Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* ReverseCerebusSyndrome: seasons 2-4, right after the re-tool faced the girls with some rather harsh situations (teen suicide, child prostitution, racial tensions, elopement, censorship. poverty, cancer...) that wouldn't feel out of place in a typical NormanLear sitcom like {{Maude}}, GoodTimes, or AllInTheFamily. [[{{CharacherDevelopment}} As the characters grew up and learned to take on more responsibility]], they began to play less off of hot button teen issues and more off each other's personalities.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* FemaleGaze: "Have you seen my [[{{InnocentInnuendo}} Basic Anatomy]]?"
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* EducationMama: Natalie constantly refers to her parents as these, but it mostly seems to be an InformedAttribute.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* NonIdleRich: Blair likes to flaunt her privilege and her looks, but she's also an over-achiever.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* AnnoyingYoungerSibling: Tootie was treated like this in earlier seasons.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 52 (click to see context) from:
* FiveTokenBand: A ruling-class WhiteAngloSaxonProtestant, a working-class Polish American from TheBronx, a Black GenkiGirl form Washington D.C, a happy-go-lucky FatGirl, and a Middle-aged housemother from [[{{DownOnTheFarm}} the rural midwest]].
to:
* FiveTokenBand: A ruling-class WhiteAngloSaxonProtestant, a working-class Polish American Polish-American from TheBronx, The Bronx, a Black GenkiGirl form Washington D.C, a happy-go-lucky FatGirl, and a Middle-aged housemother from [[{{DownOnTheFarm}} the rural midwest]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* FiveTokenBand: A ruling-class WhiteAngloSaxonProtestant, a working-class Polish American from TheBronx, a Black GenkiGirl form Washington D.C, a happy-go-lucky FatGirl, and a Middle-aged housemother from [[{{DownOnTheFarm}} the rural midwest]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 76 (click to see context) from:
* LovableAlphaBitch: Blair, see RitchBitch
to:
* LovableAlphaBitch: Blair, see RitchBitchRichBitch
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Natalie could get gleefully vengeful or just plain mean if she felt betrayed. Even Blair is afraid of her.
Added DiffLines:
* LovableAlphaBitch: Blair, see RitchBitch
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 93 (click to see context) from:
* ReplacementFlatCharacter: One episode gave Blair Dana Becker, who was an even bigger RitchBitch, ''without'' a heart of gold who did nothing for herself and [[NiceToTheWaiter horribly mistreated her cook]]. In the same episode, Jo got Jesse, [[{{TheLadette}} a friend from the old neighborhood]] who was cruel to the elderly and [[{{TroubledSympatheticBigot}} rampantly hispanophobic]]. By the end, Jo and Blair appreciate their friendship with each other a lot more.
to:
* ReplacementFlatCharacter: One episode gave Blair Dana Becker, who was an even bigger RitchBitch, RichBitch, ''without'' a heart of gold who did nothing for herself and [[NiceToTheWaiter horribly mistreated her cook]]. In the same episode, Jo got Jesse, [[{{TheLadette}} a friend from the old neighborhood]] who was cruel to the elderly and [[{{TroubledSympatheticBigot}} rampantly hispanophobic]]. By the end, Jo and Blair appreciate their friendship with each other a lot more.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* ReplacementFlatCharacter: One episode gave Blair Dana Becker, who was an even bigger RitchBitch, ''without'' a heart of gold who did nothing for herself and [[NiceToTheWaiter horribly mistreated her cook]]. In the same episode, Jo got Jesse, [[{{TheLadette}} a friend from the old neighborhood]] who was cruel to the elderly and [[{{TroubledSympatheticBigot}} rampantly hispanophobic]]. By the end, Jo and Blair appreciate their friendship with each other a lot more.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* BreakTheCutie: happens A LOT, typically in a VerySpecialEpisode focusing on one character.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 33 (click to see context) from:
** Kelly, a latchkey thug living down the street, was a temporary Cousin Oliver.
to:
** Kelly, a latchkey thug living down the street, was a temporary Cousin Oliver. Played by Pamela Adlon (Hey It's that Guy), Marcy from Californication.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Deleted line(s) 22 (click to see context) :
* AnythingThatMoves: "Natalie, have you been writing to prisoners again?"
