![]() ![]() As Arnold, Coleman won the hearts of millions with his mugging and infectious "Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Willis?" catchphrase. While family issues, race relations, and economic disparity were part of the DNA of "Diff'rent Strokes," what made it popular was that it was a fun and funny sitcom, thanks in large part to wildly charismatic, preternaturally-talented child actor Gary Coleman. The premise: After his African-American housekeeper dies, wealthy white businessman Philip Drummond (Conrad Bain) takes in her two boys, Arnold and Willis Jackson (Todd Bridges), and raises them as his own in a fancy Manhattan apartment, expanding the family that consists of just him and his teenage daughter, Kimberly (Dana Plato). "Diff'rent Strokes" was also quietly provocative, as it was a show about a nontraditional permutation of the family unit rarely seen on TV at the time. ![]() A sticky-sweet network sitcom the whole family could enjoy, "Diff'rent Strokes" was a smash hit for NBC (before a late-run move to ABC) for almost a decade, airing from 1978 to 1986.
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