My recollection

I am in my mid-30's but I still get a kick watching the episodes on N&N. What is interesting I remember watching the first couple of seasons...I vividly recall the intro where Drummond was in the limo fetching Willis and Arnold from the basketball court. I vividly recall how the storyline of two black ghetto kids taken to rich man's penthouse made a big impact when its first aired. I even recall the first episodes...Willis always seems to have problems adjusting to his new digs,Mrs Garrett the housekeeper, Kimbery accepting her new brothers, the boys always referring to their benefactor as "Mr. Drummond". After the first couple of seasons, I started high school, my interests changed..and I stopped seeing the show and totally forgot about it.

So when I watched the later episodes now at N&N, (for the first time) I am blown over by how long the series lasted and the changes taht have occurred. I had no idea Drummond got married, I didnt know about Pearl, (I think I remember Adeline), didnt know Janet Jackson was Willis' girlfriend. While it was interesting to see these changes, it was sad to see how stale the writing and production was in the later years. The original premise of the show (the two kids in the penthouse) was long gone. Arnold and (the six-foot) Willis had no chemistry anymore. Whats worse, is that the warmth that used to be there was gone. Somehow, Maggie and Sam really did not do much for me.

This was never more apparent than in the Wedding episode. I was pleasantly surprised when Mrs. Garrett showed up. (By this time, she was well into the Facts of Life.)I thought Cool! But the greeting she got from the kids was so fake. And it was obvious she was just there for a token appearance. And all I could think was "My God! what happened to this show..it is so cold now!" Maybe the well-publicized troubles off the screen was affecting the quality of the show at this point.