Changed line(s) 101 (click to see context) from:
* SobsVersusSnobs: Again, Jo and Blair, respectively.
to:
* SobsVersusSnobs: SlobsVersusSnobs: Again, Jo and Blair, respectively. respectively.
* SmittenTeenageGirl: "Natalie, have you been writing to prisoners again?"
* SmittenTeenageGirl: "Natalie, have you been writing to prisoners again?"
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* AnythingThatMoves: "Natalie, have you been writing to prisoners again?"
Added DiffLines:
* HypocriticalHeartwarming: The girls frequently insult each other and think little of it. insulting one of them from outside the group is [[{{BerserkButton}} not a good idea.]]
Added DiffLines:
* SobsVersusSnobs: Again, Jo and Blair, respectively.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 74 (click to see context) from:
* MyGirlIsASlut: In "Sex Symbol," a boy spreads some lies about Natalie's promiscuity. At first, she's offended, but when he other girls laugh at the idea of her being a sex symbol, she decides to perpetuate them just to prove she's desirable. Mrs. Garret then
to:
* MyGirlIsASlut: In "Sex Symbol," a boy spreads some lies about Natalie's promiscuity. At first, she's offended, but when he the other girls laugh at the idea of her being a sex symbol, she decides to perpetuate them just to prove she's desirable. Mrs. Garret thendesirable.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* MyGirlIsASlut: In "Sex Symbol," a boy spreads some lies about Natalie's promiscuity. At first, she's offended, but when he other girls laugh at the idea of her being a sex symbol, she decides to perpetuate them just to prove she's desirable. Mrs. Garret then
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 82 (click to see context) from:
* PoorlyDisguisedPilot: Several, including one featuring Tootie's aunt and uncle, and another at the end of the series setting up Blair as the new headmistress of the school. In addition, the show itself started as a PoorlyDisguisedPilot.
to:
* PoorlyDisguisedPilot: Several, including one featuring Tootie's aunt and uncle, and another at the end of the series setting up Blair as the new headmistress of the school. In addition, the show itself started as a PoorlyDisguisedPilot.PoorlyDisguisedPilot (the final episode of the first season of ''Series/DiffRentStrokes'').
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 44 (click to see context) from:
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: As noted above, the first season had a large ensemble cast of girls. The second season eliminated half of the girls, eliminated Mr. Bradley the headmaster, and added Nancy [=McKeon=] as Jo.
to:
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: As noted above, the first season had a large ensemble cast of girls. The second season eliminated half of the girls, eliminated Mr. Bradley the headmaster, and added Nancy [=McKeon=] as Jo. There was also a lot more {{Fanservice}} (see that entry below).
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 31,33 (click to see context) from:
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: The other students and faculty from season one were never seen again.
** Actually, while that's true for the faculty, the ousted girls continued on in recurring roles through the third season before being phased out. And then they, minus Molly Ringwald, who was famous by this point, made a guest appearance towards the end of the series.
* ClipShow: Several of them.
** Actually, while that's true for the faculty, the ousted girls continued on in recurring roles through the third season before being phased out. And then they, minus Molly Ringwald, who was famous by this point, made a guest appearance towards the end of the series.
* ClipShow: Several of them.
to:
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: The faculty from Season 1. Some of the other students and faculty from season one were never seen again.
** Actually, while that's true forSeason 1 [[TheBusCameBack returned sporadically]] after the faculty, ReTool focused the ousted girls continued show on in recurring roles through the third season before being phased out. And then they, minus Molly Ringwald, who was famous by this point, made a guest appearance towards the end of the series.
* ClipShow: Several of them.four main girls.
