beverly Anne's feeling left out could would have been natural but the jealousy quite immature to a degree since she wasn't around in the earlier years. Beverly Anne had to be the mature voice for the younger cast after all as adults people still learn the Facts of Life. What the reunion episode WAS INDEED MISSING besides consistency was Molly Parker (as played by Molly Ringwald) AND Kimberly Drummond (as played by Dana Plato). Molly Ringwald had made it stardom as an 80s teen actress in hit movies and perhaps she would have returned for the guest-appearance. Or the character Molly Parker should have been mentioned as being a major actress. I think it would have been cool to have Mrs. Garrett come back home for a visit. She did adore these other girls as much as they adored her. However, with her married and off in Africa, the writer felt it silly to have her return for such a reunion. It would have been great to see Kimberly with Mrs. Garrett again as she was also one of her girls. Kimberly Drummond was the one character who introduced us to the future cast of the Facts of Life during the first year of Different Strokes, the parent show to FOL. Afterall, Kimberly was an Eastland student and all the original girls from the first season of FOL were her good friends. I believe that during the FOL's run we should have seen Kimberly, especially during the Eastland years. We've seen Arnold and Willis of Different Strokes pop by the FOL to visit their mother-figure and friend, Mrs. Garrett. Maybe there were legalities as to why Kimberly didn't show up on FOL because she was created specifically for Different Strokes. It would have been cool to see her as part of the cast of both shows since Sam Drucker was a regular character on both Green Acres and Petticoat Junction. We had all those visits from Geri on FOL, we could have had the same with Kimberly. When Kimberly did interact with her friends from Eastland it was when some of the girls came to the Drummond Penthouse for a visit. The only time Kimberly appeared on the FOL was the very first episode when the Drummonds went to visit Mrs. Garrett. I'm sure Kimberly knew Jo as well. Although Different Strokes had gone off the air in 1986 (on ABC after leaving NBC, which wanted to cancel the show) and Dana Plato had left the show a few years earlier but made some guest-appearances on that show, she could have been called in to reprise her role of Kimberly on FOL for the reunion episode which would remember the show's roots. But then again, transnetwork crossovers weren't things that happened often in television. Guiding Light and As the World Turns, both Daytime Soaps on CBS, were the only shows that did transnetwork crossovers with NBC's Daytime Drama "Another World" in the 1960s where characters from one show were transplanted to Another World. Different Strokes, although most of its run was on NBC before it went to ABC its final season, the fact that it spun-off Facts of Life, and went off the air in 1986 wouldn't or shouldn't have been hard to get Kimberly on FOL for that special episode.
After Jo and Blair graduated, you entered automatic shark jump territory. No college gal is going to live with their high school roomies going to a conveniently close college. And what is with your people freaking out about Natalie losing her virginity. Wasn't she a twenty-something? Wasn't this the late 80's? Wally and the Beav had long since been cancelled. Come up into the modern era with the rest of us.
Facts of Life is a bittersweet memory for me. I lived in Manhattan for 15 years beginning in 1985. I had rarely traveled north of 125th street. Four years ago, my lover and I began to search for real estate in Westchester county. I remember seeing the town of Peekskill on the map. I thought, "Oh my God, isn't that where Blair, Jo, Tootie and Natalie were from!?" My favorite TV show... I had to go visit this lovely little town. I pictured beautiful tree lined streets, quaint little stores and all the girls and Mrs. G walking down the street. I couldn't wait!! Well....the reality is... Peekskill is a DUMP!. I was sooo disappointed. It forever changed my image of Facts of Life for the worst. Damn reality!
To the above poster, you take the good, you take the bad. Never jumped!
While it would have been interesting to see Kimberly Drummond on the show, the creators of "Diff'rent Strokes" solved that problem by having an episode where Kimberly decides she wants to go to public school. I'm also disturbed at the number of people who emphasize the girls' looks and weight during the show. Teenage girls needed to see that not everybody has to be paper thin. After all, didn't Sue Ann have to learn that lesson? The shows about prostitution, pornography and rape are also important subjects for teenage girls to address. (For those who've made insensitive comments about the attack on Natalie...do you think women are only raped if they're physically attractive? Why do elderly women and little girls get raped then? It's not about how the woman looks.) For me, the Shark moment came when Jo and Blair graduated from Eastland. There was really no reason for them to live with Mrs. Garrett and Tootie and Natalie anymore. The situation was contrived that forced them to do so. I cannot believe parents would let their teenage girls live off-campus with a local businesswoman who no longer works for the school, either. It just kept jumping after that. Edna's Edibles. Over Our Heads. Andy. Pippa. Beverly Ann.
When Edna's Edibles burned down and the characters opened Over Our Heads.
When the character of Edna Garrett left the show, the heart of the show was gone. The producers should have ended it right there. Instead, they went on for two more seasons of laughlessness. This was a favorite of mine for so many years. And I watched the last two seasons thinking that it would be funny, but it never was. I was loyal to the show event though I thoroughly hated the last 2 seasons. And honestly, what did Pippa ever do to make the show better. Uggh.
When Natalie and Snake consumated. Actor Robert Romanus must have been mystified that he went from knocking up Jennifer Jason-Leigh (Fast Times At Ridgemont High) to plucking Mindy Cohn in five years time. Downward career trajectory indeed.
It went down hill when Charlotte Rae left and Cloris Leachman took her place. There was one good episode after that and that was the Halloween one where Blair is strangled by the fuzzy dice. As for the girls being fat, chubby maybe and certainly not anorexic like many stars today. Of course after living in a gourmet shop maybe the characters had no self control :)
I have been watching this series in reruns now and I can say it was actually a pretty good show. The first jump came with MacKenzie Astin. This is one of the worst written roles. Andy is always running around conducting record deals, today on a rerun he grabs the phone from Edna and convinces the supplier to deliver on time. I mean how unrealistic is that. Edna wouldn't have tolerated that crap from Tootie at Eastland. Why would she tolerate that crap from Andy at HER OWN BUSINESS? Andy tells Jo (after the fire) she can sleep in her bed, and they'll be nothing to worry about. Jo (then smiles that Laurie Partridge smile the one Laurie used when listening to little Ricky Seagull sing). C'mon Jo would've toss Andy a line like "oh shut up." There was NO explanation of WHY Edna would be so stupid NOT to keep her insurance up. And why not rebuild Edna's Edibles? The kids chip in their part of the insurance. If she didn't keep up the insurance WHERE did they get the insurance money? Sure she has some insurance but not enough. Then Edna leaves and Beverly Ann comes in and has no job. Then in the last season she says "Andy is sleeping in the basement, Pipa on the couch, Hey the store isn't making money. Let's close it." OK what does this moron Beverly Ann do for money? She NOW has no job. She adopts Andy, who turns out not to have real parent but FOSTER parents. So if Beverly Ann adopts Andy then she wouldn't even get money from the state to help with his care. Natalie kept getting HOT boyfriends. I liked that Natalie was the first to "Officially" sleep around. That would've made a better angle. Have fat ugly Natalie sleep around to compensate for her looks. They almost did that YEARS ago when Natalie pretended to be popular.
For me, Facts of Life JTS when Julie, Julie Anne, Molly, and Felice were let go. Their characters didn't get much of a chance to develop. Eight is Enough had 8 kids. IMHO, 'Facts' could've made it with various storylines involvin' the original 7.
It was clear the sharked had been jumped during the later seasons when they made no attempt to sell us on the notion they really were in Peekskill. They went on location to do a show about one of the girls learning to drive-learning on a Hearse no less but it was the only one with the orange license plates while the rest of the cars had the blue California plates of the era and worst of all they clearly showed palm trees on the streets. I can assure you there are no palm trees in Peekskill!
Jumped when Edna's Edibles burned down. Adding Pippa, losing Mrs. Garrett and adding the new 'gift shop', running out of ideas and having the girls grow up ended the fun. Cloris Leachman is great but she didn't have too much to add at the end.
Even though the show did have an official "jumped the shark" when they left Eastland School for Edna's Edibles, I admit that I watched the show all the way through. But, the show really did lose its way once Eastland was no longer around. The best part of the show was the four girls living upstairs and Mrs. Garrett living down the hall. Not only was the show fun, but it had a lot of moving episodes: the suicide one, the graduation, etc. The problem was that there was no way that they could have Jo and Blair keep going to high school. As the kids got older (and were really adults), some things got a little silly. One would think that Natalie was the first 22 year old to ever lose her virginity? ...and even though they covered stuff that will unfortunately always be relevant: racism, death of a parent, etc., the show just never had the same cohesiveness. But, oddly, I still enjoyed it anyway (even the episodes with Cloris Leachman).
I could handle when they left Eastland, and they jumped a fish when George Clooney's character, Beverly Ann, and Andy joined the cast...but when Pippa joined, that was it! She absolutely ruined the entire show. That character was entirely too annoying and served no purpose. I'm no Australian, but I can't imagine that many Aussies speak like her, spouting grating sayings.
"The Fats of Life." Utterly repulsive to gaze upon. . .annoying, whiny, implausible. As one of the contributors above said, the girls got HUGE! And they weren't exactly, hmmm, svelte beforehand, either. Why anyone would want to tune in to this show escapes me. The fats of life, indeed.
I just got the 1st and 2nd season DVD set for my birthday [I love it of course] and I finally got to see after many years the 1st season episode "Dope" [one of many episodes of the show Nick At Nite banned for various reasons], it was a masterpiece, like a half-hour ABC Afterschool Special, the girl explaining to Sue Ann what it's like to be high, the girl lighting the bong and Blair scolds her, Sue Ann toking up, the girl in the corner high out of her mind, Mr. Bradley expelling all of the girls in "The Group", Tootie buying bongs at a record store [like they would really sell them to her!], I could go on and on, along with the Saved By The Bell episodes "Jessie's Song" and "No Hope With Dope" and the numerous Afterschool Special episodes it was a stone classic!!
The post above forgot to mention that Helen Hunt guest starred in that episode. I can't imagine how many people learned what a roach (in terms of smoking pot) was because of her performance. Also this episode has a hilarious line...."You don't hit grass, it hits YOU!"
There were two definitive shark-jumpers on this series;both involved Tootie's singing.One was the episode where she and Natalie compete for the lead in "South Pacific",for a role that neither of them would be cast in in real life!And what the hell was with the awful pop-y rendition of "Some Enchanted Evening"?The first Stacey Q episode,where both she and Tootie sing "Two of Hearts"for a Broadway audition,was nothing short of shameless self-promotion for Miss Q (for another example of this type of desperate publicity,see Michael Bolton rasp his way through "Nessun Dorma" on "The Nanny".).Nowadays,there are Broadway auditions that require auditioners to sing something pop,but NOT with taped tracks-that is total amateurville!!!And how Tootie got an audition appointment without having an Equity card,an agent,or any professional credits-this could only happen on TV or in 1930s MGM or WarnerBrothers movie musicals!!!
This show was never really all that good, but it was decent in it's Eastland and Edna's Edible years. It had it's moments and it had an overall good cast and a lot of good chemistry between the actresses. But the show jumped when they got that new rock theme song. Of course, it wasnt the theme song that CAUSED the show to jump, but if you are watching a FOL episode and see the rock theme song come on, be prepared you are watching an episode from AFTER the show jumped. This was when Edna's Edibles was burnt down and replaced with "Over Our Heads", which was utterly pointless since they were never even shown in it, Mrs. Garret's roles were being reduced until she eventually was replaced with Beverly Ann, Tootie was growing up and no longer "cute" (or funny), they added a whole bunch of new characters that contributed nothing to the show, and Natalie's classic one-lines were gone because she was always either having boy problems or looking for a job. Not to mention that's when the chemistry between Jo and Blair was gone. The show then became downright unwatchable when they added Pippa in the final season. The chemistry was now completely gone - between everyone. It went on 3 years too long, if you ask me, should have ended after season 6.
This show is a rare case because I agree with those that say it started already over the shark the first season and then jumped back. Getting rid of most of the first season girls and adding Jo was about the best move the show could have made. The ones that remained were all interesting enough characters and decent comedic actresses. The four also worked really well together. I also personally loved that they all looked like real girls and not overly skinny models. However, I am going to disagree with the majority in that I don't think the show jumped until after Edna's Edibles burned down. In fact, some of my favorite episodes are from that time period. I agree that by then the show had started to get away a bit from its original premise, but I didn't think it was so unrealistic that the girls wound up living with Mrs. G. and helping her in the store. For Jo it made sense if she didn't have the money for college room and board. For Blair, less so. I do agree that it is unrealstic that two college students would still continue to share a room and be best friends with two high school students, but overall I thought the situation was somewhat plausible. However, the building of "Over Our Heads" was where it jumped. I did continue to watch, but by then the contrivance factor was through the roof. Why would Mrs. G want to open a novelty store? Why wouldn't the older girls move back into the dorms at that point? Why did George and Andy spend all their free time hanging out with the four? Then when Mrs. Garrett left, why did Beverly Ann need to come to take care of the girls when they were already adults and why would the girls continue to live in Mrs. Garrett's house? Wouldn't she have sold it when she moved? Even funnier was every time one of the girls tried to move out, usually Jo, the others acted like it was the end of the world and always found a way for them to stay together. When Jo get married at the end I was expecting Blair to force her to live in the attic with Rick.
Give me a break. That was no tomboy, that girl was straight up gay. All that tension with Blair....you know she had a huge crush on her. How does Blair in the pilot make fun of a girl she thinks is gay but ignores it with Jo? AND with her attitude towards her? Clear sexual tension and it was totally ignored!
The show jumped the shark when Mrs. Garrett left the show, and Beverly Ann took her place. After Beverly Ann came on the show, the series went downhill. About the person who commented about Beverly Ann's hair and it made her look like a man, my supervisor has that hairstyle. She looked somewhat like a man too, along with rotten teeth.
When Blair's hair became curly and Edna's Edibles burned down. The show stank then.

When they opened the "Over Our Heads" era.

When the lost girls stop appearing imo

The show is watchable until season 9. The episodes are stale, the core 4 are doing things they wouldn't have done before, they forget they have a store to run, the core 4 are mean and isolate Pippa, Beverly Ann gets shoved to backseat scenes not making any sense to be there, a lot of time you're wondering where's Andy?, and so on. After how strong season 8 is, it's disappointing to see how far they could ruin the show that last season. It reminds me of Night Court because the actors / actresses resented being picked up to do that last season. They were fine with trashing that show and even ended it with a character going to space with aliens ohno: I've mentioned this before, I think Nancy was like the Night Court cast their last year since Jo was the one who was really out of character. Nancy used to object stories for her character because it didn't fit. She appeared not to care that she marries a man she hardly knows. Season 9 could have been a lot better if they had writers and producers that cared how the show ends.

I voted for the addition of Cloris Leachman, which is essentially the same option as Mrs. Garrett leaving.

The first season is my least favorite and the later seasons are my favorite. However, I voted that the show never boned or jumped.

Also, I liked Beverly Ann, George, Andy and Pippa. The show was good from the beginning to the end. It's one of my all-time favorites.

https://web.archive.org/web/20070225141752/http://jumptheshark.com/


Other Thoughts:

