I just read something on the "Facts of Life" page that I find very hard to swallow! As those of you who watch this show know, the character of Jo was added in the second season. Before Nancy McKeon was picked for the part, this show's Kari Michaelsen was considered! Having her in a role like Jo is very hard to imagine! Jo was supposed to be a tough, street-wise girl from the hood. She was depicted as the complete opposite of Blair. Being that Katie from "Gimme a Break!" is what Kari is most known for, I think of her as a very feminine person. Even though she was not as smart as Blair, I would consider her character to be much more like Blair's than Jo's. Can anyone here picture Kari Michaelsen in a role that was anything like Jo?

Katie was pretty rebellious on the show sometimes. I can see her in the role of Jo and IMO she could have done it well. That said, we got Nancy McKeon instead and her performance was excellent.

I will agree that the character of Katie was pretty rebellious at times. However, she was still quite a bit more feminine than Jo. This is the main reason why I would have a hard picturing this actress in the role of Jo. On top of that, Kati Michaelsen was almost as pretty as the actress who played Blair. This being the case, she would be competing with Blair in the beauty department. This would have really altered the dynamics of the show.