** Actually, while that's true for
* ClipShow: Several of them.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: As noted above, the first season had a large ensemble cast of girls. The second season eliminated half of the girls, eliminated Mr. Bradley the headmaster, and added Nancy [=McKeon=] as Jo.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* HeroWithAnFInGood: Blair could come off as so condescending, it often hurt when she was trying to be genuinely nice.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
** Natalie's boyfriend [[spoiler: Norbert]], a.k.a. "Snake".
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 49 (click to see context) from:
* FanService: The first season was made at the height of the [[JiggleShow "Jiggle TV"]] era, so the older girls ran around in skimpy shorts for large portions of every episode. When new producers arrived to do the second season ReTool, they insisted on less exploitative wardrobes.
to:
* FanService: The first season was made at the height of the [[JiggleShow "Jiggle TV"]] era, era codified by then NBC president and CEO Fred Silverman during his previous tenure as president of ABC Entertainment, so the older girls ran around in skimpy shorts for large portions of every episode. When new producers Linda Marsh and Margie Peters arrived to do the second season ReTool, they insisted on less exploitative wardrobes.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
adding trope; removing one
Deleted line(s) 63 (click to see context) :
* HollywoodPudgy: Joan Rivers infamously dubbed the cast members "The '''Fats''' of Life" following an appearance at the Emmys one year.
Added DiffLines:
* WrittenInInfirmity: Nancy [=McKeon=] had broken her foot shooting the MadeForTVMovie ''Strange Voices'' shortly before shooting for the final season began; thus resulting in her foot being in a cast for a few early episodes that season.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 59 (click to see context) from:
** Mayim Bialik (the future Blossom and Amy Farrah Fowler) and Juliette Lewis in the finale
to:
** Mayim Bialik (the future Blossom and Amy Farrah Fowler) Fowler), Seth Green, and Juliette Lewis in the finale
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
** Mayim Bialik (the future Blossom and Amy Farrah Fowler) and Juliette Lewis in the finale
** A very young Helen Hunt in a first-season episode
** A very young Helen Hunt in a first-season episode
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/facts_season2_8720.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:The cast in Season Two. Clockwise from top right: Jo, Tootie, Mrs. Garrett, Natalie, and Blair.]]
->You take the good, you take the bad, you take 'em both and there you have... The Facts of Life.
-->-- '''Opening theme'''
Long-running SitCom and [[TeenDrama teen drama]] (1979-1988) about the heartwarming adventures of a group of female students. Initially they were students at a boarding school. In later seasons, they went to college and beyond, but kept living together under the watchful eye of Mrs. Garrett, formerly of ''[[DiffRentStrokes Diff'rent Strokes]]'' (and, in later seasons, her SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute sister, played by Cloris Leachman).
During its first season, the show had a large ensemble of girls, including a very young Molly Ringwald. Starting with its second season, though, the show was [[ReTool retooled]]. The mob was [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome thinned down]] to four "core" girls, and almost nothing was ever seen again of their schoolmates.
[[AC:The central girls after the first season were:]]
* Blair, the [[RichBitch Rich Bitch]]
* Funny Natalie
* [[TroubledButCute Troubled but Cute]] Jo
* Tootie, the baby (who lost her trademark rollerskates as part of the retool)
The show aired long enough to use just about every SitCom trope in existence, including Blair's InspirationallyDisadvantaged cousin Gerri, who had cerebral palsy, and many {{Very Special Episode}}s. A [[ReunionShow reunion movie]], featuring the entire cast except for Nancy [=McKeon=]'s Jo, aired in 2001.
----
'''This show provides examples of:'''
* AbsenteeActor: All the cast (except Kim Fields) at one time or another, most notably in "The First Time" - the script originally called for Blair to lose her virginity, but Lisa Whelchel refused to be involved on religious grounds (see HollywoodAtheist below). As a result - in addition to this being the only episode of the entire series in which Blair/Lisa doesn't appear - it was rewritten so that the Eastland girl to become a woman was [[spoiler: Natalie]].