Tooty got a breast reduction
Actually, when they started using the wheelchaired ******** cousin (Geri) in like 90 episodes.
Five of the girls disappeared in the second season. Are they living with Chuck Cunningham?
when the girls got their own rooms
WHEN MINDY COHN TOOK UP THE WHOLE SCREEN.
When George Clooney joined the cast
When Molly Ringwald left
When Blair on Facts of Life got fat and Tootie's breasts got bigger than her head.
Two words: CLORIS LEACHMAN!!!!!
When the term "Fats of Life" became appropriate for all the girls, not just Mindy Cohn.
When they (finally!) graduated and they all decided to stay living with each other. Didn't any of the girls want to get a place of her own??
The whole show became stupid when the girls ran the deli with Cloris Leachman and George Clooney.
when the girls moved into Mrs Garrett's...they lived upstarirs of a bakery...give the woman her space!!!!!!
There were some very funny post-Mrs. G episodes, but the girls could probably make it on their own; Cloris Leachman seemed alienated at times.
God, Tootie had some jugs.
Come on now, a boy on this show? (Well, I always wanted to...never mind that)
I was shocked and exasperated when the writers made Jo a heterosexual. Whose rotten idea was this anyway?
I don't mind a little meat on a woman's bones. Fat jokes notwithstanding, they set up Mindy Cohn as "the fat one," but as time wore on she no longer stood out from the crowd in that regard. She fit right in. When you center a story around young people being young, the show's lifespan is directly proportionate to the time it takes those kids to grow up.
Even though the show was never the same without Mrs. Garrett, there were some VERY funny episodes, such as the one in which Blair works at a Mexican Restaurant, the Twilight Zone parody, and the episode where Jo's hair turns blond and Blair's turns green.
It only got better with age. Cloris Leachman was funnier than Mrs Garrett any day (although I do love Mrs. G.) and by the final season all 4 of the girls looked great (especially Blair and Jo). All of the Eastland years are the unwatchable ones.
This show really never jumped. It was always fresh, funny, and creative. I enjoyed watching Blair, Jo, Tootie, and Natalie every week. It did almost leap over the shark when they all graduated from college and the writers still tried to make them stay together. The adding of Makenzie Austin, who played Andy, to the cast also kind of skipped over the shark a little. But even so, this show was pure entertainment. It was great and I hope that they do a reunion show soon.
This was well toward the end of it's final season, but they tried to do a spinoff about college roomie's co-starring David Spade Two words, Dave...Hair Cut.
I agree that the show was still amusing after Mrs. Garrett left, but somehow it just wasn't the same without her.
Facts of Life jumped the shark when George Clooney joined the cast, and jumped back when he left.
When Natalie and her scuzzy boyfriend Snake did the Serta samba.
Facts of Life always seemed fairly lighthearted to me, until one Saturday night, Blair got involved in modeling. She went to a shoot that she had explicitly been told to attend alone and -WHAMMO- the Bob Guccione-wannabe asks her to appear partially undressed for a few shots. Luckily, somehow Charlotte Rae shows up, letting millions of babysat pre-teens learn what kiddie porn is.
That thing with the Kiddie Porn: It was Tootie who was almost conned into posing nude, not Blair.
The Facts of Life SO jumped the shark when Pippa joined. Remember Pippa? She was the ridiculously annoying Australian gal. I think they brought her on to be a "street-wise" troublemaker like Jo started out being. But she was just an annoying brat. She said things like "back off you daggy headbanging veggie-brain". She kept talking in Australian cliches and she just sucked. This was constantly on the verge of jumping the shark (Natalie's near-rape, Andy joining the cast, Mrs. Garret leaving, calling their store "Over Our Head") but didn't finally do the deed until Pippa popped up.
When they mentioned it on The Simpsons and the possibility that Kim Fields is holding out for more money. Please don't start such disturbing rumors about one of my favorite shows.
Special Guest Star Jermanie Jackson!!! What? They couldn't get Tito?
When the girls all grew up and they introduced that little rat Andy Moffet. Too bad he didn't really die in the Twilight Zone take-off.
The episode where the Reagan propaganda corp ordered a "Just Say No" episode in which we learn that bongs are used to smoke marijuana. It went from a tolerable way to kill another half hour of your life to a complete waste of time.
The very existence of this show was its moment of Shark-jumping. In fact, a good case could be made that nothing so swiftly gives an imprimatur of sharkiness as an Alan Thicke theme song. It IS funny, however, to replace the words "Facts of Life" with "the crack ho' life in the song.
I think you are a sick man, whoever you are. The fact that Alan Thicke wrote the theme song (and that of the parent series Diff'rent Strokes) is why he doesn't deserve to die, even though everything else he touches is C.R.A.P. not this show.
This was one of my favorite shows of all time, never did it jump the shark. Well, maybe a catfish with Mrs. Garrett's departure and the addition of Andy to the cast, but that's it.
The show jumped the shark when Natalie was almost raped. Who in their right mind would touch her? And it fell into the sharks when she was the first girl to get laid before marriage setting off all these gasps among the girls.
Remember when Natalie ran for mayor of Peekskill, NY where the show took place? If she had been elected, the shark would have eaten enough to last him the two remaining seasons of this show. Thank god she lost to that crazy space lady.
I can't believe they made a movie out of this crap. Furthermore, I can't believe they based the movie on the Halloween episode! "Blair Witch" my ass!
screen actors guild strike, 1980... lisa whelchel, by her own admission, goes home to texas and gets fat on ice cream... show never recovers...
In the first season, it had Molly Ringwald as one of the students and it REALLY sharked when Molly's parents announced their divorce- and Molly warbled out a pseudo-folk tune on her guitar to console herself. ..and ( possibly due to a cue card and the director's urging), the studio audience APPLAUDED her like she was the next Joan Baez! ARGGH!! Oh, in that episode, it also had Mrs. G. and Molly guilt-trip the headmaster into CANCELING his Hawaiian vacation so he could stay at the school to CONSOLE Molly! Like she was the ONLY person to EVER have her parents split and EVERYONE else's lives had to screech to a grinding halt!
Sexy Lingerie!! or How about Stacy Q, one hit wonder with crimped hair.
In the early episodes (it may even have been the "Different Strokes" episode where the characters were introduced), Blair smokes and is purportedly promiscuous. When the show's format changed and focused on only four of the girls, Blair suddenly became this upright, uptight little woman who did neither. Can we say inconsistent?
I liked this show and thought it was maybe the one spinoff that wound-up being more successful than the show it spun off of. I even forgave the fact that they moved in with Mrs. G after graduation. Hey, it was a hit show, they had to find a way to keep it on the air, right? But, I think the show jumped for me, when Mrs. G left and that other lady replaced her. I think the show should have died right than and there. Also, the change from Jo from street-wise punk kid, to grown woman took some of the magic away as well. The tension between her and Blair was great, but it just went sour after that.
Left the boarding house and moved to the cafe.
I can't believe all the above people really liked this show so much. If anyone wants proof that Americans are idiots, "Whoomp! There it is." The only way this show could have stood a chance would have been if it had premiered a decade or so later, as a Spelling Production. Then all the characters would have been slutty little school girls, who liked to flash garter straps underneath their short, pleated uniform skirts. Instead of that mo-ron Miss Garret, they could have had Joan Collins or somebody like that for the housemistress. Then they could have had her spank that idiotic headmaster. If a show is going to be completely vacuous, at least have some gratuitous sex and violence.
I hated when George Clooney's character banged Tootie, knocked her up and ran out on her. Ol' Toot learned 'The Facts of life' the HARD way. Didn't she then sell the baby on the black market for 20 grand? Did anyone see that episode?
When the girls sang with El Debarge.
When Mrs. Garrett left and Cloris Leachman took over. Why? The girls had a reason to live together in high school, you can even make the case for college. But Blair definitely could have moved out, especially by the time Mrs. G. left and her sister came on.
When Natalie told everyone she was a Jew and everyone was shocked
Trying to make Geri Jewell into a star. Even Charlotte Rae hated her. Geri Jewell was thrown off of the set after she told Charlotte Rae to kiss her "crippled ass".
The character of Jo leaves, The creation of the "What's in store" store, George Clooney joins the cast, Natalie was goes from cute and sarcastic to bloody annoying, Mrs. Garrets hair gets bigger
Blair goes from being the cute rich kid to the fat rich kid.
The Facts of Life jumped from day one and continued to sink even further as one of the worst shows on TV. I remember The Facts of Life being on Saturday nights not Wednesday nights.
When Jo stopped wearing her pony-tail and jeans and got a perm and started wearing power suits.
When they moved from the school to open a store & lived above the store. I loved the show, I miss the old episodes, but the ones that the store, sucked.
This show jumped the shark when Edna Garrett was replaced by the dumb blonde and they moved the show away from the school and to the bakery...card shop...whatever else the shop changed to each week when they got bored.
The show started revving up its shark-jumping engine when the show's setting moved away from the high school and to Mrs. Garrett's gourmet shop. I was just becoming a teenager when this show started, and at the time, I absolutely loved it (Especially the years at Eastland.) Then, last year I had minor surgery that kept me out of work for a week. I was so looking forward to reliving my youth when I discovered the repeats were on some cable channel. Imagine my disappointment: I found the show utterly un-watchable, corny and laughable as an adult. I guess you had to be 13 to enjoy it. Luckily, though, I was able to catch the "drunk driving" episode with Tootie's brother. (BTW: I stopped watching the show its first time around when Blair finds out her med-school boyfriend is a Chippendale dancer !)
When they had Geri on there, it was just pathetic. She was special.
This is my favourite show of all-time but Pippa did totally suck. Me and my friend have an on-going joke...whenever one of us acts like a jerk we call that "being a Pippa". She ruined the show. I could even handle Cloris Leachman and George Clooney but Pippa took the cake. P.S-Facts of life needs to come back!
If hadn't already, this show definitely jumped with the Jermaine Jackson episode. Tootie makes that ridiculous papier mache (sp?) head of JJ, has a meltdown when she thinks she won't be able to go to the concert, and then when she finally gets back to his dressing room JJ's bodygaurds throw the stupid paper head into the bathtub.
when they moved into charollete's house, when cloris leachman came on, when clooney came on, when mackenzie astin came on the show - the show didn't jump the shark - for by that time the shark had already devoured it. the show jumped the shark, truly, when the girls all got as fat as mindy cohn. i guess instead of her losing weight to try to look hot, it all went reversed. i mean, it hurt to see blair fat - but she was still doable. but seeing jo fat was really kinda scary. dykes! oops, i mean yykes!
When Blair bought the Eastland School For Girls. First they go back and it has suddenly and mysteriously gone co-ed after a fabulous renovation that rivaled the Sistine Chapel job. Talk about biting off more than you can chew. That was the last episode that i ever saw. It would have made a good spin-off after nine years though. First there were a school full of girls, then there were just four. Together they got into every kind of trouble you could imagine. From the school grounds, to New York City, to the Outbacks of Austraila. Natelies Dad dies, Blair has a cousin with a disability (who knew?!), Tootie almost becomes a prostitute, and Jo get married. Let's not forget Mrs.G! This is a show that will never get the credit it deserves for all the issues it dealt with, especially in the 80's. I remember a girl committed suicide because her parents divorced. Nothing will ever beat out The Facts of Life!
If I had to pick a moment, I'd have to go with Clooney. That, or when they finally acknowledged that Mrs. Garrett was a reanimated corpse and booted her off the show.
They survived Andy, they survived George, they even might have survived Pippa (though I doubt it.) When Mrs. Garrett left, it just wasn't the same show. Does anyone besides me think seasons 2 and 3 really sucked? I thought it got much better when they moved into the store.
The show definately jumped when Blair went from being truly sexy and pretty to a fat girl wearing loose clothes and heels. The only reason a young red-blooded boy would ever watch it was Blair, but as she got fatter, she got to be a cliche of goody two shoes cliches (I commend her Christian beliefs, but don't force the stuff into the show--it's not fun.). What good is the tension between Jo and Blair if Blair is a porker and a boy would choose Blossum over her? Pul--eeze! By the time the producers stripped it of all shreds of credibility (Jo in suits, Mrs Garrett gone, the ******** girl) it had already jumped and sailed off into the horizon.
I just read a few comments that Pippa was annoying...I just wanted to bring to your attention that she was played by Sherrie Austin, who really is from Austrailia, and she actually is in Nashville writing songs...she has a deal with Arista and released two albums, and had a semi-hit last year with "NEver BEen Kissed" which was a huge hit on Country Music Television (CMT). She just wrote a song for ROnnie Milsap called "Time, Love and Money" which is just great. She's got some immense song-writing skills! Just thought people might like to know what she is up to...
Jo changes - no more toughgirl image. Screwed the whole show up.
When Edna's edibles burned down and then they turned it into "Over our Heads"
I went to Nick at Nites little site and they have a timeline for Facts of Life. What the hell are they talking about? It's- 1) Blair is fine. (Nobody knew about Molly yet). 2) Blair gets fat. 3) Blair is no longer fat. Except 3 might never happened.
Jumped when Mr Bradley left, and again when Jeri came on When Mr. Steven Bradley was unceremoniously axed. I just saw the episode where Eastland was in the midst of a flood, and he saved a horse, 2 rabbits, Tootie and Blair. The one part of that episode that doesn't make sense is when the gang is waiting for the National Guard to save them, and they hear a knock on the door, and hence, assume it's a Guardsmen. However, it turns out it is the horse --who has been tethered outside. How did the horse know how to knock on the door? It's also cool when Blair realizes that Mr. Bradley isn't just the Headmaster, he is 100% all-Man. I have to admit that I was jealous. I guess I lived vicariously through Mr. B.
I had a chance to watch the Nick at Nite marathon and I'd say that this show is one of the quintessential shark jumpers. You say that a show jumps the shark when it peaks. The Facts of Life definitely peaked when the girls graduated Eastland and then moved to the gourmet shop. There was something kind of lost after that. Although there were a few memorable (mostly infamous) episodes after the graduation, I'd say that it was a long, slow, almost painful ride to the final episode which looked like it was rushed together at the last minute (it doesn't even look like a show's final episode ... and it's very strange to watch). Before the graduation episode, the show had a few very good episodes (the kiddie-porn one and the prostitution ones both with Tootie, Natalie's near-rape, Blair with the ******** guy); after the graduation show, it just seemed to be about how they could all keep on living together after high school ... I mean, I think that Blair and Jo were about 25 by the time the show ended and by then there had been so many attempts to breathe new life into it, it was almost useless. Although I have to say that the El DeBarge episode stands out and is forever etched in my memory. But the graduation was definitely the zenith. After that, well, with regards to the shark, I quote Jaws: "We're gonna need a bigger boat."
The El Debarge episode. Blazers abound as our chubby chics compete for the honor of lipsincing the chorus of El Debarge's hit " You wear it well"
I may not get a lot of agreement on this one but I think it jumped after the first season when the producers decided to cut back from the eight or so characters to four central characters. It isn't so much the cut back, but the "elite" four they selected. What the hell went on in this production meeting? I can only picture the network brass saying "OK, lets drop the two cute blondes and the hot brunette (i guess we were never meant to meet Roger), but lets keep the fat ugly pig with the annoying voice and bad one liners." If there is a second jump it would have to be where Andy enters the girls in a singing contest and dubs them "Sexy Lingerie" to meet El Debarge. Mindy Cohn in sexy attire?????? ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. Almost as bad as the Stacey Q episodes.
Cloris Leachman? Give me a break! She's a man, baby....
Why such nastiness about Geri Jewell? I'd rather hear someone criticize her than call her inspirational granted, but at least they tried to feature people with disabilities on a sitcom, played by someone with a disability (who better to play the role?), which is something I haven't seen a lot of since then.
I kind of grew up with this program. I tripped over it as I/they were in high school, initially drawn by Blair's inviting hips and spiked heel boots. But it went through the slowest most gradual downhill I ever saw. I think the boy on the show was the last straw for me. Removing Mrs Garrett was a 'huh?' move and the change of set to the bakery was really nuts (how did i know the bakery'd burn down one day?). The scripts got really inane and repetitious--how many times can Jo and Blair fight before you yawn and change the channel? Then Blair became a porker of the first order--it was like seeing the girls in college who tried to dress up to hide the flab. Jo was not meant to wear suits, and she certainly was not meant to be in those stupid Valerie Bertinelli-ish 'young woman in peril' TV movies. Tootie became quite a dish for awhile and started to dress in an interesting way sometimes (boing!). But then she became porky and it wasn't even fun to watch with the volume off.
So the show is already close to jumping the shark as it is... Beverly Ann is lame, the newly added Andy is a dud -- then they get this god-awful brainchild to add Pippa. Like we really need some Australian chick to run around and add diversity to the show. What purpose did she serve? And why the hell would the girls allow some common thief to live in their house? Remember, when she first started on the show, she was some Australian thief who was lying to them in order to steal stuff. You know what was cool, though? When they tried to talk NBC into doing another season, and the premise was that Blaire was going to run Eastland as a co-ed school? That would've been the bomb-diggity. It could've been funny. At least Pippa wouldn't be around.
When the girls sang with El Debarge it was over for all five of them. But dang Tootie had some rack!!
I loved the Facts of Life and my favorite seasons were #3 and #5. This show actually improved when they dumped four of the original girls from the first year. The addition of Jo in 1980 was a wise move because the tension between her and Blair was one of the most entertaining aspects of this series. During Season 4 the stories were not as funny and memorable as they had been but they managed to bounce back even when they changed locale and opened Edna's Edibles in Season 5. I'd have to say Season 7 was the beginning of the end. The season debuted with a new, hipper version of the familiar theme song but the most irritating aspect of this season was the background music that accompanied the scene changes and the fake laughter that was used on so many of the insipid sitcoms of this time (Alf, Who's the Boss, Growing Pains, etc.) During the early years, the audience laughter and applause was spontaneous and realistic (like All in the Family and Maude) and this change hurt the show, but it was probably necessary since there weren't many good laughs in the scripts. The cast began to stray from their original interpretations of the characters. All of these changes were for the worse and ironically its the last couple seasons that look the most dated now, even though they were hip and contemporary in the mid-80's when they originally aired. All the fantasy and dream sequences during the last few years were also a clue that the writers were running out of ideas. I think the Facts of Life should have stopped after six years. If they could have compressed the best scripts of the last three years into one it would be ended up a much better show. Having said all this, I really am a fan of FOL and am glad Nick at Nite has decided to show it again.
I loved watching this show growing up. I think I've seen pretty much every episode (should I admit that?). There were funny episodes throughout the years, be they set at Eastland, Edna's Edibles or Over Our Heads. (I think the change the show underwent after the first season was the best thing that could have happened. I mean, the show had something like 10 girls and there wasn't really any conflict. Adding Jo and focusing on just four girls saved the show.) Being more tolerant of other viewers, I could even forgive the addition of Pippa to the cast, and even horrible thoughts of the David Spade/Natalie in Soho and "Blair runs Eastland" spinoffs. I could even forgive that there was never a real "goodbye" episode. However, all these years later, I hear that someone has one of Blair's "brilliant ideas" to do a reunion show. And since they can't get Nancy McKeon to do it, they want to kill off Jo and make her funeral the setting of the reunion! I mean, why doesn't someone do a "Cosby Show" reunion set at Cliff's funeral? Or a "Family Ties" reunion set in the wake of Alex's suicide? HORRIBLE idea. If they can't get all four girls, then forget it! Leave us with our childhood memories of this show intact!
It never jumped the shark!! I LOVE this show and it is the best and i watch it every day on Nick At Nite on the marathon.!! Who cannot love Tootie and Blair?
About the time the girls started menopause. I have a theory about this show (and Benson and a couple of other shows) that the network forgot to cancel it. Then one day, some suit was paging through TV Guide and sees it on the listing and says, "Didn't we cancel that five years ago? Edna, get me programming!"
When Brian Robbins guest starred, and had a crush on Natalie. WTF?!?!?! The show lost all validity and credibility at that point. Couldn't they have gotten Dan Schneider?
I tuned in to this "show" the very night it originally premiered, on August 24, 1979. I figured it would probably be a good show, so I decided to give it a chance. Well, this show was so bad that it made me sick about 15 minutes into seeing it. Literally sick. I won't go into details about that because I don't want to gross anyone out. That's how the date of it's premiere has stuck in my mind all these years. Never watched another episode of that piece of junk since then. I thought that this show would lead to NBC's downfall, because they were struggling something fierce back then to try to get decent shows on that network. I figured the show would be dead before 1980, or even after that episode. Well, there must've been alot of fans out there, or NBC just shoved it down everyone's throats, because that thing lasted for 9 more years. But, that's what the network execs at NBC are known for. Keeping slop like this show on the air for a long run, & taking a superb show like freaks & geeks and dropping it after 6 months or so. Although, I will admit, Seinfeld was a great show.
This show totally jumped when Mrs. Garrett left! There was just no show without her wisdom...
The Facts of Life is one of my very favorite shows!!! To whoever said he/she was disappointed that Jo was heterosexual: Whoever said she was anything else BUT heterosexual??????? She was ALWAYS interested in boys!! Don't you remember the sailor named Eddie who she planned to marry?????????? They even eloped from Eastland and were planning on marrying when Mrs. Garrett and Blair caught up with them and talked them out of it!! So, I repeat: whatever in this world gave you the idea that they were even thinking of making the character Jo gay?????????????????????
What was that under Mrs. Garrett's dress where her butt should have been? A watermelon?
I just want to say Nick at Nite blows right now. Who wants to see The Facts of Life 3, 4 times a night? Couldn't they afford any QUALITY shows? And Three's Company-- who the hell are they kidding? That show was always crap, and it's worse 20 years later. But back to FOL-- it had danced with the shark forever, but when those girls got huge and Charlotte Rae left, it JTS all the way into the next millennium. Which is where we are now, and it still sucks.
Edna's Edibles and Co. should have closed up and gone away with dignity. Adding Andy, Pippa, Cloris, and changing the store were pathetic attempts at keeping the show alive!
When all of the girls grew HUGE breasts while still acting like they were 12.
One quick facts of life fact, Juliette Lewis was in one of the last facts of life episodes after blair bought eastland. She played a troubled kid who wanted to leave, and blair made it all better. Surprise, Surprise, Surprise. However, To me the facts of life jumped when in 12 minutes tootie almost gets lured into a life of prostitution.
When Charlotte Rae (Mrs. G) left and that awful (to say the least) Cloris Leachman (Nurse Deisel) entered the scene. It almost jumped when Edna's Edibles caught on fire. But it regained it's self.
This show was always weird, what with Mrs. Garrett on Prozac and her head always wobbling around. Every show seemed to center around food -- no wonder they were so fat.
When Charlotte Rae left, I know it's cuz on the show Mrs. G felt as if she wasn't that helpful to her former fab four of Eastland girls anymore, but when it was just when Charlotte Rae decided to leave - THAT SIGNIFIED THE END of the SHOW!! It all just went downhill from there!
Thank goodness Kim Fields acting has improved in recent years (Living Single). Although none of the people on Facts of Life was anywhere near a high caliber actress, Kim had to be the worst. Always overacting and always smiling so wide (while talking I might add) that there was a very good chance of being blinded by those braces.
The Facts of Life jumped the shark when my friend referred to it as the Fats of Life. Blair used to be hot for goodness sakes.
Tootie said that "Tootie" was her real name but then admits to being Dorothy Ramsey.
First of all EDNA'S EDIBLES! PLEASE! Also I just love when shows make big casting changes and do not acknowledge them, what the hell happened to the other, what, 7 girls, from the house the first season?? I did manage to love the show for awhile, but the men in the house, Pipa, and the "gift" shop or whatever the hell it was...awful. Also they made it seem like they went to school so far away from NYC, you'd think Peekskill was next to Buffalo!!!
I luv FOL, i've watched it since it came on nick at nite, but i was watching the show two nights ago.. yup, that's when there's a new season (which, might i add, is kinda crappy!) and suddenly we have edna's edibles burned down and suddenly we have over their heads, which is just a prelude to the dum de dum... shark attack.
This show jumped when they all decided to stay together. It just didnt make any sense. Then they had to start adding all those bizarre characters like mackenzie astin and george clooney and . . ugh . . . pippa to keep things going. Although I have to say, this show went all over the map for the time it was on, which is a good thing. There was always . . . stuff happening, even when it was stupid. Like a revolving door for characters, moving from place to place, all the stuff with the million different stores they had, the fire, the flood, the trip to australia . . . it was a pretty busy show. Oh yea, and when the show succumbed utterly to 80s pop culture in a way no other show did. I think that was signaled by the decor of the one store they had, with all the pink flamingos and turquoise blue and purple neon.
After watching the shows again on the Nick at Night marathon, it most definitely jumped after Blair and Jo graduated from Eastland. Its like they ran out of story ideas and threw in a bunch of uninteresting new characters and scenarios and hoped no one would notice. It's painful to watch the last season or two, especially when the show morphed into "The FATS of Life." Though, watching the first few seasons again after all these years, there were some pretty awful moments there as well (Tootie almost becomes a hooker, Blair dates a ******** boy, Jo has a friend at military school, untalented Natalie and untalented Tootie try out for the school play, Tootie loves Jermaine Jackson, Blair's grandfather is in the KKK, etc.). Oh yeah, and then there was the episode where Jo finally decides to come out and becomes president of the Eastland chapter of GLAD.
The initial show was nice,but after Jo joined the cast it improved vastly. The idea of the girls at school under one mother-figure was a nice change-and there were so many poigniant,meaningful,relevant and realisitc shows-not surprising in that some of the writers had gone to Facts of Life from One Day At A Time. The graduation of Jo and Blair from High school might have been a move twoards shark-jumping,but the next season-the first Edna's Eddibles year-the show maintained quality,and even into the nest season...but by the end of that season,the girls were starting to show their age,the idea was being stretched out-and although I saw it regularly after the new shop was built-and even after Cloris Leachman joined-I went cold turkey on the series after Blair and Jo graduated college. This series lasted,IMHO,at least three years too long.
How much do they really want us to believe that ALL of THAT happens to a bunch of Well-to-do girls in a boarding school.... Do we really think Blair's father would have her cleaning dishes?
