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( March 2011 ) The Facts of Life The Facts of Life season one title screen Genre Sitcom Created by Dick Clair Jenna McMahon Developed by Howard Leeds Ben Starr Jerry Mayer Starring Charlotte Rae John Lawlor Jenny O'Hara Lisa Whelchel Felice Schachter Julie Piekarski Kim Fields Molly Ringwald Julie Anne Haddock Mindy Cohn Nancy McKeon Pamela Segall Mackenzie Astin George Clooney Cloris Leachman Sherrie Krenn Theme music composer Al Burton Gloria Loring Alan Thicke Opening theme `` The Facts of Life '' Country of origin United States Original language ( s ) English No. of seasons 9 No. of episodes 209 ( List of episodes ) Production Executive producer ( s ) Jack Elinson ( seasons 2 -- 7 ) Jerry Mayer ( seasons 3 -- 6 ) Linda Marsh Margie Peters ( seasons 5 -- 6 ) Deidre Fay Stuart Wolpert ( seasons 6 -- 7 ) Irma Kalish Richard Gurman ( seasons 8 -- 9 ) Producer ( s ) Jerry Mayer ( seasons 1 -- 3 ) Linda Marsh Margie Peters ( seasons 3 -- 4 ) Rita Dillon ( seasons 5 -- 9 ) Kimberly Hill ( season 6 ) Camera setup Multi-camera Videotape Running time 22 mins. Production company ( s ) T.A.T. Communications Co. ( 1979 -- 1982 ) Embassy Television ( 1982 -- 1986 ) Embassy Communications ( 1986 -- 1988 ) ELP Communications ( 1988 ) Columbia Pictures Television ( 1988 ) Distributor Embassy Telecommunications ( 1984 -- 1986 ) Embassy Communications ( 1986 -- 1988 ) Columbia Pictures Television ( 1988 -- 1995 ) Columbia TriStar Television ( 1995 -- 2002 ) Sony Pictures Television ( 2002 -- present ) Release Original network NBC Audio format Monaural ( 1979 -- 1984 ) Stereo ( 1984 -- 1988 ) Original release August 24, 1979 ( 1979 - 08 - 24 ) -- May 7, 1988 ( 1988 - 05 - 07 ) Chronology Followed by The Facts of Life Reunion Related shows Diff'rent Strokes The Facts of Life is an American sitcom and a spin - off of Diff'rent Strokes that originally aired on NBC from August 24, 1979, to May 7, 1988, making it one of the longest - running sitcoms of the 1980s. The series focuses on Edna Garrett ( Charlotte Rae ) as she becomes a housemother ( and after the second season, a dietitian as well ) at the fictional Eastland School, an all - female boarding school in Peekskill, New York. Contents 1 Premise 1.1 Season 1 1.2 Seasons 2 -- 8 1.3 Final season 2 Cast 2.1 Main characters 2.2 Recurring characters 2.3 Celebrity guest stars 3 Controversy 3.1 Geri Jewell 3.2 Weight 4 Broadcast history and Nielsen ratings 5 Attempted spin - offs 6 Production notes 6.1 Theme music 7 Television films 7.1 The Facts of Life Goes to Paris 7.2 The Facts of Life Down Under 7.3 The Facts of Life Reunion 8 Syndication 9 International airings 10 DVD and VHS releases 11 Awards and nominations 12 Notes 13 References 14 External links Premise See also : List of The Facts of Life episodes Season 1 A spin - off of Diff'rent Strokes, the series featured the Drummonds ' former housekeeper, Edna Garrett ( Charlotte Rae ) becoming the housemother of a dormitory at Eastland School, a private all - girls school. The girls in her care included spoiled rich girl Blair Warner ( Lisa Whelchel ) ; the youngest, gossipy Dorothy `` Tootie '' Ramsey ( Kim Fields ) ; and impressionable Natalie Green ( Mindy Cohn ). The pilot for the show originally aired as the last episode of Diff'rent Strokes ' first season and was called `` The Girls ' School ( aka Garrett 's Girls ). '' The plotline for the pilot had Kimberly Drummond ( Dana Plato ) requesting that Mrs. Garrett help her sew costumes for a student play at East Lake School for Girls, the school Kimberly attended in upstate New York, as her dorm 's housemother had recently quit. Mrs. Garrett agrees to help, puts on a successful play, and also solves a problem for Nancy. Mrs. Garrett is asked to stay on as the new housemother but states she would rather remain working for the Drummonds at the end of the pilot. Following the pilot, the name of the school was changed to Eastland and characters were replaced, with Natalie, Cindy ( Julie Anne Haddock ), and Mr. Bradley becoming part of the main group featured. Although Kimberly Drummond is featured as a student at East Lake, her