* AttemptedRape: Jo & Natalie.
* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: Blair and Jo have many of these moments when they stop sniping. Blair nearly punches out a guy who assaulted Jo. Blair secretly helps Jo get a scholarship so that she can stay in school. Jo replaces a childhood toy of Blair's after it is ruined. Jo jumps to her defense after a disgruntled wife accuses Blair of sleeping with her husband. Blair skips a ski trip to spend Christmas with Jo, etc., etc.
* BikerBabe: Jo, right down to the [[SamusIsAGirl Samus Is A Girl]] moment when she pulls off her helmet to reveal that she is, in fact, a girl.
* BoardingSchool: Eastland is a boarding school for girls, and the first half of the series takes place there.
* TheCastShowoff: Lisa Whelchel seems to have been given opportunities to display her talents in everything from singing to ventriloquism.
* CatchPhrase: Blair - "I just had another one of my brilliant ideas!", "Turn Blue!"; Tootie - "Oooh, they're in troou-ble!"
* TheCelebrityLie
* CelebrityStar: One example being Eve Plumb, formerly of ''TheBradyBunch''. Also Zsa Zsa Gabor and 80s pop icon Stacy Q.
* ChainLetter
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: The other students and faculty from season one were never seen again.
** Actually, while that's true for the faculty, the ousted girls continued on in recurring roles through the third season before being phased out. And then they, minus Molly Ringwald, who was famous by this point, made a guest appearance towards the end of the series.
* ClipShow: Several of them.
* CousinOliver: Andy, the foster kid, and Pippa, the Australian exchange student.
** Kelly, a latchkey thug living down the street, was a temporary Cousin Oliver.
* TheDanza: In a weird sideways manner. The character "Natalie" was based on Mindy Cohn, who at the time was not an actress but a student at a school the producers visited for ideas and inspiration. She was invited to audition, and ended up cast essentially as herself.
** Also, George Clooney as George Burnett during the 1985 and part of 1986 seasons.
** Molly Ringwald, during her one season stint (the first one; 1979-1980) played Molly Parker.
** Not to mention Geri Jewell as Cousin Geri.
* DateRapeAverted: Jo, who managed to fight her way out in the nick of time.
* DeadpanSnarker: Jo and Natalie.
* DisabledCharacterDisabledActor: Geri Jewell, who played Geri, actually has cerebral palsy.
* DoItYourselfThemeTune: Charlotte Rae (Mrs. Garrett) provided vocals for the season 1 theme.
* DontYouDarePityMe: Jo reacts with hostility every time someone attempts to take pity on her due to her poor upbringing.
* [[ChickMagnet Dude Magnet]]: Natalie in particular tended to have a LOT of boyfriends during the show's run.
* TheEighties: Pretty much one of the definitive shows of the 1980's, so it's impossible to avoid 80's nostalgia and/or horror.
* EightiesHair: And how. Started out okay, but we ended up with more poof than a Whitesnake concert. There were mullets. On women.
* EverythingsBetterWithPrincesses: Temporary character Alex was a European princess.
* FanService: The first season was made at the height of the [[JiggleShow "Jiggle TV"]] era, so the older girls ran around in skimpy shorts for large portions of every episode. When new producers arrived to do the second season ReTool, they insisted on less exploitative wardrobes.
* FatGirl: Natalie, the "happy Magic Marker."
* FrenchJerk: Chef Antoine from the ''Facts of Life Goes to Paris'' special; he makes a return appearance with his jerky family the following season.
* FourGirlEnsemble: Of course.
* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: Blair's mother visits and tells Blair that she's pregnant but not going to go through with it, but Blair convinces her to keep the baby.
** Averted in an earlier episode, where Natalie fabricates an article for the Eastland paper, saying that one of the students at Eastland had secretly had an abortion; she later finds out that such an event did in fact occur.
