User reviews

I watched "The Facts of Life" Saturday nights on NBC while I was growing up and I looked forward to each and every episode. When the show ended I cried and thought "How will I ever get along without them?" Well, I had totally forgotten the reruns that had been playing in the afternoons for the past four years. So I was happy re-watching the old shows. In 1994 I heard about the "Facts" marathon on USA network and I had to tape it. It was commemorating the 15th anniversary of the shows original starting date (back in 1979-the year I was born). The marathon was hosted by Mindy Cohn (Natalie), Charlotte Rae (Mrs. Garrett) and Lisa Welchel (Blair). All three of them shared memories of what it was like working on the set and what each of them had been doing since the show had ended. It was great seeing how well all three of them had gotten on with their lives. It was too bad that Nancy McKeon (Jo), Kim Fields (Tootie), Sherrie Krenn (Pippa), Cloris Leachman (Beverly Ann), Pamela Segall (Kelly), George Clooney (George) and MacKenzie Astin (Andy) didn't come on the show too. I still watch that video recording every once and a while (about once or twice a year; especially around the holiday season) and I'm so glad that I taped it. My favorite episode (which, unfortunately, wasn't included in the marathon) was the one where they were running a pizza take-out service which was a total disaster...especially when Natalie lost control and got flour all over the room and on everyone else. I am hoping that USA will start re-running the show again soon. They were last year. What happened?

I remember back in 1979 when The Facts Of Life debuted it was a nice show, but lucky it got a second chance when it got retooled and revamped and streamlined. When it first debuted there were about six blond teen girls plus two other, a young black girl played by Kim Fields and a stout young girl who was Mindy Cohn. The rest were a group you could barely tell apart.

The following year this show about a girl's boarding school underwent a huge makeover. All the anonymous blond teens went, save one played by Lisa Whelchel. She stood out somewhat because of her character as a rich teen débutante who avoided serious subjects like the plague and thought her money fixed all. Over the years Whelchel's character grew somewhat.

But the show needed a contrasting bite and it got it when Nancy McKeon joined the cast. When she rode in on that motorcycle, bad girl in the making what it made was the show. Now you had potential for real conflict on the episodes.

Whelchel, Fields, Cohn, and McKeon pulled a real nasty prank on that first episode and were put in some kind of permanent probation living with school counselor Charlotte Rae. She became a strict but loving den mother to the four of them as they went through puberty learning The Facts Of Life.

With a few tight scrapes they learned them well. If the show wasn't completely realistic it wasn't exactly the Fifties either. The kids had some real issues, but it was all done PG.

It was also good entertainment.

Although the begining of this show takes place in the 70's, this show is so 80's it hurts. I love this show! This was and still is one of my favorite sitcoms from the 80's. However,I must say I agree with the other reviews in saying that the show was just wonderful until about 1985, when Edna'a Edibles burns down and they remodel the store. Then they add some corny testosterone in the form of two characters; a whiney, conceided 12 year old boy and not even George Clooney's early talent could make up for his lame character either. The show is still, however watchable and even enjoyable, after all this (including Mrs. G leaving), in just wanting to find out what happens to the other girls, especially Jo and Natalie, who are two of the greatest and most real characters in a sitcom. Natalie and Jo were also my favorite characters. The reason why is because they were not glammed-up susperstars with unreal problems. They were down to earth and I could really identify with them and so did many others my age, we being children of the 80's. It's a shame today that sitcoms have become so obsessed with sex, violence and vanity, that many of the children of today feel they must identify with these ideas instead of the show identifying with them. I actually really liked all of the girls. Blair was fun too, but she needed the balance of Jo's character to tame her down a bit. Tootie was a good friend to Natalie. And they both needed each other. They all fit together and the four make for one of the greatest casts in TV history. However, some of my most favorite episodes, focused on Natalie and Jo. Like the one when Natalie doesn't get a job at the Peekskill Press and she needs to learn to share her feelings with her boyfriend (one of my old faves, Casey Siemaszko made an early appearance here) I also love the episode where Jo runs a late night radio station and all the girls come and help her out. I am forever greatful to Nick at Nite for re-running this charming sitcom.

