The Facts of Life might be the most popular sitcom board here, it gets a ton of activity. This spin-off of Diff'rent Strokes aired 9 seasons on NBC from 1979-1988. Charlote Rae who played the Drummonds' housekeeper Mrs. Garrett became more of a mother to the girls at Eastland's boarding school than their actual parents. Season 1 had John Lawlor as a regular playing headmaster Mr. Bradley. That season had 7 girls: Blair Warner (Lisa Whelchel), Sue Ann Weaver (Julie Piekarski), Cindy Webster (Julie Anne Haddock), Tootie Ramsey (Kim Fields), Natalie Green (Mindy Cohn), Nancy Olson (Felice Schachter), and Molly Parker (future movie star Molly Ringwald). NBC thought the FOL cast was too large and retooled it going into season 2. Sue Ann, Cindy, Nancy, and Molly became famously known as the lost girls. Only Blair, Tootie, and Natalie remained. They were also on the whole series. New girl Jo Polniaczek was added, played by Nancy McKeon. That quartet of girls who shared a room and Mrs. Garrett clicked with NBC. There would not be any more major cast changes until season 8 when Charlotte Rae was done. Cloris Leachman was her replacement Beverly Ann Stickle, who did not add to the show like Mrs. Garrett had. The end of season 4 had Blair and Jo graduate from Eastland. Seasons 5 and 6 were the Edna's Edibles years. That nice setting was replaced by a tacky Over Our Heads store in season 7. Before George Clooney became famous, he started here.

The Courtship of Eddie's Father aired three seasons on ABC from 1969-1972. Bill Bixby and Brandon Cruz had good chemistry as father Tom Corbett and 7 year old son Eddie. Also starring Miyoshi Umeki as their housekeeper Mrs. Livingston.

I was wondering when this poll would come out! GREAT summary, Icecream!

FOL..... never saw the other one.

FOL..... never saw the other one.
Me either.

I voted for The Courtship of Eddie's Father. I'm a fan of Bill Bixby.

For those not familiar with The Courtship of Eddie's Father, you might have heard the theme song from it. This site has hundreds of audio theme songs, here is the page for Courtship with some other shows in that alphabetic region. The TV show was also based on a movie with the same name where Ron Howard played the boy.

http://melaman2.com/tvshows/C3.html

I voted for FOL, cos i have never heard of the other TV show lol!

I voted for FOL, cos i have never heard of the other TV show lol!

Thank you for your vote, Valentina! patriot: (Sorry, there's no British flag option).

Thank you for your vote, Valentina! patriot: (Sorry, there's no British flag option).

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

I voted for The Courtship of Eddie's Father. I'm a fan of Bill Bixby.

Me too, that's how I voted !! ;)I loved The courtship of Eddie's Father ! :) Such a cute show !! :) Wish it could be shown on one of the retro stations ! :)

I voted for The Courtship of Eddie's Father. I'm a fan of Bill Bixby.


Is BILL BIXBY from The Incredible Hulk in there??? (wow! i had no idea!)

:meangya::meangya::meangya::meangya::meangya::meangya::meangya:

I voted for the Girls for 2 reasons.

1. Because it was the better show.

2. Because the hardcore FOL fanatics will kick my ass if I don't!!

Seriously, the coolest thread on this entire website is probably the FOL thread.

I voted for the Girls for 2 reasons.

1. Because it was the better show.

2. Because the hardcore FOL fanatics will kick my ass if I don't!!

Seriously, the coolest thread on this entire website is probably the FOL thread.

Thank you for your vote, Heenan Fan! patriot:

(Also, glad you enjoy the FOL forum!)

FOL rules

The Facts Of Life, it aired longer than Courtship of Eddie’s Father(with the pre-Incredible Hulk star Bill Bixby)

Is BILL BIXBY from The Incredible Hulk in there??? (wow! i had no idea!)

:meangya::meangya::meangya::meangya::meangya::meangya::meangya:

Of course The Courtship of Eddie's Father was before The incredible Hulk! I associate Bill Bixby much more with Eddie's Father and a show even before that " My favorite Martian " .A cute, cool old comedy from the early 60's ! :)

Plus Bill Bixby has guest starred on lots of shows and been in TV movies as well! He was definatly not just " The Hulk" !;)

I voted for The Courtship of Eddie's Father. I'm a fan of Bill Bixby.