It started on a downhill slide when Ms. Garrett left the show, although there were still some good episodes. But it jumped when they brought on that annoying little Pippa. Every time she opened her mouth I just wanted to grab her by her frizzy hair and choke her!
Mrs G was cool, Cloris Leachman was much better with Mary, those hip chicks from Peekskill were to savvy for Phyllis from Minneapolis.....
This show jumped when they opened the asinine In Over Our Heads store, chock full of essential 80's schlock like inflatable palm trees, neon pictures, and everything in pastel blue and pink. Wonderful. I do admit that I loved Blair during the shows early years. She always wore these stunning boots that made me drool. But I digress, as she was reduced to a tacky 80's shag cut and overblown shoulderpads...Mindy Cohn was a cow. Nancy McKeon was a lesbian and didn't know it. Tootie needed a muzzle. Edna Garrett lost her mind. Sandy Duncan lost her eye. George Clooney lost a plumb acting gig.
It jumped when the show dumped Ms. G and got Beverly Ann, George, Andy and Pippa. I loved it when they dumped the girls from season 1 and 2 and just had the four in the store. I liked the fire show because it was time to update the show but then they went and opened Over Our Heads and it got bad again. Who lives in a small college town and wants to buy a frog lamp or blow up penguins ? The girls needed money (maybe not all of them) so they should have opened a store that featured stuff people need. And did they plan to spin off Facts of Life from the last 2 shows ? I watched the series finale on Nick at Night (and USA a few years back) and saw where Blaire became dean of the school and they had a bunch of new girls (and new boys). I saw the girl who played Blossom (and some more kid stars) on the show and wondered if they was going to spin off Blaire and the new kids at school as a show.
The show went downhill when the girls grew up and the show had to be changed to accomodate their new lives and the absence of some of the actors. No one could ever fill Mrs. Garrett's shoes. The girls would have been better off living in an apartment alone. However, the REAL story to me will always be about a group of unlikely friends who live together at boarding school. So much for college. Oh, and whoever measures the worth of this show by the actresses' bust and waist measurements can pat themselves on their bony shoulders for contributing to today's mentality that says all actresses must be anorexic waifs whose largest collections of fat are actually two silicone bags.
The show never really jumped the shark, if it did, it's when that psycho Cloris Leachman came in to replace Mrs. G. Beverly Ann was the most annoying character ever. Oh, and dont get me started on that Pippa girl. Everyone else didnt bug me at all, even though Tootie was hard to watch some times. The Eastland years were great, and the Edna's Edibles era was okay, but Over Our Heads, ugh.
Probably when Mrs. Garrett played by Charlotte Rae left and was replaced by her sister Beverly Ann played by Cloris Leachman. Both actress are veterans of the stage and screen, Cloris Leachman played Phyllis to annoying perfection on the Mary Tyler Moore Show. Yes warning signs were afoot when they changed locations to the bakery store, still the show forged valiantly ahead and this really sealed the shark descending.
The show jumped the shark after the first season when Jo Polniacheck arrived and they cut the cast to only four girls! i LOVED nancy and molly and sue ann. i loved that the show was set in the dorm. Jo was annoying at best and ruined the show.
When Pippa joined the cast, this show definitely jumped the shark. It may have jumped sooner, but I'll give TFOL the benefit of the doubt for once. Pippa was gratingly annoying and a completely ridiculous Australian stereotype. And I don't give two piles of monkey crap that she really was from Australia and that she now writes country songs. That just makes what she did even worse.
When the gang collectively exceeded a ton in body weight.
An odd show in that it started out as a mess (too many characters to keep track of in the early days), turned into a really great show (once they added Jo and pared the girls own to the four) and then just melted away into a jumbled mess. It jumped for good when Edna's Edibles burned down and she became partners with the girls in Over Our Heads. That opened the door and it went downhill from there. Charlotte Rae left, Andy was added, George Clooney came and went, the horribly out-of-place Cloris Leachman came in, Pippa came... Really, the show just went on too long and the writers ran out of ideas so quickly, they made desperate changes almost every week. It's horrible when bad things happen to decent shows, isn't it?
When Mrs.G Left she was the best. From the last episode Mrs.G was on new characters were added and it got stupid. But The show is on Nick At nite check youir local tv guide to find out more! I liked them best in the first season and I hated molly ringwald I mean talk abuot ANNOYIN!
ok, i love the show, but, I MISS MRS. GARRETT! cloris whatsherface, isn't that bad, but mrs. g will always have a place in my heart. also, when tutti got an 80's poofy hairstyle. i liked the cool little bowl cut thing much better. oh,and where the heck did andy come from and how did natalie almost get raped?
This show went right over the shark when Edna's Edibles burned in an "electrical fire". The girls came back from summer vacation to find the place gutted. It just got worse when they opened "over Our Heads".
Um i don't really think it jumped the shark at this point but um....... BY F'N GOD DID TOOTIE HAVE SOME GREAT BREASTS!! I was watching Fact's of Life the other night on Nick at Nite, and Man she was showing some major cleavage!! Bang Bang!!!
Nancy Mckeon was only 22 when the last show of Facts of Life was taped.... a correction to the above posted complaint: "I mean, I think that Blair and Jo were about 25 by the time the show ended". This complaint implies that the 2 actresses were too old for their parts -- when actually Nancy's character would have graduated from college at the early age of 20 or 21.
It never did jump the shark although I cried when Mrs.G left but her sister was good too. How dare people say it was when they added George and Makenzie those 2 made the show awesome and Makenzie made it great with his spunky pesonality. And dont even let people make fun of Mindy ( Natalie ) she was so funny and i would never call her fat and i would like to meet the cast members and im sure they would be really nice. I love that show and they should definitly make a reunion episode or tv movie because i would be the first one in line for it 4 sure
I grew up with this show, and like many, are seeing it again for the first time as an adult on Nick at Nite. First off, Nancy McKeon used to be my idol as a young girl. The Hell? I dunno what I was thinking. I shoulda known she was bad news the second she stole Michael J. Fox from me. Secondly, I find the whole premise that all of these girls were virgins until Natalie lost her virginity hard to believe. There's a lot to be said of waiting for the right guy or until marriage - far be it from me to judge. But for some reason, I just find the idea of these 4 college age women never doing it hard to swallow. Besides, we've all know girls like Jo, and how many of them are virgins?
This show definitely jumped the shark when Edna Garrett was replaced by whatever her name was - Cloris Leachman. It totally sucked then. Also, has anybody seen The Facts of Life Down Under....sheesh.....once the girls got older and started working in that stupid little gift store......it was over....and it jumped again when Cloris Leachman joined....and it jumped AGAIN when they moved the show to take place in Australia.....and the show kind of sucked at the point when they were older and had those GOD-AWFUL 80s hairdos....uck......but before all that...it was a WONDERFUL show.
I think that when Mrs. G left and was replaced by Beverly Ann, the show started slowly slipping into oblivion. There were some funny shows in the Cloris days but this is when they started coming up with the stupid shows like the Twilight Zone episode and the show where Fabian and the other teen idol were on. George Clooney and Andy added nothing to the character at all either. I grew up watching this show and it will always be my favorite all time show but they did make mistakes. And, hey, when did Blair start getting fat? I never noticed it!
Did anyone notice that during the transition period of Edna leaving Eastland to open up Edna's Edibles, that Mr. Parker pretty much turned into biggest ******* on the planet? He was completely insensitive, egotistical, and uncaring. His personality wasn't exactly like that (at least to that extreme) in the previous season(s), so it's pretty obvious that the writers basically turned him into a villainous cartoon character in order to justify Edna leaving her position as the school's dietician. How lame. I think one of my ear drums popped after listening to Edna's whining when Mr. Parker made one of his unreasonable requests. Just the thought of Mrs. G screeching "BUT MR. PAARRRKKEERRR!", makes me ill.
This was indeed a brilliant show and remains to this day my favourite sitcom. Though corny yes, the feel of the show was something that others can only hope to accomplish. You could see a little bit of yourself in each one of the girls. The smartest thing the powers-that-be could have done was to do away with Sue Ann, Nancy, Cindy, and Molly after season one. Bringing Jo on gave focus to the show, and conflict. The basis of all stories is conflict. I think The Facts of Life was quite enjoyable right up until the end. Though it morphed through the years and new characters were added (I didn't enjoy Pippa either, but it could have been worse), it was quite watchable through the last season. One of the things I enjoyed most was watching the girls grow up. I think the fat jokes and style jokes can be put aside, as I'm sure all of you were beautiful and model-like and looked simply fabulous during the 80s.
The show did what it was supposed to do. Entertain young teenage girls. It never pretended to be Shakespearean. It was on the air for 9 years and even though it's ratings were on the decline it was still winning it's time slot when it was cancelled.
You cannot ignore the whole fashion genre that went on in the span of this show! I don't like it too much but sometimes I'll stay tuned just to see what horrific fashion statement will be had. It started with the rollerskating, cords tucked in knee socks, rainbow suspenders, long hair to the ruffly blouses, super straight legged designer jeans of the 80's and the Flock of Seagulls imitation hairdo!
This show was really good until they all started wearing makeup and shoulderpads. Jo was suppose to be a tomboy and then she grew up to look like a hooker? This is just not right.
Mrs. G moved to africa, and who knows what happened to the other girls of the '79 cast.
I'd definitely vote for Beverly Ann but I remembered being particularly jarred by Jo's pizza-making episode. I have no idea why, but I think it opened a season and I knew the writers had run out of material.
The addition of Andy signalled the downward spiral, with Pippa being the final nail in the coffin. I must say that I am really disturbed at the people who refer to the girls' fluctuating weights. People gain weight, people lose weight. Some people are fat, some are thin. Get over and stop being so damned shallow.
Facts Of Life NEVER jumped! Are you kidding me? Everyone keeps saying how tomboyish Jo was. Well Jo was the first one to (almost) get married in the first season she appeared in. And when Blair's friend "accidentally" left her baby with the girls, Jo was pretty mother like towards the baby (next to Mrs G. of course) So beneath that gruff exterior there IS a soft heart.
FOL is a classic, with a timeless message. However, it DID indeed jump in 1985, with the addition of Andy. Now, I love FOL and the cast, but the character of Andy DOES NOT WORK, and no amount of his little "oh i'm so cool i'm the womanizer everyone worship me" act is going to make me like him any better. Now, the show was retooled in 1980 to concentrate on a smaller group, so why did they have to add obnoxious characters like Andy? Oh, and don't even get me started on Pippa.
I love the Facts of Life, but there's one problem with it. Mrs. Garrett left back in '86 to get married again (actually, I think Charlotte Rae thought the girls didn't need a motherly character now that Tootie and Natalie were out of high school and Blair and Jo were out of college) and in comes Mrs. G's sister - Beverly Ann. Totally not Mrs. Garrett. Totally not in place with Facts of Life. Too bad the show only lasted another two years - but it might've been because of a new, definitely not in place, character!
FOL is an American classic. However, it was a show that jumped when Andy arrived. People have to understand that the character of Andy DOES NOT WORK, and no amount of his "oh i'm so cool i'm a womanizer everyone worship me" shtick is going to make me like him any better. Oh, and don't even get me started on Pippa. This show was retooled in 1980 because they focused on too many people, then they add on all these new characters that didn't need to be there? ::SHARK ALERT SHARK ALERT:
I don't think the show ever jumped the shark (it got close when Mrs. G left the show and Beverly Ann replaced her) I pretty much grew up on that show and I was soo glad when I found out that it was airing on Nick at Nite. I didn't like the first season much, because I saw it after seeing the last three or four seasons and the show just wasn't right without Jo around. I keep reading about how people thought the girls got fat, and I think the only one that really got fat was Blair. It almost jumped the shark again when Pippa joined the cast. I was thrilled when Jo got married, and to a nice guy like Rick! Rick and Jo 4eva! I think that if you can't get past the show's low points, you're not really a fan.
This show Jumped during the casting of it. It should be called "FATSO LIFE." I'm sorry.
Those girls were fat as hell! WHat was the casting director thinking? Mindy Cohn was a pig, Lisa Whelchel a cow, Kim Fields a manatee (with giant knockers) and Nancy McKeon a whale. They should have named it "The Beasts Of Life". When Geri the "sidewinder" joined it made me gag!
When Natalie finally got some Snake. I am still maladjusted to this day because of that. They built this episode up for weeks, months, seems like years saying it was a very special "Facts" and that it contained mature subject matter. I think they had to promote it for so long so people would actually believe that seat smasher was finally desireable to someone. Snake must have just got back from shore leave and didnt realize Mrs Garrett would have been a better catch. When you resort to Natalie getting boinked, you know the end is near.
When Arnold and Mr. Drummond from Diff'rent Strokes payed a visit to the girls at their dorm on the show.
Many people don't know this, but to boost the ratings of the show, producers were forced to have Natalie have cosmetic surgery to closely resemble famous football coach, John Madden. Producers thought that any resemblance would draw more male viewers to the show, thus clenching that time slot. FYI, this was actually the producers second attempt at this, there was a complete failure on Tootie's augmentation to look more like John Amos.
After season one when they narrowed down to 4 girls living above the cafeteria instead of a true girls prep school
This is to the A##hole in comment 2 it is not funny to make funny of people with disabilities i myself am disabled and for your info jerk she had Cerebral palsy not retardation your the ****** pea brain! All in all a great show never jumped never will.
When Mrs. G bought the gourmet shop and the girls moved it. This was much better as a show about some girls living away from home at boarding school. When Jo and Blair graduated, they should have booted them out and rotated in some younger girls, and kept the show about the school. A rotating cast might have kept the show better longer.
I noticed several people saying Natalie was first to "do it". I remember that episode, and when Blair and especially Jo told her to be careful, I felt they were speaking from experience. Remember, Jo had previously dated that very cute professor and was going to marry him -- I hardly think she was still a virgin. I don't think the show implied that she was, either.
Can someone please explain the gargantuan orange- lacquered atrocity on Mrs. Garrett's head? Just what is she smuggling into Eastland underneath that 'do? Even when they showed her at bedtime in a nightgown, her hair would be down, but just the back. She still had that beehive high as ever 24 hours a day. Seriously, the day the show jumped was when Jo and Blair started going to college.
The Facts of Life never jumped the shark. I enjoyed every episode up to the end. I hope that Nancy McKeon considers changing her mind about the Facts of Life reunion and makes an appearance. Killing off Jo would be wrong. The theme song got an upbeat version in the 7th season (1985-1986), which made me a little upset, but I still watched the show.
Too many jumps to name. They were so desperate towards the end. I personally hated when they moved. The move to the Catskills, or wherever, was it. The store was so depressing and the lack of youth... what was their demographic. Then they added other characters that now I acknowledge as George Clooney and the son of Patty Duke Astin, but at the time I hated them. But mainly it was the move that made me stop. I stopped long before Natalie lost IT.
Is it just me or did the addition of Andy seem to throw the show's focus -that of four GIRLS grow up- off kilter?
When "Edna's Edibles" burned down and they opened up the new store "Over Our Heads" and sold a lot of crap. This started a downward spiral that led to George Clooney joining the cast, a guest appearances by El Debarge, Cloris Leachman, "Pippa", that ridiculous David Spade spinoff and a whole lot of other stuff. The shop burning down really was a turning point.
In the beginning of Facts of Life they had nine girls, a headmistress, and a headmaster. After the first season the producers realized how badly the show was doing in the ratings, and that most of it had to do w/ all the redundant girls. They had two stuck-up bitches, one tomboy, two whores (blair was one), two sarcastic whiners (Natalie was one), and two little girls who were just there to be bubbly and cute. (Tootie and the girl from Sixteen Candles) They took out six girls, which left a snobbish, bitchy whore (Blair), a sarcastic whiner (Natalie), and a bubbly little twit (Tootie). They needed a tough girl, so they added Jo as the troubled tomboy. This was good. Now stories could actually have a focus, rather than jump from character to character w/out closure for anyone. The trouble began as Natalie lost weight after her breast reduction, while Blair gained weight, and then she made the producers change her character to suit her Christian beliefs. Tootie lost her cuteness, and gained a sexy shape, but the producers kept shoving her into the cutesy role, which she had outgrown. Her clothes made her look fat, not kid-like. Jo, oh, Jo, without the perm, she was the most attractive by the end. Natalie got heavy again, had sex, almost got raped, but still, the way she was dressed and the way she was portrayed with the writing and story setup, she stopped being the sarcastic girl, and juist became a whinny, tubby, whore. Blair wasn't Blair anymore. And the introduction of Andy, George, Cloris Bleachman (look at her hair) and that Australian dingo-bimbo, was just so wrong. It went back to the beginning, when there were two many characters for the storylines. Oh, and Cloris Bleachman was unnecessary, the girls should have been given the house, and told to run the bakery. It would have made more sense why they stayed together after Mrs. G left.
I grew up with this show, and was roughly the same age as the Jo and Blair characters. I remember the episode when Natalie was dressed like a hobo or something, and was almost raped or molested. That was when the fin protruded from the water for me. Why can't comedies in America *just be funny* and lay off the freakin' "very special episode" crappola?
I must say I don't know whether to be shocked or encouraged by the unrestrained hostility toward Geri Jewell. On the one hand, speaking as a person with CP myself, it's refreshing not to see the nauseating, oh-so-politically-correct, platitudes normally directed toward people like Jewell--how "inspirational" and "courageous" she is and the like. Ecch! On the other, I don't see the need to go the other extreme and treat her as if she were the Antichrist! The posts about Jewell being unlikeable I find very, very hard to believe--since no one outside this site has ever mentioned her in a negative light, I have to wonder where the poster got his/her information. As for her reportedly saying, "Kiss my crippled a**!" all I can say is, you go girl! Where is it written that just because a person is disabled they have to be so much nicer than the people around them? We're expected to be passive, smiling, childlike little doormats--if the above story is true, I applaud Geri for standing up for herself, regardless of the reason! It may surprise you to learn that we CP's have the same character defects the rest of you do, and do occasionally have the urge to tell folks to f--- off. Frankly, a lot of you "normals" need to be told that from time to time. What none of the posters here realize is that Norman Lear did a very daring thing by casting Geri Jewell. Disabled people until the eighties were the "invisible minority"--gimps were meant to be seen in telethons and institutions, not out in (gasp) public!! Disabled characters, if used at all, were invariably played by an able-bodied actor. (Imagine Tootie being played by a white girl in blackface and you realize how idiotic that is.) Granted, most of the shows featuring Geri were heavy-handed and maudlin, but that's not her fault. All the more reason to hire gimp writers, people. Adding Geri didn't make this show jump the shark. She was the best thing to happen to it, and I quit watching when she LEFT.
Check out the episodes where Eastland goes co-ed and Blair is in charge. The lead smart-ass punk is played by a very YOUNG Seth Green (Scott Evil).
Once Natalie and Tootie got older, the show started to slide. The problem was that it was a slow death. It was smart of the producers to pare the cast down after the first season. BTW, the first seaon had an anti-drug theme in an episode which was when Jimmy Carter was President. I just thought whoever complained about "The Reagan Just Say No" episode might want to know this.
The show used to be really good until Andy, Pippa, George and Beverly Ann joined. When Ms. Garrett left it should have been cancelled, she was the heart of the show. And Jo was such a lesbian. I remember thinking that when I was a kid and she first came on. Even towards the end she had the look man. And Blair did gain weight but have you seen her now? She is majorly hot again, and i hated it when she got that butch haircut (it looked the same as Jo's, it was strange) and she has those huge shoulder pads. I hate those things. Stacy Q episodes were really scary. I saw her on mama's family once too. And pippa was so damn annoying, always trying to be tough (yeah she was a Jo clone) and Andy was annoying too. He and Beverly made me snooze. And I hated it when towards the last few seasons they focused on Natalie and her writing. WHo cares? I used to think she was funny with her one liners and her jokes and giggling (she always seemed to laugh at everything on the set) but then she got serious. I hear that the reunion is set to film soon and everyone is set to be there. I hear it has to do with Natalie (of course) and the rest of them come to see her. but have you seen Tootie's hair now? Its white and and has thick dread locks. I was like ewww, she looked better on living single.
I would say it was when Edna left, but it actually started to jump when Jo took her ponytail down, and it really jumped when Edna's Edibles went up in flames and they came up with that hokey new store full of junk. There were some good shows after that, but it wasn't quite the same. It was the time where Natalie stopped being funny, Edna made the occasional appearance and seemed to be slowly losing her grip on sanity, new people started to join the cast, season by season, like that flippin' Pippa who sounded like an Eliza Doolittle understudy reject and George Clooney who seemed to have nothing better to do than hang around with a young boy. Hmmm. And I am a minority, I guess, cause I actually liked Andy. And for all those fat posts...yeah, the girls did gain throughout the series...but doesn't anyone remember that Blair got real skinny again during college and had that big hair which made her head look too big for her body? The absolute sinker of the show were those horrific Stacy Q episodes. There is a reason she was a one hit wonder. The real wonder is how she even got one hit...that song bit the low one. Anorexic is thy name. And was her talking voice for real? And the show almost jumped early on in the series when someone told Tootie she could sing and was the darling of all the school plays. Ohmigosh! More irritating than her constant heavy breathing. Are we to believe by that spectacular rendition of "Wash that Man Right Out of my Hair" that she just blew all the others auditioning away??? That school must be full of tone-deaf, talentless girls. When Tootie started singing "Some Enchanted Evening" and Natalie rolled coconuts over the stage, how I wished she had thrown the damn coconuts and took Tootie out!
So a bunch of producers and writers sit down with some coffee, donuts and LSD and they say: "Here's an idea. Let's take a chunky middle-aged crone with heavily shellacked hair and put her in charge of a snotty rich diva with an eating disorder; a frustrated lesbian tomboy with a bad New York accent; a whiny, cud-chewing bovine who looks like everyone's grandmother; and a small black girl who has 46-DDD cans by the time she's eight (not to mention an orthodontic apparatus so complex that it looks like a bus transmission exploded in her mouth). For irony, we can park them over a bakery called Edna's Edibles so that they all balloon up over 250 pounds (the irony being that none of them is even remotely edible). For kicks we can throw in a twitchy wheelchair-bound CP victim who wants to be a comedian but is about as funny as a radiation leak at a preschool. Sounds like a hit!" This, my friends, is how great horror gets written.
This show jumped the shark definitely when Mrs. Garrett left the show! It was already on the verge of jumping when Tootie got a mushroom haircut, when Jo and Natalie got bangs, and when Edna's Edibles came on the show. When Cloris Leachman came on the show it definitely jumped! George Clooney was a good addition but he was only on for a couple of seasons. How pathetic!
This show jumped anytime Geri Jewell was on. I'm sorry for her affliction, but she just was not funny, but anytime she spoke, the laugh track would be turned on full blast. As a child I would laugh at her lame jokes out of pity and because the laugh track seemed to be demanding that I laugh. That was blatant manipulation. The producers should be ashamed of themselves, it wasn't fair to the audience or Geri.
So obvious! There were a lot of changes during the previous season: new hairstyles, new clothes styling, new set, new video cameras, new laugh track. It was a radically different show in September 1985 versus May 1985. And the change helped for a while: there were fantasy plots with the truck stop thing and the El DeBarge singing contest, along with some weaker entries (Mrs. Garrett's alleged infidelities, Blair's 21st birthday), but on the whole it worked for the year. After Beverly Ann joined the cast and gave more prominence to Andy and Pippa, that's when it really went. Really, the show is about the four girls, and the mother figure to provide support. You don't need anything more than than. Pippa and Andy were useless, but George provided a more mature male counterpoint on the show, as well as some eye candy. But really, kids, it's all about the writing. Linda Marsh and Margie Peters refined everybody's role and added some needed topicality to the show, but after they left (1986, I think), the show got really silly and died a quick death.
If this show were to debut today, it would never make it past the first season. However, in the year of its debut (1979), FOL (and every other piece of dreck that aired at that time) had three factors working in its favor. 1) There were only three networks to choose from, 2) VCRs were expensive playthings for techno geeks, and, most important, 3) remote controls were only available with the most expensive TV sets. The combination of technological advances (videos and universal remotes) and a wider range of choices (i.e., the advent of cable and specialty channels) heralded the welcome end of the era when the big three networks were able to take their audiences for granted.
It jumped when I realized I would never have Jo, man she was so stinking hot. I watched that show just for her.
This show should never have gotten off the ground and Mrs. Garrett should have stayed on Diff'rent Strokes.
Loved the show, HATED the inconsistencies! An earlier episode has Natalie mentioning she has a sister...then years later she's an only child. But the BIGGEST inconsistency was in 1988 when the brought back Nancy, Sue-Anne and Cindy from the 1979 episodes for a reunion show. The whole plot of that episode was that Jo "never knew" Nancy, Sue-Anne and Cindy because they were from '79 and Jo came in '80, so she felt left out. Well too bad this episode makes NO sense because Jo DID know all of them! In the 1980 season those girls were still on it, only as extras, but I specifically remember the episode where Tootie was eves dropping on everyone and Jo was totally talking to Nancy and Sue-Anne. Then in the 1988 reunion episode they act like they never met in their lives! They kept asking "Jo where were you that first year at Eastland?" That episode really pissed me off!
Reading these posts, I don't know whether to laugh or cry. I never watched this show much after the first season - guess I thought it was more of a girl-type show, but I did see enough of it to learn the major (original) characters. Is everything that you people are saying happened to this show DOCUMENTED FACT?!?! Did the cast really beef up that much? Did the faces, places, and spaces actually spin around like an out-of-control superconducting cyclotron? Were new characters introduced that were really this annoying? Natalie was the first to get porked AND someone tried to rape her!?!? This is what the show became? Actually, I'm thankful that I never witnessed the agonizing decline and protracted fall of this program.
