"Gone With The Wind" - a tester for the OOH years?

[MiracleHand]

I was reading a FOL discussion over on Datalounge and there was a discussion over people who felt Facts hit its absolute peak in season 6 and how different things would get come season 7. One poster pointed out the two-parter where they went to Ft. Lauderdale towards the end of season 6 as the producers actually testing out pastel colors and different sets which would eventually lead to the complete redesign in season 7 when Facts went full-on 80s. Anyone ever notice this?

['80sSitcoms]

No, but that's interesting to hear. Personally, I think the show hit its "absolute peak" in season 3.

[RetroGuy2000]

I agree that the "absolute peak" happened in Season Three. There were still some good episodes in Seasons 4, 5, and 6, but the last few years were kinda odd, and felt like a different show, with a different set, different writers, a different cast, and different setting.

I don't actually remember the Ft. Lauderdale episode, but it's not at all surprising that the pastels of 1980s Florida would inspire the new pastel sets of OOH. After all, I when I look at the later seasons, they kinda feel Miami Vice-inspired.

[Lorimar Television]

Funny how the show peaked when the lost girls stopped popping in. Coincidence?

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by Lorimar Television

Funny how the show peaked when the lost girls stopped popping in. Coincidence?

I don't think it's a coincidence. The show's producers stopped caring about the series' original continuity, and with that change, there began to be a subtle shift. Soon, Eastland itself would be jettisoned, as the remaining characters began to slave away in a bakery, and eventually lost the show's star in the process. Random characters were added to try to repair the damage, but only restoring the original cast could have changed the course of the show. The scripts began swinging wildly out of control, Jo now somehow becoming an accomplished pianist, the girls buying a Spencer's rip-off store, and Pippa entering Stage Right with her boomerang and Crocodile Dundee lingo. The lightweight scripts had allowed the series to become a parody of itself, with characters that were now more caricatures vs. real characters. Look at what happened to Blair, for example. By the end, she didn't even know the US minted coins.

['80sSitcoms]

Originally Posted by Lorimar Television

Funny how the show peaked when the lost girls stopped popping in. Coincidence?

Haha! Good insight Lorsie, lol. For me it is a coincidence, because I wasn't even thinking of them when thinking of the "peak season". You'll remember I absolutely ADORE the cafeteria years of the show, which I always assumed is what most average fans think of when they hear "Facts of Life" mentioned, and season 4 is still in the cafeteria. It's full of good episodes and some great ones, but I just feel season 3 was the zenith of the show.

[Lorimar Television]

Originally Posted by '80sSitcoms

Haha! Good insight Lorsie, lol. For me it is a coincidence, because I wasn't even thinking of them when thinking of the "peak season". You'll remember I absolutely ADORE the cafeteria years of the show, which I always assumed is what most average fans think of when they hear "Facts of Life" mentioned, and season 4 is still in the cafeteria. It's full of good episodes and some great ones, but I just feel season 3 was the zenith of the show.

Yeah i agree

[Schmoopie]

Originally Posted by '80sSitcoms

Haha! Good insight Lorsie, lol. For me it is a coincidence, because I wasn't even thinking of them when thinking of the "peak season". You'll remember I absolutely ADORE the cafeteria years of the show, which I always assumed is what most average fans think of when they hear "Facts of Life" mentioned, and season 4 is still in the cafeteria. It's full of good episodes and some great ones, but I just feel season 3 was the zenith of the show.

When I decided to watch the whole series several months ago, I hadn't seen the show in years but what I remembered most were the scenes from the cafeteria.

['80sSitcoms]

Originally Posted by Schmoopie

When I decided to watch the whole series several months ago, I hadn't seen the show in years but what I remembered most were the scenes from the cafeteria.

Truly iconic.