The Facts of Life appears to be the most popular sitcom on Sitcoms Online...

[RetroGuy2000]

...based on the post count and thread count for the forum, vs. other sitcom forums. More info here.

Facts of Life posts represent 7.34% of all the sitcom posts on SO.

[opus]

And it still might be the most popular, albeit it's basically down to two similarly avatared guys keeping it alive and well

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by opus

And it still might be the most popular, albeit it's basically down to two similarly avatared guys keeping it alive and well

Similar avatars?! '80s has Lisa, Kim, Mindy and Nancy as his avatar. I have Julie, Felice, Molly, and Julie Anne as my avatar. And the TV Guide covers have slightly different colors. Our avatars are as different as night and day! Well, night and... um... later that same night.



(Also, Lorimar and some others are here, too. And you, too!)

['80sSitcoms]

Originally Posted by opus

And it still might be the most popular, albeit it's basically down to two similarly avatared guys keeping it alive and well

LOL, hi!

[Christopher]

When The Facts of Life reran on N@N back in...not that long ago... this was the hottest board on SO. The Division was also airing so fans of Jo would watch The Division and talk about Nancy McKeon a lot during that time. I remember those days so well. We even did role playing games that one of the members here got me to participate in. It was a fun place to be. Sadly, The Facts of Life left N@N and this place started to die down quite a bit. A lot of the regulars during that time took off as well.

['80sSitcoms]

Originally Posted by Christopher

When The Facts of Life reran on N@N back in...not that long ago... this was the hottest board on SO. The Division was also airing so fans of Jo would watch The Division and talk about Nancy McKeon a lot during that time. I remember those days so well. We even did role playing games that one of the members here got me to participate in. It was a fun place to be. Sadly, The Facts of Life left N@N and this place started to die down quite a bit. A lot of the regulars during that time took off as well.

"not that long ago"?? That was over 15 years ago! I remember those days well too...new threads and discussions all the time, some fun people, some people who would clash, and then the whole NANCY MCKEON/JO BRIGADE, omg...I vividly recall someone posting a poll: "Who's your favorite besides Jo?" --- "besides Jo??" Someone else posted in response, "Just because you and a lot of other people here love Jo, don't assume she's everyone's favorite here too" and I'm sure I said something in agreement like it was an unfair poll, because, yes, it was assuming EVERYONE favored Jo. I never have, and I never will. Another guy said Jo was in fact his least favorite, and I concurred. That was sure quite a time around here with so many people loving Nancy/Jo.

And yes, by the way, that was such an exciting vivacious time when N@N aired "Facts" and made it such a big deal about its debut---I remember it even aired the starting marathon twice in a row! Like, one week of a FOL marathon, and then a repeat week because the response was SO huge! But then---after not real long, it seems, they dropped it from the schedule! I remember someone here remarking how odd it was that N@N said the reason they re-ran the beginning marathon immediately was because of the spiking surge in viewership it gave them, but then there you had it that not long afterward they dropped the show completely.

I'm also thinking the topic of this thread really fit the bill back then, when this board was sizzling HHHHHHHHHOTTTTTTTT...even back then its post count was soaring FAR above others---I believe that's the "era" when this board shot up into the stratosphere.

[Christopher]

Originally Posted by '80sSitcoms

"not that long ago"?? That was over 15 years ago! I remember those days well too...new threads and discussions all the time, some fun people, some people who would clash, and then the whole NANCY MCKEON/JO BRIGADE, omg...I vividly recall someone posting a poll: "Who's your favorite besides Jo?" --- "besides Jo??" Someone else posted in response, "Just because you and a lot of other people here love Jo, don't assume she's everyone's favorite here too" and I'm sure I said something in agreement like it was an unfair poll, because, yes, it was assuming EVERYONE favored Jo. I never have, and I never will. Another guy said Jo was in fact his least favorite, and I concurred. That was sure quite a time around here with so many people loving Nancy/Jo.

And yes, by the way, that was such an exciting vivacious time when N@N aired "Facts" and made it such a big deal about its debut---I remember it even aired the starting marathon twice in a row! Like, one week of a FOL marathon, and then a repeat week because the response was SO huge! But then---after not real long, it seems, they dropped it from the schedule! I remember someone here remarking how odd it was that N@N said the reason they re-ran the beginning marathon immediately was because of the spiking surge in viewership it gave them, but then there you had it that not long afterward they dropped the show completely.

I'm also thinking the topic of this thread really fit the bill back then, when this board was sizzling HHHHHHHHHOTTTTTTTT...even back then its post count was soaring FAR above others---I believe that's the "era" when this board shot up into the stratosphere.