I Loved Facts of Life, but those final 2 years went WAAAAAAYYYY down...so low even a shark couldn't breath! The one episode that really P*ssed me off was one of the more recent ones from '87 or 88. It had all those girls from the original 1979 episodes that got canned come back for a reunion (Minus Molly Ringwald of course...she had better things to do, funny how molly really blew on FOL and was the WORST character, yet she went on to be the most successful!) Anyway, It really jumped when they brought now grown up Nancy, Sue-Anne and Cindy back for the reunion and the plot revolved around how Jo felt left out because she "Never knew" Nancy, Sue-Anne or Cindy because she came to eastland a year later. HELLO! that was such an inconsistency in the script writing! If you look back on the first year Jo was there and Nancy, Sue-Ann and Cindy were STILL on the show WITH Jo for a few episodes! There was the one where Blaire Accepted a date with Roger and JO says "You mean NANCY'S Roger?" and Tootie goes around gossiping and gets everyone in fighting with each other so Mrs. Garret calls all the girls INCLUDING Nancy, Cindy and Sue-Anne for one of her lame lectures. Jo is right there with the rest of the girls. And there's the first episode with Jo where they get punished and have to work in the cafeteria and Molly and Cindy are there making fun of them. Then 6 years later they bring those girls back and they're like "Oh, hi Jo, nice to meet you, we've never ever met you before in our lives!" PLEASE! I would rather see a reunion with Geri Jewell! Yea, it would really be a laugh to see her bumbling back onto the set STILL mumbling "I'm not drunk! I have CP!" Did you see her on the E True Hollywood story? "I was the highest paid actress with a disability and I couldn't even afford a place to live!" Um, did you say "Actress?" I say "Subject for public ridicule."
This show soooooooooo jumped the shark when Jo got married. They should have just made her gay!! She looks and acts gay!! and It would have made all of us lil gay teenage girls very happy, because come on what gay girl in the 80's did not have a crush on jo? she was just sooo beautiful.
When the girls went to Australia. And Europe. Anytime a show takes its cast members on a "special trip", you know there's nothing left but a steep plunge to the ratings basement.
It jumped when Mrs. Garrett left Eastland and opened up the bakery. Maybe they should have stuck it out at Eastland and put new students into the mix......it's worked for Law and Order. And everyone else, stop picking on Tootie's boobs, Natalie's weight, & Blair's weight. Hello. Why are you looking at a 15 year olds boobs?
I just saw the reunion movie, and TV Land just did a marathon of the Facts of Life. I just have to say what lame plots this show had. It tried to hard to present the issue of the days, like prostition, drinking, racism etc etc. I thought the reunion movie was good though, I find it hard to belive that Natalie ended up with that guy. What did he see in her?
This was a really good show until season two when they got rid of Molly. Hey you know, Jo was my favorite one after that. I did still watch the show. And I didn't mind when they added Jo but the show was never the same after the first season because they got rid of some charactures and they got a new stage or background scene or settings for the show. They got two different "back grounds" or settings for the show after that! The should have kept the show to the original format I think.Hell,the original format plus Jo would have been great!
Just caught the "Facts Of Life" reunion movie on ABC....it was surprisingly good! The cast members slipped effortlessly back into their roles and it was great seeing the old gang from a show I grew up with back together again. Someone here posted a comment asking how Natalie ended up with such a babe of a guy....but I thought it was pretty awesome Natalie had a couple of guys fighting over her and she ended up with a very attractive fellow. Granted, she has never been a sex goddess or anything, but Natalie was always my favorite character because of her humor and her incredible personality, and it is good that the writers of the reunion film knew this and understand that looks aren't everything. The film also had a couple of nice touches...Blair's "Blair Witch" licence plate made me crack up. The script also seemed to contain a reference to Nancy McKeon's new role on "The Division," which I thought was clever, and the telefilm also had a subtle but very effective nod to the Sept. 11 tragedy and aftermath during the final dinner scene. Very moving. However, the movie left me wondering...why no mention of Andy or Beverly Ann? Who exactly WAS Tootie married to? It didn't look like Jeff in that picture. Overall, though, the reunion film was very satisfying and surprisingly well-written.
Facts of life was a very addictive show but I would say the shark jumped when the combination of George Clooney was added to the cast and Jo and Natalie graduated from High school it got stale then.
The Facts of Life totally jumped the shark when Edna's Edibles burned down, Jo & Blair got the WORST hairdos of all time. Mrs Garrett knew it was coming, she got the hell out of Peekskill before it was too late.
I was always a fan of this show. It was as realistic as a sitcom could be. Blair was popular, Natalie couldn't get a date, and Tootie went for jocks. All was well in the world. Then came the reunion. Here it comes. First of all, they are all extremely successful. Yeah, Tootie sure showed potential back in school. Oh, I forgot. Not Tootie, it's Dorothy now. I don't want to watch a stupid show with a girl named Dorothy. I want to see Tootie, plain and simple. But most important, Natalie, who now needs to be weighed on a metric scale she is so huge. She has more chins then Chinatown for heavens sake. But hey, I have nothing against horizontally challenged people but...tell me two decent looking guys would be fighting over her. Please...she should be happy she could find anyone. A single date would be a plus for her. Not only do the two guys find out about each other, but then they fight over her. They should have been happy they didn't need to roll her in flower before sex anymore and find someone in their weight class. I know this sounds like I'm reaming fat people, but I'm not. Just ask yourself this...when was the last time an ugly fat chick had two good looking guys fighting over her, especially when they find out about each other.
This show never jumped the shark, the dolphin, the whale or any other water dwelling animal. BTW, all you jerks who pick on Pippa, if you knew anything about how this sitcoms are made, you would direct your criticism towards the writers. BIG BIG CHEERS to Pippa for being able to add an ounce of humor to the horrible lines she was fed week after week!
The Facts of Lfe jumped the shark when all the girls got fat! Precisely when Edna's Edible's appears in the picture. Ironic? It seems that every actress put on at least 20 lbs! Including (Kim Fields, a.k.a. "Tootie", who put on a good 40 plus!)
To the poster who complained about Natalie`s near-rape and wondered "who in their right mind would touch her?" Rape is not an act of sex, it`s an act of power. Every woman has to worry about it whether she`s old or young, fat or slim, ugly or pretty. Of course, it just goes to show how crappy the show is for failing to teach this important lesson.
I personally have perceived Jo to be a lesbian. She acted like a man, talked like a man, and dressed like a man. But then Eddie arrived and Jo couldn't keep her hands off. She even wore a DRESS. That is not typical of the character of Jo I have known since I first saw her. Then, several seasons later, Eddie revealed he was married and Jo cried like a little bitch. That is completely out of her character. And then she got married and left the show. Flush this bullcrap down the toilet--it is done.
When Edna found out one of her old friends was now so poor that she had to eat dogfood. This was such a shameless and obvious attempt to demonize Reagan because he wanted to cut Social Security. The best part was at the end when Edna, through a bucket of tears, says that immortal line- "I don't want to eat DOGFOOD!" But I guess we should count our blessings. If the show was on now we'd probably see her eating the stuff.
Facts of Life jumped when they graduated and the show continued with them. If the show had been about the school and new girls would come for a few years and then graduate, this would have worked. The only reason to watch the last few years was Blairs high heeled boots.
I caught a rerun of this show the other day and was rather startled to see Tootie almost lured into prostitution while on a visit to the "big city". The thing that REALLY shocked me, though, was that Tootie and the other girls looked down on the teen hooker who was pressured into getting Tootie to go home with her pimp and herself! I thought that Mrs. Garret and the girls would invite the young hooker home with them, or at least call Child Protective Services or something, but no, they just gathered up their bundles and fled...leaving the girl to probably get her head bashed in by her pissed off pimp. Nice solidarity, ladies!
The first season was pretty weak. Then they trimmed the cast, added Nancy McKeon, and hired better writers who knew how to make the girls sound intelligent and believable, not like Gidget clones. It was smooth sailing from then on.
The change to George Clooney did it for me - stopped watching entirely - sorry, they had a better guy on there - Ryan Cassidy and they didn't explain his exit - and the show seemed to get desperate and lose heart after that.
As soon as Tootie was no longer wearing those rollerskates I knew something was amiss. It's just like the way Chuck vanished from "Happy Days" and was never mentioned again. This really disturbed me as a child.
Easy. The Jermaine Jackson episode. That was a stupid ass episode. Tootie crying her fuggin' eyes out over Jermaine Jackson and Mrs. Garrett feels sorry for her and takes her. That was it for me!!!
Starting in 1985-86 the shows I thought were more entertaining. They featured less conflict among the characters than the earlier shows did. However, in 87-88(the final season) with Blair and Jo both college graduates, Tootie a college sophomore, and Natalie canning smelts, the show began to lose alot of its "mojo". Each show of that season seemed to focus on one character at a time, instead of the whole gang.
This show was great for the first two seasons.The problem is they dumped half the cast after season two(five other student girls and the principle.)Obviously, when Charlotte Rae left and Chloris Leechman joined the cast, this was a serious shark jumper.How about that stupid episode when Natalie sleeps with Snake?Out of all the girls she would be the last one I would pick because of her unattractive looks and annoying personality, and I'm being kind!!I have tremendous respect for Lisa Whelchel who refused to do that script based on her Christian values, so big ugly Mindy Cohn jumped at the chance for five minutes of glory.Little Andy didn't help matters either.
When Natalie became promiscuous with Snake ... the show losts its differentiation from the OTHER shows. The girls on Facts of Life were to be role models -- not sluts. Because of Natalies poor choice to sleep around ... the show lost its unique edge of integrity. I never liked Natalie anyway.
Andy and the new student from Austrailia? Yes, four women who are in college, with the exception of Natalie, are going to live with a 12 year old and an exchange student? No wonder Mrs G. got married and reentered the Peace Corps!
When Natalie decided to lose her flower with Snake- not because it was totally unrealistic that that guy would do her (although that's true) but because the moral of the episode was complete bullcrap: "don't do it with your long term boyfriend even if you're about 23 years old because then he'll have gotten what he wanted and will be done with you." Natalie wasn't "sleeping around"- she and her beloved, articulate Snake had been each other's special person for quite a while and she was well past her teenage years. So then they do it and Snake decides to blow her off. Yeah right- like he got what he wanted and then was done with her; he'd been sticking it out and listening to her gums flap because he couldn't resist the temptation to one day get buck naked her with her. Yup.
GERI JEWELL. She's not a jewel, she's barely a Cubic Zirconia. I'm not ripping on disabled people, but if you're going to be (supposedly) a comic, BE FUNNY! She'd say something that wasn't the least bit funny, and the audience would sort of politely chuckle in a "My isn't she inspirational?" sort of way. Reminds me of the second disabled kid on "South Park" who told unfunny jokes and stole TIMMY's thunder. I agree with the poster who dissed Molly Ringwald. I couldn't stand her picking up that guitar and belting out a number about women's rights, or the environment, or whatever. The girl who played Sue Ann was a major hottie, however. A shame she didn't survive the cutdown.
I was never a big fan of the show but I take my hat off to it for lasting so long. It almost jumped after the horrible first season but made a comeback when they cut down the cast. Too many cast members spoil the broth and you can't have a good show with 20 characters in a half hour time slot. I also applaud Charlotte Rae. She starting looking better as she got older. In the first season she was fat and looked like she was 80! The next season, she lost a lot of weight, darkened her red hair and got plastic surgery and looked 30 years younger. The beginning of the end game when the girls put on weight. At first, it was "three skinny chicks and a chubb" and by the last season it was "three chubbs and a hippo". And what was with Natalie always being pusued by good looking guys? She was ugly as sin, was not funny, didn't have a good personality, AND SHE WAS ANNOYING AND WHINEY? In the recent reunion movie she even had two gorgeous guys fighting over to marry her and she was uglier and more annoying than ever! And both these guys were bumming out over the thought of not having a future with Natalie? OH PLA-ESE!
Edna Garret leaves the show and is replaced by that Chloris Leachman 'Beverley' character. Feh. Who remembers Blair from the very early boarding school episodes? Tollhouse cookies, dun.
What were they trying to do by bringing Mackenzie on the show, provide cuteness or something? That's the same mistake Gimme a Break made. . .Also, I'm real sick of hearing how Mindy Cohn was fat and Blair was a "porker". Sorry you pedophiles couldn't get off watching young girls with tight bodies each week when the show came on, but look on the bright side: with less shows out their to feed your nasty habits, maybe you'll get over your pathetic fetish. Looks aside, Natalie and Blair were funny characters, so get over it!
F.O.L. JUMPED WHEN THE PRODUCERS ELIMINATED THE CHARACTERS OF NANCY, SUE ANN, AND CINDY (I COULDN'T HAVE CARED LESS ABOUT MOLLY), AND BROUGHT JO ON THE SHOW. IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, THE F.O.L. SET-UP ON AN EPISODE OF DIFF'RENT STROKES FOCUSED ON NANCY OLSON. NANCY WAS HOT!!!
I like this show, finally a teenage girls show. I think all teens could relate, but hey we girls needed something. I think it was great that weight was gained, hey that IS real life. Also try growing up in front of the whole world. The pressure to be thin is outrageous. I think they could have kept some of the other original girls on a recurring basis. I liked their characters you know variety. I also thought Geri was a blessing. I mean the world still does not recognize all people and we should at least as Americans. It did get hard to watch after the Edna's Edibles burned down, but they always tried to have social issues and morals to tell us about. I like the reunion, but Jo/Nancy McKeon was truly missed. I wish she would just realize she has done a lot since then, the Tracy Thurman story and the mafia wife movies. It is great to be remembered for such an interesting character. I didn't really think Jo was gay. She was opinionated, strong, independent, and able to defend/protect herself. I admired her.
This show jumped when Natalie and Blair got so fat, those actresses should have been fired. The producers should have known everybody wants to see tight little bodies in schoolgirl uniforms.
When Natalie is almost raped. That jumped the shark because people are still quipping about 'who would touch her', etc. The Whole point of that episode, just like the All In The Family episode where Edith is nearly raped, was to convey the very serious message that sexual assault isn't truly a sex crime, but a violent crime. It has very little to do with physical attraction, and tons to do with power. So, if people are still saying "who would rape Natalie, she's such a pooch", then the "very special" FoL episode which tried to convey a very important message to its target demographic (who are in a high-risk category for being victims of sexual assault), failed. Either that or some people have mastered typing skills without having brains.
When they went to Australia, it definitely jumped. That whole storyline about the jewel thieves was crap, and Natalie moaning about wanting to see Ayer's Rock and then meeting that hot sheep rancher out in the middle of nowhere. Unbelievable.
First season when they pared down the cast to 4 and fired the wrong girls. They should have dumped Natalie and never brought Jo in. They should have kept Cindy (Julie Anne Haddock) and Nancy (Felice Schachter). I think it was during Cloris Leachman's first year on the show, the original cast, (less Molly Ringwald who had become John Hughes' teen queen by then) had a reunion and Cindy had developed into a babe. If anybody had seen the E! True Hollywood Story on this show you will see that Felice Schachter (Nancy Olson) had become a bona fide babe. Fans got stuck watching a screeching fat girl and a grating Tomboy skank with bad teeth. Couldn't Nancy McKeon afford to get braces? I watched the show for the first three years hoping they'll bring Cindy and Nancy Olson back but they didn't and I didn't come back either. By the way, Felice Schachter is a production coordinator for the show Third Watch and has her own production company as well as a law degree I believe. Be that as it may, FOL seems to have set the character pattern for other female oriented shows like Designing Women and Golden Girls. They all had the tough talker, the beauty/sexpot, the ditz and the sarcastic one.
This is a hard one. The whole 85/86 season -- Mrs. G leave, Clooney, Mac Astin, Cloris Leachman, the clothes (what were they thinking?) Each episode that season went further into the abyss.
The annoying princess Alexandra that was such a dip and and idiot that we wished her parents were dethroned by a horrible kiln explosion. Cousin Geri was just annoying. She frequently would just "be there" for no reason. And her one liners weren't at all funny.
The Facts of Life Jumped the Shark when Natalie woke Tootie up to tell her about her first sexual experience. It was awful and disgusting. I am an infinitely worse person for having seen that.
Good lord. What were they thinking putting Geri Jewell on television. Totally not funny. On top of being crippled, ******** & incomprehendable she was totally UNfunny. If anything she made the whole show unconfortable. People with disabilities in a sit-com are going to be laughed at. That's the last thing they need. God knows no one was laughing at her jokes. Now Tootie in rollerskates racing Geri in a wheelchair...now there would have been a storyline. Also making Jo a straight girl in dresses majorly jumped the shark.
What was going on with all the newer characters? George Clooney as the handy man/friend, Pippa, Andy. The core characters were enough to make the show work. Personally (and i know this is gonna be RRRREEEEAAALLLL unpopular), I loved Beverly Anne much more than Edna Garrett. The day she played Stacy Q's "Two of hearts" on the piano I knew we had a winner for comic relief. The show never jumped the shark, but that recent movie definetely dangled it awfully close....
Capitalizing on 80's trends, Blair, Jo and Mrs. Garret go to a male strip club for Mrs. Garret's birthday. This may not have ruined the show (I actually liked the Edna's Edibles seasons, it was when it became "Over Our Heads" That it got very bad.) but it really jumped it for me. To me, Facts was not about subject matter like this. Seeing Mrs. Garret getting all excited while men gyrate in bikinis near her is one of those "burned onto the eyeballs" images. I never could look at the show the same way after that. And then Blair found out her boyfriend was dancing in the club. Not only that but he danced BADLY.
“The Facts of Life” was amazing. Beginning as an unfunny and unmemorable show about little girls at a boarding school, it began to “jump” almost immediately and continued “jumping” every couple of episodes for years. By the end, it had become this huge mess about four elephantine women living over a bakery, which was sometimes a gift shop, with Cloris Leachman as a brain-damaged, incoherent “mother figure,” MacKenzie Astin as a “cute” little boy who should have been clubbed like a baby seal, and “Pippa,” Australia’s answer to Stepin Fetchit. Feature players included “Cousin Geri,” who was supposed to make you feel good about cerebral palsy, but would leave you praying for merciful death, and, for some reason, George Clooney. Every season, it got more insane. I wish it had never ended. By now, I’m sure they’d all be living in a diving bell at the center of the sun with a penguin, former members of New Kids on the Block, and Rip Taylor.
Eventually the characters held no resemblance to their original purpose. They all sort of morphed into the same characters delivering the same bland writing. Jo was no longer a rebel or mouthy. Blair was no longer a snob. Tootie was no longer an airhead. Natalie got all smug. It's cool that the characters learned things and changed and stuff, but I wished they stayed a little more true to the characters.
I'm sorry, but people that watched Facts to scope out young chicks in tight uniforms totally missed the point. It was meant to be as much of a babe-fest as Steel Magnolias and Beaches. I totally admire those who managed to keep the show running for 9 seasons, and to save it after its awful first season. A show that had mediocre ratings staying in the game that long is commendable. In 1979, when the show aired, critics thought it would be the end of NBC as a network. NBC was having some hard times, as the only shows that got anywhere on the ratings in 1979 were Diff'rent Strokes (from which Facts was spun), CHiPs, Dukes of Hazzard, and Little House on the Prairie. Facts, once they overhauled it for the better for 1980-81, carried the network through its dark era, improved its own ratings drastically, and helped save the network until Cheers, Family Ties, Hill Street Blues, and Cosby put it back on top. Jo's addition to the cast in '80 was totally necessary. I'm also put off by those who "can't believe she wasn't a lesbian." Her character being straight, but tomboyish showed a lot of girls that you don't have to be prissy, like Barbies, talk like a baby, and wear pink to be feminine, that interests have no bearing on femininity or sexual orientation. Her black to Blair's white grew both characters and made them more than two-dimensional, something that Natalie and Tootie's characters should have had the opportunity to have, but didn't so much as well. But, I must admit that the show did jump. It was in the 85-86 (seventh) season when MacKenzie Astin was added to the show. For one, I have no idea how they explained his appearing, his lines were awful, his character was unbelieveable. Plus, for four girls that, in 1979 were ages 11-16, had become 17-22 by 1985, and were all still living together! That was too fantastic to be true. They were sorely in need of fresh blood and writing in 1985, and didn't get it in MacKenzie. Cloris's character was OK, but only emphasized how wacky the idea of these four women still living together really was, and took away almost all of the credibility. Finally, in 1988, Blair buys the fledgling school, and, like a freight train, it hits them all that they, at ages 20-25, all would be better off doing something else...getting lives, maybe. Plus, in those last 2 and a half seasons, the story lines got really dumb (along with the '86-on theme remix. The 1980-86 version was much better). They got more portly, but that was OK. Didn't bother me a bit. Natalie's character was important to keep, almost noble, because we needed some sort of voice to kind of diffuse some of the pressure many young girls have to be stick figures and painted up more than the Golden Gate Bridge. Good show, but should have ended when Edna's Edibles burned down and she left the show. I am disappointed that the network didn't go through with its original plan to spin off a series with Lisa Whelchel's Blair as headmistress of the newly co-ed Eastland. It may have tanked, but it would have been interesting to try, and would have tied up loose ends, even given a change of scenery.
Facts of Life was,IMO,a better show than the show it spun off from,giving Charlotte Rae's character much more depth and making her more of a person.I liked Jo because she added so much spunk,and was the perfect character for the snobbish Blair to play off of.Gradualy,they became better friends than either ever admitted. However,after Edna's Eddibles burned down the show lost much of it's original spirit.These four girls were still living together under Mrs.Garret-who made less and less appearances-and her new store?The whole idea was almost gone-and the two older girls were halfway through college.
In order for a show to jts, it has to have a peak, then decline. If the FOL had a peak, it was the first season with Edna's Edibles. This was the first time it ever resembled anything close to what a show should be, i.e. normal. The set was pleasant and homey, it was a business, it provided the characters with conflicts and dilemas, and it was an easy way to bring guest characters in and out of story-lines. I believe this was the season where they had the Halloween episode, which, at best, was cute and somewhat amusing. But before this the show was horrible. And as if they couldn't handle the responsiblity of actually writing for a real show, the blockheads running the thing seemed to search for ways to feed it to the shark. (Edna's Edibles was quite a coup for our show! Let's burn the damn thing to the ground!!!) Eveyone here seems to agree, even those who loved the show, that the FOL has more jump sharking moments than any other in the history of TV. Charlotte Rae leaving the show is too easy. There's about a dozen other choices, all which have been mentioned.
i think it jumped the shark when cloris leachman joined and when jo turned business like yuck but thats it. im surprised by the whole idea of ppl getting mad that they got fat.HELLO! none of u r super models! this is real life and even though the show has not too many realistic themes being fat is. more than half of america is overweight. the facts of life is that ppl lose and gain weight.
At some point the girls all started wearing enough makeup and hair spray that they probably had to be propped up to avoid toppling on the sound stage. That's about when the writing died.
After the 1st season,when Nancy,Sue Ann,Cindy,and Molly were pushed into the background to make room for Jo. At least the producers let them stick around for the next 2 seasons,but Molly Ringwald was dropped after only the 2nd episode of the 2nd season. That had to be a blow for her. Felice Schachter,Julie Piekarski[now Julie Probst],and Julie Anne Haddock were all seriously hot and great eye candy,why they didn't stay for the entire run of the series is beyond me. If they had,we wouldn't of had to see Andy,Pippa,or George the handyman I'll bet!! Give me Nancy or Sue Ann in a tube top and short shorts ANY DAY over any of the other useless later characters!!
Did anyone else ever think that Jo could have been played by John Travolta in drag?
Everyone is forgetting that Post Edna G there was a time after over ourheads went bankrupt or something and that multi purpose storefront room became a kitchen. Well the show was really boring than because there was no centerpoint for the plot to revolve around. But it was a bad show in general.
I think that the show lasted twice as long as it should have and started to decline when the girls moved from above the cafeteria (what was with that?) to the food shop. I must say that as a kid, Mrs. Garrett's mannerisms and appearance (especially her head) scared me.
This show never jumped! It's always been funny and realistic. Also, I'm sick and tired of hearing about the girls' weight, or anything else to do with their looks for that matter. No wonder so many girls and women feel bad about how they look! I sure hope that the rest of the world shares the opinion of most of these posters, because if so, then I fear for the human race. So what if the girls were a little hefty? They were still beautiful, on the outside AND especially on the inside, where IT REALLY COUNTS. That's why someone like Natalie can have guys fighting over her. She was funny, friendly, and smart. So were Blair, Tootie, and Jo. Besides, it's not like the people who are bashing them are perfect looking either.
Maybe I'm just slow (it's obvious that to posters here, "wheelchair" equals "******") but I don't understand all the bashing of Geri Jewell. I don't think she was really all that funny, but it seems like people are objecting to her wheelchair as much as to her humor, or lack thereof. Lean in close, guys, I'm gonna tell you a secret: Just because someone is in a wheelchair, that doesn't mean they're ********. Geri Jewell is not ********. Her disorder does not affect her reasoning capabilities. It's true that she's not all that funny, so if you're going to slam her, do it for the right reasons. There are various muscular and nerve disorders that can put someone in a wheelchair, and most of them don't affect the brain. Some of us are in wheelchairs because we were unlucky enough to suffer spinal cord injuries, which, incidentally, doesn't make us "tards", but probably makes you one if you're too ignorant to know or try to understand the difference.
This show was okay when I was a teenager, but I don't like it now. I'm over 40...tastes change. What gripes me is that on one of that show's unofficial web sites, it says the show began during Aug. of 1979. That's bull. I graduated from high school during May 1979, and that show was on TV when I was a Junior and a Senior. My friends & I used to discuss it. I rarely watched it after I got out of high school. I think the show should have been canceled instead of putting that God-awful Cloris Leachman on it. The shark gobbled up the show after she got hired, and then puked it out. Blehhh!