character did not cross over to the spinoff series with Mrs. Garrett. In the show 's first season, episodes focus on the troubles of seven girls, with the action usually set in a large, wood - paneled common room of a girls ' dormitory. Also appearing was the school 's headmaster, Mr. Steven Bradley ( John Lawlor ), and Ms. Emily Mahoney ( Jenny O'Hara ), an Eastland teacher who was dropped after the first four episodes. Early episodes of the show typically revolve around a central morality - based or `` lesson teaching '' theme. The show 's pilot episode plot included a story line in which Blair Warner insinuates that her schoolmate Cindy Webster is a lesbian because she is a tomboy and frequently shows affection for other girls. Other season one episodes deal with issues including drug use, sex, eating disorders, parental relationships, and peer pressure. Seasons 2 -- 8 The producers felt that there were too many characters given the limitations of the half - hour sitcom format, and that the plot lines should be more focused to give the remaining girls more room for character development. Four of the original actresses -- Julie Anne Haddock ( Cindy ), Julie Piekarski ( Sue Ann ), Felice Schachter ( Nancy ), and Molly Ringwald ( Molly ) -- were written out of the show ( although the four did make periodic guest appearances in the second and third seasons, and all but Molly Ringwald appeared in one `` reunion '' episode in the eighth season ). Mr. Bradley 's character was also dropped and replaced with a generally unseen headmaster named Mr. Harris. ( Mr. Harris actually appeared in an early second - season episode, `` Gossip '', played by Kenneth Mars ) and Mr. Parker for the rest of the series. In addition to being housemother to the remaining girls, Mrs. Garrett became the school dietitian as the second season began. Jo Polniaczek ( Nancy McKeon ), a new student originally from the Bronx, arrived at Eastland on scholarship. A run - in with the law forced the four to be separated from the other girls and work in the cafeteria, living together in a spare room next to Mrs. Garrett 's bedroom. The season two premiere of the retooled series saw an immediate ratings increase. By its third season ( 1981 -- 82 ), Facts of Life had become NBC 's # 1 comedy and # 2 overall NBC program, beating out its predecessor, Diff'rent Strokes, for the first time. In 1983, Jo and Blair graduated Eastland Academy in the highly anticipated season four finale `` Graduation '' ( which placed # 5 for the week ). To keep the four girls under one roof, the hour - long season five premiere `` Brave New World '' saw Mrs. Garrett go into business for herself and open a gourmet food venture named Edna 's Edibles ( it placed # 9 in the weekly ratings ). The four girls would come to live and work with Mrs. Garrett in this new refreshed space. In September 1985, NBC moved the seventh season of the series to its burgeoning Saturday night lineup at 8 : 30 p.m., as a lead - in for the new series The Golden Girls at 9 : 00 p.m. In an attempt to refresh the `` ratings work horse '' and increase ratings, George Clooney was added to the regular cast and Mrs. Garrett 's store was gutted by fire in the season seven premiere `` Out of the Fire ''. The follow - up episodes `` Into the Frying Pan '' and `` Grand Opening '' had the girls band together to rebuild the store with a pop culture - influenced gift shop, called Over Our Heads. The changes proved successful as all 3 episodes placed in the top 10 ratings each week. By the end of the season, TV Guide reported, `` Facts ' success has been so unexpected that scions of Hollywood are still taken aback by it... Facts has in fact been among NBC 's top - ranked comedies for the past five years. It finished twenty - third overall for the 1985 -- 1986 season, handily winning its time slot against its most frequent competitors, Airwolf and Benson. Lisa Whelchel stated, ' We 're easily overlooked because we 've never been a huge hit ; we just sort of snuck in there. ' '' Charlotte Rae initially reduced her role in seasons six and seven, and later decided to leave the series altogether, believing she had