Do you remember Bill Bixby in " My favorite martian " ! He was so young and cute than.:) Such a cool funny show too! ;):D

Bill Bixby was awesome in everything he ever did, both as an actor and director. But even Bill isn't gonna beat the FOL Fanatics here. In FACT, I'm predicting it right now: I say FOL wins the whole damn tournament.

Bill Bixby was awesome in everything he ever did, both as an actor and director. But even Bill isn't gonna beat the FOL Fanatics here. In FACT, I'm predicting it right now: I say FOL wins the whole damn tournament.

Oh, man. I hope those words don't jinx us. Mr Bradley will be pretty upset if we don't win! He's eyeing that trophy already... :lol:

Of course The Courtship of Eddie's Father was before The incredible Hulk! I associate Bill Bixby much more with Eddie's Father and a show even before that " My favorite Martian " .A cute, cool old comedy from the early 60's ! :)

Plus Bill Bixby has guest starred on lots of shows and been in TV movies as well! He was definatly not just " The Hulk" !;)



Oh i know BILL BIXBY was in other shows before his famous 'Incredible Hulk' show: he was on a Twilight Zone episode too! (another one of my favourite TV shows where i own the whole collection lol!)

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

The Facts Of Life, it aired longer than Courtship of Eddie’s Father(with the pre-Incredible Hulk star Bill Bixby)

Thank you for your votes, AMack and TVLegend! patriot:

As long as everyone at Eastland votes, we might cross the finish line!

Oh i know BILL BIXBY was in other shows before his famous 'Incredible Hulk' show: he was on a Twilight Zone episode too! (another one of my favourite TV shows where i own the whole collection lol!)

:ufo::ufo::ufo::ufo::ufo::ufo::ufo::ufo::ufo::ufo::ufo::ufo::ufo:
TZ was amazing. My favorite episode is "Time Enough at Last". That ending! :lol:

TZ was amazing. My favorite episode is "Time Enough at Last". That ending! :lol:



Is 'Time enough at last' the episode with the intellectual guy whose passion is to read books, but his wife and boss won't let him? I always found the ending so heartbreaking though: imagine his happiness at being able to read at last without anyone around bossing him around? (poor guy!)

:read::read::read::read::read::read::read::read::read::read::read::read:

TZ was amazing. My favorite episode is "Time Enough at Last". That ending! :lol:
One of my all-time favorite episodes of TZ, and that covers a lot of ground.

RIP Bill Bixby

Is 'Time enough at last' the episode with the intellectual guy whose passion is to read books, but his wife and boss won't let him? I always found the ending so heartbreaking though: imagine his happiness at being able to read at last without anyone around bossing him around? (poor guy!)

:read::read::read::read::read::read::read::read::read::read::read::read:
Yes! That's the one!

One of my all-time favorite episodes of TZ, and that covers a lot of ground.


Glad to see others love that one, too!

Bill Bixby was awesome in everything he ever did, both as an actor and director. But even Bill isn't gonna beat the FOL Fanatics here. In FACT, I'm predicting it right now: I say FOL wins the whole damn tournament.

Not necessarily. Way more overall regular posters here then FOL regulars. They can be taken down pretty easily.

Not necessarily. Way more overall regular posters here then FOL regulars. They can be taken down pretty easily.

If Facts of Life goes up against Leave it to Beaver that will be a tight race! Leave it to Beaver has a pretty big fan following like Facts of Life here on S.O. ! ;)

If Facts of Life goes up against Leave it to Beaver that will be a tight race! Leave it to Beaver has a pretty big fan following like Facts of Life here on S.O. ! ;)

I love LitB, too, but June and her pearls don't hold a candle to Mrs. Garrett and her quiche.

But that might indeed be a battle royale!

I love LitB, too, but June and her pearls don't hold a candle to Mrs. Garrett and her quiche.

But that might indeed be a battle royale!

I'll take Mrs. Garrett's quiche!

I'll take Mrs. Garrett's quiche!

Yeah, I love quiche anyway, and the way they describe it, I can almost smell that heavenly baked quiche through the TV glass!

Yeah, I love quiche anyway, and the way they describe it, I can almost smell that heavenly baked quiche through the TV glass!

I want a Mrs. G's quiche with lots of gouda, spinach, potatoes, onions & tomatoes. I'm not sure if that's a quiche or a fritatta. Either way, I'm sure
Mrs. G would make it spectacular!

