I agree that DS is gonna show a resurgance in popularity that most people didn't expect (even I was shocked at just how big the FOL fanbase got when Nick added the show), but I will admit I dunno if a lot of the new DS fans will be as fanatic about the cast as some FOL-ers are with Nancy McKeon and the like. The bad thing is that most people under 16/17 ONLY know about the tragedies surrounding the show (mainly Todd Bridges and Dana Plato). So FOL seemed to be a "happier" story.
The good thing is that people will finally see Gary Coleman in a good light again. I really hate how people forget that at his height, only Alan Alda (off Mash) and Bill Cosby (Cosby Show premiered toward the last few years of DS's run) were making more money per episode of their tv shows, yet people treat Gary like he was just some minor child actor who had success and faded away. Gary made the whole world laugh, from those who were 3-4 like I was at the time to my parents who were in their late 30's/early 40's and beyond. The best part about DS coming back to tv is that people might start cutting some slack for him when they rediscover Arnold instead of thinking of him as a self-parody abusive security guard who had an online auction of his stuff and professed his virginity.
I wonder if Gary will rethink his "no more Diff'rent Strokes" stance now once he finds it resurging his name the way Lisa Whelchel and Nancy McKeon's careers have been higher-profile of late when Nick did the same thing to FOL six months ago (yes I know Nancy's done tv movies for awhile, but now she has a bigger fanbase since people realize that great tv movie actress was also Jo).
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