TV series
The series stars Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges as Arnold and Willis Jackson, two African American boys from Harlem who are taken in by a rich white Park Avenue businessman named Phillip Drummond and his daughter Kimberly, for whom their deceased mother previously worked. During the first season and first half of the second season, Charlotte Rae also starred as the Drummonds' housekeeper, Mrs. Garrett.
Streaming, rental and purchase options
Checked Jul 22, 2026
Diff'rent Strokes is available to stream on Tubi in United States. Use the direct links below to open the provider.
The series stars Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges as Arnold and Willis Jackson, two African American boys from Harlem who are taken in by a rich white Park Avenue businessman named Phillip Drummond and his daughter Kimberly, for whom their deceased mother previously worked. During the first season and first half of the second season, Charlotte Rae also starred as the Drummonds' housekeeper, Mrs. Garrett.
Choose an episode, then use the watch options above for the show.
Episode 1
Arnold is determined to defeat brother Willis at his own game and dethrone him as local video game champ, but in doing so Arnold's passion becomes a destructive ""addiction"" that could have serious consequences.
Directed by Gerren KeithGuest stars Shavar Ross, Rosalind Chao, Steven Mond
Episode 2
Willis is completely supportive of Kimberly's transfer into his public school, until his sister's ""innocent"" actions begin getting him into hot water.
Directed by Gerren KeithWritten by Blake HunterGuest stars Mary Jo Catlett, Janet Jackson
Episode 3
Arnold's on the outs with his best friend Dudley after he innocently offers to help his bashful buddy win the heart of a young lady -- who falls for Arnold instead.
Directed by Gerren KeithGuest stars Mary Jo Catlett, Shavar Ross
Episode 4
Arnold's got a ""can't lose"" plan for curing a new classmate's loneliness -- sharing big brother Willis -- but his kind of intentions leave Arnold feeling like the lonely, only child.
Directed by Gerren KeithGuest stars Mary Jo Catlett
Episode 5
Willis' personal safety is in jeopardy when his noble attempt to mediate a feud between rival gangs backfires, forcing him to take a drastic step to insure his protection -- purchasing a handgun.
Directed by Gerren KeithGuest stars Mary Jo Catlett, Andrew Dice Clay, Arye Gross
Episode 6
Arnold and his buddies fabricate a ""little white lie"" in an attempt to get rid of an overly-conscientious substitute teacher, but their tell tale could result in more than just removing the teacher from the classroom -- it could destroy his entire career.
Directed by Gerren KeithGuest stars Mary Jo Catlett, Shavar Ross, Rosalind Chao, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Steven Mond
Episode 7
A false I.D. and a false bravado create real problems for Willis and a beautiful ""older"" woman when an evening on the town doesn't go quite as he had planned.
Directed by Gerren KeithWritten by Debra Frank, Scott RubensteinGuest stars Mary Jo Catlett, Shari Belafonte, Janet Jackson
Episode 8
Arnold must face the bare facts -- his chances of winning a prestigious school election seem desperately slim, thanks to an ""overexposed"" candid campaign photo taken by sister Kimberly.
Directed by Gerren KeithGuest stars Mary Jo Catlett, Shavar Ross, Rosalind Chao, Steven Mond
Episode 9
A long lost trunk returned to the boys contains a tape recording of their deceased mother which brings to the surface a previously unrecognized problem that triggers uncharacteristic behavior from a usually happy-go-lucky Arnold.
Directed by Gerren KeithWritten by Howard Meyers, Paul HaggisGuest stars Mary Jo Catlett
Episode 10
Arnold's unexpected confrontation with the new building manager's son leads to a chilling series of events that could get the entire Drummond family evicted.
Directed by Gerren KeithGuest stars Mary Jo Catlett, Brad Kesten, Edward Andrews
Episode 11
Willis learns that even a little power in the wrong hands can be dangerous when he oversteps the bounds of his authority in his afterschool job at his father's office.
Directed by Gerren KeithGuest stars Mary Jo Catlett
Episode 12
Arnold falls innocent victim to a beguiling street-corner Santa who has an ulterior financial motive for hiring him as a holiday ""helper.""