I want a Mrs. G's quiche with lots of gouda, spinach, potatoes, onions & tomatoes. I'm not sure if that's a quiche or a fritatta. Either way, I'm sure
Mrs. G would make it spectacular!

Mmmm.... That sounds amazing! props:

If Facts of Life goes up against Leave it to Beaver that will be a tight race! Leave it to Beaver has a pretty big fan following like Facts of Life here on S.O. ! ;)

You know, with FOL being pretty popular here, it's kinda surprising we have no emojis. Gary Coleman, Jack, Janet, Chrissy, Boss Hogg, Grady, Conan, etc, are cool, but where's our Blair and Cindy GIFs? :lol:

We've managed to limp along with "Prototype Monica slaps Miss Mahoney" ( :schmack: ) and "Sue Ann cheering" ( :cheer: ), but with Nancy becoming a verb as well as a noun, it's been a bit of a struggle. We just power through...

If you really think about it, FOL and Leave It To Beaver could of switched their show name
TITleS, and nobody would of been less the wiser.:talk::happyface

40 years later and I'm still in love with Cindy by the way.

40 years later and I'm still in love with Cindy by the way.

I remember crushing on her, as well. Her willowy wistfulness made her the heartthrob of many. Funny, intelligent, likes sports... what's not to like? (Unless you're Blair).

^They should have kept her and not brought in Jo.

^They should have kept her and not brought in Jo.

I think they were trying to duplicate the success of Happy Days, with a bike-riding female character, who was originally named Foxy. NBC executive Brandon Tartikoff had the writers go see the film Little Darlings, which means by about March or April 1980, the producers must have already known some changes would happen. It certainly seems as though they already knew by then that Nancy/Felice Schachter wouldn't make the cut: her character gets almost no lines in the last few episodes, and the scripts even have her character leave the scenes early.

After auditioning Nancy McKeon and Kari Michaelsen for the role of Foxy, Charlotte approved Nancy McKeon, and the name of the character was changed to Jo in honor of Little Women (and, I suspect, the name Foxy was too similar to Fonzie, which would have revealed the writers' shortcut). Once Nancy was signed to a contract, the Cast Purge began, and the writers xeroxed the hell out of the Little Darlings script for the first episode of Season 2 (it's basically the same premise). One documentary does state that Julie Anne as Cindy was the last girl axed, but other sources state otherwise, so we'll never know for certain the exact order, other than Felice being the first girl axed (Ironically, one of the actresses in Little Darlings was Felice's sister, Simone).

It would have been a very different show without Jo. The writers relied heavily on the foiling between Blair and Jo; sometimes too heavily, to the point where Tootie and Natalie don't get many storylines because the writers were so focused on bickering Blair/Jo. Without Jo, it would have been difficult to portray an antagonistic relationship between Blair and Cindy: Cindy was too short and visibly younger than Blair, which would have made Blair's insults feel like bullying. With Jo, there could be a back and forth.

So while I think they could have kept Cindy on and not brought on Jo, the dynamic of the show would have been very different. The writers couldn't have relied on easy bickering scenes between Blair and Jo, and would have had to rely on more subtle, genuine exchanges between Blair and Cindy. The writers would have had to create original dialog instead of just ripping off Happy Days and Little Darlings.

Somewhat ironically, the ratings had already improved by March 1980 when the show was moved to directly after its parent series, Diff'rent Strokes, so while network executives were tinkering with the format of the show to "improve ratings", the series had already jumped into the Nielsen's weekly top 30, where it would remain over the summer months. Jo didn't debut until November 1980, and while she is credited with "saving the show", we know this is not true. She certainly made things easier for the writers, though!

One huge thing that they missed out on with jettisoning Cindy is that they couldn't realistically do sports episodes. Julie Anne Haddock was an athlete, had been involved in gymnastics, and played softball. Julie Anne could perform backflips on cue. But without Julie Anne, they couldn't really do sports-themed episodes. Jo wasn't supposed to be a gymnast but a biker and gang member. Without Cindy, sports were out at Eastland, which meant that a big part of school was neglected.

And Cindy's willowy wistfulness is also missed after the first season. We wouldn't get those subtle moments between Julie Anne and Charlotte. No milk mustaches, no cupcakes, no ripped photos. There definitely was something special lost, and John Lawlor, who played Mr. Bradley, singled out Julie Anne as a major talent on the show.