done all she could do with her character and desired to move on to other projects. In season eight 's heavily promoted one - hour premiere, `` Out of Peekskill '' Mrs. Garrett married the man of her dreams and joined him in Africa while he worked for the Peace Corps. Mrs. Garrett convinces her sister, Beverly Ann Stickle ( Cloris Leachman ), to take over the shop and look after the girls. Beverly Ann later legally adopted Over Our Heads worker Andy Moffett ( Mackenzie Astin ) in the episode `` A Boy About the House ''. Describing the new changes to The Facts of Life Brandon Tartikoff, NBC Entertainment President, said he `` was surprised that The Facts of Life performed well this season, as, with a major cast change and all, I thought it might not perform as it had in the past. Facts has been renewed for next season. '' Final season In the ninth and final season, the series aired on NBC 's Saturday night lineup at 8 : 00 p.m. NBC still had confidence in the series, making it the 8 : 00 p.m. anchor, kicking off the network 's second - highest rated night ( next to Thursdays ). For February sweeps, the writers created a controversial storyline in this season for the episode titled `` The First Time '', in which Natalie became the first of the girls to lose her virginity. Lisa Whelchel refused this particular storyline that would have made her character, not Natalie, the first among the four young women in the show to lose her virginity. Having become a Christian when she was 10, Whelchel refused because of her Christian convictions. Whelchel appeared in every episode, but asked to be written out of `` The First Time ''. The episode ran a parental advisory before starting, and placed 22nd in the ratings for the week. With the show still comfortably winning its timeslot, NBC made plans to renew The Facts of Life for a tenth season, but two castmates -- Mindy Cohn and Nancy McKeon -- chose to leave at the conclusion of season nine. Cast Main article : List of The Facts of Life characters Main characters Actor Character Seasons 5 6 7 8 9 Charlotte Rae Edna Garrett Main Absent Lisa Whelchel Blair Warner Main Kim Fields Tootie Ramsey Main Mindy Cohn Natalie Green Main Nancy McKeon Jo Polniaczek Absent Main John Lawlor Steven Bradley Main Absent Jenny O'Hara Emily Mahoney Main Absent Felice Schachter Nancy Olsen Main Recurring Absent Guest Absent Julie Piekarski Sue Ann Weaver Main Recurring Absent Guest Absent Julie Anne Haddock Cindy Webster Main Recurring Absent Guest Absent Molly Ringwald Molly Parker Main Guest Absent Pamela Segall Kelly Affinado Absent Main Absent Mackenzie Astin Andy Moffett Absent Recurring Main George Clooney George Burnett Absent Main Recurring Absent Cloris Leachman Beverly Ann Stickle Absent Main Sherrie Krenn Pippa McKenna Absent Main Recurring characters A key recurring character was Geri Tyler ( Geri Jewell ), Blair 's cousin who has cerebral palsy. Other recurring characters included the judgment - impaired Miko Wakamatsu ( Lauren Tom ), the delivery boy Roy ( Loren Lester ) who was enamored with Jo, the royal princess Alexandra ( Heather McAdam ) and the snobbish Boots St. Clair ( Jami Gertz ). Shoplifter Kelly ( Pamela Segall ) was billed as a regular during the fifth season. Other guest roles included the boyfriends of the girls ; Jo 's parents, played by Alex Rocco and Claire Malis ; Blair 's parents, played by Nicolas Coster and Marj Dusay ( Blair 's mother was played by Pam Huntington in one episode during the first season ) ; Tootie 's parents, played by Kim Fields ' real - life mother, actress Chip Fields, and Robert Hooks ; and Natalie 's parents, played by Norman Burton and Mitzi Hoag. ( Natalie 's grandmother was played by Molly Picon, and appeared in two episodes. ) Hugh Gillin appeared in four episodes as Howard. Officer Ziaukus was played by Larry Wilmore, and appeared in 2 episodes. A 1984 episode was built around Natalie coming to terms with the sudden death of her father. Characters from Diff'rent Strokes also appeared in some episodes of both season one and season two. Shawnte Northcutte from The New Mickey Mouse Club appeared as Madge in the 1980 episode `` Who Am I ? ''. Other recurring characters included Tootie 's boyfriend Jeff Williams ( Todd Hollowell ), Blair 's boyfriend Cliff ( Woody Brown ), and Mr. Charles Parker ( Roger Perry ), who served as headmaster of Eastland following Lawlor 's exit from the show. Celebrity guest stars Celebrities who made guest appearances on the show included Helen Hunt, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Jermaine Jackson, Eve Plumb, Jean Smart, John Astin, Bobby Rydell, Fabian, Dick Van Patten, Penelope Ann Miller, Doug Savant, Dennis Haysbert, Lois Nettleton, Richard Moll, David Spade, Richard Grieco, Juliette Lewis, Seth Green, Mayim Bialik, Deborah Harmon, Irene Tedrow, El DeBarge, Joyce Bulifant, Stacey Q, and Anne Jackson. Controversy Geri Jewell The Facts of Life was one of the first television shows to feature a person with cerebral palsy as a recurring character. Indeed, actress Geri Jewell was the first person with a disability to have a regular role on a prime time series. In an interview as part of an episode of E ! True Hollywood Story, Jewell stated that she believed her character `` cousin Geri '' was going to continue as a recurring character on the show during the sixth season, but the producers offered her only one episode for the season because viewers would immediately assume that any episode with cousin Geri would be a `` very special episode ''. Jewell stated that she stopped appearing on the show for that reason. Weight Another issue during the show 's early seasons concerned the stars ' appearances. Lisa Whelchel has stated in various interviews, including on E ! True Hollywood Story, that the cast spent a lot of time on set doing nothing, so the natural inclination for many of them was to eat, as food was readily available all over the set. This noticeably affected the girls ' appearances, leading Joan Rivers to dub them `` The Fats of Life '' during the cast 's appearance at the Emmy Awards ; the producers eventually restricted what the actors could eat while on set, and in an April 2011 interview, Lisa Whelchel stated that the producers sent her to various weight loss programs in an effort to help her lose weight. Mindy Cohn, in the E ! True Hollywood Story, stated that the situation was the opposite for her. She had been losing weight during this period due to an interest in dancing, and the producers asked her to stop because much of her character 's identity hinged on the fact that she was overweight. Cohn said the producers compromised with her regarding her weight by dressing her in baggy clothing to make her appear heavier than she was. Broadcast History and Nielsen ratings The Facts of Life was originally not a ratings winner on Friday nights in its summer debut in 1979 or in its second tryout in the spring of 1980. It ranked 74th out of 79 shows on the air in the year - end Nielsen ratings, and was NBC 's lowest - rated series. The show was put on hiatus and extensively retooled in preparation for season two. In November 1980, season two of The Facts of Life premiered in a Wednesday 9 : 30 p.m. time slot, where it immediately flourished, peaking in January 1981 with a 27.4 rating and 41 share ; it ranked # 4 for the week. The program became NBC 's fourth highest - rated scripted series, after Little House on the Prairie, Diff'rent Strokes, and CHiPs. By the third season, the series moved time slots to 9 : 00 p.m. Wednesdays, and soon became NBC 's highest - rated comedy series, and NBC 's # 2 overall series, after Real People. For its seventh season, it moved to Saturdays at 8 : 30 p.m., to bolster the premiering series The Golden Girls at 9 : 00 p.m. in the newly formed Saturday night comedy block. At the start of the eighth season, the series was moved back a half - hour to the toughest time slot on television -- Saturday at 8 : 00 p.m., which brought the ratings down from its season seven high. Still, the series easily won its time slot, and garnering high numbers in the coveted teen and 18 -- 49 demographics. One of the highest rated season eight episodes saw the original season one cast return for a mini reunion. Titled `` The Little Chill '', it placed # 19 for the week with