The Good: Charlotte Rae as Mrs. Garrett (who was also the housekeeper on Diff'rent Strokes). She was kooky and goofy but she was sweet and there was something warm about her. She ran the boarding school, took good care of them, and was always there to talk to them. Even when they got in trouble, she'd punish them but still be understanding. They were all different characters you could relate to probably because they were realistic. I remember the opening the most: Mrs. Garrett holding a broom and the girls teaming up on her, the paint throwing scene, Tootie with her huge braces and Blair with her hair dryer. Jo rode a motorcycle and had that NY accent and she'd always give Blair a hard time. Natalie had that hat with the lightning bolts and Tootie had mushroom hair.
The Bad: When they changed the theme by putting that stupid rock guitar in it which was cheesy and annoying. Unfortunately in later seasons the show's appeal began to decay. I forget what happened exactly but eventually Mrs. Garrett had that shop in the later episodes and then George Clooney was hanging around with excessively long hair. And then Mrs. Garrett wasn't on the show anymore and Cloris Leachman stepped in as her sister. She just didn't do it for me. Maybe because Mrs. Garrett was there for so long, or maybe because she had those little clips in the opening of season one.
Take them both and there you have: a good first season, bad following seasons and the cheesiest ending to a comments post ever. And of course, the Facts of Life.
The Bad: When they changed the theme by putting that stupid rock guitar in it which was cheesy and annoying. Unfortunately in later seasons the show's appeal began to decay. I forget what happened exactly but eventually Mrs. Garrett had that shop in the later episodes and then George Clooney was hanging around with excessively long hair. And then Mrs. Garrett wasn't on the show anymore and Cloris Leachman stepped in as her sister. She just didn't do it for me. Maybe because Mrs. Garrett was there for so long, or maybe because she had those little clips in the opening of season one.
Take them both and there you have: a good first season, bad following seasons and the cheesiest ending to a comments post ever. And of course, the Facts of Life.