This is my all-time favorite show! I rarely missed an episode. I was a teen and this show centered a lot around real issues. After Charlotte Rae left the show, it was still ok. Still funny. But it wasn't really the same and it seemed we were approaching an end to the show. I own the entire series on dvd. Abd at 53, I still watch it when I can.

I think this is probably an unpopular opinion, but I like the original version of the series much better. In the 1st season, there were 7 girls instead of 4, they were all likable and the show was racier, funnier and more lighthearted than it turned out to be. While the show always dealt with serious issues it really turned up the "afterschool special" vibe after the first season when they nixed 4 of the girls - downhome Sue Anne, tomboy Cindy, boy-crazy Nancy and young feminist Molly played by soon-to-be 80's teen-queen Molly Ringwald - not to mention the headmaster Mr Bradley - all very nice characters I was sad to see go. They then brought in one new girl: tomboy Jo from the wrong-side-of-the-tracks, accompanying Tootie, Natalie and my favorite character, the snooty beautiful Blair; all under the watchful eyes of the lovable, kooky but strict Mrs Garrett. Once they got into the 2nd season it seemed the emphasis was really on serious issues, with a lot of crying and drama. While Season One dealt with these kinds of issues itself (Drugs, Adoption etc...) it did it in a much funnier way. Also, what happened to Tootie?? She was sooo funny in the 1st season and then turns into a whiny and annoying snooze?? There were still some great funny moments though. And it did go through more transitions than most shows do: with that first big cast and setting change into the school cafeteria, then to Mrs Garrett's Edna's Edibles Deli store, then to the pop culture store Over Our Heads, at which point it gets wayyy too cheesy for me and I just can not tolerate the show at that point. It's funny cuz I watched this show growing up when it played heavily in reruns after school (along with Brady Bunch, Diffrent Strokes and Three's Company) - I never realized how dramatic this show was back then, until I rewatched it via DVD and was like: "Where's the funny?". Anyway, I find Brady Bunch and Three's Company much more to my liking these days. When I watch a comedy series, I want to laugh *not* be thrust into sad and stressful situations like suicide and cancer.

"You take the good, you take the bad,

You take them both and there you have

The facts of life. The facts of life."

At the risk of sounding chauvinistic, I'm a guy and I loved "The Facts of Life." I had nothing in common with any of the girls or Mrs. Garrett (Charlotte Rae), but it was a blast. Sure, the rich girl Blair (Lisa Whelchel) got on my nerves at times, and Jo (Nancy McKeon) seemed to be angry a lot, but who didn't like Tootie (Kim Fields) and Natalie (Mindy Cohn)? And the theme song was unforgettable.

That's why there was spin off of Different Strokes.

A spin-off about girls living together and going through problems of the 80s.

The show was no Different Strokes. There was no Gary in this show at all. The show lasted long for a show that looked very plain. 9 years is a long time when you're just an alright show.

It was an alright show just lacked substance.

After reading the many positive comments about this show, I felt obliged to give my opinion. This show was a "sitcom" As such it is supposed to be funny. To me, thats the measure of a good sitcom...whether or not it is actually funny. Yes, I know this show dealt with some serious issues...loss of virginity, etc. To be honest, I hate when sitcoms attempt to do "serious" shows. There's a certain pretentiousness to this. This aside, "Facts of Life" was just was not a funny show. The first season was bearable, but when they brought in Nancy McKeon ("Yeah...I'm from da Bronx")it hit the skids, and continued to go downhill, especially when they brought in Chloris Leachman. I realize not every show can be "Seinfeld", but when a sitcom is produced for TV, the show should be FUNNY, and "Facts of Life just wasn't

This show was one to watch growing up in the 1980s. Having recently watched again, all the more memorable episodes is as I remember. The themes of individual episodes are just as relevant today as it was then. I loved watching the characters develop over the years.