a 18.2 rating and 31 share. In the article `` Ratings Top with Teens '' appearing in the January 19, 1988 edition of USA Today, The Facts of Life was ranked as one of the top 10 shows in a survey of 2,200 American teenagers. Season TV Season Timeslot Rank Rating 1979 -- 80 Fridays at 8 : 30 p.m. ( August 31, 1979 -- May 2, 1980 ) Wednesdays at 9 : 30 p.m. ( June 4 -- 11, 1980 ) # 74 4.5 1980 -- 81 Friday at 8 : 30 p.m. ( October 10, 1980 ) Wednesdays at 9 : 30 p.m. ( November 19, 1980 -- June 3, 1981 ) # 26 19.3 1981 -- 82 Wednesdays at 9 : 00 p.m. # 24 ( Tied with Little House on the Prairie ) 19.1 1982 -- 83 # 32 17.1 5 1983 -- 84 # 24 17.3 6 1984 -- 85 16.3 7 1985 -- 86 Saturdays at 8 : 30 p.m. # 27 17.7 8 1986 -- 87 Saturdays at 8 : 00 p.m. # 31 16.3 9 1987 -- 88 # 37 14.6 Attempted spin - offs The various attempts at spin - offs were backdoor pilots, which were shown as episodes of The Facts of Life. `` Brian & Sylvia '' -- A season two episode in which Tootie and Natalie go to Buffalo, New York to visit Tootie 's Aunt Sylvia, a black woman ( played by Rosanne Katon ) who has recently married a white man, played by Richard Dean Anderson ( the future star of MacGyver and Stargate SG - 1 ). Ja'net Dubois of Good Times played Ethel, who was both Tootie 's grandmother and Sylvia 's mother. The episode never developed into a series and in the season five episode `` Crossing the Line '', Tootie mentions Brian 's and Sylvia 's interracial marriage and says that the two have since divorced. `` The Academy '' -- A season three episode set at Stone Academy, an all - boys military school that was near Eastland. In this episode, the girls at Eastland attended a dance with the boys from the military school. The boys included actors Jimmy Baio, Ben Marley, David Ackroyd, Peter Frechette, and John P. Navin, Jr. `` Jo 's Cousin '' -- Another season three episode, in which Jo visits her family in the Bronx, including her cousin Terry, a fourteen - year - old girl ( played by Megan Follows ) going through adolescence in a family full of men. The family included actors Grant Cramer, John Mengatti, Donnelly Rhodes and D.W. Brown. `` The Big Fight '' -- A season four episode set at Stone Academy, a boys ' military school. Natalie comes to visit a boy who tries to impress her with his boxing. This episode includes the same cast from the season three episode `` The Academy '', with the addition of ' 80s ' nerd ' icon Eddie Deezen. `` Graduation '' -- This spinoff was to revolve around Blair and Jo 's life at Langley College. `` Big Apple Blues '' -- A season nine episode in which Natalie spends the night with a group of eccentric young people living in a Soho loft, and decides to remain in New York to begin her life. Two of the tenants in the loft were played by David Spade and Richard Grieco. `` The Beginning of the End / Beginning of the Beginning '' -- The two - part series finale sees Blair buying Eastland to prevent its closing. Blair finds that the school is in such dire financial straits that she is forced to make the school co-ed. Blair then essentially adopts the Mrs. Garrett role as she presides over the school and is forced to deal with the trouble - making students in a plot line that is highly reminiscent of the season two premiere. The new Eastland students included Seth Green, Mayim Bialik and future Oscar - nominee Juliette Lewis. Production notes The Facts of Life was produced first by T.A.T. Communications Company, later known as Embassy Television ( Norman Lear 's production companies ), and then as Embassy Communications, and Columbia Pictures Television ( through ELP Communications ) on January -- May 1988 episodes of the series. Sony Pictures Television currently owns the distribution rights to the sitcom. From 1979 to 1982, the show was produced at Metromedia Square in Los Angeles, California. In 1982, production moved to Universal City Studios and then to Sunset Gower Studios in 1985. Theme music The show 's theme was composed by Al Burton, Gloria Loring, and her then - husband, Alan Thicke. The well - known opening lyric `` You take the good, you take the bad... '' came later as the first season