Yep, the infamous Nancy McKeon fights back in those days. There were some obnoxious Nancy fans that would come in and say she saved this show from cancellation. I think what really saved this show was the new writers and direction it went. It wasn't an actress who caused the show to continue on. They are clicked and that was the most important part. For the very first female cast show, they did an awesome job. Also, we don't need to put a number on how many years ago that was

Were you a member here during the N@N days? I remember back then TJ allowed members to be guests. You didn't have to register. Then that option went away so people would have to register.

If I remember correctly because it's been awhile ago, I think N@N lost rights to The Facts of Life. I could be wrong but I don't think it was their choice to let the show go. It's been so long. I was just glad I recorded the show when it aired back then.

This board was extremely active back in the early 2000's. Nancy McKeon was a big reason for that because of The Division. She had a lot of fans during that time.

[opus]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

Similar avatars?! '80s has Lisa, Kim, Mindy and Nancy as his avatar. I have Julie, Felice, Molly, and Julie Anne as my avatar. And the TV Guide covers have slightly different colors. Our avatars are as different as night and day! Well, night and... um... later that same night.



(Also, Lorimar and some others are here, too. And you, too!)

Originally Posted by '80sSitcoms

LOL, hi!

I've probably seen most, if not all, of the Facts of Life episodes over the course of my life, but don't have near enough of the memory to accurately discuss them. (Fonzie was the one with the leather jacket, right? No wait, that was The Brady Bunch).

But honestly, if I do look in at one of your conversations, I have to repeat to myself "It's not one guy talking to himself. It's not one guy talking to himself..."

FOL 4ever

['80sSitcoms]

Originally Posted by Christopher

Also, we don't need to put a number on how many years ago that was

Sorry!

Originally Posted by Christopher

Were you a member here during the N@N days? I remember back then TJ allowed members to be guests. You didn't have to register. Then that option went away so people would have to register.

Yeah? Interesting...and yup, I first discovered this board under a different account in I think 2002.

['80sSitcoms]

Originally Posted by opus

if I do look in at one of your conversations, I have to repeat to myself "It's not one guy talking to himself. It's not one guy talking to himself..."

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by opus

I've probably seen most, if not all, of the Facts of Life episodes over the course of my life, but don't have near enough of the memory to accurately discuss them. (Fonzie was the one with the leather jacket, right? No wait, that was The Brady Bunch).

Haha!

No need for a good memory: the DVDs are fun, and like any other retro sitcom, watching them is like a blast from the past. So much nostalgia! Not just the characters and the plots, but all of the things that were going on during that era, and the crazy fashions, fads, and lingo.

But honestly, if I do look in at one of your conversations, I have to repeat to myself "It's not one guy talking to himself. It's not one guy talking to himself..."

No, it is definitely not one guy talking to himself. As far as I know, '80sSitcoms and I live over 1,000 miles apart. Also, '80s can't stand Julie Pie (Sue Ann), while I like her a lot. We both like Julie Anne (Cindy) very much, but I don't care for Molly's (Molly's) singing, while '80s likes it. I think we both agree on Felice, but not exactly when she was shafted: I think it happened after episode "IQ" (episode 1-04), while I believe he thinks it was right after "The Girls' School" (the backdoor pilot)).

He hates Mr. Parker by the end of the headmaster's run, while I do not. He thinks Tootie's bowl cut was worse than the late 80s hair the girls sported in later seasons, while I do not. We both agree that NBC executive Warren Littlefield couldn't count.

We do both agree that Nancy McKeon (Jo), while good, wasn't the savior of the show, although I probably shouldn't speak for '80sSitcoms, as he would likely word it differently. And I think it's safe to say we both agree that it was a shame that Molly, Julie Anne, and Felice left the show (I'd add Julie Pie, too), for reasons we find (in my words) ridiculous.

Also, I know '80s adores Mama's Family, whereas I only watched a few episodes of that show, as it was syndicated and didn't air much in my area, or maybe at some odd hour.

We do have a similar sense of humor, though, which I have greatly appreciated this summer. I reluctantly left my job of over 14 years this summer, and I so appreciated being able to forget my worries and laugh again, just by logging on to a fun sitcom forum, in between episodes of my favorite retro shows (and Stranger Things). The screen captures were fun, and the silly re-done screen credits made me burst out laughing.

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by Christopher

Yep, the infamous Nancy McKeon fights back in those days. There were some obnoxious Nancy fans that would come in and say she saved this show from cancellation.