* HappilyAdopted: Natalie. She finds her birth mother in one of the earlier seasons, but still happily considers her adopted family her 'real' family.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: Blair and Jo are a textbook example, right down to having dialogue that could be effortlessly be used by a genuine old married couple.
* HeyItsThatGuy: Lots, but most notably Kenneth Mars in the episode "Gossip".
** Natalie wound up voicing Velma in ScoobyDoo.
* HollywoodAtheist: Blair is an atheist for most, if not all, of the series. Arguably ends when her sister is born.
** Which becomes [[HilariousInHindsight rather bizarre]] remembering Lisa Whelchel (actress playing Blair) is a devout Christian.
* HollywoodPudgy: Joan Rivers infamously dubbed the cast members "The '''Fats''' of Life" following an appearance at the Emmys one year.
* IneptAptitudeTest
* InformedJudaism: Natalie. It only comes up once or twice.
* InspirationallyDisadvantaged: Blair's cousin Geri, who has cerebral palsy.
* IntrepidReporter: Natalie aspires to become a journalist. Many episodes feature her talking about her latest scoop.
** Jo was this until her big scoop [[spoiler: got her journalism teacher fired]].
* LampshadeHanging: Done in a late season episode when Tootie digs up and shows off the rollerskates that were her trademark in the first season. It also occurs in the reunion movie when Natalie's fiance expresses doubt that Mrs. Garrett can pull Thanksgiving dinner together:
--> '''Natalie:''' Mrs. G. can do anything.
--> '''Tootie/Dorothy:''' Didn't you watch our show?
* LawyerFriendlyCameo: A balloon resembling [[DaiSentaiGoggleFive Goggle Red]] briefly appeared in the beginning of the episode "Reunion".
* LonelyRichKid: Blair, whose snotty behavior tends to cover up her deep seated [[ParentalAbandonment parental abandonment]] issues. She has few real friends outside of the main cast.
* TheMovie: ''The Facts of Life Goes to Paris''; ''The Facts of Life Down Under'' - both made for TV.
* NewTransferStudent: Pippa, who is from Australia. Also Alex, the princess of something-in-Europe. Miko was a temporary Japanese exchange student.
* NotBloodSiblings: Blair and her former stepsister (portrayed by Eve Plumb) are not actually related but treat each other as genuine siblings.
* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: Jo, Blair, and Natalie all hailed from New York City, but only Jo actually sounded like it (Lisa Whelchel had a Texas twang and Mindy Cohn had a California accent). Conversely, Kim Fields had a New York accent, but Tootie was supposed to be a D.C. native.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Joanne "Jo" Polniaczek, Dorothy "Tootie" Ramsey
* ParentalSubstitute: Mrs. Garrett serves as this to most of the girls. Her sister Beverly Ann fills this role when Mrs. Garrett leaves the show, but to a lesser extent.
* PerpetualPoverty: Much is made of Jo's poverty for most of the show.
** When a later episode attempted to give the Polniacseks an incredible financial windfall, Nancy Mckeon nearly quit over the idea that Jo would suddenly become rich. The writers decided to make it just a temporary situation, so that by the end of the episode everything was back to normal. (Though Jo insisted on keeping the fancy motorcycle helmet her dad bought her.)
* PoorlyDisguisedPilot: Several, including one featuring Tootie's aunt and uncle, and another at the end of the series setting up Blair as the new headmistress of the school. In addition, the show itself started as a PoorlyDisguisedPilot.
** In fact, there were no fewer than ''six'' attempted spinoffs over the course of the show: beyond the aforementioned ones featuring Tootie's mixed-marriage aunt and uncle ("Brian and Sylvia") and Blair as a headmistress ("The Beginning of the End"), there was "The Academy" (about four military academy guys who were pretty much the girls' male alter egos), "Jo's Cousin" (which is self-explanatory), "Rumor Has It" (featuring Blair's law professor), and "Big Apple Blues" (in which Natalie joins up with a bunch of wacky twentysomethings trying to make it in New York City). Not a single one of these turned into a series.