Directed by Gerren KeithGuest stars Mary Jo Catlett
Episode 13
At 16, Willis thinks he's man enough and old enough to ""top"" a few drinks with the guys, but Drummond's objections send Willis storming out of the house intent on proving his father wrong.
Directed by Gerren KeithWritten by Ed JuristGuest stars Mary Jo Catlett, Lawrence Monoson
Episode 14
Drummond's plans for a quiet and private weekend ""alone"" don't quite work out as he had intended, when a storm sends Arnold, Willis and Kimberly home from a camping trip early -- catching him off guard in a compromising situation.
Directed by Gerren KeithGuest stars Mary Jo Catlett
Episode 15
A new job and a handsome new boss add up to trouble for an innocent Kimberly when her new employer starts displaying a more than casual interest in her -- hoping that his ""special attention"" will help land him a position within Drummond's prestigious company.
Directed by Gerren KeithGuest stars Mary Jo Catlett
Episode 16
Unaware that he's being lured into the carefully crafted trap of a child molester, Arnold eagerly agrees to perform a simple task in return for an overly generous reward from a ""friendly"" neighborhood merchant.
Directed by Gerren KeithWritten by Blake HunterGuest stars Gordon Jump, Shavar Ross
Episode 17
Arnold and Dudley's ""friendship"" with a local merchant reaches a dangerous turning point when, unbeknownst to the boys, the man, who is actually a child molester, is about to make his move.
Directed by Gerren KeithWritten by Blake HunterGuest stars Gordon Jump, Shavar Ross, Le Tari, Brad Trumbull
Episode 18
Kimberly is overjoyed when Olympic Gold Medalist Dorothy Hamill sees great promise in her as a competitive figure skater, but she's even more astounded when Drummond agrees to let her leave the New York ""nest"" to train full time with the award-winning skater -- in Los Angeles.
Directed by Gerren KeithGuest stars Mary Jo Catlett, Dorothy Hamill
Episode 19
Arnold's good intentions backfire when his efforts to help his handicapped friend Kathy adjust to life in public school cost him the esteem of his classmates and the friendship of pals Dudley and Robbie.
Directed by Gerren KeithGuest stars Shavar Ross, Rosalind Chao, Steven Mond, Melanie Watson
Episode 20
To try to curb Arnold's run of bad luck, Drummond gives him a pet cricket, but the Japanese ""good luck charm"" brings nothing but sleepless nights and dreams of ""pesticide"" to the rest of the household.
Directed by Gerren KeithWritten by Howard Meyers, Paul HaggisGuest stars Mary Jo Catlett, Shavar Ross, Steven Mond
Episode 21
The household's turned upside down when Drummond becomes Arnold's roommate for a week.
Directed by Gerren KeithGuest stars Mary Jo Catlett
Episode 22
Determined to prove he didn't fabricate a story about drug abuse in his grade school just to win a journalism contest, Arnold takes his article to the New York City newspaper sponsoring the competition, and when they run his story on the front page, Arnold receives some unexpected more support from First Lady Nancy Reagan.
Directed by Gerren KeithGuest stars Mary Jo Catlett, Nancy Reagan, Shavar Ross, Rosalind Chao, David Mendenhall, Steven Mond
Episode 23
Arnold's Romeo is steeped in more turmoil than Shakespeare ever intended when he's tricked by his ""best friends"" into playing opposite arch-nemisis Lisa's Juliet.
Guest stars Mary Jo Catlett, Shavar Ross, Rosalind Chao, Steven Mond
Episode 24
School ""thug"" Larry coerces Willis into teaching him how to ""make it"" with girls, but things go from bad to worse when Larry's first target is Willis' sister Kimberly.
Directed by Gerren KeithGuest stars Mary Jo Catlett, Andrew Dice Clay, Jami Gertz
Episode information updated Jul 22, 2026
Conrad BainPhillip Drummond
Gary ColemanArnold Jackson
Todd BridgesWillis Jackson
Dana PlatoKimberly Drummond
Mary Jo CatlettPearl Gallagher
Danny CookseySam McKinney
Dixie CarterMaggie McKinney
Charlotte RaeEdna Garrett
ABCUnited States
NBCUnited States
Tandem ProductionsUnited States