I wasn't here at that time (I visited Sitcoms Online many times but only occasionally lurked on the forums), but I do recall even in 2013-2014 some Nancy fans insisting that she and she alone saved the show... impossible! There were many factors, including a better time slot, female writers, a change of focus, better direction, getting rid of the short shorts, tighter writing, the focus on a "fish out of water" character that people could identify with, etc.

I think what really saved this show was the new writers and direction it went. It wasn't an actress who caused the show to continue on.

I do agree the new direction helped focus the storylines. I don't agree, however, with all the drastic changes.

['80sSitcoms]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

No need for a good memory: the DVDs are fun, and like any other retro sitcom, watching them is like a blast from the past. So much nostalgia!

Yes!

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

Not just the characters and the plots, but all of the things that were going on during that era, and the crazy fashions, fads, and lingo

What's funny about that though, is that "Facts" is one of the '80s sitcoms (hey, there's my name!) to least exemplify this; thanks in large part to a school cafeteria and kitchen, and school uniforms. There are sprinklings throughout, but, of course, I will admit that once the show moved out of Eastland, it grew bigger and bigger "into the '80s" until it skyrocketed into that decade---it's like "Over Our Heads" was the show's way of exploding all that pent-up '80sness that it never ran with all those seasons before, lol.

Think of the the early years, then think of other '80s sitcoms (there I am again!)---Mr. Belvedere, Growing Pains, heck, even The Golden Girls were full of 1980s references! lol

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

Also, '80s can't stand Julie Pie (Sue Ann), while I like her a lot.

Whoa whoa whoa! Hold on! I gotta do some checks and balances here, lol...I can stand Julie Pie! lol...in fact, there are times I think she is good, and effective, but a lot of the time her acting does bother me. But if I truly couldn't stand her, I would FF through her whenever she's on screen, but I don't. I fully respect her as a Lost Girl! (just as you fully respect Molly as one) She definitely has her place in FOL history as Sue Ann, and I wouldn't take that honor away from her (indeed, I couldn't do Lost Girl sonnets and leave her out! lol).

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

We both like Julie Anne (Cindy) very much

I LOVE Cindy! She was my most favorite Eastland Girl when I was a little boy!* Indeed, she has the Hestia honor** in my view of "Facts"!

*(after season 1, Tootie was my favorite! [as the youngest in the my family, I could identify with her] but, when I when I grew older and became a young adult, Blair shot up to #1 for me! Having grown up, I could appreciate her sense of humor more, and found her so very funny!)

**(Hestia was a goddess in Greek mythology, the first-born of the 12 Olympians, and therefore the eldest sister of Zeus. When Poseidon and Apollo fought over her hand in marriage, Hestia was upset over the rising hostilities between her brother and her nephew and, to restore peace on Olympus, she swore by the head of Zeus to always remain a virgin. Zeus then revered Hestia by dedicating the first offerings of every sacrifice by mortals to the gods to her, and this remained a special honor of hers, always; so, sort of likewise, Cindy was my first FOL favorite, and even though I loved Tootie most from season 2 on, and now I love Blair most from season 2 on, I will always revere Cindy Webster as my first favorite Eastland girl, my favorite of season 1! That is her honor always!)

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

but I don't care for Molly's (Molly's) singing, while '80s likes it.

I think she's cute, and, actually, every dang time I hear her go "Boy am I disgusteeeeed!", I actually do "lol!"

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

I think we both agree on Felice, but not exactly when she was shafted: I think it happened after episode "IQ" (episode 1-04), while I believe he thinks it was right after "The Girls' School" (the backdoor pilot)).

Yup. Even though "I.Q." is about Nancy and Sue Ann, to me it feels a little more like Nancy's show than Sue Ann's, just as "Running" is about Cindy and Sue Ann, but to me it feels (even more) like Sue Ann's show than Cindy's, which has always saddened and perturbed me a bit.

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

He hates Mr. Parker by the end of the headmaster's run, while I do not.

Okay, "hates" is a little harsh. But, yes, I really do get so frustrated with him with how he (mis)treats her in "Brave New World". His other sins (refusing a new bun warmer, etc.) are quite light compared to that. For the record, I don't see him on screen and hiss at him, I like him when he's nice and friendly. I dislike him when he's not! lol

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

He thinks Tootie's bowl cut was worse than the late 80s hair the girls sported in later seasons, while I do not. We both agree that NBC executive Warren Littlefield couldn't count.