* PrettyInMink: Blair possesses about a zoo's worth of fur coats.
* PrinceCharming: Blair's steady boyfriend Cliff is a modern version of this, but she ends up falling out of love with him for an unknown reason and calls the relationship off.
* PromotionToParent: Blair acts as a surrogate parent to her little sister, who is born when Blair is 20-something. Also acted as birth coach for her mother.
* TheQuincyPunk: In "The Americanization of Miko," the writers demonstrated total ignorance about the Stray Cats. Based on the characters' dialogue--specifically, the adults' horror about this crazy new music and the girls' references to wild concerts wherein Brian Setzer evidently ate his guitar--the writers seemed to think the band put out earsplitting punk tunes rather than what really amounted to ''old-time rockabilly.''
** Also, when troublemaker Kelly enters the cast, she claims to be a member of the (fake) local gang [[WhiteGangBangers the Lords of Discipline]], who specialize in vandalizing Edna's Edibles and dress like the guys in the "Beat It" video.
* ReligiousRussianRoulette
* ReunionShow
* RichBitch: Blair, although she's the rare HiddenHeartOfGold subtype.
* TheRival: Blair and Jo are this to each other.
** Also the [[DrivenToSuicide ill-fated]] Cynthia character in [[VerySpecialEpisode "Breaking Point"]] is this to Blair; she's more intelligent, more attractive, more worldly, more popular, and more fluent in French.
* RubeGoldbergHatesYourGuts: Would you believe ''this'' is the TropeNamer? [[spoiler:Good thing it was AllJustADream, because the entire group died.]]
* ShootTheMoney
* ShoutOut: In a nod to George Clooney, the reunion movie stated that George the handyman left to pursue an acting career in Hollywood.
* SmokingIsCool: Although several episodes had [[AnAesop Aesops]] relating to smoking, RichBitch Blair can be seen puffing on a cigarette in the pilot episode, "The Girls School." By the time the show's first true episode aired, Blair was a non-smoker (reflecting real life, as Welchel was a non-smoker).
* StalkerWithACrush: Roy has a crush on Jo, although this is a comedic version of the trope. Still creepy.
* TheStoolPigeon: This was Tootie's primary function for the early seasons, and she retains it to a lesser extent as an adult. Combine her with Natalie and you get [[GossipyHens Gossipy Hens]].
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Beverly Ann, who replaces Mrs. Garret as the girl's denmother/landlady.
* TeamMom: Mrs. Garret
* TheirFirstTime: One popular episode in a later season involved Natalie choosing to have sex with her boyfriend for the first time.
* TokenMinority: Tootie, who is drowning in a sea of white people. Also Natalie, who seems to be the only Jewish member of the show.
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Jo and Blair
* TomboyishPonytail: Jo
* TroubledButCute: Jo, in a RareFemaleExample.
* TrueCompanions: The main cast is essentially this due to the fact that they seldom see their real families or have trouble at home.
* {{Tsundere}}: Jo reacts with hostility every time she is accused of having a 'sensitive side.' This dies down in the last seasons.
* VerySpecialEpisode: A never ending supply of them, really.
* VisitByDivorcedDad: Jo has a couple of these after he's released from prison. Blair also has one or two.
* VitriolicBestBuds: Jo and Blair spend most of their time sniping at each other, but they are actually best friends and will jump to the other's defense in a heartbeat.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Despite the number of main characters being thinned between Seasons 1 and 2, production expressed interest in retaining Molly Ringwald as a regular. However, she left to pursue a movie career.
* ZanyScheme: Well, it IS a sitcom.
----
[[caption-width-right:350:The cast in Season Two. Clockwise from top right: Jo, Tootie, Mrs. Garrett, Natalie, and Blair.]]
->You take the good, you take the bad, you take 'em both and there you have... The Facts of Life.
