Did TNN just not want to use it? How were the opening credits when it was used on CBS? Maybe CBS just used it when there were few people on the cast like I posted in a past post, WHICH NOBODY REPLIED TO!


-LOL

I can't speak for others, but the reason I didn't reply to your original post was because I'm not quite sure what you're talking about. First of all, Diff'rent Strokes never aired on CBS (maybe you saw in on a CBS affiliate in reruns, but it was never actually a CBS show). NBC ran the show its first 7 seasons, with ABC picking up the show for the 8th and final season. As far as a 30-second theme (as opposed to the traditional 50-second theme song), this is probably what happened: You probably saw the show on syndication at one time. And often when shows are on syndication, the channel will edit down the opening theme song. I clearly remember my local channels doing this with Family Ties, Cheers, Three's Company, Mr. Belvedere, etc. Different channels choose to edit out different things to make time for commercial space. For example, some channels choose to keep the whole theme song, but edit out lines from the actual episode ... while other channels edit down the theme song, but keep more of the actual episode intact. The bottom line is: Diff'rent Strokes always had the 50-something second theme song during its original runs on NBC and ABC. You probably just witnessed a local station's hack job on the theme song.

Ah. ABC. I thought it was CBS. LOL. Ya, I do know though it ran on NBC the first 7.

I got an email from a guy last year who remembered DS on ABC. He said:

"Regarding the themes to DS. I do not think that was a syndication theme. I remember hearing it along with the full ABC
theme in syndication, but we will both know more when Nick at Night gets to the newer episodes. If my memory is correct,
ABC at that time tried a new concept with their programming that season. The theme song started the show and they
went right into the programming without a commercial. So, they may have used a shorter theme if they had a longer scripted
show. I do know that they had the full theme though, I have it on video, but unfortunately back then I didn't have an ABC station
that locally aired in stereo or a stereo VCR/TV at the time."

So there was more then likely a short and long theme used on ABC, it just varied from episode to episode.