Lol, true on the second point. However, I think it's that I don't think Tootie's bowl cut was worse than the late '80s 'dos, I just think, outside of how it looks like when she has it in her track suit screen credit, it normally looks really bad on her. Unfortunately at that stage of her growing/changing face in those young teenage years, that bowl cut did not suit her face well. It was a very bad match.

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

We do both agree that Nancy McKeon (Jo), while good, wasn't the savior of the show, although I probably shouldn't speak for '80sSitcoms, as he would likely word it differently.

Where were you 15 years ago?!??!? We could have used you here in our small little brigade of defense then!

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

And I think it's safe to say we both agree that it was a shame that Molly, Julie Anne, and Felice left the show (I'd add Julie Pie, too), for reasons we find (in my words) ridiculous.

"left"? "left"?? Considering what happened I wouldn't say they "left", I would say it's a shame they were let go, it's a shame they were removed, it's a shame they were cut, it's a shame they were axed, but I wouldn't be kind enough to the producers to say the girls "left" (we must put the blame where it belongs, lol).

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

Also, I know '80s adores Mama's Family, whereas I only watched a few episodes of that show, as it was syndicated and didn't air much in my area, or maybe at some odd hour.

MF is my favorite sitcom EVER!! I grew up with the Harpers becoming my 2nd family thanks to wonderful syndication!

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

We do have a similar sense of humor, though, which I have greatly appreciated this summer. I reluctantly left my job of over 14 years this summer, and I so appreciated being able to forget my worries and laugh again, just by logging on to a fun sitcom forum, in between episodes of my favorite retro shows (and Stranger Things). The screen captures were fun, and the silly re-done screen credits made me burst out laughing.

lol, I'm so glad...and I've been going through tough times with work and home things lately, so this has been wonderful escapism for me as well!

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by '80sSitcoms

What's funny about that though, is that "Facts" is one of the '80s sitcoms (hey, there's my name!) to least exemplify this; thanks in large part to a school cafeteria and kitchen, and school uniforms. There are sprinklings throughout, but, of course, I will admit that once the show moved out of Eastland, it grew bigger and bigger "into the '80s" until it skyrocketed into that decade---it's like "Over Our Heads" was the show's way of exploding all that pent-up '80sness that it never ran with all those seasons before, lol.

Think of the the early years, then think of other '80s sitcoms (there I am again!)---Mr. Belvedere, Growing Pains, heck, even The Golden Girls were full of 1980s references! lol

Yes, I definitely agree. In some ways, it's almost as if the show pulled a Benjamin Button, aging backwards, with the late 1980s episodes seeming more dated than the Eastland episodes, because the girls often wore uniforms and tracksuits during those four golden Eastland years. In later years, the girls dressed like they had just walked from the set of Miami Vice, with giant haircuts, huge shoulder pads, etc.

There are exceptions, of course: some of the earlier episodes had Jo's flared jeans, Tootie's bowl cut, Molly's clothes, etc. But still.

Whoa whoa whoa! Hold on! I gotta do some checks and balances here, lol...I can stand Julie Pie! lol...in fact, there are times I think she is good, and effective, but a lot of the time her acting does bother me. But if I truly couldn't stand her, I would FF through her whenever she's on screen, but I don't. I fully respect her as a Lost Girl! (just as you fully respect Molly as one) She definitely has her place in FOL history as Sue Ann, and I wouldn't take that honor away from her (indeed, I couldn't do Lost Girl sonnets and leave her out! lol).

Well, I'm glad you set the record straight. I thought you hated her, and am glad to know you don't, and that you respect her.

And you did write that great sonnet for her! Which, BTW, I still cannot believe you wrote a sonnet for each girl, and that they were that good.

I LOVE Cindy! She was my most favorite Eastland Girl when I was a little boy!* Indeed, she has the Hestia honor** in my view of "Facts"!

*(after season 1, Tootie was my favorite! [as the youngest in the my family, I could identify with her] but, when I when I grew older and became a young adult, Blair shot up to #1 for me! Having grown up, I could appreciate her sense of humor more, and found her so very funny!)

**(Hestia was a goddess in Greek mythology, the first-born of the 12 Olympians, and therefore the eldest sister of Zeus. When Poseidon and Apollo fought over her hand in marriage, Hestia was upset over the rising hostilities between her brother and her nephew and, to restore peace on Olympus, she swore by the head of Zeus to always remain a virgin. Zeus then revered Hestia by dedicating the first offerings of every sacrifice by mortals to the gods to her, and this remained a special honor of hers, always; so, sort of likewise, Cindy was my first FOL favorite, and even though I loved Tootie most from season 2 on, and now I love Blair most from season 2 on, I will always revere Cindy Webster as my first favorite Eastland girl, my favorite of season 1! That is her honor always!)

