Before Degrassi Junior High and Seventh Heaven, there was The Facts of Life--a feel-good sitcom where a lesson was learned at the end of each episode. Set in an all-girl boarding school, the series spanned nine seasons, countless hairdos, and an array of cast members and guest stars--some of whom (George Clooney, Helen Hunt, Molly Ringwald) would become very, very famous in the future. Tseries introduces TV viewers to characters that represent girls everyone knows--Blair, the rich, spoiled girl; Natalie, the chubby smart aleck; Jo, the rebellious tomboy; and Tootie, the rollerskating tattletale.
A spin-off of Diff'rent Strokes, The Facts of Life was designed as a showcase for Charlotte Rae, who played jack-of-all-trades den mother Edna Garrett. But the show's central plots all revolved around the girls. Back in 1979, certain words weren't common on television. So when Blair tries to make a schoolmate feel bad, insinuating that the girl is a lesbian, she uses the word "strange" instead of the "L" word. The series is a coming-of-age story that plays to its target audience of teenage girls. While much of the humor isn't very sophisticated, the homespun messages the show spread are right on target, whether it's dealing with eating disorders, sexual promiscuity, or acknowledging that handicapped people are people, too. From 1979 to 1988, the girls would grow into young women who go to college, get jobs, and lose their virginity (not necessarily in that order).
Cast and Characters
Charlotte Rae as Edna Garrett (1979-1986)
Mindy Cohn as Natalie Green
Kim Fields as Dorothy "Tootie" Ramsey
Lisa Whelchel as Blair Warner
MacKenzie Astin as Andy Moffett (1985-1988)
Scott Byrce as Rick Bonner (1988)
George Clooney as George Burnett (1985-1986)
Julie Anne Haddock as Cindy Webster (1979-1980)
Todd Hollowell as Jeff Williams (1987-1988)
Sherrie Krenn as Pippa McKenna (1987-1988)
John Lawlor as Stephen Bradley (1979-1980)
Cloris Leachman as Beverly Ann Stickle (1986-1988)
Nancy McKeon as Jo Polniazek (1980-1988)
Jenny O'Hara as Emily Mahoney (1979)
Julie Piekarski as Sue Ann Weaver (1979-1980)
Paul Provenza as Casey Clark (1987-1988)
Molly Ringwald as Molly Parker (1979-1980)
Robert Romanus as Snake Robinson (1987-1988)
Felice Schachter as Nancy Olson (1979-1980)
Pam Segall as Kelly Affinado (1983-1984)
Hugh Gillin as Howard (1980-1981)
Broadcast History First Telecast: August 24, 1979 Last Telecast: May 7, 1988 Number of Episodes: 209
Number of Seasons: 9
Original Network: NBC
August 1979- September 1979, NBC, Friday 8:00-8:30pm
March 1980- May 1980, NBC, Friday 8:30-9:00pm
June 1980- July 1980, NBC, Wednesday 9:30-10:00pm
August 1980- October 1980, NBC, Friday 8:30-9:00pm
November 1980- October 1981, NBC, Wednesday 9:30-10:00pm
October 1981- August 1985, NBC, Wednesday 9:00-9:30pm
September 1985- June 1986, NBC, Saturday 8:30-9:00pm
June 1986- May 1987, NBC, Saturday 8:00-8:30pm
June 1987- July 1987 , NBC, Wednesday 9:00-9:30pm
July 1987- May 1988, NBC, Saturday 8:00-8:30pm
Theme Song Lyrics and Opening Credits
"The Facts of Life," by Alan Thicke, Gloria Loring and Al Burton, sung by Gloria Loring.
You take the good, you take the bad,
you take them both and there you have
The Facts of Life, the Facts of Life.
There's a time you got to go and show
You're growin' now you know about
The Facts of Life, the Facts of Life.
When the world never seems
to be livin up to your dreams
And suddenly you're finding out
the Facts of Life are all about you, you.
It takes a lot to get 'em right
When you're learning the Facts of Life. (learning the Facts of Life)
Learning the Facts of Life (learning the Facts of Life)
Learning the Facts of Life.
Before Degrassi Junior High and Seventh Heaven, there was The Facts of Life--a feel-good sitcom where a lesson was learned at the end of each episode. Set in an all-girl boarding school, the series spanned nine seasons, countless hairdos, and an array of cast members and guest stars--some of whom (George Clooney, Helen Hunt, Molly Ringwald) would become very, very famous in the future. Tseries introduces TV viewers to characters that represent girls everyone knows--Blair, the rich, spoiled girl; Natalie, the chubby smart aleck; Jo, the rebellious tomboy; and Tootie, the rollerskating tattletale.
