Diff'rent Strokes

Season 8

TV-PG

The misadventures of suave Park Avenue millionaire Phillip Drummond, his teenage daughter Kimberly, and their current housekeeper Edna Garrett who adopted the two pre-teenage sons of their late African American housekeeper from Harlem.

Where to Watch Season 8

19 Episodes

Sam's Missing (1)
E1
Sam's Missing (1)A family whose little boy died, forces the father to kidnap Sam, who is shopping for some snacks in a grocery store. After the kidnapping, the man threatens to kill Sam's parents if he attempts in any way to escape.
Sam's Missing (2)
E2
Sam's Missing (2)The Drummonds, desperate to get Sam back, go on the news to try and advertise to get Sam back. In the meantime Sam risks everything to tell the Drummonds where he is.
Bully for Arnold
E3
Bully for ArnoldGuarding the school bully's girlfriend, Ramona, seems like a simple task to Arnold, until his natural Jackson ""charm"" creates some problems, Ramona falls head over heels for him and Herman, the bully, wants to rearrange his face.
Love on the Run
E4
Love on the RunSam and Arnold fear that the time their parents are spending apart is a symptom of an ailing marriage and the boys attempt to give them a dose of romance, hoping it will be the cure that will keep them from divorce.
Willis Goes to College
E5
Willis Goes to CollegeWillis takes a big step when he leave home for college, but fears his initiation to dorm life is only one of the freshman experiences he may not be ready to handle.
Arnold's Job
E6
Arnold's JobArnold's dream of becoming an ""overnight"" success as a photo-journalist run headlong into reality when he gets his first job on a local newspaper.
A Tale of Two Teachers
E7
A Tale of Two TeachersKareem Abdul-Jabbar guest stars as a high school English teacher who gives Arnold a ""classic"" punishment for ""goofing off"" in class and the freshman quickly learns his lesson when his penace is teaching ""A Tale of Two Cities"" to his rowdy classmates.
So You Want to Be a Rock Star
E8
So You Want to Be a Rock StarA music instructor ""backs up"" Arnold after he claims to be an expert sax player in order to impress a girl.
Speak No Evil
E9
Speak No EvilFather and son are feuding over First Amendment rights when an outraged Arnold objects to a white supremacy organization speaking at his high school and a discerning Drummond can't support Arnold's fury on the basis of the American right to free speech.
Arnold's Bad Rep
E10
Arnold's Bad RepArnold succumbs to peer pressure and boasts he went ""all the way"" with his girlfriend, but his lie puts him in a more awkward position once the girl finds out about his claim to fame.
It's My Party and I'll Cry if I Want To
E11
It's My Party and I'll Cry if I Want ToDrummond has ""insured"" that Sam will have an unforgettable birthday party by arranging for a local television personality to be the main attraction, until the swash-buckling ""Captain Jack"" steals the show and the birthday boy jumps ship.
Arnold's Initiation
E12
Arnold's InitiationArnold's initiation into the ""cool"" club at school jeopardizes his friendship with the mildly-retarded dishwasher at the Hamburger Hangar, after a prank Arnold ""must"" pull causes the man to lose his job.
Bulimia
E13
BulimiaArnold suspects that Kimberly has an eating disorder when his slender sister is secretly gorging himself, but not gaining any weight. Arnold seeks Drummond's help in confronting Kimberly with her problem and the family comes together to help her fight the eating disorder, bulimia.
Sam's Big Brother
E14
Sam's Big BrotherArnold's preoccupation with girls and school leaves younger brother Sam alone and bored until Willis steps in, takes over as ""big bro"" and causes a row when Arnold decides to fight back for the title.
Arnold's Tangled Web
E15
Arnold's Tangled WebTo prevent Drummond from seeing his ""F"" in geometry, Arnold arranges to have Drummond's signature forged on his report on his report card, but the scheme backfires when Drummond insists on a personal inspection of Arnold's grades.
Lifestyles of the Poor and Unknown
E16
Lifestyles of the Poor and UnknownSam's contempt for a classmate who incessantly insults and badgers him is pacified when he learns that the boy is an orphan who's jealous of Sam's ""perfect"" family life.
The Big Bribe
E17
The Big BribeA date with a gorgeous girl has Arnold walking on a cloud, until he learns she was bribed by Willis to go out with him.
The Photo Club
E18
The Photo ClubArnold and Lisa get stuck working together on a school assignment, and get locked in their school's darkroom. This leads to the two of them coming to an understanding about their adversarial relationship, and they both end up liking each other, but it doesn't last.
The Front Page
E19
The Front PageArnold's feature story about his high school football team threatens to turn into a controversial expose for the school newspaper when he witnesses team members buying steroids.