Why wasn't Dana Plato brought back as a full-time cast member for Season 8

[TMC]

I apologize if this has been asked before, but this really came to my attention after watching some episodes of Season 8 (the final season) on Encore Black for the past few days. I think that everybody knows by know that Dana Plato was let go from Diff'rent Strokes prior to Season 7 (the last season on NBC) because she was pregnant. Basically, the producers felt that it wouldn't be suitable for the show's otherwise "wholesome" image (as well as it would feel rather "out of character" for Kimberly's sweet, "good girl" character) to have or hint (i.e. by "strategically" hiding her belly) to Dana's real life pregnancy (since Dana was I believe at the time, still a teenager and not married) on camera.

I know that Kimberly towards the end of Season 7, guest starred as a "present" (they explained her absence by saying that Kimberly was away in Paris, France studying) for her father's birthday. But even for the last season, Kimberly's role was still reduced to nothing more than a "special guest star". Was it because of Dana's alleged unreliability do to her escalating drug abuse (although the producer's never said that that was part of the reasons why she was let go, just her pregnancy)?

[comedyfreak]

I think it was due in part to her drug abuse, they probably couldn't work around her anymore and with her pregnancy which she couldn't hide. The show had to go on with or without her.

[TMC]

http://www.datalounge.com/cgi-bin/io...ead,10862092,2

When she went on "Different Strokes" she was very in demand as an actress, including a lot of commercial work. According to Todd Bridges, they both got heavily into the club scene after the show became a hit. The show tried to cover up for them when their behavior was getting into the tabloids, but once Plato got pregnant and married at 18 it killed her image as a kid actor. She really wasn't sophisticated enough to realize there was no coming back from this. The show sent her character permanantly off to college. All she knew how to do was act, but no one would hire her unless it was soft porn type of stuff.
by: Anonymous reply 37 04/20/2012 @ 04:15PM

You have to remember the times. This was 1985, and to have a child at that age was a no-no.

Diff'rent Strokes was a family show, targeted at a youth audience. [Back then, what message would be sent by having one of the characters looking pregnant, even if it was hidden from the audience.

It would be the same if Selena Gomez got pregnant, wasn't married, and starring on a Disney show. Oh sure it wouldn't be a big deal. But now way would Disney have her continue her show. They would probably put the show on hiatus and wait for her to have the baby, and then have her go back to work.
by: Anonymous reply 42 04/20/2012 @ 04:57PM

I think it was because the show was aimed at kids. Unmarried teen pregnancy was the type of topic they preached against. They could have tried to cover it up but the tabloids got the story and ran with it.

On the other hand, it helped get the show a free burst of publicity AND saved the production money by losing a main cast member. The show had been sinking in the ratings and Kimberly had never had much to do so the producers were probably secretly glad to be rid of her.
by: Anonymous reply 46 04/20/2012 @ 05:13PM

[RetroGuy2000]

I think Dana's drug abuse was a liability, and I think the producers used her pregnancy as an excuse to fire her. That's why, even after she had the baby, she was only brought back on an occasional basis.