It always amazes me the brilliant connections and connotations I read on these forums, particularly on the FOL forum. I never expected to get mythological references on a sitcom forum.

I think she's cute, and, actually, every dang time I hear her go "Boy am I disgusteeeeed!", I actually do "lol!"

Molly is definitely cute, at least in her earlier appearances.

Yup. Even though "I.Q." is about Nancy and Sue Ann, to me it feels a little more like Nancy's show than Sue Ann's, just as "Running" is about Cindy and Sue Ann, but to me it feels (even more) like Sue Ann's show than Cindy's, which has always saddened and perturbed me a bit.

The line count in "Running" definitely favors Sue Ann over Cindy, but they both received top billing in the ads for the episode, so it's not as black and white as it might seem. I'd split it right down the middle, like a... photograph. From what I recall, Nancy and Sue Ann had about the same number of lines in "IQ".

Okay, "hates" is a little harsh. But, yes, I really do get so frustrated with him with how he (mis)treats her in "Brave New World". His other sins (refusing a new bun warmer, etc.) are quite light compared to that. For the record, I don't see him on screen and hiss at him, I like him when he's nice and friendly. I dislike him when he's not! lol

Mr. Parker definitely mistreated her at the end, but they made up, and he was previously very kind to her when he could have replaced her with someone who hadn't lost her pension. He went to bat for her.

Lol, true on the second point. However, I think it's that I don't think Tootie's bowl cut was worse than the late '80s 'dos, I just think, outside of how it looks like when she has it in her track suit screen credit, it normally looks really bad on her. Unfortunately at that stage of her growing/changing face in those young teenage years, that bowl cut did not suit her face well. It was a very bad match.

Yes, I agree.

Where were you 15 years ago?!??!? We could have used you here in our small little brigade of defense then!

I thought we weren't supposed to count the years, per Christopher?

I did lurk here, on occasion, but I mostly checked out the main page, the galleries, and stuff like that.

"left"? "left"?? Considering what happened I wouldn't say they "left", I would say it's a shame they were let go, it's a shame they were removed, it's a shame they were cut, it's a shame they were axed, but I wouldn't be kind enough to the producers to say the girls "left" (we must put the blame where it belongs, lol).

Well, true. They did leave, but clearly not voluntarily. I am glad we got what we got, but I wish there had been so much more.

MF is my favorite sitcom EVER!! I grew up with the Harpers becoming my 2nd family thanks to wonderful syndication!

I understand; I felt the same way about the first four seasons of Growing Pains. (Then Kirk Cameron ruined it).

lol, I'm so glad...and I've been going through tough times with work and home things lately, so this has been wonderful escapism for me as well!

Glad to hear it, buddy!

['80sSitcoms]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

Well, I'm glad you set the record straight. I thought you hated her, and am glad to know you don't, and that you respect her.

Oh, yeah; if I ever ran into her in public, I would totally go up to her and be all like "OMG I never thought I'd meet Sue Ann Weaver!" and ask her if I could take a picture with her! lol

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

And you did write that great sonnet for her! Which, BTW, I still cannot believe you wrote a sonnet for each girl, and that they were that good.

What can I say? I love to write, and I love creative inspiration! lol

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

It always amazes me the brilliant connections and connotations I read on these forums, particularly on the FOL forum. I never expected to get mythological references on a sitcom forum.

I can understand that, lol...hey, speaking of Greek mythology, another sister among the 12 Olympians was Demeter, goddess of grain---and our Cindy Webster was Corn Maiden of the Harvest! Pretty close!

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

The line count in "Running" definitely favors Sue Ann over Cindy

I know, Sue Ann carries that whole scene when they get back from practice at the beginning!

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

From what I recall, Nancy and Sue Ann had about the same number of lines in "IQ".

That's possible, but, Sue Ann got a heart-to-heart with Mrs. Garrett (albeit a shorter one than their h-t-h in "Dieting"), while Nancy did not.

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

I thought we weren't supposed to count the years, per Christopher?

lol, sorry Christopher! Back when we were all wee little lads!

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

I understand; I felt the same way about the first four seasons of Growing Pains. (Then Kirk Cameron ruined it).

I grew up watching that too, but that show didn't stay with me like others have.

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

Glad to hear it, buddy!

"Buddies Forever"! Let's pose!