To the above poster with the great insight on Geri Jewell-thanks for the info, but we know she isn't ********. She's just a "comedian" who's not the least bit funny and drags down every scene she appears in. An able-bodied "comic" this unfunny wouldn't get within a mile of a guest shot on a series, let alone a recurring role. I guess that's what bugs me about her. Get some good material Geri, or get the hell out of show biz.
During the 80's America had a brief love affair with anything Austrialian. ie Men at Work, The Thornbirds, the movie My brilliant Career. Thus explains the introduction of that horrible little hermaphrodite PIPPA to the cast of Facts of Life.
The post-season 1 Eastland years were the best, but Edna's Edibles' years are also just as good. As for Over Our Heads... Andy and Pippa sucked, but I actually LIKED Beverly Ann. Yeah, she was no Mrs. G., but no one could fill her shoes. Bev was neat because she was goofy. Remember when she accidentally talked Nat into skydiving and said "Oh, things like this always happen when I try to make sense!" I still laugh at that today. :D
On Day one...setting the show in Peakskill NY as if it were some affluent, trendy, upscale town in New York state. A couple of years ago I was driving through New York and saw the exit for Peakskill which got my adrenaline running. I could finally see where the "girls" spent their formative years. I took the exit which wound way up the side of a mountain. I thought I was entering some hidden utopia and instead ended up in a smaller version of Newark, NJ. The place is a dump. The downtown is deserted. I tried to imagine where Edna's Edibles could have possibly have been. Perhaps it was formerly where the Family Dollar store now was...or maybe where the Check Cashing boutique was. Blair would have NEVER set foot in this crapper.
Cloris Leachman rules!! Beverly Ann was the best thing that ever happened to FOL. It's those horrid Eastland years that were the bottom of the barrell. Started out awful and got better with age.
WHEN CLORIS LEACHMAN JOINED THE SHOW IS WHEN THE SHOW JUMPED. SHE DRIVES ME CRAZY WITH EVERYTHING SHE DOES.
When I was a kid, I was just getting interested in girls when the show debuted. I had crushes on many of the girls that were in the original cast (especially that blonde athlete character), and was somewhat let down when the eliminated most of them for the second season to make room for Jo. While I was heart-broken, I must admit it did improve the show.
That reunion special didn't just jump the shark- it did cartwheels over it. Jo didn't even show up. What was up with the attempt to replace her with a look and act like daughter? That little girl must have been the results of a a test tube genetic cloning experiment gone horribly wrong! We are fortunate that Beverly Ann and Pippa didn't show up!!The poor shark would be in intensive care. These horrible reunion shows must be stopped, before they get their own cable network!!
This was one of my fave shows in the eighties, but it jumped the shark in the last few years w/ the additions of Beverly Ann, Pippa. I give the writers credit though, for retooling it after the first season and adding Jo (the most complex character). Once all the girls were out of high school, it should have ended. But to those w/ the fat jokes, who among you all had perfect bodies during puberty? I mean these actresses went through puberty onscreen. I know I wouldn't want to be seen on television through those horrific years. And by the end, when they were fully matured women, they were not all overweight and funny looking. And as a kid, the thought never occurred to me that Jo was a lesbian. Can you not be a tomboy and straight?
this show jump a few times but always managed to save face. But too many cast changes finally took it's toll. I forgave to Mrs. Garrett for Beverly Anne substitution. I even got past the George (Return of the Killer Tomato) clooney addition, But the Aussie chick took the cake. (compliments of the TV movie). Just another example of a show trying to maintain the "cute Factor"
I really think the show started to suck when Tootie stopped roller-skating around Eastland and started wearing regular. Right after that she ballooned by about 700lbs. At least with the skates she was getting some exercise. I can't explain why the others got fat. Maybe living over the bakery...how did no one ever have an eating disorder on this show....
This show jumped the shark when Jo got prettier than Blair. It just worked against the story line.
This show probably is unique for jumping on day one, jumping back, and jumping again. The first year was the standard Bad Sitcom at it's worst. Then they retooled it, and it got much better. Then in the last 3 or so years everything fell apart: The girls were getting older, Mrs Garrett left, we're subjected to George Clooney, Mackenzie Austin, Cloris Leachman...and Pippa. Then the girl's personalities changed, Blair wasn't the snob, Tootie was more a dunce than a ditz, Jo lost her New York attitude, and Natalie just got mean and sarcastic. And those fashions, oh boy those fashions. Lisa Welchel had this hair that that screamed Miami Vice vs. an accident at the mousse plant (and looked VERY masculine), and everyone else had these up-to-the-second fashions that had to have been out of style by the time the shows aired. They tied themselves to non-celebrities like SuziQ and ElDebarge. So, the show was fine until the final few years when it really seemed like it came to a bumpy landing. BUT, I must at least give Lisa Welchel some credit. I saw her "Blair spots" for Hallowween on Nick at Nite a few years back. Not only has she not aged much since the show ended in 1988, she had the ability to joke about her lack of a carrer. ("Oh my Gosh! Do I sound washed up?") It's not what you'd expect from the average home-schooling preacher's wife (fun?? On Halloween?? Don't tell Pat Robertson!)
I was born in the 80's, but I remember watching Facts of Life with my older sister back in the day and I've caught up on a lot of them through Hallmark Channel. This show, in my opinion, never jumped. The addition of Beverly Ann, Andy, and Pippa sure didn't help it any, but this show never jumped even with them.
To all those fools who try to blame Pippa for this show jumping the shark...read some 'backstory' on FOL for the real reason this show jumped. The story is this--the producers wished to bring some new blood and youth to the show with a character from Australia. The four fats of life resented such a move from the outset and began to pull childlike temper tantrams on the set and had Pippa's lines cut and completely removed from some scenes. There was even an episode that was written to feature Pippa as the lead singer of a FOL band but the four regular fat cows on the show actually boycotted the production! That's right...they refused to be part of the episode unless they could all sing and have Pippa's exposure reduced. What a bunch of jealous cows! And you have the nerve to put the shark jumping on Pippa? Get REAL! This is a perfect example of the need to look beyond the facade and get to the REAL story for genuine jump the shark liability.
I'm convinced that the show managed to jump the shark (the atrocious first season), jump back (the next few seasons, which were pretty decent for an 80's sitcom), jump again (Edna Garrett hitting the road), then rejump again (the last episode, where Blair purchased Eastland, bringing the show full-circle). A spin-off at the end (which is what the last episode was intended to set up) probably wouldn't have lasted long, but would have been reasonably watchable.
To all the posters out there who feel the need to insult the girls because of their weight I say two things. First this show wasnt put on the air to make dateless teenage boys get some wood in their pants. Secondly I would also venture to say that right now most of you are balding and probably have a pot belly of your own. I'm sure of course that when you see old geezers like Walker texas Ranger dating a young girl on his show you dont look at that as ridiculous but let a woman have some weight on her and you cant wait to point fingers.... This show was dwindled down from 8 or 9 girls to 4 for a reason. I would bet that they did this so we could get to know the characters better. Look at the show called "8 is Enough" how well do you know each one of the characters? Theres too many, so the Facts of Life people were smart to dwindle it down to 4 girls. I would say they were trying to appeal to viewers by choosing a girl each from a different category They chose a snobbish, rich girl that you love to hate, a black girl, a tomboy, and a heavyset girl all of which were chosen probably in hopes that they would attract all types of teenage girl viewers who saw themselves in these girls. I would say it jumped the shark when Mrs G left. She held it together and once the girls lives started revolving outside of one another that was the final jump. I loved the show and still do. Pippa was an annoyance, i think if they had chosen an american actress things might have gone better and she wouldnt have been so hated. As for the clothes that what people were wearing back then and they were appealing to a teenage audience
I liked the diverse personalities of the girls on the show. Even the Beverly Ann years were watchable (including Pippa), although not nearly as good as the Mrs. Garrett years. It had its bad moments, but overall, it is a good program for teen and preteen girls to learn from. There were generally morals to each episode. Now, I want to set a few of these posters straight regarding the weight issue: The ONLY girl who was TRULY CHUBBY was NATALIE. The other three, although they did gain some weight on the show, were merely shapely. HEAR ME OUT... there is a DIFFERENCE between FAT and a FEW CURVES. GET WITH IT, people, and QUIT MAKING FUN of folks who ACTUALLY HAVE MEAT ON THEIR BONES! When I was a kid, I was curvaceous and reasonably slender, but I actually felt that I was fat. Back then, I bought those worthless magazines geared for young teen girls, and wound up feeling worse because I wasn't "quite as thin" as the models. I've gained quite a bit of weight since that time... I'm average height and I tilt the scales at a whopping 175 lbs.; why, I'd LOVE to weigh 130 again; if anything, for the sake of my health. Also, what does WEIGHT matter if a person has a good HEART and PERSONALITY!? There, I've said my piece... hope it helps.
It was definitely the episode when Blair is caught cheating on a mid-term. So what happens? we get to hear Blair proselytize and beat her chest righteously? What REALLY would have happened? Come on, Blair would hav ebeen thrown out or, baring that, Mrs. G would have punished in some private fashion - maybe a good sound hairbrushing. Face it, Blair and sometimes Jo could have used that.
Two things: 1) Natalie laughs at all her own jokes. 2) The best most hilarious episode is the one where Blair falls in love with the ******** guy (who is played by some hot, model perfect guy, yeah...that is real) and tries to teach him to paint. He knocks over the easel, and Blair says, "Miz Garret, I just know everything he COULD BE" and Mrs Garrett screaches: "BLAAAAAAAAIIIIRRRR....What about what he iiiiiiiiiissss????? He's RETAAAAARRRRRRRDED!!!" I kid you not. Unintentionally hilarious.
I think "The Facts of Life" Jumped the Shark after Edna's Edibles burned down and was replaced by a trendy clothing store called "Over Our Heads." That's when things really fell apart. The annoying kid (I think his name was Andy) came on, George Clooney was in and Charlotte Rae was out. When Edna's Edibles burned down, so did "The Facts of Life."
jumped with the store/bakery story lines.. am i the only one who felt the sexual tension between joe and blair in the early seasons? maybe as a baby-dyke i was projecting but what little queer girl didnt dig the thought of those two, its the only reason i tuned in.....
You take the good...about 1 1/2 seasons....You take the bad...pretty much the rest! You take 4 girls out of the bunch and "join them at the hip" with their den mum forever after and you pretty much have "The Facts of Life"! Too bad Gloria Loring couldn't keep a singing career going with that and the other sappy 80's "Shane & Kimberly, Days of Our Lives theme Friends and Lovers" charting the saccharine airwaves! Why was it necessary to "dump" nearly all of the other girls, even the half-way interesting ones (and yes, for a while there Molly Ringwold had better things going for herself!) and "sequester" this odd foursome for the rest of eternity and rarely if ever hear from anyone else again? The plots to keep the remainders around in the same space again & again were lame and thinly written. Also, in the first season ones what was the deal with nearly every scene, no matter what the season (including the storm someone else mentioned) at least two of the girls were in "Daisy Duke" hotpants or super shortshorts?! Including Blair? Did the producers have some sort of teen-girl fantasy going? I didn't bother with the reuinion, but if these girls all stayed together over the years they would probably (except Jo, who I hear was killed off) in present day be sitting around male-bashing their husbands/exes/boyfriends of today predictably!
I think it held itself together when it whittled itself down to four characters, I have to say I wasn't happy. In uncapable hands, things could have gotten old really fast with such a large cast, but they could have had the option of discarding characters one-by-one who weren't working. Or, they could have, at least, had a "Number 5" slot, which they could have used in a revolving door style, bringing in a new girl and than replacing her when she wore out her welcome. There was just too much potential there. However, bringing on Jo did bring a new angle to the show, with being Blair's nemesis. And Tootie and Natalie as best friends was fun. And, if we never had Jo, we would have never had her handicapped cousin. I think that when they moved into the house behind Edna's Edibles, things were starting to get desperate. You would think graduating to higher levels of education would keep the storylines fresh. I know that by the time it was Andy, Pippa, and Cloris Leachman, it had jumped the shark, so sometime before that.
I know that it seems like people are jumping on the Geri Jewell subject to be mean...but she was annoying because her presence was was obviously gratuitous. She wasn't funny AT ALL, I cringed at her attempts to do stand-up (no pun intended) and even at age 8, I was like "They obviously had some reason for putting her on besides the plot. This show is getting stupid!" The first "gay Jo" comment was made because Jo was introduced as a very dyke-y character just aching to come out...It's like we were all just waiting for the day when we had the Very Special Episode where she comes out and everyone gasps...THEN we had to deal with the stupid Cute Adopted Kid...WHY did all the shows in this era resort to that? At least their Special Guest Star episodes weren't too common, like on Alice every other week - "Oh my God, it's Tom Wopat! What are you doing in Peekskill?" Though, really, I would have enjoyed that episode had it occurred :-)
Seasons 2, 3, & 4 (when Mrs. G was the school dietician and the girls lived adjacent to the cafeteria) was very ahead of its time and very funny. "Sex Symbol" is a classic episode with the classic line where Natalie exclaims, "From now on it's good-bye Natalie, hello Hot-Lips!" with this, Natalie exits stage left a la Mae West, leaving the girls dumbfounded and the audience cheering. And yes, it's easy for people to bust "Fact of Life" chops because these girls were NOT SUPPOSED to be modelesque-types. They were supposed to be "average-type" young women that other "average-type" young women could relate to. If you want T&A, turn it to the Playboy channel. I've gotta say however, that seasons 1, 5 thru 9 should have been buried at sea. The writers should have either extended the girl's high school careers (like Head of the Class or 90210) or just pulled the plug. I'm suprised the show lasted so long after they all moved to Edna's Edibles. Actually, the best episode is the two-parter in season two, "New Girl". Jo walks in looking like a tough biker-dude. Blair takes her first look at Jo and says, "I'm sorry, but delivery boys have to take the other route..." Joe removes her biker helmut, revealing her long, pretty brown locks of hair, "Delivery boy? Gimme a break! Is this where I'm supposed to check in?" Blair is shocked and chortles, "I don't believe this!" Natalie says, "YOU don't believe it? I was going to ask him to the fall dance!" Classic stuff. Networks need to bring back this type of quality and wholesomeness for this generation of teenagers.
Little jump: when Tootie said "thingamabobs"! What an insult. I don't see how the use of the word CONDOM could have alienated anyone who wouldn't have been alienated by the them of that still-ridiculed episode. But the BIG jump, y'all, was when my girl EDNA GARRETT split. She was the glue that held this show together. I think I stomached MAYBE two episodes without her. I mean, I like Cloris Leachman, but in SMALL DOSES. I can't believe this show was on for all those years. Glad some cast members went on to more success (Kim Fields, George Clooney), but I'm sorry I have to LAUGH when I see 'Jo' (cant remember her real name) trying to do (melo)drama in that lifetime show. This is a gal who should star in how-to videos!!!
When Cloris Leachman came aboard in season 8 as Mrs Garrett's flighty sister Beverly Ann. As much as I love Cloris, the girls had simply outgrown their need for a "house mother" and could have done just fine without her. Also, Pippa was completely unnecessary and took focus away from the main 4 characters. FOL also had a horrible finale which was a feeble attempt to make the show "young" again by having Blair buy Eastland and turn it into a co-ed school. Seth Green, Juliette Lewis and a pre-Blossom Mayam Bialik were among the new students in this 2-part episode which was intended to be a possible spin-off. Natalie, Tootie and Jo were carelessly tossed aside and were not given the proper farewell deserving of a 9-season sitcom!
I think FOL jumped the shark when Jo and Blair graduated. While several of the "Edna's Edibles" shows were funny, the show was clearly drifing away from its original premise. The farther the show drifted, the harder the network pushed to keep it on the air, the worse the show became. The characters didn't develop, they mutated, and don't even start me on the post Mrs. G seasons!
The show was fairly believable, until I think the bakery burned down. The girls all bought a storeful of toys and novelties and told Mrs. Garrett, "We'll call it- OVER OUR HEADS!" Then you hardly ever see any of the girls actually working in the store. I couldn't figure out if the store even still existed during the Cloris Leachman years. I guess along the way the girls closed the store, or this plot device simply disappeared. It was great to see everyone back together, except for Jo, in the reunion movie. However, too much of the story focused on the men vying for Natalie's love. Why should we care about these new characters we had never seen?
I admit it, I adored this show as a teenager in the eighties. Even now I have fond memories of it, and watching reruns brings back pleasant memories. No, it was not a great show, perhaps not even a good show. But it brought a bit of stability to my life, and I even found one episode (the one in which the girls' classmate commits suicide) to even be a bit helpful during my bouts with depression. Somehow, the show's magic stayed with me even after the move to "Edna's Edibles" (actually, some of these episodes were among my favorites). But for some reason, after the fire that consumed "Edibles" and the opening of "Over Our Heads", the show lost its magic for me. Once viewing the first few episodes of that season, I began watching only occasionally, and by the time Charlotte Rae left the cast I had stopped watching altogether. Perhaps it was because of one painful episode from the first "Over Our Heads" season - the one which relates the birth of Blair's little sister from the infant's point of view. This has to be one of the worst episodes of any program ever written, almost painful in its cloying, contrived sweetness -- and don't forget the sickening voice provided for Blair's infant sister! The addition of George Clooney didn't work, either, and, of course, the "Trashy Lingerie" episode with El Debarge was another low point. I'm kind of sorry I stopped watching, though, as I would have liked, in retrospect, to see how the "girls" worked with Cloris Leechman (one of the best actresses of this or any other time, in my opinion). But after the first few "Over Our Heads" episodes, I just found the show unwatchable.
Day one. Unwatchable -- largely due to Charlotte Rae's cloyingly self-conscious mugging. Not a believable bone in her body. The girls did their best, which wasn't very good (where are any of them today?), but they simply couldn't compete with Miss Rae's "aren't I cute?" line-readings. Never saw more than a few minutes of this show after my first experience of its awful mediocrity.
Facts of Life is a strange one. It *started* in the shark's mouth. With like 100 girls running around it was just too dang confusing. Then season two they went down to 4 girls and could concentrate on characters, and it was pretty decent. Then along comes season 4 and it all goes to crap again! After that it was a sloooow painful death.
I've seen a lot of comments about Geri, and while I have not yet gone through the whole page, I have to say this... Geri, ****** or not, was annoying. Sure, it's cool that they had a disabled regular on the show. Sure, it made a lot of young, impressionable kids like me realize that ******* can do this sort of thing. However, bottom line - she was annoying, and the show jumped when she joined the cast. Cloris Leachman comes in at a close second as being the most annoying character on that show, and it should have ended when Charlotte Rae left. She was the only one on that show other than Nancy McKeon that was even remotely funny.
when the girls were in college and were interviewed about the ways eastland changed them. And that movie with them in Europe was awful. But the show truly jumped when they started giving advice to andy and pippa. Natalie actually had the best comic timing when they were older. I love this show.
When Edna left it was a major jump. Much has been posted here about Blair's weight. Did anyone actually watch the WHOLE show? Blair was normal in the first (it was a half season) season. Then she was fat all thru the Eastland years. Then for the first year of college. Then she dumped a ton. For the last 3 or 4 years she was THIN. Tootie never like Jermaine Jackson. She liked Michael Jackson. She just liked Jermaine for that one episode as they could get him. Also the Princess Alexandria was brought in to "replace" Blair. There was a serious talk of a "Blair and Jo" go to college spin-off. She would have replaced the Blair character if it happened. I don't think I read anything about that annoying guy that liked Jo throughout the Eastland years. (not the sailor guy). Also only Jonathan on "Who's The Boss" kept McKenzie(sp?) Austin from being the gayest teen (male) on TV. Jo was the biggest lesbian on TV. Sure no one said Jo was a lesbian. You didn't have to say Tootie was black. But we knew anyway. Also remember the episode where the Black guy convinces Tootie she isn't "black enuff." He says they all "dance white." Tootie says "well then I must be white too 'cause I taught them everything they know." Then the black guy dances and Jo looks at him and says "another myth shattered." [e.g. all blacks have rhythm.]
I started watching FOL when I myself was in boarding school (with *nuns*! Aargh...) so while I knew the show was laughably unrealistic I loved it, especially series 2 and 3. However I think that the show should have stayed at the school with a rolling stock of characters as the existing characters graduated. After Eastlands the show lost its sparkle for me, and I rarely watched it. BTW my favourite character was Natalie as I could relate to her personality and uniform size. Now I live in England and have no access to reruns, which is highly annoying as I'd love to watch the first few series again.
I think when the theme song went pop metal on us, it was tooth time. The first one with mrs. G singing was pretty ridiculous but the one after that was the bomb. Another web site the name of which escapes me where they vote on tv theme songs constantly had it at number one by many people although I wouldn't put it that high. Top 15 maybe but it doesn't compare to the true greats, Angie, Wkrp, Charles in Charge, Laverne and Shirley. When a sitcom gives a theme song a makeover, it's time to get out the harpoon. I think Blair who before she hit fifty on the show had beautiful hair. It was a little crazy seeing these full grown women trying to carry on youthfulness and make it work.
I grew up watching Facts, which is odd, because I'm a guy, and I loved it. The show was a lot of fun, and doesn't get the respect from NBC I think it should have. Facts debuted at a terrible time in NBC's history. The season before Facts debuted, NBC only had 4 shows in the Top 30 (Little House on the Prairie #14, CHiPs #25, and Diff'rent Strokes #27), and one was the Monday Night Movie! NBC was experiencing success with Diff'rent Strokes, and, when its first terrible spin-off, "Hello, Larry" flopped, NBC was getting desperate. Facts debuted, and was a terrible mess. One critic even commented that it signaled the end of NBC, it was so bad. And I must admit that the first season theme was the stupidest TV theme I've ever heard. However, version 2, which ran from '80-'85, was excellent. Facts' first season rating was #74. NBC couldn't risk a whole lot more, and decided to overhaul the show for '80, and Facts' rating shot up to #26, and never fell below #40 for the rest of the 9-season run. When the show was finally canceled, it held NBC's record for the longest-running show it had ever aired. However, when MacKenzie Astin, the rather precocious prepubescent boy joined the cast, it seemed to be an acknowledgement that the formula was wearing out and they needed to inject the show with something new. When Edna's burned down, Clooney had his stint, then Mrs. G left, and Leachman replaced her, the show was never the same. There were still plenty of good episodes with Leachman, but the show just wasn't the same. It was on its way out. Then, in the last season, '87-'88, they add Pippa. It just seemed that after '84-'85, Facts started taking on characters like the Titanic did seawater. Oh, and I'm also in the camp that the pop-metal theme song re-do wasn't very good at all. But, when you're 9 seasons old, and sitting in a lineup with Cheers, Night Court, Family Ties, The Golden Girls, Matlock, The A-Team, and Cosby, all fresh and rolling in the ratings, it's not hard to see how Facts got second-rate developments toward the end. However, I do wish they would have spun off Blair and her acquisition of Eastland. That might have had staying power. The last episode, in fact, was supposed to be the new series' pilot. However, I don't think it ranks with the likes of Webster, Benson, and Gimme a Break, which all ran so far past their usefulness and successfulness that programming execs would have forgotten about them. Facts stayed between #24 and #34 for all but the first and last seasons. That's not bad.
The episode where they sang with El Debarge. Who is El Debarge, you ask? Just a lousy pop singer from the 80's with a greasy geri curl. Or how about Tootie going crazy over trying to meet Jermaine Jackson. Crazy. These girls may have learned the facts of life, but they sure as hell didn't learn about good taste in music!
The show was great and got better when they chopped it down to 4 girls. The show was sailing along smoothly. Then suddenly Mrs. Garrett splits and the ride becomes a little bumpy and slowly but surely the show begins to sink into the murky depths of the Cancellation Sea where "the shark" resides. But I'll always remember the light fun of the show.........and the delightful discovery of little Tootie not being so "little" anymore. Wow she grew into a sexy teen! Thank God for reruns.
Oh god. As soon as Mrs. Garrett left and we met "Beverly Ann Stickle" the show was ****. I mean, it had some ****ty ups and downs before then, but that was just horrible. It made me seriously just want to cry. And she had no purpose, either...
The most stomach turning moment of FOL came when Mrs Garrett was trying to persuade one of the girls to hang on to her virginity. She revealed that she and the departed Mr G. waited 'til their wedding night to consummate, and then said "and it was good" with that trademark whine of hers. "AND IT WAS GOOD?" The thought of an aroused, or satiated, Edna Garrett remains as frightening in 2004 as it was ca. 1985. Another low was the "Very Special Episode" in which a new girl came to Eastland, was snubbbed by Blair and killed herself- which was the first episode I ever saw. As I recall the "big moment" came after the new girl downed a bottle of pills and was taken to the hospital- Mrs. G. took the phone call and all the (now contrite) girls crowded around her for the entirely expected "she's going to be alright, isn't she?"/" She's dead " exchange followed by fade to black and commercial break. And, of course, Tootie acting as if she was insane in order to wear down Mrs Garrett's resistance to seeing Jermaine Jackson remains a pop culture high water mark of the decade. Also haunting was the episode in which one of the reanimated corpse-like Gabor sisters played a cosmetics baroness who rather cruelly discussed how ridiculous the overly made up Natalie looked with her standing there. The irony of a woman wearing so much make up one anticipated that one day it might shatter and fall off revealing the wizened and frightening 200 year old creature within commenting on how bad Natalie looked was quite painful.
When they all started wearing identical hairdos. Jo: "You live, you go one, you die...that's life." I never forgot that!
The writers and producers ruined a great show when they had Natalie lose her virginity to snake. Lisa Whelchel was right when she refused the part ... Mindy Cohn should have respected herself more and done the same. The show declined in value and content from that episode on!
The show jumped the shark when it was revealed that Eastland Academy was set in Peekskill, New York. You see, FOL is a spinoff of "Diff'rent Strokes", and the DS character Kimberly Drummond was a day student at Eastland. Yet DS was set in New York, and if you look at a map of New York State, you find that Peekskill and NYC are 46.7 miles apart! Are we supposed to believe that Kimberly took a daily round-trip commute of 93.4 miles? I mean, really!