lyrics, some of them performed by Rae, and the original cast, differed from those that followed, later sung by Loring. The original lyrics eventually shifted to the closing credits before being dropped entirely. Burton, Loring, and Thicke had previously composed the theme to Diff'rent Strokes, which was sung by Thicke. Television films The Facts of Life Goes to Paris The Facts of Life Goes to Paris, a two - hour TV movie in which Mrs. Garrett and the girls travel to France, aired September 25, 1982. It scored 18.1 / 31 in the Nielsen Ratings. The movie was later added to the U.S. syndication package, broken up into four half - hour episodes ; however, the original cut of the film appears on the 2010 Season four DVD set. The television movie was directed by Asaad Kelada. The Facts of Life Down Under The Facts of Life Down Under, another two - hour TV movie, aired Sunday February 15, 1987 placing a strong # 13 for the week garnering 21.4 / 32. This was strategic counterprogramming by NBC, which placed the movie against the conclusion of ABC 's highly publicized mini-series Amerika. The Telemovie was also syndicated as four half - hour episodes in later U.S. airings. The Facts of Life reunion On November 18, 2001, The Facts of Life Reunion aired on ABC, in which Mrs. Garrett and the girls are reunited in Peekskill, New York, for the Thanksgiving holiday. It airs sporadically in the U.S. on ABC Family. Nancy McKeon does not appear in this movie. Her character is explained as being on assignment as a police officer. Syndication NBC aired daytime reruns of The Facts of Life from December 13, 1982 until June 7, 1985 at 10 : 00 AM ( and later 12 : 00 noon ) on the daytime schedule. Episodes aired on various television stations from September 15, 1986 to September 10, 1993, then aired on the USA Network on and off from September 13, 1993 to September 11, 1998. In August 1994, the network celebrated the show 's 15 - year anniversary with a day - long marathon of 14 episodes featuring new interviews with Rae, Whelchel, and Cohn. Episodes aired on Nick at Nite from September 4, 2000 to June 28, 2001, although the network did not air certain episodes that contained highly mature content during prime time ( including the first - season episode `` Dope '' ), instead opting to air episodes with more serious topics at late night / early morning times. TV Land aired 48 hours of The Facts of Life episodes on its `` Fandemonium Marathon Weekend '' on November 17 -- 19, 2001. The Hallmark Channel aired The Facts of Life from July 1 to November 1, 2002. Episodes were available on Comcast 's Video - On - Demand service from August 8, 2005 to July 31, 2006 and again from the August 6, 2007 until Tube Time 's shutdown date on December 31, 2009. On July 16, 2008 full episodes and short `` minisodes '' of The Facts of Life became available online via Hulu. On March 12, 2012, Teen Nick added the series to their morning line - up ; however, the series ' addition to the channel was short - lived, as it left the schedule on April 3, 2012. The series premiered on The Hub on April 2, 2012, where it played through the end of March 2013. Currently the series airs on FamilyNet and Logo TV. Beginning August 21, 2017 the series will air on MeTV. International airings In Brazil, the show aired on Nick at Nite as Vivendo e Aprendendo ( Living and Learning, in English ). In Italy, seasons one through five were aired in 1983 -- 1986 ( dubbed as usual in Italian ), on the terrestrial TV Canale 5, the first Italian commercial network, and later on other local commercial TV networks. The Italian version was named L'albero delle mele, which means the apple tree ( the word ' apple ' is popularly used euphemistically in Italian as a reference to teenage girls ). In France, seasons two and three ( dubbed in French and titled Drôle de Vie ) aired in 1987 on the terrestrial TV La Cinq, and seasons one, eight and nine aired on TF1. In the United Kingdom, unlike Diff'rent Strokes, The Facts of Life has never aired on terrestrial TV. A few seasons aired on the UK BSB satellite channels, and after BSB merged with Sky Television plc, the entire series was shown on Sky