The Facts of Life (1979)

Name: The Facts of Life
Rating: 7.1

Rating: 7.1

Synopsis

Mrs. Edna Garrett, housemother and dietitian at the Eastland School, teaches a group of girls in her charge how to solve those problems that every teenager has to face.

First Air Date: 1979-08-24

Last Air Date: 1988-05-07

Number of Seasons: 9

Number of Episodes: 201

Created By: Dick Clair, Norman Lear, Jenna McMahon

Networks: NBC

View Technical Specifications on IMDb

Top Cast

Lisa Whelchel as Blair Warner
Kim Fields as Tootie Ramsey
Mindy Cohn as Natalie Green
Nancy McKeon as Joanne Jo Polniaczek
Charlotte Rae as Edna Garrett
Mackenzie Astin as Andy Moffett
Cloris Leachman as Beverly Ann Stickle
Pamela Adlon as Kelly Affinado
Sherrié Austin as Pippa McKenna
George Clooney as George Burnett

Seasons

Select a Season

None

None (1979)

No overview available for this season.

Episodes:

Ep. 1: Rough Housing (1979-08-24)

The series opens with the Drummonds (from Diff'rent Strokes) visiting Eastland to see Mrs. Garrett (their ex-housekeeper). They arrive right in the middle of the Harvest Queen competition and Blair is sure she's going to win. So when Cindy considers running, Blair makes some snide comments about Cindy's femininity.
Ep. 2: Like Mother, Like Daughter (1979-08-31)

It's Parent's Night at Eastland and Blair's sophisticated mother arrives bringing with her, her flirtatious tendancies which prompt rumors when she becomes ""friendly"" with a married man.
Ep. 3: The Return of Mr. Garrett (1979-09-07)

Mrs. Garrett is surprised by a visit from her ex-husband, Roger, who wants the two of them to remarry. However, his gambling ways rub off on the girls who begin gambling on poker games and loosing what little money they have..
Ep. 4: I.Q. (1979-09-14)

Tootie accidentally comes across a paper which lists the I.Q. scores of each one of the girls. Nancy received the highest score and Sue Ann scored the lowest, this puts extra pressure on each one of them just prior to midterm exams.
Ep. 5: Overachieving (1980-03-12)

Tootie's father comes for a visit and doesn't like the activities that Tootie is being exposed to. Believing that Mrs. Garrett is a bad influence, Mr. Ramsey decides to have Tootie transfer out of Eastland.
Ep. 6: Emily Dickinson (1980-03-14)

Blair is so caught up with her latest boyfriend that she forgets about an English assignment in which she has to write a poem. So, at the last minute she plagiarizes a poem by Emily Dickinson and turns it in as her own. Things get worse when she's the only one who gets an A and Mr. Bradley enters her poem in a contest.
Ep. 7: Dieting (1980-03-21)

Blair and Sue Ann kid each other about their weight and Sue Ann takes Blair's comments a little too seriously. However, when Blair sets Sue Ann up on a blind date which will involve going swimming, Sue Ann goes on a starvation diet leading to a collapse. Meanwhile, Mrs. Garrett also jumps on the dieting wagon, trying to fit in a size 12 dress.
Ep. 8: The Facts of Love (1980-04-04)

Mrs. Garrett begins teaching a sex-education class at Eastland and her tactics are against the more prudish suggestions of Mr. Bradley. Meanwhile, Blair takes the ideas from class and expirements with her latest boyfriend, Steve.
Ep. 9: Flash Flood (1980-04-11)

A flood hits Peekskill which prompts Blair and Tootie to race out to the stables to save some animals from being washed away. However the damn breaks and Blair and Tootie become in danger of being washed away.
Ep. 10: Adoption (1980-04-25)

Mr. Bradley gives the girls an assignment having to do with their family trees. However, Natalie is reluctant to show hers in class do to the fact that the family that raised her is her adopted family. This prompts Blair to help Natalie find the name of her real mother by using her mother's clout to cut through some red tape and sealed records.
Ep. 11: Running (1980-05-02)

Mr. Bradley's need to have Eastland win prompts him to manipulate Sue Ann into competing in a running competition. Sue Ann had previously ran but this year decided not to, however, Mr. Bradley uses Cindy's better racing times to goad Sue Ann into competing.
Ep. 12: Molly's Holiday (1980-06-04)

Molly is down in the dumps due to her parents getting a divorce. So she gets some help from the girls who plan to reunite her parents. Things hit the fan, when her father arrives with a new girlfriend.
Ep. 13: Dope (1980-06-11)

Blair and Sue Ann befriend two new girls. All seems to go okay with them until they learn that their friends use drugs.