I could take the graduations, the store buring down, the store's New Wave makeover, Mrs. Garrett's leaving, and even Beverly Anne's arrival. But the Sha-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-las?At that point, the show jumped past the shark . . . and over the moon. At least, the theme song didn't change to "Hot Rod Lover" (Freud would have had a field day with that title).
In the episode where Natalie is in the truck stop and imagines her fellow cast members are characters in a story she is writing..."All I need now is for Charo to walk through the front door!"...and she does. Guest appearances by Charo is most definitely a shark leapfrogging moment.
For me this show jumped in the first season with the episode where Tootie unknowingly buys a bong from some record store. She has no idea what it's for and thinks it's decorative, but Mrs. Garrett knows otherwise and flips. But this show really jumped the shark with the reunion episode that was one of the worst things ever filmed. Everything about it was crap, from the writing to the production values. Not to mention the plot, which had us believing that big-ol-Natalie is being lusted after by multiple handsome men. Yeah right.
Geri Jewel, although not the greatest actress was one of the first physically challenged individuals on tv. To the poster above who called her "crippled, ********, and incomprehensible, you really should not be so critical, and be happy you don't have cerebral palsy like she did. BTW, she was not ********, her IQ was above average. Also, CP is a developmental disability which causes motor coordination difficulty. So don't be insensitive.
That rarest of occasions when an original from one show gets their own show without dooming EITHER. Mrs. Garrett was present at the beginning of "Diff'rent Strokes" and her departure didn't hinder either show's performance. That early interaction between shows was great, but as happens all too often, it faded fast. I'm in the minority here because "The Facts of Life" didn't suffer until well after what I consider it's turning point: eliminating four of the original seven girls. Producers thought that scope was too wide, so they narrowed it. With seven girls, there would have plenty of scenarios they could have explored with each of them. Each girl had a distinct identity and the issues to match: Blair ("the rich one"), Sue Ann ("the smart one"), Cindy ("the athlete"), Molly ("the plain one"), Natalie ("the chubby one"), Tootie ("the black one"), and Nancy ("the pretty one"; actually, there was more than one). Edna Garrett was the perfect choice to juggle the different personalities and get them to work together as a unit. By limiting Sue Ann, Cindy, Nancy, and Molly to occasional appearances before zoning them out altogether, producers also limited all the girls in learning to get along with each other, which they weren't able to do so well at the get-go. Perhaps that first graduation should have been pushed back a few years, included a majority of the early girls, and marked the end of the show. Once Blair and Jo went to college, it was unrealistic to think that they would still live and hang with Natalie and Tootie. Instead, this transition led to several changes, some inevitable and some with no rhyme or reason. The original premise always works best.
I don't think this show ever really jumped, not even with the addition of different characters. Although the thought of some ritzy boarding school in Peekskill was a little far fetched. Okay, my husband was born and raised in Peekskill where this show took place, and a lot of his family still lives there, so I visit Peekskill a lot. I find it hard to believe they'd put a ritzy boarding school in that rathole. No offense, but Peekskill is better known for crack dealing than academia.
Beverly Ann (Cloris) was really not the shark-jump IMO. It was the abysmal final and 9th season! The plots were getting so far-fetched and they writers really blew it by adding too many new characters, like the horrible Pippa and the annoying Casey who did not seem like a guy Blair would go for. Also,did you notice by the end,the plots all sounded alike! Example: Tootie and Natalie's boyfriends meet,but they dont get along at first; Tootie meets Jeff's grandmother, but they dont get along at first; Jo's dad meets Rick, but they dont get along at first. They pulled the plug at the right time! If they'd gone for a 10th season, the shark would have had a feast!
I am tempted to say this show jumped when Pippa came on the scene, but she was just the final nail in the coffin. I tuned out long before that! It was when Edna's Edibles had burned down and they decided to reinvent the characters as "businesswomen". Sheesh. Clooney and Astin where as bland as could be, and that new "rock" theme song (with the electric guitar at the beginning) was another sign. The clothes they had them wearing made them look like junior Designing Women (though that show hadn't premiered yet). The REAL writing on the wall was that same year, THE GOLDEN GIRLS made its debut on the same name. Four women, DECADES older, who were funnier, hipper, had better chemistry with each other and DATED MORE!!! Granted, not many actors have the comic timing of Bea Arthur, but this unfortunate schedule positioning of a better show made the show seem to have sunk even lower when there might have still been hope for it.
The show, to me, seemed to remain decent after Mrs. Garrett left, but that last season was very dull. Pippa comes in almost out of nowhere and just moves in with them. It wasn't really her I didn't like, but the stories at that point.
While there really wasn't much reason for the show to continue after Blair and Jo graduated, the first "Edna's Edibles" year wasn't too bad. However, I tuned out completely after Edna's Edibles burned down. It didn't help that that same year, they changed the theme song to that horrible "rock" style and Samwise Gamgee's less talented, very annoying brat of a brother joined the cast. I was unfortunte enough to catch the reruns of the episodes I missed the first time when they were on Nick at Nite, and I can see that I didn't miss much.
One of this show's unofficial sites ran a 25th anniversary poll, with season eight being declared the best season, the "rock remix" theme song being the best theme song, and "Over Our Heads" (that horrible novelty shop) winning best set. I demand a recount, because the show had jumped long before any of those came about. They really should not have continued after the older girls graduated, or at least not continued the way they did. I find it too unbelieveable that the girls would continue living together with Mrs. Garrett in the guise of helping run a store/restraunt turned novelty (read: crap) store. Had the show ended with Blair and Jo's graduation, we wouldn't have had that god-awful "fire" episode or the stupid Christmas episode where they sang for a prison, the "rock remix" theme wouldn't exist (at least not as an official theme for the show), the sub-par movie where they go to Australia wouldn't have been produced, Charlotte Rae wouldn't have left, and Cloris Leechman, George Clooney with his then-mullett, the annoying brat boy and the more annoying Aussie chick wouldn't have shown up.
When Tootie couldn't see Jermaine Jackson and she totally lost it and went into a fanatical/delusional crisis which Mrs. Garrett had to calm through comparisons to the Beatles??? Also, I seem to recall Lisa Whelchel leaving and being replaced by someone callled "Pippa". God save us all.
IMHO, the biggest jts was when the girls moved from Eastland to Edna's Edibles. Actually,this show jumped the shark so many times it is hard to keep track. Yet it still lingered on the air - and viewers, like myself, for some reason continued to watch. I even looked forward to seeing the gang back together again on the Reunion Movie. I must say it was probably the most awful and painful thing I have ever seen - a total flop with little or no plot.
This show saved my life. I used to live on Junction Blvd. in Queens and almost turned to prostitution until I saw the episode with Tootie and the call girl. I even was wearing Sexy Lingerie. My name is Jeanie and I owe my life to this show.
To me, this show had three diving boards and they all revolve around Jo Polniciak. First - Jo as Prom Date Barbie: Jo gets asked out to some fancy country club cotillion. They dress her up and have "the moment" where she walks out, supposedly like a princess, but she still looked hideous. It turns but the guy only asks her because he thinks she's tough she must be easy. She whops him one with her shoe and Mrs. Garrett offers comfort while you know it's all Blair can do to keep from saying, "I told you so" but instead she's sympathetic. Next - Jo Singing "It Had to Be You": The girls come back to Eastland after either Spring Break or Summer Vacation (which I think they all took together) but they each have a moment where they are actually apart and when they get back to school they each tell the story of what they did with their rare moment apart from the others. Tootie comes across Jo in a "poignant moment", playing impromptu piano (juice?) bar singing "It Had to Be You". I think this one episode is the reason she didn't show up for the reunion movie. And lastly, Jo and Super Rich Guy: After they finally graduate and move out to live over Edna's Edibles (I watched the show after this, but I have no idea why). Anyway, Jo, again, is being sought after by some super rich guy that we will never see again after this episode. He is very handsome and after she rejects him for the zillionth time he comes to pick her up and dressed up in a morning suit with a horse and carriage out back, so as to further woo tough fair maiden. Get this. Jo's response is "Did somebody die?" Despite having attending a fancy schmancy boarding school for four years, Blair still has to somehow explain to unprivileged, unworldly Jo what morning clothes. I watched the show until Edna's Edibles burned down. I seem to remember a few episodes with that lady and her son, but I could not tell you what the last episode of this show was to save my life. They should have ended it with graduation and called it a day.
THE FACTS OF LIFE was a decent spinoff of DIFFERENT STROKES, where Charlotte Rae's character, Mrs. Garrett, was spun off and became the den mother at Eastman, some private girls' school in the east, I think. The producers madea smart move at the end of the first season and got rid of most of those girls (Molly Ringwald included) and concentrated on Natalie, Tootie, and Blair. Nancy McKeon was a welcome breath of fresh air as Jo and she Lisa Whelchel, Kim Fields, and Mindy Cohn eventually melded into a tight eensemble of actresses who worked really well together. This show was fun when it stayed light but whenever it tried to get "serious", which I gguess would fall under the "A Very Special Episode" umbrella, the show got laughable. These shows got more laughs than the shows were intentionally funny. The additions of George Clooney and Mackenzie Astin did very little to spice up the proceedings. Who would have thought at the time that Clooney would become a film superstar? I never saw that coming. The show's solid shark jump occurred though with the departure of Charlotte Rae. She was the glue that held the show together and Cloris Leachman as Beverly Ann was a poor substitute. No offense to Ms. Leachman, a wonderful actress, but to get thrown into a show like at this at the end of its run and try to get audiences to accept her was an impossible mission.
Like a lot of people, l felt that the changes that were made after the first season of The Facts Of Life was for the best in improving the quality of the show. But after watching the first season of shows on my cable system's video on demand service, l now feel that the downsizing of the cast was uncalled for. I like the group interaction of the girls(Blair, Tootie, Natalie, Nancy, Cindy, Sue Ann ,and Molly), and for the producers not to see that was very stupid. My favorite downsized characters were Nancy and Sue Ann. I think that in addition to keeping Blair, Tootie, and Natalie, the producers should have kept Nancy and Sue Ann. By keeping these two characters, the show would had been more appealing to reach a wider audience. The addition of Jo could still take place to give the show more spice and attitude. The only changes l felt were needed was getting rid of Miss Mahoney after the first four episodes, and Mr.Bradley, the school's headmaster. I liked Mr.Bradley in the first four episodes because he was cool and human. But, over time in the final nine episodes of season one, he became arrogant, pushy, and self-centered. And, he became not only the school's headmaster, but also the school's "housefather", to Mrs.Garrett's housemother role. He always challenged Mrs.Garrett decision's about the girls, and blamed everything that was wrong about the girls on her. This to me was completing wrong because Mrs.Garrett was more smarter and human than Mr.Bradley. And, Mrs.Garrett should had never been promoted to food service. She should had been the school's housemother all along. Had the changes after the first season had been kept to a few, the show would had looked more sharper with Mrs.Garrett, Blair, Tootie, Natalie, Nancy, Sue Ann, and Jo as the main characters.
The problem with the Facts was that there was inconsistency running around the show. Jo had known Nancy, Sue Ann, Cindy, and Molly since they had gone to school together. After all, they all except for Molly, were seen until the 4th season of the show. Just because Jo wasn't around during the first season doesn't mean that when the reunion episode occured in the Beverly Anne and Over Our Heads years doesn't mean that Jo and thee other 3 original girls had to be re-written as not having known each other. Jo was also shown to be friends with Cindy, who was also a tomboy but not as tough as Jo. Jo was friends with these girls (except for Molly whom we didn't see after her one guest-appearance in season 2). Since Beverly Anne and Andy were the newer cast members, it would have been logical that either of them felt left out. Sure Beverly Anne was Mrs. Garrett's sister and they've had a strained relationship over the years, there could have been talk about Mrs. Garrett--whom Nancy, Molly, Sue Anne, and Cindy also loved--which would have made Beverly Anne jealous. Andy being a boy knew Mrs. Garrett but I don't think he'd want to be around a bunch of girls and girl talk etc. He could have been written as feeling left out because he's the resident kid. Beverly Anne's feeling left out could would have been natural but the jealousy quite immature to a degree since she wasn't around in the earlier years. Beverly Anne had to be the mature voice for the younger cast after all as adults people still learn the Facts of Life. What the reunion episode WAS INDEED MISSING besides consistency was Molly Parker (as played by Molly Ringwald) AND Kimberly Drummond (as played by Dana Plato). Molly Ringwald had made it stardom as an 80s teen actress in hit movies and perhaps she would have returned for the guest-appearance. Or the character Molly Parker should have been mentioned as being a major actress. I think it would have been cool to have Mrs. Garrett come back home for a visit. She did adore these other girls as much as they adored her. However, with her married and off in Africa, the writer felt it silly to have her return for such a reunion. It would have been great to see Kimberly with Mrs. Garrett again as she was also one of her girls. Kimberly Drummond was the one character who introduced us to the future cast of the Facts of Life during the first year of Different Strokes, the parent show to FOL. Afterall, Kimberly was an Eastland student and all the original girls from the first season of FOL were her good friends. I believe that during the FOL's run we should have seen Kimberly, especially during the Eastland years. We've seen Arnold and Willis of Different Strokes pop by the FOL to visit their mother-figure and friend, Mrs. Garrett. Maybe there were legalities as to why Kimberly didn't show up on FOL because she was created specifically for Different Strokes. It would have been cool to see her as part of the cast of both shows since Sam Drucker was a regular character on both Green Acres and Petticoat Junction. We had all those visits from Geri on FOL, we could have had the same with Kimberly. When Kimberly did interact with her friends from Eastland it was when some of the girls came to the Drummond Penthouse for a visit. The only time Kimberly appeared on the FOL was the very first episode when the Drummonds went to visit Mrs. Garrett. I'm sure Kimberly knew Jo as well. Although Different Strokes had gone off the air in 1986 (on ABC after leaving NBC, which wanted to cancel the show) and Dana Plato had left the show a few years earlier but made some guest-appearances on that show, she could have been called in to reprise her role of Kimberly on FOL for the reunion episode which would remember the show's roots. But then again, transnetwork crossovers weren't things that happened often in television. Guiding Light and As the World Turns, both Daytime Soaps on CBS, were the only shows that did transnetwork crossovers with NBC's Daytime Drama "Another World" in the 1960s where characters from one show were transplanted to Another World. Different Strokes, although most of its run was on NBC before it went to ABC its final season, the fact that it spun-off Facts of Life, and went off the air in 1986 wouldn't or shouldn't have been hard to get Kimberly on FOL for that special episode.
After Jo and Blair graduated, you entered automatic shark jump territory. No college gal is going to live with their high school roomies going to a conveniently close college. And what is with your people freaking out about Natalie losing her virginity. Wasn't she a twenty-something? Wasn't this the late 80's? Wally and the Beav had long since been cancelled. Come up into the modern era with the rest of us.
Facts of Life is a bittersweet memory for me. I lived in Manhattan for 15 years beginning in 1985. I had rarely traveled north of 125th street. Four years ago, my lover and I began to search for real estate in Westchester county. I remember seeing the town of Peekskill on the map. I thought, "Oh my God, isn't that where Blair, Jo, Tootie and Natalie were from!?" My favorite TV show... I had to go visit this lovely little town. I pictured beautiful tree lined streets, quaint little stores and all the girls and Mrs. G walking down the street. I couldn't wait!! Well....the reality is... Peekskill is a DUMP!. I was sooo disappointed. It forever changed my image of Facts of Life for the worst. Damn reality!
To the above poster, you take the good, you take the bad. Never jumped!
While it would have been interesting to see Kimberly Drummond on the show, the creators of "Diff'rent Strokes" solved that problem by having an episode where Kimberly decides she wants to go to public school. I'm also disturbed at the number of people who emphasize the girls' looks and weight during the show. Teenage girls needed to see that not everybody has to be paper thin. After all, didn't Sue Ann have to learn that lesson? The shows about prostitution, pornography and rape are also important subjects for teenage girls to address. (For those who've made insensitive comments about the attack on Natalie...do you think women are only raped if they're physically attractive? Why do elderly women and little girls get raped then? It's not about how the woman looks.) For me, the Shark moment came when Jo and Blair graduated from Eastland. There was really no reason for them to live with Mrs. Garrett and Tootie and Natalie anymore. The situation was contrived that forced them to do so. I cannot believe parents would let their teenage girls live off-campus with a local businesswoman who no longer works for the school, either. It just kept jumping after that. Edna's Edibles. Over Our Heads. Andy. Pippa. Beverly Ann.
When Edna's Edibles burned down and the characters opened Over Our Heads.
When the character of Edna Garrett left the show, the heart of the show was gone. The producers should have ended it right there. Instead, they went on for two more seasons of laughlessness. This was a favorite of mine for so many years. And I watched the last two seasons thinking that it would be funny, but it never was. I was loyal to the show event though I thoroughly hated the last 2 seasons. And honestly, what did Pippa ever do to make the show better. Uggh.
When Natalie and Snake consumated. Actor Robert Romanus must have been mystified that he went from knocking up Jennifer Jason-Leigh (Fast Times At Ridgemont High) to plucking Mindy Cohn in five years time. Downward career trajectory indeed.
It went down hill when Charlotte Rae left and Cloris Leachman took her place. There was one good episode after that and that was the Halloween one where Blair is strangled by the fuzzy dice. As for the girls being fat, chubby maybe and certainly not anorexic like many stars today. Of course after living in a gourmet shop maybe the characters had no self control :)
I have been watching this series in reruns now and I can say it was actually a pretty good show. The first jump came with MacKenzie Astin. This is one of the worst written roles. Andy is always running around conducting record deals, today on a rerun he grabs the phone from Edna and convinces the supplier to deliver on time. I mean how unrealistic is that. Edna wouldn't have tolerated that crap from Tootie at Eastland. Why would she tolerate that crap from Andy at HER OWN BUSINESS? Andy tells Jo (after the fire) she can sleep in her bed, and they'll be nothing to worry about. Jo (then smiles that Laurie Partridge smile the one Laurie used when listening to little Ricky Seagull sing). C'mon Jo would've toss Andy a line like "oh shut up." There was NO explanation of WHY Edna would be so stupid NOT to keep her insurance up. And why not rebuild Edna's Edibles? The kids chip in their part of the insurance. If she didn't keep up the insurance WHERE did they get the insurance money? Sure she has some insurance but not enough. Then Edna leaves and Beverly Ann comes in and has no job. Then in the last season she says "Andy is sleeping in the basement, Pipa on the couch, Hey the store isn't making money. Let's close it." OK what does this moron Beverly Ann do for money? She NOW has no job. She adopts Andy, who turns out not to have real parent but FOSTER parents. So if Beverly Ann adopts Andy then she wouldn't even get money from the state to help with his care. Natalie kept getting HOT boyfriends. I liked that Natalie was the first to "Officially" sleep around. That would've made a better angle. Have fat ugly Natalie sleep around to compensate for her looks. They almost did that YEARS ago when Natalie pretended to be popular.
For me, Facts of Life JTS when Julie, Julie Anne, Molly, and Felice were let go. Their characters didn't get much of a chance to develop. Eight is Enough had 8 kids. IMHO, 'Facts' could've made it with various storylines involvin' the original 7.
It was clear the sharked had been jumped during the later seasons when they made no attempt to sell us on the notion they really were in Peekskill. They went on location to do a show about one of the girls learning to drive-learning on a Hearse no less but it was the only one with the orange license plates while the rest of the cars had the blue California plates of the era and worst of all they clearly showed palm trees on the streets. I can assure you there are no palm trees in Peekskill!
Jumped when Edna's Edibles burned down. Adding Pippa, losing Mrs. Garrett and adding the new 'gift shop', running out of ideas and having the girls grow up ended the fun. Cloris Leachman is great but she didn't have too much to add at the end.
Even though the show did have an official "jumped the shark" when they left Eastland School for Edna's Edibles, I admit that I watched the show all the way through. But, the show really did lose its way once Eastland was no longer around. The best part of the show was the four girls living upstairs and Mrs. Garrett living down the hall. Not only was the show fun, but it had a lot of moving episodes: the suicide one, the graduation, etc. The problem was that there was no way that they could have Jo and Blair keep going to high school. As the kids got older (and were really adults), some things got a little silly. One would think that Natalie was the first 22 year old to ever lose her virginity? ...and even though they covered stuff that will unfortunately always be relevant: racism, death of a parent, etc., the show just never had the same cohesiveness. But, oddly, I still enjoyed it anyway (even the episodes with Cloris Leachman).
I could handle when they left Eastland, and they jumped a fish when George Clooney's character, Beverly Ann, and Andy joined the cast...but when Pippa joined, that was it! She absolutely ruined the entire show. That character was entirely too annoying and served no purpose. I'm no Australian, but I can't imagine that many Aussies speak like her, spouting grating sayings.
"The Fats of Life." Utterly repulsive to gaze upon. . .annoying, whiny, implausible. As one of the contributors above said, the girls got HUGE! And they weren't exactly, hmmm, svelte beforehand, either. Why anyone would want to tune in to this show escapes me. The fats of life, indeed.
I just got the 1st and 2nd season DVD set for my birthday [I love it of course] and I finally got to see after many years the 1st season episode "Dope" [one of many episodes of the show Nick At Nite banned for various reasons], it was a masterpiece, like a half-hour ABC Afterschool Special, the girl explaining to Sue Ann what it's like to be high, the girl lighting the bong and Blair scolds her, Sue Ann toking up, the girl in the corner high out of her mind, Mr. Bradley expelling all of the girls in "The Group", Tootie buying bongs at a record store [like they would really sell them to her!], I could go on and on, along with the Saved By The Bell episodes "Jessie's Song" and "No Hope With Dope" and the numerous Afterschool Special episodes it was a stone classic!!
The post above forgot to mention that Helen Hunt guest starred in that episode. I can't imagine how many people learned what a roach (in terms of smoking pot) was because of her performance. Also this episode has a hilarious line...."You don't hit grass, it hits YOU!"
There were two definitive shark-jumpers on this series;both involved Tootie's singing.One was the episode where she and Natalie compete for the lead in "South Pacific",for a role that neither of them would be cast in in real life!And what the hell was with the awful pop-y rendition of "Some Enchanted Evening"?The first Stacey Q episode,where both she and Tootie sing "Two of Hearts"for a Broadway audition,was nothing short of shameless self-promotion for Miss Q (for another example of this type of desperate publicity,see Michael Bolton rasp his way through "Nessun Dorma" on "The Nanny".).Nowadays,there are Broadway auditions that require auditioners to sing something pop,but NOT with taped tracks-that is total amateurville!!!And how Tootie got an audition appointment without having an Equity card,an agent,or any professional credits-this could only happen on TV or in 1930s MGM or WarnerBrothers movie musicals!!!
This show was never really all that good, but it was decent in it's Eastland and Edna's Edible years. It had it's moments and it had an overall good cast and a lot of good chemistry between the actresses. But the show jumped when they got that new rock theme song. Of course, it wasnt the theme song that CAUSED the show to jump, but if you are watching a FOL episode and see the rock theme song come on, be prepared you are watching an episode from AFTER the show jumped. This was when Edna's Edibles was burnt down and replaced with "Over Our Heads", which was utterly pointless since they were never even shown in it, Mrs. Garret's roles were being reduced until she eventually was replaced with Beverly Ann, Tootie was growing up and no longer "cute" (or funny), they added a whole bunch of new characters that contributed nothing to the show, and Natalie's classic one-lines were gone because she was always either having boy problems or looking for a job. Not to mention that's when the chemistry between Jo and Blair was gone. The show then became downright unwatchable when they added Pippa in the final season. The chemistry was now completely gone - between everyone. It went on 3 years too long, if you ask me, should have ended after season 6.
This show is a rare case because I agree with those that say it started already over the shark the first season and then jumped back. Getting rid of most of the first season girls and adding Jo was about the best move the show could have made. The ones that remained were all interesting enough characters and decent comedic actresses. The four also worked really well together. I also personally loved that they all looked like real girls and not overly skinny models. However, I am going to disagree with the majority in that I don't think the show jumped until after Edna's Edibles burned down. In fact, some of my favorite episodes are from that time period. I agree that by then the show had started to get away a bit from its original premise, but I didn't think it was so unrealistic that the girls wound up living with Mrs. G. and helping her in the store. For Jo it made sense if she didn't have the money for college room and board. For Blair, less so. I do agree that it is unrealstic that two college students would still continue to share a room and be best friends with two high school students, but overall I thought the situation was somewhat plausible. However, the building of "Over Our Heads" was where it jumped. I did continue to watch, but by then the contrivance factor was through the roof. Why would Mrs. G want to open a novelty store? Why wouldn't the older girls move back into the dorms at that point? Why did George and Andy spend all their free time hanging out with the four? Then when Mrs. Garrett left, why did Beverly Ann need to come to take care of the girls when they were already adults and why would the girls continue to live in Mrs. Garrett's house? Wouldn't she have sold it when she moved? Even funnier was every time one of the girls tried to move out, usually Jo, the others acted like it was the end of the world and always found a way for them to stay together. When Jo get married at the end I was expecting Blair to force her to live in the attic with Rick.
Give me a break. That was no tomboy, that girl was straight up gay. All that tension with Blair....you know she had a huge crush on her. How does Blair in the pilot make fun of a girl she thinks is gay but ignores it with Jo? AND with her attitude towards her? Clear sexual tension and it was totally ignored!
The show jumped the shark when Mrs. Garrett left the show, and Beverly Ann took her place. After Beverly Ann came on the show, the series went downhill. About the person who commented about Beverly Ann's hair and it made her look like a man, my supervisor has that hairstyle. She looked somewhat like a man too, along with rotten teeth.
When Blair's hair became curly and Edna's Edibles burned down. The show stank then.