One. In Canada, The Facts of Life was a mainstay on CBC -- the Canadian Public broadcaster, airing weekdays 4 : 00 p.m. ( 4 : 30 p.m. in Newfoundland ) until April 1992. CTS, a Christian - based network, aired it from September 2006 to 2009. Beginning on September 15, 2007, The Facts of Life aired weekends at 10 : 00 a.m. and 2 : 00 p.m. on CanWest 's digital specialty channel, DejaView, which later moved it to weekdays at 4 : 00 p.m. and 4 : 30 p.m. in March 2010. DVD and VHS releases On April 21 and 22, 2001, Columbia House released The Facts of Life : The Collector 's Edition, a 10 - volume `` Best of '' the series on VHS ( 40 episodes in all ). With the advent shortly thereafter of TV on DVD and Columbia House 's eventual move from the direct marketing model of exclusive series, the tapes were discontinued. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released the first two seasons on DVD in Region 1 on May 9, 2006 with new interviews with most of the cast, including first season regulars Felice Schachter and Julie Anne Haddock. To promote the DVD 's release, McKeon, Whelchel, and Cohn appeared together on various TV shows such as Entertainment Tonight, Today Show and CNN Showbiz to reminisce about their time on the show and talk about their lives presently ; unfortunately, Fields was unable to take part due to other commitments. The third season was released on October 24, 2006. This release failed to match the success of the first and second seasons, sales-wise. The first and second seasons were also released in Region 4 on March 7, 2007. In 2010, Shout ! Factory acquired the rights to the series and released the fourth season on Region 1 DVD on May 4, 2010. Special features include The Facts of Life Goes To Paris, a made - for - TV - movie ( which originally aired a few days prior to the fourth season debut ) and a `` Know The Facts : Trivia Game. '' They have subsequently released seasons five through nine on DVD. Mill Creek Entertainment re-released the first and second seasons on DVD on May 20, 2014. It is unknown as to whether or not Mill Creek will release any further seasons. On January 13, 2015, Shout ! Factory released The Facts of Life -- The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1. The 26 - disc set contains all 201 episodes of the series as well as the two made - for - TV films ( The Facts of Life Goes to Paris and The Facts of Life Down Under ) and other bonus features including an all - new cast reunion. The Facts of Life Reunion film is not included in this collection and is yet to be released on DVD. DVD Name Ep # Release date The Complete First and Second Seasons 29 May 9, 2006 May 20, 2014 ( re-release ) The Complete Third Season 24 October 24, 2006 The Complete Fourth Season 23 May 4, 2010 The Complete Fifth Season 26 November 2, 2010 The Complete Sixth Season 26 June 9, 2015 The Complete Seventh Season 24 October 20, 2015 The Complete Eighth Season 24 January 26, 2016 The Complete Ninth Season 24 May 17, 2016 The Complete Series 201 January 13, 2015 Awards and nominations Emmy Nomination for Best Actress ( 1982 ) -- Charlotte Rae Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Technical Direction / Electronic Camerawork / Video Control for a Series ( 1986 ) -- For episode `` Come Back to the Truck Stop, Natalie Green, Natalie Green ''. Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Hairstyling for a Series ( 1987 ) -- For episode `` ' 62 Pickup ''. TV Land Award Won for Pop Culture Icon in 2011. Notes Jump up ^ O'Hara's character was dropped after the fourth episode, `` I.Q. '' Jump up ^ Krenn was introduced in `` Up from Down Under '', the sixth episode of season 9, as a recurring character. She was promoted to the main cast beginning with the episode `` Something in Common ''. References Jump up ^ `` Movie Reviews ''. Jump up ^ `` Top Rated Programs - 1980 - 1985 ''. Jump up ^ TV Guide July 5 -- 11, 1985 Jump up ^ Bobbin, Jay ( October 17, 1986 ). `` Charlotte Rae Leaves Series Life Behind ''. Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved April 17, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Web Brass Dissect Past Season '' Variety April 22, 1987 Jump up ^ Whelchel, Lisa ( 2001 ). The Facts of Life : And Other Lessons My Father Taught Me. Multnomah Books. pp. 35 -- 37. ISBN 1 - 576 - 73858 - 2. Jump up ^ `` Facts of Life Site : Ratings History ''. Jump up ^ `` DJ Nocturna interviews actress Mindy Cohn from `` The Facts of Life ( Part 1 ) '' ``. YouTube.com. Retrieved June 2, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Geri Jewell -- Biography @ imdb ''. Retrieved 2008 - 07 - 18. Jump up ^ `` Great Women Speakers ''. Jump up ^ `` ClassicTVHits.com : TV Ratings > 1980 's ''. Jump up ^ http://www.classictvhits.com/tvratings/1981.htm 1981 -- 82 television ratings Jump up ^ USA Today Information Network, Jan 19, 1988 When teenagers watch TV, they like to laugh. ^ Jump up to : `` Facts of Life Site : Ratings History ''. Jump up ^ `` '' The Facts of Life '' Brian and Sylvia ( 1981 ) ``. Retrieved 2008 - 07 - 18. Jump up ^ `` The Facts of Life Goes to Paris ''. Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved March 15, 2016. Jump up ^ Variety Feb 18 1987, Weekly Ratings Scorecard, page 112 Jump up ^ Ed. Scott Murray, Australia on the Small Screen 1970 -- 1995, Oxford University Press, 1996 p55 Jump up ^ The Intelligencer -- September 13, 1993 Jump up ^ TV Guide -- September 5 -- 11, 1998 Jump up ^ `` Hulu -- The Facts of Life ''. Retrieved 26 July 2010. Jump up ^ `` Facts of Life Removed From TeenNick Line - Up ; More MeTV Network Clearances Announced - SitcomsOnline.com News Blog ''. Jump up ^ `` Facts Of Life, The : The Complete First And Second Seasons ''. Retrieved 26 July 2010. Jump up ^ `` The Facts of Life -- Shout ! Takes the Good, and There Ya ' Have... Season 4 on DVD ! ''. January 26, 2010. Retrieved 26 July 2010. Jump up ^ `` The Facts of Life DVD news : Announcement for The Facts of Life - The Complete 5th Season - TVShowsOnDVD.com ''. Jump up ^ `` The Facts of Life DVD news : Announcement for The Facts of Life - The Complete 6th Season - TVShowsOnDVD.com ''. Jump up ^ `` The Facts of Life DVD news : Box Art for The Complete 7th Season - TVShowsOnDVD.com ''. Jump up ^ `` The Facts of Life DVD news : Box Art and Details for The Complete 8th Season - TVShowsOnDVD.com ''. Jump up ^ `` The Facts of Life DVD news : Announcement for The Final Season - TVShowsOnDVD.com ''. Jump up ^ `` The Facts of Life DVD news : Box Art for The Facts of Life - Seasons 1 & 2 - TVShowsOnDVD.com ''. Jump up ^ `` The Facts of Life DVD news : Press Release for The Facts of Life - The Complete Series - TVShowsOnDVD.com ''. External links The Facts of Life Site At www.televisionhits.com : Extensive site for the television series. The Facts of Life on IMDb The Facts of Life at TV.com The Facts of Life Episodes List of The Facts of Life episodes TV movies The Facts of Life Goes to Paris ( 1982 ) The Facts of Life Down Under ( 1987 ) The Facts of Life Reunion ( 2001 ) Related Characters Diff'rent Strokes ( 1978 -- 1986 ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Facts_of_Life_(TV_series)&oldid=801441670 '' Categories : 1979 American television series debuts 1988 American television series endings American comedy television series 1970s American comedy television series 1980s American comedy television series 1970s American drama television series 1980s American drama television series American comedy - drama television series American television sitcoms English - language television programs American high school television series NBC network shows Television series by Sony Pictures Television Teen sitcoms Television shows set in New York ( state ) Television spin - offs The Facts of Life ( TV series ) Hidden categories : Articles needing additional references from March 2011 All articles needing additional references Wikipedia articles needing clarification from July 2017 All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from February 2015 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Español Français Italiano Nederlands Português Suomi Edit links This page was last edited on 19 September 2017, at 18 : 05. 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Question: who played tootsie mom on facts of life
Answer: Chip Fields