I saw a number of episodes of this when I was a kid as this is one of the shows my sister enjoyed and it is fair that she got to watch her show. Still, this one was painful for the most part to endure. Mainly because it started out so much more interesting than it turned out to be as it had a whole lot of girls as it was like an all girls school. Then they stripped the show down to like four stereotype girls and the show was simply one annoying episode after another. You had your rich girl, the poor girl, the fat girl and the African American girl. So you basically had clashes between rich and poor while other two were just goofy friends. The show would get worse and worse as it continued inexplicably for a whopping 209 episodes. I cannot believe this one was that much of a ratings juggernaut that it had more episodes than Night Court and Wings to much more polished shows than this girl squealathon. Of course, when you gear things towards teen girls you can usually have a hit I guess, I mean that kind of explains the whole Twilight phenomenon of today. Of course, I do not want to act as if I completely hate this show or anything as like I said the first season had its moments and some more interesting stories. It just went on to long, I mean how long are people who can not stand each other going to stay friends? (Rich girl and poor girl).

If you want to see another example of why the 80's were the greatest decade of the 20th century, here's a prime example. Although I was a male, me and my brothers loved this show. I don't why, I guess it was a "what were we thinking" kind of deal. I guess as fans of "Diff'rent Strokes", we would watch the spin-offs. Granted, no one in the cast of females would cause the S Club 7 girls to lose sleep in the beauty department (sorry Lisa), but the character development was superb. Natalie Green, Jo Polnochek, Tootie Ramsey, Blair Warner, and the young girls that would come and go were all so appealing. You cared about them all. Charlotte Rae's Mrs. Garrett was the kind of women we all wish we could have known and befriended. Heck, I even miss Pippa, she was a cute, headstrong kind of girl. The acting was always good, it felt like it was real life instead of an act. I would like to check this show out again, just to see why I watched it. Oh, and Mrs. Garrett, Oingo Boingo's music is still very cool.

Delightful show that got me through the pandemic. It came on the Antenna channel and I watched it every day during the lockdown. To be totally honest nothing about the 80s is of interest to me. I don't like the fashion, music (except for Janet Jackson), movies, or TV shows, but I fell in love with this program. I find most 80s sitcoms to be cheesy and predictable. However, this show had unique characters and creative storylines. Four girls from different walks of life attend a private boarding school in upstate New York, guided by their no nonsense headmaster, Mrs. Garrett. The show starts out when they're 12 or 13, and follows them until their 20s. It's a realistic portrayal of female friendship. They encounter real world problems and learn valuable lessons. It's nice to see a show where teenage girls aren't partying or chasing after boys every second. Somewhere in the mess of Hannah Montana and iCarly, TV shows about girls became vapid and encouraged problematic behavior, such as disrespect, gossiping, and obsession with physical appearance. This is a cool show - it's still relevant for preteen and teenage girls even today.

The Facts of Life premiered when I was already about 21. So I was past the issues that confront adolescents during their school years. But this show was so good, it could be enjoyed by those of all ages. It was warm, funny, and showed teenage girls in a positive light. Each episode had a moral to it, without being too preachy.

The characters really were '80s'-types; meaning that they reflected the increasingly conservative mood of the country during the run of the show. In other words, they were more serious-minded, focused, and had a bit more faith in their teachers, than we who were teens in the 70s seemed to. When I was a teen in the early through mid 70s, kids seemed to be wilder (more inclined towards partying, drug-use, drinking, and casual sex). But then, I was a teen before the conservative Reagan-era of the 80s. Teens of the early-80s were entering a new era, where they were beginning to buckling-down, and take their futures seriously. And the characters in the The Facts of Life certainly did so. Of course, they had their basic insecurities, and conflicts, like all teens do.

The Jo Polniaczek character was an especially positive role model for girls, since she seemed to be the most strong-willed and intelligent of the bunch. Mrs. Garrett was also excellent as the stern, yet understanding housemother/confidant/guardian for the characters. I do agree with some of the others who commented on the show, regarding how it was best during the first couple of years or so. It was still okay to watch when Mrs. Garrett left the show, but Cloris Leachman just didn't seem to cut it as their new 'mother-figure'. I would definitely recommend this show, both for the 80s nostalgia-factor, and the excellent characters. Just be aware that the first few seasons of the show are the best.