I was gonna say that...

I was gonna say that...

:rofl:

When they built 'Over our heads': i absolutely hated when they introduced us this tacky shop, along with the Pod version of MRS G!

On the other hand, i absolutely loved the 'Edna's Edibles' years (unlike most here who only liked the 'Cafeteria years'): when MRS G has the 4 girls move in with her, they become a real family.....

Season 7 jumped the shark but bringing Beverly Ann in s8 gave it more purpose, then s9 became stale again.

Season 7 jumped the shark but bringing Beverly Ann in s8 gave it more purpose, then s9 became stale again.

Season 7 sure does feel like a low point, in retrospect. I still don't understand why they thought they needed a permanent handyman. It's not like the store could have needed that much work, after the remodel.

The first half of Season 8 does feel like a breath of fresh air. But that doesn't last all that long.

When they built 'Over our heads': i absolutely hated when they introduced us this tacky shop, along with the Pod version of MRS G!

On the other hand, i absolutely loved the 'Edna's Edibles' years (unlike most here who only liked the 'Cafeteria years'): when MRS G has the 4 girls move in with her, they become a real family.....

There are some genuinely nice moments in the Edibles era. I absolutely love the Halloween episode and the first Christmas episode is nice, as well. I wish they had done episodes like that during the Eastland era.

I remember watching the first OOH episodes, as a kid, during the time they originally aired. At the time, I was very excited about the revamp. It felt like the show was shedding its skin, developing into something new. But in retrospect, what it was shedding was the person who meant the most to everyone: Mrs. Garrett. Without her, the show was but a hollow husk, the butterfly having fluttered away, fragments of its skin left behind to slowly crumble in the wind...

Season 7 sure does feel like a low point, in retrospect. I still don't understand why they thought they needed a permanent handyman. It's not like the store could have needed that much work, after the remodel.

The first half of Season 8 does feel like a breath of fresh air. But that doesn't last all that long.

Agreed

I absolutely love the Halloween episode

It gets to pretty far-fetched and not believable or authentic, but it is a fun show.


I remember watching the first OOH episodes, as a kid, during the time they originally aired.

As do I. And I thought that was a stupid name back then, and I think even more so today. "Over Our Heads". What a horrid name for a store. Offendingly atrocious. It should have been closed down by the City of Peekskill just for having such a terrible name.

It gets to pretty far-fetched and not believable or authentic, but it is a fun show.

I can ignore the far-fetched stuff because it's a Halloween episode. In real life, framing your boss for murder is career suicide! :lol::lol::lol::lol:


As do I. And I thought that was a stupid name back then, and I think even more so today. "Over Our Heads". What a horrid name for a store. Offendingly atrocious. It should have been closed down by the City of Peekskill just for having such a terrible name.

:brent

The name itself is vapid and bland. It's not clever, in the way some shop names are (for example, I've seen "Bread Pitt" for a bakery, "Thai Tanic" for an Asian tanning salon). Maybe if they had only sold hats, "Over Our Heads" would have been cute. But they were in over their heads because they had no idea what they were doing. As if the writers were conveying their own desperation about the scripts.

There are moments of genuine humor, cute storylines, and good acting, but mixed in with this desperate need to be trendy... and something with which I'm entirely uncomfortable.

It's this horrible commercialization of Edna Garrett's store. A strange push to make money off of gullible customers willing to buy trash, and the scripts pushing these characters, who we once loved, into becoming greedy capitalists. It's bad enough when Jo does it once, in the pizza episode... but then it becomes their preoccupation. In "Slice of Life", Jo learns her lesson. But now... there are no lessons learned. It's just the characters we once knew making money by... swindling customers with merch so bad no-one even knows what it is. "Red thing"? :lol:

I want to laugh, but I also want to cry. This is what Norman Lear's empire became? I can't enjoy it.

I can ignore the far-fetched stuff because it's a Halloween episode. In real life, framing your boss for murder is career suicide! :lol::lol::lol::lol:



:brent

The name itself is vapid and bland. It's not clever, in the way some shop names are (for example, I've seen "Bread Pitt" for a bakery, "Thai Tanic" for an Asian tanning salon). Maybe if they had only sold hats, "Over Our Heads" would have been cute. But they were in over their heads because they had no idea what they were doing. As if the writers were conveying their own desperation about the scripts.

There are moments of genuine humor, cute storylines, and good acting, but mixed in with this desperate need to be trendy... and something with which I'm entirely uncomfortable.

It's this horrible commercialization of Edna Garrett's store. A strange push to make money off of gullible customers willing to buy trash, and the scripts pushing these characters, who we once loved, into becoming greedy capitalists. It's bad enough when Jo does it once, in the pizza episode... but then it becomes their preoccupation. In "Slice of Life", Jo learns her lesson. But now... there are no lessons learned. It's just the characters we once knew making money by... swindling customers with merch so bad no-one even knows what it is. "Red thing"? :lol:

I want to laugh, but I also want to cry. This is what Norman Lear's empire became? I can't enjoy it.

I liked Tootie being a greedy captialist in season 1, but that was part of her character then.

There are some genuinely nice moments in the Edibles era. I absolutely love the Halloween episode and the first Christmas episode is nice, as well. I wish they had done episodes like that during the Eastland era.

I remember watching the first OOH episodes, as a kid, during the time they originally aired. At the time, I was very excited about the revamp. It felt like the show was shedding its skin, developing into something new. But in retrospect, what it was shedding was the person who meant the most to everyone: Mrs. Garrett. Without her, the show was but a hollow husk, the butterfly having fluttered away, fragments of its skin left behind to slowly crumble in the wind...


As usual you know i absolutely agree with you Retro!patriot:

MRS G was indeed the heart of the show since the Pilot, and after she left for good, things were never the same again: gone forever where her words of wisdom, along the life learning lesson she taught the people she truly cared about (mostly her girls), and even though the 'Core of 4' were heading into adulthood, they could still have used her as someone to advised them from time to time, or even share quality time with her.
For instance, BLAIR could have taken MRS G shopping and share a piece of cake and some coffee after a day at the Guggenheim Museum; JO could have taken her to visit her cousins at the Bronx and give her a tour of the neighborhood; NAT could have taken her to watch a football match or out for a walk at the central park, and finally, TOOTIE could have taken her to see her perform in one of her play or to watch a movie from time to time.

There are just so many missed moment we could have seen MRS G share with the girls, and one of the most important ones comes to my mind: she could have taken the girls to visit her home town 'Appleton Wisconsin'....

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug::grouphug::grouphug::grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

As usual you know i absolutely agree with you Retro!patriot:

MRS G was indeed the heart of the show since the Pilot, and after she left for good, things were never the same again: gone forever where her words of wisdom, along the life learning lesson she taught the people she truly cared about (mostly her girls), and even though the 'Core of 4' were heading into adulthood, they could still have used her as someone to advised them from time to time, or even share quality time with her.
For instance, BLAIR could have taken MRS G shopping and share a piece of cake and some coffee after a day at the Guggenheim Museum; JO could have taken her to visit her cousins at the Bronx and give her a tour of the neighborhood; NAT could have taken her to watch a football match or out for a walk at the central park, and finally, TOOTIE could have taken her to see her perform in one of her play or to watch a movie from time to time.

There are just so many missed moment we could have seen MRS G share with the girls, and one of the most important ones comes to my mind: she could have taken the girls to visit her home town 'Appleton Wisconsin'....



I like those ideas, Valentina. It's so sad none of those episodes happened.

I liked Tootie being a greedy captialist in season 1, but that was part of her character then.

Sure, the idea of a 12-year-old being a greedy young lady is funny. A pre-teen hasn't yet developed a moral compass.

But it's shocking seeing our grown-up friends embrace crass commercialism in such a blatant way. Especially because Mrs. Garrett had already taught Jo the dangers of commercialism, and taught her the idea that quality comes before quantity, in "Slice of Life". Mrs. Garrett knew the important thing is being true to yourself, to your family, to your community.

The idea that Mrs. Garrett would sell out, or that the Core Four would go along with such a scheme, feels quite disturbing to me. It feels like when the show was sold to Coca-cola, the morality of the series began to fizzle. The scripts no longer popped. I felt crushed. Everything went into the drink.

When they built 'Over our heads': i absolutely hated when they introduced us this tacky shop, along with the Pod version of MRS G!

On the other hand, i absolutely loved the 'Edna's Edibles' years (unlike most here who only liked the 'Cafeteria years'): when MRS G has the 4 girls move in with her, they become a real family.....

I liked "Edna's Edibles" years better than the "Cafeteria years."

The idea that Mrs. Garrett would sell out, or that the Core Four would go along with such a scheme, feels quite disturbing to me. It feels like when the show was sold to Coca-cola, the morality of the series began to fizzle. The scripts no longer popped. I felt crushed. Everything went into the drink.Coke owned The Facts of Life? I didn't know they ever got into TV production.

When they built 'Over our heads': i absolutely hated when they introduced us this tacky shop, along with the Pod version of MRS G!

On the other hand, i absolutely loved the 'Edna's Edibles' years (unlike most here who only liked the 'Cafeteria years'): when MRS G has the 4 girls move in with her, they become a real family.....I don't mind the cafeteria years, but Edna's Edibles was so much more of an appealing setting. Biggest drawback to them was awful Kelly, but at least she didn't stay on too long. Very stupid decision getting rid of it for Over Our Heads.

Coke owned The Facts of Life? I didn't know they ever got into TV production.

Yes. The Coca-Cola Company bought Norman Lear's Embassy Television and Tandem Productions in June 1985 (http://www.normanlear.com/backstory/press/coke-buys-embassy-485-million/). They bought him out for $485 million, the equivalent to $1.15 billion in today's dollars. This is why the show went from hard-hitting stories (rape, abortion, suicide, teen pregnancy, runaways, lesbianism) to fluff episodes that usually avoided controversy (1960s girl groups, musical guest stars, Australian exchange students, fuzzy dice, guest star Richard Moll).

In 1992, when Mindy talked about the impact the show had, she mentioned the girl who wrote her to say the show had saved her life because of the suicide episode. Lisa had a very different point of view, and preferred the fluff of the later years. Because she's a Christian, I thought for sure she would have loved the idea of saving people's lives, but oddly, that wasn't appealing to her, and her favorite episodes are those light comedy episodes from the later years. I have always thought this was odd, but understand everyone will have his or her own opinions.

Personally, I feel as though Norman Lear's sale was a disaster for his shows, and for the television industry in general. When The Facts of Life stopped telling meaningful stories, they sold their souls to the devil. Admittedly, though, they did get a good price. If someone offered me a billion dollars to stop speaking the truth, would I? I don't know the answer to that question.

Yes. The Coca-Cola Company bought Norman Lear's Embassy Television and Tandem Productions in June 1985 (http://www.normanlear.com/backstory/press/coke-buys-embassy-485-million/). They bought him out for $485 million, the equivalent to $1.15 billion in today's dollars. This is why the show went from hard-hitting stories (rape, abortion, suicide, teen pregnancy, runaways, lesbianism) to fluff episodes that usually avoided controversy (1960s girl groups, musical guest stars, Australian exchange students, fuzzy dice, guest star Richard Moll).

In 1992, when Mindy talked about the impact the show had, she mentioned the girl who wrote her to say the show had saved her life because of the suicide episode. Lisa had a very different point of view, and preferred the fluff of the later years. Because she's a Christian, I thought for sure she would have loved the idea of saving people's lives, but oddly, that wasn't appealing to her, and her favorite episodes are those light comedy episodes from the later years. I have always thought this was odd, but understand everyone will have his or her own opinions.

Personally, I feel as though Norman Lear's sale was a disaster for his shows, and for the television industry in general. When The Facts of Life stopped telling meaningful stories, they sold their souls to the devil. Admittedly, though, they did get a good price. If someone offered me a billion dollars to stop speaking the truth, would I? I don't know the answer to that question.




I feel exactly the same way as you Retro: i never understood, why LISA preferred the light/comedy years (over the earlier ones) being the person she is!
In fact, she was one of the most outstanding actresses during the early years in the drama department: the way she delivered those lines, when she was hurt over a family issue was very powerful and meaningful!
I know most people think that JO was the better one in the drama department because she could cry, but when BLAIR was hurting wow! (i was deeply touched each time!)

:bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug:

Not only did Coca Cola buy the Facts of Life, but they also bought the Merv Griffin Show and Merv Griffin Properties of Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy. Now Sony owns all that plus the Facts of Life franchise.

I feel exactly the same way as you Retro: i never understood, why LISA preferred the light/comedy years (over the earlier ones) being the person she is!

It just feels as though it's disconnected from her Christian standpoint. She likes the later episodes where rampant capitalism is rife throughout each episode, the girls desperately trying to cash in on people buying their cheap OOH crap. But Matthew 19:16–30, Mark 10:17–31, and Luke 18:18–30 all state that Jesus told his followers that a rich man would have great difficulty getting into heaven.

I feel exactly the same way as you Retro: i never understood, why LISA preferred the light/comedy years (over the earlier ones) being the person she is!

Maybe because she is such a ham and comedy person herself. She was a Disney stage star before FOL. And on Collector's Call, she's funny throughout every episode, spouting off-the-cuff witty remarks and puns. She's such a comedy delight! I'd love to have lunch with her. :)

IMatthew 19:16–30, Mark 10:17–31, and Luke 18:18–30 all state that Jesus told his followers that a rich man would have great difficulty getting into heaven.

You sound like Lisa! :lol:

You sound like Lisa! :lol:

No, because she'd just quote the passages where the Bible talks about humor being needed! :lol::lol::lol::lol:

I take what I said back in 2013. This show did "bone the fish." It started on September 28, 1985, when they opened up Over Our Heads. The show was never the same at that point. The storylines were fluff, the characters became pods and Mrs. G. was barely present, she stood at the kiddie counter selling cookies and it just became a different show altogether.

I take what I said back in 2013. This show did "bone the fish." It started on September 28, 1985, when they opened up Over Our Heads. The show was never the same at that point. The storylines were fluff, the characters became pods and Mrs. G. was barely present, she stood at the kiddie counter selling cookies and it just became a different show altogether.

It does feel like a very different show. I actually feel distressed when I see the girls treating their customers so poorly, ripping them off or just treating them like numbers. Sure, they were in over their heads. But did it have to come to highway robbery for them to pay their bills? I can't believe Linda Marsh or Margie Peters gave their approval for this.

I take what I said back in 2013. This show did "bone the fish." It started on September 28, 1985, when they opened up Over Our Heads. The show was never the same at that point. The storylines were fluff, the characters became pods and Mrs. G. was barely present, she stood at the kiddie counter selling cookies and it just became a different show altogether.




I couldn't agree with you anymore: by season 7, ALL of them were PODS! (especially MRS G)

:ufo::ufo::ufo::ufo::ufo::ufo::ufo::ufo::ufo::ufo::ufo::ufo::ufo::ufo::ufo:

It does feel like a very different show. I actually feel distressed when I see the girls treating their customers so poorly, ripping them off or just treating them like numbers. Sure, they were in over their heads. But did it have to come to highway robbery for them to pay their bills? I can't believe Linda Marsh or Margie Peters gave their approval for this.

Linda Marsh and Margie Peters left after the 5th Season.

Linda Marsh and Margie Peters left after the 5th Season.

No, I know. Nearly the entire writing team from the early days was gone. And it shows. The characters acted so odd for who they were supposed to be. Natalie feels more "normal" than the others, but everyone's characters are messed up.

No, I know. Nearly the entire writing team from the early days was gone. And it shows. The characters acted so odd for who they were supposed to be. Natalie feels more "normal" than the others, but everyone's characters are messed up.



You're right Retro: NATALIE was the most normal one, followed by TOOTIE (On the other hand, BLAIR, MRS G and JO were real pods!)

:wizard::wizard::wizard::wizard::wizard::wizard::wizard::wizard::wizard::wizard::wizard:

You're right Retro: NATALIE was the most normal one, followed by TOOTIE (On the other hand, BLAIR, MRS G and JO were real pods!)



Valentina, what do you think was the most "normal" OOH episode? The one where the characters acted the most normal, or un-pod-like? What are your thoughts?

Valentina, what do you think was the most "normal" OOH episode? The one where the characters acted the most normal, or un-pod-like? What are your thoughts?



Oh i know: 'A new life' and 'The apartment!'

When MONICA gives birth, BLAIR has a brief 'heart to heart' talk with MRS G about the baby, and they are their old self and bond temporarily.

And when TOOTIE and NAT return to their old house (after their fiasco) each of them have a moment alone with their older friends: TOOTIE with BLAIR, and NAT with JO (just like in the good old times!) and it's nice to see them sharing a 'heart to heart' talk with them and see the 'Core of 4' together again...

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug::grouphug::grouphug::grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

The show never jumped/boned, in my opinion. The first season is my least favorite, but the show was always enjoyable from the beginning to the end. I hate when it was cancelled. Honestly, I think it could of went for another season or two.

It does feel like a very different show. I actually feel distressed when I see the girls treating their customers so poorly, ripping them off or just treating them like numbers. Sure, they were in over their heads. But did it have to come to highway robbery for them to pay their bills? I can't believe Linda Marsh or Margie Peters gave their approval for this.

I've seen people really ripping in to Over Our Heads more than once but I'm not really sure what the issue is...

Yes there was the one Kewpie doll that kept breaking but they gave the customer a replacement every time, and the guy was so satisfied in the end that he bought a second one. They could have had the "no refunds, no exchange, all sales final" policy a lot of those novelty store's have but they kept the customer happy even if it meant they took a loss on however many dolls he broke that day. They got scammed by the guy with the Tina Turner clothing but that happens in retail and they didn't continue to carry the line after the police warned them and confiscated the merchandise, despite the fact that it was selling well (which some businesses would have). I don't recall any "highway robbery" prices, although they sold things like wind up talking teeth and lawn flamingos which don't have a fixed price and are worth whatever the customer is willing to pay for them.

As much as they were a novelty shop they were also within walking distance of a major college and sold Langley merchandise, LP records, candy and greeting cards which would all would have been pretty consistent money makers.

Over Our Heads and the way they ran it definitely wasn't perfect, but were they really that great BEFORE Over Our Heads? Let's run through the dossier from Edna's Edibles:


For Edna's first catering job, she took the money ($200) and prepared all the food without even consulting for menu (dietary or allergy needs be damned). When fired for refusing to listen to her paying customer, she was deeply shocked and personally offended. Then when her employees prepared a shoddy meal with ingredients no where near the cost of what Edna was paid, she decided to not only lie about the food, but also lie and say SHE prepared the food before for CALVIN KLEIN and it "went over so well".

Edna's disregard and flagrantly dangerous way of running a business was more suited to a harmless novelty shop than an establishment that handles food. She's thrilled when a bunch of "mystery meat" appears in her freezer during a butcher strike. Not only does she undermine their strike like a scab, she does not know where the meat is from or even what animal it comes from. In her words "Who cares? I'm not looking gift meat in the mouth." Small wonder Edna's Edibles failed their health inspection.

