Since it was a spinoff...

[JohnMcMillin]

does anyone feel like Facts is perhaps the only spinoff show (well, one where a regular character moved to the show, not the Andy Griffith/Mork & Mindy/Laverne & Shirley shows that made a spinoff from a guest star) that quickly grew out of the shadow of the other show, which was Diff'rent Strokes.

Look at a show like Frasier, which is a huge ratings hit, but it will always be in Cheers' shadow. Whereas by the 4th or so season of TFOL, people remembered Charlotte from FOL instead of DS. When people said Mrs. Garrett, they usually meant on Facts.

I also think it is one of the very few spinoffs that equaled or topped the original. Now I loved Diff'rent Strokes and would love to see it back on the air in reruns, but I do wonder if the show will have aged as well as TFOL did. With Facts, episodes filmed 20 years ago are still excellent.

[Polniaczek13]

i never really understood the whole DS and FOL spin off thing, was mrs g a charecter on DS???? this has always confused me because i never really watches DS so i am kinda confused! http://www.sitcomsonline.com/ubb/confused.gif http://www.sitcomsonline.com/ubb/confused.gif can anyone help me?
polniaczek13 (pol-cheese-nee-cack http://www.sitcomsonline.com/ubb/tongue.gif)

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NAT: JO, if you dont get this scholarship, youre gonna be back in the BRONX running around with the little pueblos!
JO: YOUNG DIABLOS!

BLAIR: take them off JO!! I dont want to fail!
Jo: will you read my editorial?
Blair: YES!
JO: You PROMISE?
Blair: YES!!
JO: You SWEAR??
Blair: YESS!!!
Jo: i dont believe you (self satisfied smirk on her face!)

[Madness]

Yeah, Mrs. G was the maid on the first season of Diffr'ent Strokes. That's why Arnold, Kimberly, Willis and Mr. Drummond all appearred on the first episode of the Facts of Life. She had in her contract that she would get her own series and, well, as we all know...she did! http://www.sitcomsonline.com/ubb/smile.gif Imagine life without the Facts of Life! Pretty bad, huh? And I believe I also heard that if the show didn't last, she would be able to come back to Diffr'ent Strokes. BTW, she was the maid from 1978-1979 on Diffr'ent Strokes.

Glad I could help!
Have a good night,
Adam http://www.sitcomsonline.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

[This message has been edited by Madness (edited 12-01-2000).]

[This message has been edited by Madness (edited 12-01-2000).]

[JohnMcMillin]

yep, Charlotte played Edna Garrett in season 1 (1978-1979) of DS. She was the maid of the Drummons. I grew up watching DS as well, but I wasn't even ALIVE the first season, so I grew up knowing Mrs. Garrett as Facts. And then one day they were showing a Diff'rent Strokes rerun like in 86 or 87, and all of a sudden I noticed Charlotte and she was called Mrs. Garrett on that too. And at that age, I had no idea why she was on it, cause I knew her from FOL for such a long time, LOL.

[TJ]

I will have to disagree with you about Frasier and Cheers. Frasier has long since outgrown its' Cheers shadow and will go down as it's own unique part of sitcom history. Kelsey Grammer was on 9 seasons of Cheers I think but the longer Frasier continues the more people will think of him as being on Frasier. I think it's difficult to compare his 9 seasons on Cheers vs. Charlotte Rae's one season (well really 1 1/2 seasons) on DS.

Charlotte Rae appeared in atleast 10 episodes of the second season of Diff'rent Strokes so that would lead you to believe they were unsure if FOL was going to continue. I read that she had safe passage back to DS if FOL had failed so she really couldn't lose either way..

[JohnMcMillin]

from the sounds of it, the DS producers were really loyal and nice to Charlotte. I mean, The Ropers on THREE'S COMPANY were promised a safe return to TC if their spinoff flopped, the spinoff flopped, but by 1980, they were happy with Don Knotts on it that they never came back.

I think the second season of FOL was one of the greatest strokes of luck ever. Today, NBC would never consider renewing a show that is #74 in the ratings unless it's hyped as an underdog show that will get huge when more people watch (ala Law And Order's first few seasons or something like Third Watch), but nonetheless, NBC did a great thing, cause by renewing FOL, we got a good 5 or 6 solid classic seasons before it began to fade into sitcom oblivion.

[Polniaczek13]

yeah, i was wondering who they were, that is kinda cool how they tied the 2 shows together!
Jo

------------------
NAT: JO, if you dont get this scholarship, youre gonna be back in the BRONX running around with the little pueblos!
JO: YOUNG DIABLOS!

BLAIR: take them off JO!! I dont want to fail!
Jo: will you read my editorial?
Blair: YES!
JO: You PROMISE?
Blair: YES!!
JO: You SWEAR??
Blair: YESS!!!
Jo: i dont believe you (self satisfied smirk on her face!)

[Polniaczek13]

yeah, i was wondering who they were, that is kinda cool how they tied the 2 shows together!
Jo

------------------
NAT: JO, if you dont get this scholarship, youre gonna be back in the BRONX running around with the little pueblos!
JO: YOUNG DIABLOS!

BLAIR: take them off JO!! I dont want to fail!
Jo: will you read my editorial?
Blair: YES!
JO: You PROMISE?
Blair: YES!!
JO: You SWEAR??
Blair: YESS!!!
Jo: i dont believe you (self satisfied smirk on her face!)