With the cast reduced to just four girls, the school began to feel very empty. It's like the writers sometimes lost sight of the fact that this was supposed to be a school with more than four girls in it. They resisted showing classroom scenes and often forgot that faculty and staff should appear from time to time. When an actual teacher appears, you know s/he's going to be fired or dead by the end of the episode. When Natalie "prepares breakfast" but there are only six grapefruit halves for an entire school, it's clear the production had somewhat forgotten about continuity. The Lost Girls' appearances in Season 2 and the first half of Season 3 help provide better continuity, but once they're gone, it's like the producers gave up on realistically illustrating the fact that this was a school. What is Tootie doing, for example, directing the seniors' graduation ceremony? She's a freshman!

All these criticisms aside, The Facts of Life was a strong show with a likeable cast, in all of its incarnations. I enjoy the first four seasons the most, although there are good individual episodes throughout. Even the 9th season has a few decent episodes. It's not like Gimme a Break or Roseanne, where the final season is so bad you can't watch even one final-season episode in it.

I am not as enamored with Cindy as everyone else seems to be. While Cindy is better than Molly, Jo's addition was necessary and she added a lot to the show. I wouldn't call it a Happy Days rip-off either. But it is good they dropped the Foxy name. The lost girl I really missed from season 1 of course was Sue Ann.

I am not as enamored with Cindy as everyone else seems to be. While Cindy is better than Molly, Jo's addition was necessary and she added a lot to the show. I wouldn't call it a Happy Days rip-off either. But it is good they dropped the Foxy name. The lost girl I really missed from season 1 of course was Sue Ann.

Yeah, the name Foxy could have been problematic; if that was her given name, what kind of parents did she have, who would give her that name? And if it wasn't, they still needed to come up with a given name for her. Can we imagine Rose and Charlie giving her the name Foxy? It doesn't seem likely. So Jo was a much better choice, and the scene with Blair making fun of her roommate's new name, without her knowing Jo is said roommate, sets the tone for the next several years.

As you correctly say, Sue Ann was definitely missed after the first season. Without Sue Ann, the continuity of the Blair/Sue Ann rivalry was lost. City Mouse/Country Mouse was a common theme throughout the first season, and without Sue Ann there, Blair would no longer make farm jokes, and we'd no longer get the conservative/liberal clash between early artistic Blair and Midwestern Sue Ann.

When we lost that conservative/liberal clash, we lost an important technique in storytelling: showing both sides of the story. Without Sue Ann there to present the conservative side, episodes like "The Source" present abortion, but no-one in the scene says they feel as though abortion is murder. We only get presented with the story of a girl at Eastland who has had an abortion, and Mr. Parker threatening to expel Natalie if she doesn't reveal the name of the fictional girl who had the abortion. The episode ends up being solely about the freedom of the press parts of the First Amendment, but it could have covered way more ground if Sue Ann had been utilized.

Similarly, Sue Ann should have been the girl who wants to be a nun in "Best Sister". It is not believable that Jo, who previously showed no interest in religion, suddenly wanted to become a nun. It's too big of a leap, and comes across as disingenuous. Episodes like "Read No Evil" also could have used a conservative voice. That voice was lost with the axing of Sue Ann.

By culling the number of girls, the writers had inadvertently limited the types of stories they could tell, and they ended up introducing new characters, many of whom didn't last long.

I wouldn't say adding Jo was "necessary", as the show had already entered the Top 30 on a weekly basis eight months before Jo was added. But you are right that Jo added a lot to the show: whenever they needed a character to mix things up, get the girls in trouble, or cause chaos, Jo was there. It made the writing easier for the writers: pit Rich Girl and Street Girl against one another. This wasn't so different than Ritchie Cunningham getting into trouble because "I'm gonna show Fonzie I can be a cool guy, too." Of course, this was an Embassy show: they didn't want to make Jo overpowered the way Fonzie became, jumping sharks. But you still see examples of hero worship, such as when Miko or Kelly claim they want to be "just like Jo", who "fascinates" them.

This Cool Jo/Snobby Blair was a formula that usually worked quite well. So it was easier for the writers... but was it a better show? I would argue not. Kim had already won the Young Artist Award for The Facts of Life for the 1979-1980 season. The show would continue winning YAAs, but Charlotte was only nominated for an Emmy once, in 1982. The show would win no other awards. It wasn't until years later that TV Land would recognize the series, and one of those nominations was for the Lost Girls. People still remembered them and honored them. But during the series' run itself, The Facts of Life was mostly honored solely by the viewing audience, who kept tuning in, season after season.

Most of the time Jo just was not a likable character, IMO. Although she did mellow and adjust to the environment as time went on.

I do agree the adversarial relationship between her and Blair, and the well-written dialog between them, added a lot to the show.

Most of the time Jo just was not a likable character, IMO. Although she did mellow and adjust to the environment as time went on.

I do agree the adversarial relationship between her and Blair, and the well-written dialog between them, added a lot to the show.

Yeah, I feel like at times, the writers overdid it with Jo. She became more Oscar the Grouch than Biker Girl. There are times when she's actually yelling at Mrs. Garrett about profit margins. "What Price Glory?" is a good example where Jo's grousing about profit margins are so over the top that it feels out of character.

Jo mellowing was a good step in the right direction, but the writers again took things too far. By Season 9, Jo looked more like Blair than Blair, what with the huge teased hair, red nail polish, lip gloss, and fashionable dresses.

Yes, I've mentioned before that I haven't seen much of the Leachman seasons, but I have seen episodes here and there where she has that fashion model (of the late 80s) look.

The Facts of Life survives opus's attempt to destroy it. In record turnout, FOL defeats The Courtship of Eddie's Father 17-11 and will advance to the 2nd round.

Take that, Barbara Cooper! :lol:

I warned you about Sue Ann's mean left hook... When Icecream says "record turnout", he's not just talking about Nancy's Donna Summer album collection. We've got "ten, twelve girls" voting, here. :lol:

Take that, Barbara Cooper! :lol:


You do realize, right, that any tournament that doesn’t include One Day At A Time is null and void and is not recognized by any officially sanctioned TV organizations or federations.

I'm late for the poll but if you see my profile pic, you could get the answer :lol:

You do realize, right, that any tournament that doesn’t include One Day At A Time is null and void and is not recognized by any officially sanctioned TV organizations or federations.

How did ODAAT not qualify for the tourney. It’s much better than most of these other shows.

How did ODAAT not qualify for the tourney. It’s much better than most of these other shows.Whatever. As this is the tournament of MY top 80 sitcoms, I don't like One Day at a Time so it wasn't included. Valerie Bertinelli/Barbara Cooper is fine but the rest of the cast sucks. Creeps like Schneider are the reason women get restraining orders. Except Ann was too dumb to do so. Maybe some of my picks aren't as well known, but there are also a whole lot of excellent classics in the tournament.

You do realize, right, that any tournament that doesn’t include One Day At A Time is null and void and is not recognized by any officially sanctioned TV organizations or federations.

I actually had no idea ODAAT was excluded from the tournament. Sorry!

I actually had no idea ODAAT was excluded from the tournament. Sorry!

Yeah, well look who's running it. Nuff said. That's why, except for some fun of teasing FOL, I'm not wasting my time participating.

I actually had no idea ODAAT was excluded from the tournament. Sorry!

By the way, Sydney, Cafe Americain, and Hot in Cleveland also got snubbed. C’est la vie

Foley Square or Kaptain Kool & the Kongs won't be in the competition I don't think ? :confused::D

Great turnout in votes on this one.

Foley Square or Kaptain Kool & the Kongs won't be in the competition I don't think ? :confused::D

Kaptain Kool not a sitcom, but yeah, if Foley Square isn’t ranked fifth after my four, something is seriously wrong.

Whatever. As this is the tournament of MY top 80 sitcoms, I don't like One Day at a Time so it wasn't included. Valerie Bertinelli/Barbara Cooper is fine but the rest of the cast sucks. Creeps like Schneider are the reason women get restraining orders. Except Ann was too dumb to do so. Maybe some of my picks aren't as well known, but there are also a whole lot of excellent classics in the tournament.

If you dislike the Norman Lear shows like All in the Family so much, then why is The Jeffersons in your tournament at all (https://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=406051)?

If you dislike the Norman Lear shows like All in the Family so much, then why is The Jeffersons in your tournament at all (https://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=406051)?I dislike most Norman Lear shows. The Jeffersons is an exception. I only made that One Day at a Time comment after fans like MRPITT and opus have insulted my tournament and me because their show was left out.