TV season
1983-10-01
Episode 1
1983-10-01 • 30 min
Arnold's ecstasy over meeting his hero Mr. T goes from elation to emulation when the young girl he's trying to impress snubs him in favor of his idol. Former bouncer and bodyguard Mr. T, who came to national prominence as Sylvester Stallone's opponent in ""Rocky III"" and was the star of the hit television series ""The A-Team,"" makes a special guest appearance as ""The A-Team's"" B.A.
Episode 2
1983-10-15 • 30 min
Arnold's first day at junior high is emotionally devastating when he's shunned for not measuring up to the expectations that everyone had for Willis Jackson's brother, but Arnold devises a risky scheme that he feels certain will elevate his prestige.
Episode 3
1983-10-22
Drummond, Willis and Arnold bravely subdue a burglar who had been holding the family at gunpoint, but the arresting officer is befuddled when the three ""crime fighters"" relate differing versions of the apprehension.
Episode 4
1983-10-29 • 30 min
Willis' seemingly harmless disregard for the truth turns dangerous when a self-serving lie about knowing CPR jeopardizes Arnold's life.
Episode 5
1983-11-12
When 13-year-old Arnold is notified to register for the draft, Drummond's over reaction to the obvious error turns Arnold's dreams into nightmares.
Episode 6
1983-11-19 • 30 min
A short visit to the United States by Phillip Drummond's Dutch cousin Anna and her son Hans becomes an eternity for Arnold and Willis, who are made scapegoats for cousin Hans' mischief.
Episode 7
1983-11-26
Arnold is disappointed to discover that his favorite teacher moonlights as a cocktail waitress, but he's stunned when he learns why she has to work the second job.
Episode 8
1983-12-03
Kimberly's 18th birthday present from daddy -- a trust fund -- will make her a wealthy woman, but her free-spirited dreams of independence could be cut short when Drummond discovers just how she intends to spend her ""fortune.""
Episode 9
1983-12-10
Arnold turns a pal into an opponent when he resigns as Dudley's campaign manager and declares his own candiacy for class president.
Episode 10
1983-12-17
Drummond's provided with police protection of a most unusual kind after his charitable philanthrophy leads to a $1,000,000 extortion threat against him.
Episode 11
1984-01-07 • 30 min
When Kimberly starts a campaign to open the school's Lettermen's Club to female membership, an embarrassed Willis retaliates with chauvinistic aplomb by becoming the first male contestant in the Senior Class Beauty Pageant.
Episode 12
1984-01-14 • 30 min
Arnold and Dudley succumb to peer pressure and ignore warnings against cigarette smoking, only to have the harsh realities brought to light by Dudley's father, a chronic smoker.
Episode 13
1984-01-21
Arnold unwittingly solves his father's dilemma -- trying to make romance and finance go hand-in-hand -- when Drummond finds himself falling for an attractive local television aerobics instructor that his company is attempting to turn into an international success. Veteran Broadway and television actress Dixie Carter is introduced in the role of fitness instructor Maggie McKinney.
Episode 14
1984-01-28
Kimberly and Arnold break a long-standing family rule and face death when, on their return from a shopping trip, they find themselves short of cash and decide to hitch a ride home rather than call home for assistance.
Episode 15
1984-02-04 • 30 min
Hitchhiking leads to kidnapping for Arnold and Kimberly, but Arnold escapes and he is so disoriented he is unable to remember the location of the kidnapper's apartment so that the police can rescue Kimberly who's till being held captive.
Episode 16
1984-02-11
Upset over Maggie breaking off their relationship, Drummond chases her to Hollywood to win back her heart, but while he woos Maggie, Arnold and Dudley sneak away from a studio tour to find the star of Knight Rider and wind up in a life threatening situation.
Episode 17
1984-02-18
Arnold's joy over being saved from an explosion by ""Knight Rider's"" David Hasselhoff quickly turns to dismay when he learns his father is getting married and a little brother comes along with the package.
Episode 18
1984-02-25
Maggie's reaction to a proposed pre-nuptial agreement threatens to hamper Phillip's happiness -- but could eliminate Arnold's fear about ""inheriting"" a strict new mother and a pesky little brother.
Episode 19
1984-02-25 • 30 min
Their family and friends assembled, Phillip and Maggie meet at the altar, only to realize each has made a major mistake, in the concluding part of a special two-part story. Charlotte Rae, Dody Goodman, Janet Jackson and Nedra Volz, each of who had appeared in recurring roles on ""Diff'rent Strokes,"" return as their original characters for the Drummond nuptials.
Episode 20
1984-03-03 • 30 min
Arnold and Pearl fall into a depression when Maggie and Phillip return from their honeymoon with a temporary eviction notice for Pearl, and orders for Arnold to babysit for his ""tag-along"" little brother Sam instead of going to a party.
Episode 21
1984-03-17
In a quest for religion started by Maggie and his father, Arnold thinks he has found it after attending an impressive bar mitzvah where his friend ""Becomes a man"" at age 13.
Episode 22
1984-03-24 • 30 min
The money for the National Wheelchair Games that Arnold's class has raised and entrusted to him is missing--leaving Arnold embarrassed and his family ""in the dumps.""
Episode 23
1984-05-05
Willis and Charlene's budding young love begins to wilt when she moves in as a temporary houseguest at the Drummond's. Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson's younger sister, returns in her role as Willis' girl friend Charlene.
Episode 24
1984-05-12
Blinded by love, Kimberly takes an enormous and deceptive risk when she talks her father into allowing her to move into an apartment, allegedly with her girl friend.