I did see a couple of episodes of the show, and nobody in my family was impressed. Yes, it was a sitcom and not intended to be too realistic, but there are limits.

What went wrong? Basically, all the characters were stereotypical, with the school's headmaster simply being an obvious fake. I wasn't sure of that was the idea, but even a sitcom requires credible characters. I realize there are people here who find this show wonderful, but I cannot figure out why. Sorry.

Being born in '92, I find myself watching sitcoms from older decades. TV was just so much better then. This show has always been a favorite of mine.

FOL was really a cheesy spin off to what was a fine t.v. sitcom. That's the sad failing about this show of talentless and an unattractive cast. If you can get this, they didn't think George Clooney was eye catching at the time, when he did a stint in the show, which was a waste of that guys talents. Apart from Nancy Mckeon's feisty character Jo, the rest of the characters, you couldn't care one stink about. Lisa Whelchel's character, the bossy and prissy Claire was fun too, bit there were moments I really wanted to strangle her. The show was low on laughs too, each episode forgettable as the last. The show was set in a boarding school, run by, guess who, the popular Mrs Garrett. The show dealt with a lot of dramatic issues, the blows we suffer, of teen angst, that sort of thing, but none really that caught our attention. One show, I distinctly remember was Kim Field's character, trying to make it as an actress. The show had of course, good intentions, one plus for me was, it made boarding school look like a holiday. I myself, was in boarding school for a little while, and it wasn't. Please, take my advice, learn the facts of life from not watching The Facts Of Life.

This show aired when I was just entering my teens, and I can't think of a better time to have had such a wonderful show to watch. It was as if someone had asked my little-girl imagination what it's dream show would be, and then made it just for me. I've enjoyed the re-runs on USA, but can't quite understand why they never show the earliest episodes from 1979. Observant fans will remember those as the ones with the girls living in the dorm, prior to working in the cafeteria. Those were my favorites, and it seems like they never show them. Please get a clue USA. That's when the show was at it's best!

Such a fun show. They do not write characters like this anymore. 40 years later all these characters are still relatable. The situations may be dated......but still relatable. Laugh out loud moments, especially when Blair plays up the comedy. Under all the comedy.......is heart. Love it.

The Facts of Life was an unusual comedy series on NBC because it lasted so long and in different environments. First, Charlotte Rae became so famous for playing Mrs. Edna Garrett on Different Strokes that she earned her own show. The first season was set with a large cast of characters including one girl who had a boyfriend named Roger. Molly Ringwald was a cast member before she became a movie star. There was the blonde pretty girl but not Blair played by Lisa Welchel. Then there was chubby Natalie Greene played by Mindy Cohn and roller skating Tootie played by Kim Fields. Jo played by Nancy McKeon joined the cast later on. The show kept changing it's cast and it got better. They narrowed it down to four girls, Blair, Natalie, Tootie, and Josephine (from the wrong side of the tracks). The cast got along better. I felt like I grew up with this show like many girls my age. Even when Mrs. Garrett left, she was replaced by Cloris Leachman. What a cast that included George Clooney at one time, Marj Dusay, Randee Heller, Alex Rocco, Mackenzie Astin, and others along the way.

The Facts of Life was a show that pushed the boundaries on many topics for its time. It was really quite far ahead of its time tackling racism, sexuality, dating, and body image.

It also was one of the shows that gave George Clooney his start, and Milly Ringwald hers as well.

It is a must watch.

The Facts of Life ran on network TV during my early years but I have seen it in syndication and I really, really like what I have seen. The series is intensely entertaining to say the least. My favorite character is none other than Jo Polniaczek, portrayed by the ever-gorgeous Nancy McKeon. From the way I look at it, the series' best episodes are those that revolve around the Jo character. The other cast members are also terrific but McKeon will always be my top favorite from the classic NBC show.

I really hope that entire Facts of Life series gets released on DVD eventually. Hopefully, when this finally happens, retail stores will be able to keep the boxed sets in stock. Also, I really hope that the first two seasons get released as one set, as those two were only half-seasons. I am very anxious to view this incredible show again!