Jo hacked in to a competitors recipe database and changed his recipes to sabotage his business.

In episodes like Advanced Placement and Me and Eleanor, Tootie and Natalie would flat out ignore customers asking for help or at the cash register while they argued on the store floor.

Blair has been capitalist scum since she her Countess Calvert Cosmetics days. One of her schemes at Edna's Edibles that sticks out to me is her honouring customers valid coupons for a free croissant with ones she had ruined in the microwave that they wouldn't have been able to sell. As far as highway robbery, Blair came up with idea of Edna's Edibles charging $1.00 per napkin, which according to Edna only cost the store $0.05 each.


In all seriousness I do like both "stores", but I have issues with both. Over Our Heads aligned more with the girls interests, Edna's Edibles was Edna's project and then once Edna was taking college courses and travelling with that guy at the end of S6 it didn't make sense for her to also have time to be running this combination gourmet food shop/bakery/catering service/delicatessen/coffee shop so I think closing it when they did was the right idea.

I think the mistake with Over Our Heads was having Edna involved (she had her college courses and her thing with Ted, the writers really should have just left the store to the girls and given Edna her own story lines) and having the whole business just spring up fully stocked practically over night. There was no build and rise even in the episode arc where they introduced it. They also never struggled after that either. Business was always fine, bizarre ideas like Andy dressed as a mine in the window or turning the store in to a Howie Kangaroo merch shop never seemed to have an impact on business, good or bad. By mid season 7, I think the store was purely a backdrop to give the girls an excuse to all be some where other than the living room.

Thanks for the detailed response, Ian!

I've seen people really ripping in to Over Our Heads more than once but I'm not really sure what the issue is...

Yes there was the one Kewpie doll that kept breaking but they gave the customer a replacement every time, and the guy was so satisfied in the end that he bought a second one.

Yes, but Tootie did accuse him of harming the dolls, too!

They could have had the "no refunds, no exchange, all sales final" policy a lot of those novelty store's have but they kept the customer happy even if it meant they took a loss on however many dolls he broke that day.

But do we really believe he was breaking Kewpie dolls? why would a customer even do that?


They got scammed by the guy with the Tina Turner clothing but that happens in retail and they didn't continue to carry the line after the police warned them and confiscated the merchandise, despite the fact that it was selling well (which some businesses would have). I don't recall any "highway robbery" prices, although they sold things like wind up talking teeth and lawn flamingos which don't have a fixed price and are worth whatever the customer is willing to pay for them.

As much as they were a novelty shop they were also within walking distance of a major college and sold Langley merchandise, LP records, candy and greeting cards which would all would have been pretty consistent money makers.

I can see how the Langley merch, records, and candy would sell well. But the Red Thing? They didn't even know what it was.


Over Our Heads and the way they ran it definitely wasn't perfect, but were they really that great BEFORE Over Our Heads? Let's run through the dossier from Edna's Edibles:


For Edna's first catering job, she took the money ($200) and prepared all the food without even consulting for menu (dietary or allergy needs be damned). When fired for refusing to listen to her paying customer, she was deeply shocked and personally offended. Then when her employees prepared a shoddy meal with ingredients no where near the cost of what Edna was paid, she decided to not only lie about the food, but also lie and say SHE prepared the food before for CALVIN KLEIN and it "went over so well".

Well, that's true. But in the end, they didn't fool Boots anyway.







Edna's disregard and flagrantly dangerous way of running a business was more suited to a harmless novelty shop than an establishment that handles food. She's thrilled when a bunch of "mystery meat" appears in her freezer during a butcher strike. Not only does she undermine their strike like a scab, she does not know where the meat is from or even what animal it comes from. In her words "Who cares? I'm not looking gift meat in the mouth." Small wonder Edna's Edibles failed their health inspection.
Jo hacked in to a competitors recipe database and changed his recipes to sabotage his business.

But Edna insisted that Jo go and make amends, even though the guy was a total jerk. I feel as though Mrs. Garrett made the right call there.






In episodes like Advanced Placement and Me and Eleanor, Tootie and Natalie would flat out ignore customers asking for help or at the cash register while they argued on the store floor.

Very true!






Blair has been capitalist scum since she her Countess Calvert Cosmetics days. One of her schemes at Edna's Edibles that sticks out to me is her honouring customers valid coupons for a free croissant with ones she had ruined in the microwave that they wouldn't have been able to sell. As far as highway robbery, Blair came up with idea of Edna's Edibles charging $1.00 per napkin, which according to Edna only cost the store $0.05 each.

Another good point.



In all seriousness I do like both "stores", but I have issues with both. Over Our Heads aligned more with the girls interests, Edna's Edibles was Edna's project and then once Edna was taking college courses and travelling with that guy at the end of S6 it didn't make sense for her to also have time to be running this combination gourmet food shop/bakery/catering service/delicatessen/coffee shop so I think closing it when they did was the right idea.

I think the mistake with Over Our Heads was having Edna involved (she had her college courses and her thing with Ted, the writers really should have just left the store to the girls and given Edna her own story lines) and having the whole business just spring up fully stocked practically over night. There was no build and rise even in the episode arc where they introduced it. They also never struggled after that either. Business was always fine, bizarre ideas like Andy dressed as a mine in the window or turning the store in to a Howie Kangaroo merch shop never seemed to have an impact on business, good or bad. By mid season 7, I think the store was purely a backdrop to give the girls an excuse to all be some where other than the living room.

Maybe Edna shouldn't have been involved in OOH, but the way they ran it just didn't feel ethical to me.

Jo hacked in to a competitors recipe database and changed his recipes to sabotage his business.

I love that episode. Store Games is one the show's best episodes. I agree what Jo did was wrong but he stole their recipes first... only it wasn't known at the time :lol:

Speaking of Edna's Edibles failures, how about when Jo organized a fight during business hours in All or Nothing? We never got to see Mrs. Garrett's response to Jo, but she should have fired her. All Jo cared about was Tootie getting pictures of it. Who cares if customers were there and got caught in the crossfire?

I think the main issue some fans have with OOH is the change of direction the show took with Mrs. Garrett gone a lot. It's easy to associate OOH with Mrs. Garrett's departure and use that as the reason the store sucks. Mrs. Garrett's departure from the show started in season 6 though. She was gone the last half and the episodes she was in felt like a guest star appearance; Cruisin, My Boyfriend's Back, Smile, Jazzbeau, etc. Mrs. Garrett's purpose in the show was to be there for the girls. She gave them advice. There's a lot of important character episodes in season 6 where Mrs. Garrett has nothing to do with them. But because season 6 is Edna's Edibles, it gives the fans association to her so it's a regular season in their opinion. Season 7 is no different than season 6. The only difference is the store setting. They do the exact same type of episodes where it's on the core 4.

I've seen people really ripping in to Over Our Heads more than once but I'm not really sure what the issue is...

Yes there was the one Kewpie doll that kept breaking but they gave the customer a replacement every time, and the guy was so satisfied in the end that he bought a second one. They could have had the "no refunds, no exchange, all sales final" policy a lot of those novelty store's have but they kept the customer happy even if it meant they took a loss on however many dolls he broke that day. They got scammed by the guy with the Tina Turner clothing but that happens in retail and they didn't continue to carry the line after the police warned them and confiscated the merchandise, despite the fact that it was selling well (which some businesses would have). I don't recall any "highway robbery" prices, although they sold things like wind up talking teeth and lawn flamingos which don't have a fixed price and are worth whatever the customer is willing to pay for them.

As much as they were a novelty shop they were also within walking distance of a major college and sold Langley merchandise, LP records, candy and greeting cards which would all would have been pretty consistent money makers.

Over Our Heads and the way they ran it definitely wasn't perfect, but were they really that great BEFORE Over Our Heads? Let's run through the dossier from Edna's Edibles:


For Edna's first catering job, she took the money ($200) and prepared all the food without even consulting for menu (dietary or allergy needs be damned). When fired for refusing to listen to her paying customer, she was deeply shocked and personally offended. Then when her employees prepared a shoddy meal with ingredients no where near the cost of what Edna was paid, she decided to not only lie about the food, but also lie and say SHE prepared the food before for CALVIN KLEIN and it "went over so well".

Edna's disregard and flagrantly dangerous way of running a business was more suited to a harmless novelty shop than an establishment that handles food. She's thrilled when a bunch of "mystery meat" appears in her freezer during a butcher strike. Not only does she undermine their strike like a scab, she does not know where the meat is from or even what animal it comes from. In her words "Who cares? I'm not looking gift meat in the mouth." Small wonder Edna's Edibles failed their health inspection.

Jo hacked in to a competitors recipe database and changed his recipes to sabotage his business.

In episodes like Advanced Placement and Me and Eleanor, Tootie and Natalie would flat out ignore customers asking for help or at the cash register while they argued on the store floor.

Blair has been capitalist scum since she her Countess Calvert Cosmetics days. One of her schemes at Edna's Edibles that sticks out to me is her honouring customers valid coupons for a free croissant with ones she had ruined in the microwave that they wouldn't have been able to sell. As far as highway robbery, Blair came up with idea of Edna's Edibles charging $1.00 per napkin, which according to Edna only cost the store $0.05 each.


In all seriousness I do like both "stores", but I have issues with both. Over Our Heads aligned more with the girls interests, Edna's Edibles was Edna's project and then once Edna was taking college courses and travelling with that guy at the end of S6 it didn't make sense for her to also have time to be running this combination gourmet food shop/bakery/catering service/delicatessen/coffee shop so I think closing it when they did was the right idea.

I think the mistake with Over Our Heads was having Edna involved (she had her college courses and her thing with Ted, the writers really should have just left the store to the girls and given Edna her own story lines) and having the whole business just spring up fully stocked practically over night. There was no build and rise even in the episode arc where they introduced it. They also never struggled after that either. Business was always fine, bizarre ideas like Andy dressed as a mine in the window or turning the store in to a Howie Kangaroo merch shop never seemed to have an impact on business, good or bad. By mid season 7, I think the store was purely a backdrop to give the girls an excuse to all be some where other than the living room.




I understand your point of view, but i do not agree at all i'm afraid!


'OVER OUR HEADS' lacked warmth: the shop was horrible and cold, and the story lines completely ABSURD!!!! (the example with ANDY and the dummy guy guy in the window is one of the many examples of it lol!).
And yes, i guess Christopher is right about that: the fact that MRS G was so absent minded (and absent in lots of the season 6 episodes) and had turned into a real [B]POD aggravated the whole season!

'EDNA'S EDIBLES' on the other hand was all about warmth and MRS G living with her beloved girls under the same roof....

Referring to the episode 'Gamma Gamma', i think it was a rather noble gesture of MRS G to save BLAIR from the 'catering disaster': it shows us how much she really cared for her girls, and the fact that she lied to BOOTSIE and her friends proves that she would go to any length for the 'Core of 4'!
(i see it as a heroic thing from her part)

FOREVER MRS G AND HER 'CORE OF 4!'

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug::grouphug::grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

And yes, i guess Christopher is right about that: the fact that MRS G was so absent minded (and absent in lots of the season 6 episodes) and had turned into a real POD aggravated the whole season!

I never said Mrs. Garrett was absent minded. I going to share my belief about Mrs. Garrett now Valentina. There is absolutely no difference between season 6 Mrs. Garrett and season 7 Mrs. Garrett. However, only season 7 Mrs. Garrett gets ragged on around here.

Examples:
Season 6 she begins her goofy side that follows into season 7. Love At First Byte is the first we see this. Mrs. Garrett runs around the whole table playing Bridge by herself instead of getting one of her adult friends. That was a silly scene for a character like Mrs. Garrett from the last 5 years. Mrs. Garrett is this strong, intelligent woman we saw for 5 years. All of a sudden she's nervous and scared to be back in college during EGOC? That's a POD (as you guys call em) right there. Mrs. Garrett taught sex ed in season 1. Why now are we to believe she's scared about being a student? In the episode Talk, Talk Talk she doesn't know what a record player is but she knows what a record is? Right. In The Rich Aren't That Different, she acts so silly storming into the courtroom and casually starts a conversation with the judge. Mrs. Garrett lost her seriousness she had from the first 5 years.

Season 7 has episodes where Mrs. Garrett is like her old self from the first 5 years. Into The Frying Pan she notices the lack of work George is doing and fires him. We see her professional serious side like we would have from season 5. Men For All Seasons she's there giving Natalie advice and it's just like any other moment from the golden era. A New Life she's there to console Monica. We Get Letters she's not a goof ball in the episode and we see a strong, emotional scene between her and Natalie over the topic of affairs. Christmas Baby we see the old Mrs. Garrett again who helps Blair with her issue of wanting to pray. Mrs. Garrett is not a total POD in season 7.

Mrs. Garrett has her serious side in both seasons 6 and 7. She also has her goofy side that you guys refer to as POD in both seasons. If you pay attention to the detail of Mrs. Garrett's role in season 6, she's really not the same as the first 5 years. Season 6 is the start of stories being lighter / fluffier and the characters loosening up. It makes sense if you think about it. Adult life, you still learn lessons but you're not as dramatic as the teenage years. You're supposed to have fun and that's what the writers were going for when they aged the core 4 in season 6. I don't understand the hate for season 7 sometimes with all the talk about POD characters because the character changes started in season 6 but everyone seems to love that season. The only difference from season 6 to season 7 is the environment setting. Even the fashion styles that get made fun of started in season 6. Nancy and Lisa both changed their hairstyles as the season went on. They also had those ridiculous one piece outfits that we saw in their spring break episode. Kim was looking 18 in season 6. They needed her to look the age of Blair and Jo so fans would forget she was 15 /16 that year. I don't ever see fans mention this though when they talk about their love for the Edna's Edibles seasons. It's just "OOH sucks" and "they did all these drastic changes". I never see anyone acknowledge the changes really started in season 6 which is an Edna's Edibles season.

I never said Mrs. Garrett was absent minded. I going to share my belief about Mrs. Garrett now Valentina. There is absolutely no difference between season 6 Mrs. Garrett and season 7 Mrs. Garrett.Oh, here I must disagree, Christopher: Season 6 Mrs. Garrett would never give up her beloved shop. Season 7 Mrs. Garrett would give it up with no reservations.

Mrs. Garrett is this strong, intelligent woman we saw for 5 years. All of a sudden she's nervous and scared to be back in college during EGOC? That's a POD (as you guys call em) right there. Mrs. Garrett taught sex ed in season 1. Why now are we to believe she's scared about being a student?

I have always believed the characterization in EGOC. I did believe she had become nervous about her age, about her ability to remember things, and seeing the large age gap between her and the other students made her feel awkward. Plus, that awful "professor" didn't help.

I teach media arts at the university level. Older students have to be encouraged in ways younger students don't. They feel old, they feel intimidated by the technology, and they feel like they don't belong (but of course, they do, because lifelong learning extends and improves lives). Watching EGOC made me a better teacher.

I understand your point of view, but i do not agree at all i'm afraid!


'OVER OUR HEADS' lacked warmth: the shop was horrible and cold, and the story lines completely ABSURD!!!! (the example with ANDY and the dummy guy guy in the window is one of the many examples of it lol!).
And yes, i guess Christopher is right about that: the fact that MRS G was so absent minded (and absent in lots of the season 6 episodes) and had turned into a real [B]POD aggravated the whole season!

'EDNA'S EDIBLES' on the other hand was all about warmth and MRS G living with her beloved girls under the same roof....

Referring to the episode 'Gamma Gamma', i think it was a rather noble gesture of MRS G to save BLAIR from the 'catering disaster': it shows us how much she really cared for her girls, and the fact that she lied to BOOTSIE and her friends proves that she would go to any length for the 'Core of 4'!
(i see it as a heroic thing from her part)

FOREVER MRS G AND HER 'CORE OF 4!'


You raise good points, Valentina, especially about how Mrs. Garrett covering for the girls (in Gamma Gamma) shows the lengths she would go to for the Core Four. Yes, she's strayed a bit from Season 1, where she "won't put up with play acting", but she hasn't yet sold her soul to the devil the way they all did with OOH.

Oh, here I must disagree, Christopher: Season 6 Mrs. Garrett would never give up her beloved shop. Season 7 Mrs. Garrett would give it up with no reservations.

But season 6 Mrs. Garrett did give up her beloved shop with no reservations. In season 6 she handed the responsibility to the girls while she went to live her life. Mrs. Garrett stopped caring about Edna's Edibles that year. Who ran the shop while she was away with Ted and the girls were in Florida? How did Mrs. Garrett even make much money when the store was barely open at times? In the daytime the girls are at school. Who ran the shop then? I don't see how Mrs. Garrett cared for this beloved shop in season 6 when hardly anyone ran it and she abandoned it. What happened to her feelings a year prior in Chain Letter when she was worried about losing the shop? And remember the scene in Working It Out when no one was running the shop because she felt it was necessary to go up to the girls room to ask about the schedule? Tootie and Natalie had to run downstairs because Mrs. Garrett didn't care no one was minding the shop. From what aired in the episodes, I don't see season 6 Mrs. Garrett caring about the store anymore.


I have always believed the characterization in EGOC. I did believe she had become nervous about her age, about her ability to remember things, and seeing the large age gap between her and the other students made her feel awkward. Plus, that awful "professor" didn't help.

I teach media arts at the university level. Older students have to be encouraged in ways younger students don't. They feel old, they feel intimidated by the technology, and they feel like they don't belong (but of course, they do, because lifelong learning extends and improves lives). Watching EGOC made me a better teacher.

Mrs. Garrett has always been portrayed as a confident, intelligent woman who doesn't get nervous over anything. She stands up for her beliefs and follows through with her goals. In I.Q. she was learning to fly and stuck with it. In Paris she put up with a bigger ass than the professor in EGOC and accomplished her class. EGOC didn't feel like the Mrs. Garrett we saw prior in the same situation.

But season 6 Mrs. Garrett did give up her beloved shop with no reservations. In season 6 she handed the responsibility to the girls while she went to live her life.

There's a huge difference between temporarily handing over responsibilities and insisting that the shop not be rebuilt. One is quite temporary while one is very final.


Mrs. Garrett has always been portrayed as a confident, intelligent woman who doesn't get nervous over anything.

I disagree: in "Like Mother, Like Daughter", she's portrayed as nervous about wearing that French outfit. Even Molly notices her nervousness. There are also several episodes where Mrs. Garrett is nervous about having to confront Mr. Parker, as well as episodes where Mrs. Garrett is nervous about meeting celebrities. Mrs. Garrett is also nervous about appearing on camera in "The Interview Show", nervous about flying in "IQ", nervous about opening a shop in "Brave New World, part 2".

EGOC didn't feel like the Mrs. Garrett we saw prior in the same situation.

But it was not the same situation: in Paris, she wasn't among a bunch of 18-year-olds, being constantly made to feel old.

There's a huge difference between temporarily handing over responsibilities and insisting that the shop not be rebuilt. One is quite temporary while one is very final.

Whether it's temporary or permanent, Mrs. Garrett still abandons Edna's Edibles in season 6. The point I'm making is that Mrs. Garrett season 6 is the same as Mrs. Garrett season 7. Look at Mrs. Garrett season 5. Edna's Edibles was her life. She fired the girls in Chain Letter for almost ruining her business. She'd never let the girls run it without her. Season 6 she decides to be careless with the store and go do her own thing MANY times as I pointed out earlier. It's very obvious Mrs. Garrett is bored with her own store season 6. Her behavior in season 6 leads to the revelation in Out of Fire that she was bored with Edna's Edibles. We all knew that so it wasn't a surprise and it doesn't change Mrs. Garrett's characterization season 7.

Whether it's temporary or permanent, Mrs. Garrett still abandons Edna's Edibles in season 6.

But I wouldn't consider leaving temporarily an abandonment at all.


The point I'm making is that Mrs. Garrett season 6 is the same as Mrs. Garrett season 7. Look at Mrs. Garrett season 5. Edna's Edibles was her life. She fired the girls in Chain Letter for almost ruining her business. She'd never let the girls run it without her. Season 6 she decides to be careless with the store and go do her own thing MANY times as I pointed out earlier. It's very obvious Mrs. Garrett is bored with her own store season 6.

That just doesn't feel obvious to me. One can have a bakery and still take vacations. One can have a bakery and still take college classes. But one cannot have a bakery if the bakery is burned down, and one refuses to rebuild it.

I agree with both of you (Retro and Christopher): MRS G did have her deep/serious moment in season 7!

'A new life' and 'A Xmas baby' are one of the few episodes i absolutely love from season 7: one features MRS G having a 'heart to heart' talk with MONICA, and the other one she has a 'heart to heart' talk with BLAIR!

On the other hand, in some of season 6 episodes, MRS G's behaviour is out of order: in 'Love at first byte', our feisty red haired acts like a senile granny while playing bridge, talking to herself! (even TOOTIE looks at her like she's lost it!)

Another episode, where our beloved MRS G is so unlike herself, is in 'The rich aren't different': why on earth was she needing a kid to teach her Math, when in the episode 'The facts of love' (from season 1) she was giving the girls a class education on sex???? (beats me and blame the writers!)

So maybe you're right Christopher: the older the girls got, the goofier the show became! (to my utter disappointment since i'm more into dramas).

Now about 'Edna's Edibles' store in season 6, i see it that way: MRS G begins to have more confidence in her girls, leaving them in charge of the store while she is away vacationing with her beau and why not? (after all, our feisty red haired has a right for romance too!)
Nevertheless, i believe that the energy/fire/passion she put on when her store was just built in season 5, was somehow not as intense!

As for TOOTIE and NATALIE: they still looked and dressed like high school kids in season 6: the changes of their wardrobe were rather obvious in season 7, when they are no longer seeing wearing any school uniforms (TOOTIE was the only 'Eastland' girl then) and they start to dress and behave like small adults!
BLAIR's hairdo is the worst though: her 'puddle' curls make her look horrible, and JO's hairstyle leaves much to be desired too!

Coming back to MRS G: she was always a strong and confidant woman, with the biggest heart, but even she has her weak moments!
In the episode 'E.G.O.C', she suddenly finds herself surrounded by a dozen of 18 year old teenagers and a very bizarre and abrupt teacher,who constantly puts her in the spotlight and makes her feel self confidante, so no wonder she gets nervous! (anyone in the same position would).

Those are my thoughts anyway....

Another episode, where our beloved MRS G is so unlike herself, is in 'The rich aren't different':

I really don't like that episode. Jo acts so callous and unlike her true self. Pod alert!


Coming back to MRS G: she was always a strong and confidant woman, with the biggest heart, but even she has her weak moments!
In the episode 'E.G.O.C', she suddenly finds herself surrounded by a dozen of 18 year old teenagers and a very bizarre and abrupt teacher,who constantly puts her in the spotlight and makes her feel self confidante, so no wonder she gets nervous! (anyone in the same position would).

Those are my thoughts anyway....

He makes her into the butt of jokes. Of course she would become self-conscious. I hate that guy. He has no business teaching. I hope he got fired. Busted in a cocaine raid, with newspapers plastering the headline on the front page.

I really don't like that episode. Jo acts so callous and unlike her true self. Pod alert!



He makes her into the butt of jokes. Of course she would become self-conscious. I hate that guy. He has no business teaching. I hope he got fired. Busted in a cocaine raid, with newspapers plastering the headline on the front page.

:cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers: