I think Different Strokes will over tower Facts of Life. Don't get me wrong, I still love Facts of Life but Different Strokes (I believe) won a lot of viewers last night.

Which show do you think will become the most popular between the two?

Facts of Life still has it.

But, at first, Diff'rent Strokes will be a bit more popular, because it's been about 15 years since anyone has had a chance to see the episodes on a regular basis. But, once the hype dies down, FOL will still be the champion.

Yeah Yeah. We'll see..........

I have to say DS. Now I am not slamming FOL. IMO. I could live off a Nick diet if they got rid of every other show (even Three's Company, sorry, sick of it now) and aired nothing but Facts and Diff'rent reruns all night long. Both are the greatest sitcoms ever IMO.

I don't know about DS being as popular as the 'Facts'. Which is odd, don't you think?
You would think the 'parent' series would and will be the one that comes out on top.
But it's hard for DS to overcome the staying power the 'Facts' has right now(depite the dwinding posts over on the 'facts' board). But like ThomasE said we'll see...we'll see...

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"It was just like Saturday Night Fever, only it was a Friday."

well, you must remember many of the posters over at the FOL board had never seen it before Nick got it in Sept. I think same will happen with DS. Next week when it's back for good, it'll really grow with fans.

Definitely FOL! I remember both of these shows from their first run on NBC. DS was one of my favorites but FOL will always have a special place due to the fact that it was an ensemble show featuring young girls that were my age and that I could relate to. I grew up with the FOL girls!

Now, Arnold and his 'watchutalkinbout' annoys me. I also feel bad when I think about all the trouble the DS kids got into later in their lives...especially Dana.

You have to think about this. FOL targeted young girls and others of course. DS has targeted people of all ages. The "Whatchutalkin'about" is quite a popular catchphrase.

If Nick's MYOS is for real (I have my doubts as the results for East & West satelite feeds always air the same winners. C'mon at least one "show"down should be different between the the 2 coasts. I think the shows have long been scheduled ahead of time and Nick uses the results to determine viewers' taste.), then DS having been off for so long should spark more interest. Speaking of MYOS, a short plug aired on Nick annoncing "Revenge of the '80's Sundays". I'll bet MYOS may be ending after this Sunday. Did anyone else see it? I'm a fan of both DS & FOL and hope that the "taboo" episodes will someday air on Nick.

DS all the way. i love the facts of life, but really DS is better. I tape Facts of life and love the show. But DS i already started taping DS and I just love that show. Hey why compare when N@N has the greatest one-two punch in NBC history. Hey if it comes down to it DS. Hey lets remember where the FOL came from now.

Originally posted by perezd:
DS all the way. i love the facts of life, but really DS is better. I tape Facts of life and love the show. But DS i already started taping DS and I just love that show. Hey why compare when N@N has the greatest one-two punch in NBC history. Hey if it comes down to it DS. Hey lets remember where the FOL came from now.


True Dat! LOL.

That's what I said, about the 'parent series' and all that, but 'The Facts of Life' is one of those rare spinoffs that had quality and some might say it was and is better than Diff'rent Strokes. Nothings wrong with DS, it's just the 'facts' struck a chord somehow...

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"It was just like Saturday Night Fever, only it was a Friday."

Sorry my vote goes to FOL. It's just a better show. I like DS but FOL will win out.

well i dont think there will even BE a Make Your Own Sunday to see which show would over win the other... so we will never know...

I like both shows but I still think FOL is better.

Originally posted by JohnMcMillin:
well, you must remember many of the posters over at the FOL board had never seen it before Nick got it in Sept. I think same will happen with DS. Next week when it's back for good, it'll really grow with fans.

Yeah, I agree.

The Facts Of Life is still more popular then Diff'rent Strokes. The Facts Of Life is a lot better then Diff'rent Strokes.

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Andrew Carden

Facts of Life will always be the champ. Every girl on the show had a personality that someone from the viewing audience can relate to: if you were conscious about your weight, you identified with Nat, if you thought you were God's gift to mankind, Blair was the one for you, and if you felt that showing your tough exterior would get your point across, then you identified with Jo, etc., etc. We were limited to "the poor adopted kids move to the penthouse--holy smokes what will happen this week" every week. FOL delved into each character as they grew, and the storylines were more memorable. They didn't need Nancy Reagan to come on their show to get a point across.

Originally posted by zoomie:
Facts of Life will always be the champ. Every girl on the show had a personality that someone from the viewing audience can relate to: if you were conscious about your weight, you identified with Nat, if you thought you were God's gift to mankind, Blair was the one for you, and if you felt that showing your tough exterior would get your point across, then you identified with Jo, etc., etc. We were limited to "the poor adopted kids move to the penthouse--holy smokes what will happen this week" every week. FOL delved into each character as they grew, and the storylines were more memorable. They didn't need Nancy Reagan to come on their show to get a point across.

I agree! Although they did have some celebrities showing up. But not as many as in DS.

Being a big fan of both- it is hard to make this decision, but I think that nowadays I do like FOL a bit better. There really are more characters for me to love on FOL (actually I really like all FOL main characters) than on DS.

However, I really loved DS when I was a kid and I really loved Arnold Jackson back then. Watching DS again after 16 years brings back pleasant memories, but now that I am older I love FOL so much more than I did when I was a kid because their stories are similar to some of my recent experiences.

In any case, thumbs up to both shows- let's hear it for both shows bcuz today's shows IMHO just ain't as good as FOL & DS.



[This message has been edited by FOL & DS fan 4ever (edited 03-22-2001).]

Diff. Strokes all the way.

I like em both for diff'rent (heh) ways.

DS is a show that was gutbusting hilarious. FOL is a show that you really had characters who you grew with and could identify almost. Both are great shows. DS waned worse tho (I'd rather have the Cloris seasons of FOL to the Mary Ann Mobley season of DS anyday). But the first season of Facts was so bad also, whereas DS was instantly a classic from the pilot.

DS for such Fol is a great show to Ds was out longer Todd,Dana, and Gary have stole so many hearts. You feel these characters when you talk about them you call them Willis, Kimerbly and Arnold. Fol first season suck:mad and when Mrs Garret left the show even more suck :mad

Ds all the way http://www.sitcomsonline.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

I liked Diff'rent Strokes when I was younger, and I also like Facts Of Life when I was younger. Today, Diff'rent Strokes is really childish and it's really aged over the years, but as The Facts Of Life is concerned, I can stll enjoy it, as the subjecst aren't as goofy and childish, and more realistic and life-like. I'm going to have to say Facts Of Life, because I still enjoy watching the girls grow up and I still get a kick out of it, as Diff'rent Strokes, i can still watch, but it seems like it's a "used" show.

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Andrew Carden

I think DS is awesome and so is FOL. for me its a tie

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Ms G: Natalie why dont you show Jo a better place to park her bike
Jo: why dont I park it on Blairs face?
Natalie: shes a breath of fresh air isnt she??

Oh Hell Yeah id would take Different Strokes over The Facts of life anyday. I just love DS so much i watched that show every Saturday night when it was on NBC and i also watched the reruns all the time too.

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GET OUT OF MY GARAGE!!!

Originally posted by EdBrownJr:
Oh Hell Yeah id would take Different Strokes over The Facts of life anyday. I just love DS so much i watched that show every Saturday night when it was on NBC and i also watched the reruns all the time too.


All Right!
-------------------------

Commotion: Don't break out the champaigne just yet, kiddies, were gonna blow oyu away!

Tootie: Oh Suuure!

Natalie: Good comeback, Tootie!

You wanna know which show is more popular?
Just look at these message boards!
COUNT THEM!

True point, but 3's Company gets more ratings than "Facts" but less messages on the board.

Originally posted by Bluestone:
You wanna know which show is more popular?
Just look at these message boards!
COUNT THEM!

The number of posts on each board is not a true indication of a show's popularity. The Diff'rent Strokes site gets about 300-400 more hits per day than The Facts of Life site. I guess people can just talk about FOL more than DS. The boards that have the most posts usually have a page that promotes and draws them to it.

Originally posted by TJ:
The number of posts on each board is not a true indication of a show's popularity. The Diff'rent Strokes site gets about 300-400 more hits per day than The Facts of Life site. I guess people can just talk about FOL more than DS. The boards that have the most posts usually have a page that promotes and draws them to it.

My point exactly!

Ds is way better than the Fol THE FACTS OF LIFE http://www.sitcomsonline.com/ubb/rolleyes.gif .Ds is way better any time and anyplace:cool The only reason why people might like the facts of life is because of Blair.DS is the best and will always be. Now what about that.

All Right!

>>The only reason why people might like the facts of life is because of Blair<<

check the FOL board out and you'll actually notice about 90% of the posters there are Jo fans moreso than Blair

I'm with Facts of Life all the way. I'm willing to bet that Facts of Life is more popular than Different Strokes because of Nancy McKeon is on the new tv show, "The Division". If people like Nancy McKeon then they might watch anything with Nancy McKeon, which includes Facts of Life. That's just my opinion!
Angela

diff'rent strokes is way better that the facts of life. now, i really like the facts of life but...

I think that The Facts of Life is better than Diff'rent Strokes but I still like DS

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Blair:Tell it to the frog.Go on, tell it to his face.You can't, can you.You know why?Because he doesn't have a face Tootie!

Tootie: I bet you were the one that put pinesole in my prop shampoo bottle. While I washed that man right out of my hair I could have scrubbed the sink too!

Originally posted by Zankara:
Ds is way better than the Fol THE FACTS OF LIFE http://www.sitcomsonline.com/ubb/rolleyes.gif .Ds is way better any time and anyplace:cool The only reason why people might like the facts of life is because of Blair.DS is the best and will always be. Now what about that.

What about that?

Well, it's wrong, but that's your opinion.

The characters on FOL were much more accessable than those on Diff'rent Strokes.

Who could yer average viewer identify with more... two black kids adopted by a rich white guy, or Jo and Natalie?

Which show lasted longer? FoL: 9 seasons. DS: 8 Seasons.

Which show dealt with more weightier, "real" issues? Sure, DS had yer child molestor episode, some cocaine and steroids, and a gang related episode or two, but FoL had Suicide, drugs, death, sex... hell, the facts of life.

DS was a sitcom in every sense of the word. It was based on an outlandish premise, whereas FoL was a bit more realistic... until Pippa.

Facts of Life may be the spin-off, but it surpassed Diff'rent Strokes long ago as the "superior" show.

I like both of the shows alot. But Diff'rent Strokes gets my vote. I think it's alot funnier than Facts Of Life (But I still like FOL!). Gary Coleman just cracks me up!

------------------
When you gotta gun
in your hand, your
free to make any speech
you want!!-Archie Bunker

STANLEY: The car was overheated,
Helen!
HELEN: So was I!!

MARGE: Kids can be so
creul!
BART: We can? Thanks, Mom!
(Bart socks Lisa)
LISA: Oww!!

HELEN: Stanley, you got
2 choices. You either
put your pants on and take
me to that resturant...
Or leave them off and we
could stay here and
have fun!

KIMBERLY: We've gotta
do something about that
bathroom.
WILLIS: Like what?
KIMBERLY: Like not leaving
the seat up.
WILLIS: That's Arnold.
ARNOLD: No way, I stand
on the seat!

Of course DS is better than FOL. The cast was great and the show was unique and so ahead of it's time. What rich white man would adopt two poor black children from Harlem? The show was hilarous and Gary Coleman, Todd Bridges, Conrad Bain, and Dana Plato all had great chemistry. Adults, children and teenagers could all watch the show. I remember watching FOL in the eighties. It was so boring to me. I would watch two minutes of it and fall right asleep. I didn't really find the characters appealling, it was more like annoying. But I am starting to watch it now. And it is an alright show. But I still like DS A whole LOT better!!

DS funnier than FOL? No, no, no. Give me the all-time funniest episode of DS and i'll give you the all-time funniest episode of FOL, and then we'll just see. But remember, we would need a person who was unbiased in our opinion. And nobody here is that...

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"It was just like Saturday Night Fever, only it was a Friday."

Your methodology is fundamentally flawed. This would constitute a 'fallacy of composition' (what is true of the parts is true of the whole). Despite the problem being purely qualitative, some form of objective sample-based tests would be a more rigourous approach to estimating an unbiased outcome.

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Inspector Gadget

Um, that's what I meant Inspector. We would need persons who were indifferent to both shows to find which sitcom was of better quality or funnier, or whatever. But everyone here already has a basis of opinion...

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"It was just like Saturday Night Fever, only it was a Friday."

>>DS funnier than FOL? No, no, no. Give me the all-time funniest episode of DS and i'll give you the all-time funniest episode of FOL, and then we'll just see. But remember, we would need a person who was unbiased in our opinion. And nobody here is that...<<

well, IMO, on the average, DS was much funnier. But Facts was more realistic and hit home with more people. Now Facts has some classic comedy episodes like Four Musketeers being the best known. But you can't deny that DS wasn't hysterical.

Still IMO, take away Arnold and DS would've been awful, whereas FOL still was able to function without Mrs. Garrett (some might disagree, but it was the fact the show was so old by the time Cloris came along).

Originally posted by JohnMcMillin:


well, IMO, on the average, DS was much funnier. But Facts was more realistic and hit home with more people. Now Facts has some classic comedy episodes like Four Musketeers being the best known. But you can't deny that DS wasn't hysterical.

Still IMO, take away Arnold and DS would've been awful, whereas FOL still was able to function without Mrs. Garrett (some might disagree, but it was the fact the show was so old by the time Cloris came along).

Yes, you MAY be right about DS being consistently more funny. I can admit, there are some absolute AWFUL episodes of the 'facts'. But one could say that about many sitcoms, even DS. And I guess people take the stand point of FOL being more well-rounded than DS, and that's how they relate.

And also right, take away Arnold and the show would of blown. The same could be said of the four girls ( In my opinion, the show would of suffered the most without BLAIR. Sorry, Jo fans...But despite how "cheesy" the 1st season was, it was "okay" without the girl from the Bronx...).




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"It was just like Saturday Night Fever, only it was a Friday."

I like them about the same, cept fol is better. They have the same characters in some episodes and that probably attracts more viewers.