-->-- '''Opening theme'''
Long-running SitCom and [[TeenDrama teen drama]] (1979-1988) about the heartwarming adventures of a group of female students. Initially they were students at a boarding school. In later seasons, they went to college and beyond, but kept living together under the watchful eye of Mrs. Garrett, formerly of ''[[DiffRentStrokes Diff'rent Strokes]]'' (and, in later seasons, her SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute sister, played by Cloris Leachman).
During its first season, the show had a large ensemble of girls, including a very young Molly Ringwald. Starting with its second season, though, the show was [[ReTool retooled]]. The mob was [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome thinned down]] to four "core" girls, and almost nothing was ever seen again of their schoolmates.
[[AC:The central girls after the first season were:]]
* Blair, the [[RichBitch Rich Bitch]]
* Funny Natalie
* [[TroubledButCute Troubled but Cute]] Jo
* Tootie, the baby (who lost her trademark rollerskates as part of the retool)
The show aired long enough to use just about every SitCom trope in existence, including Blair's InspirationallyDisadvantaged cousin Gerri, who had cerebral palsy, and many {{Very Special Episode}}s. A [[ReunionShow reunion movie]], featuring the entire cast except for Nancy [=McKeon=]'s Jo, aired in 2001.
----
'''This show provides examples of:'''
* AbsenteeActor: All the cast (except Kim Fields) at one time or another, most notably in "The First Time" - the script originally called for Blair to lose her virginity, but Lisa Whelchel refused to be involved on religious grounds (see HollywoodAtheist below). As a result - in addition to this being the only episode of the entire series in which Blair/Lisa doesn't appear - it was rewritten so that the Eastland girl to become a woman was [[spoiler: Natalie]].
* AttemptedRape: Jo & Natalie.
* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: Blair and Jo have many of these moments when they stop sniping. Blair nearly punches out a guy who assaulted Jo. Blair secretly helps Jo get a scholarship so that she can stay in school. Jo replaces a childhood toy of Blair's after it is ruined. Jo jumps to her defense after a disgruntled wife accuses Blair of sleeping with her husband. Blair skips a ski trip to spend Christmas with Jo, etc., etc.
* BikerBabe: Jo, right down to the [[SamusIsAGirl Samus Is A Girl]] moment when she pulls off her helmet to reveal that she is, in fact, a girl.
* BoardingSchool: Eastland is a boarding school for girls, and the first half of the series takes place there.
* TheCastShowoff: Lisa Whelchel seems to have been given opportunities to display her talents in everything from singing to ventriloquism.
* CatchPhrase: Blair - "I just had another one of my brilliant ideas!", "Turn Blue!"; Tootie - "Oooh, they're in troou-ble!"
* TheCelebrityLie
* CelebrityStar: One example being Eve Plumb, formerly of ''TheBradyBunch''. Also Zsa Zsa Gabor and 80s pop icon Stacy Q.
* ChainLetter
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: The other students and faculty from season one were never seen again.
** Actually, while that's true for the faculty, the ousted girls continued on in recurring roles through the third season before being phased out. And then they, minus Molly Ringwald, who was famous by this point, made a guest appearance towards the end of the series.
* ClipShow: Several of them.
* CousinOliver: Andy, the foster kid, and Pippa, the Australian exchange student.
** Kelly, a latchkey thug living down the street, was a temporary Cousin Oliver.
* TheDanza: In a weird sideways manner. The character "Natalie" was based on Mindy Cohn, who at the time was not an actress but a student at a school the producers visited for ideas and inspiration. She was invited to audition, and ended up cast essentially as herself.
** Also, George Clooney as George Burnett during the 1985 and part of 1986 seasons.
** Molly Ringwald, during her one season stint (the first one; 1979-1980) played Molly Parker.
** Not to mention Geri Jewell as Cousin Geri.
* DateRapeAverted: Jo, who managed to fight her way out in the nick of time.
* DeadpanSnarker: Jo and Natalie.
* DisabledCharacterDisabledActor: Geri Jewell, who played Geri, actually has cerebral palsy.
* DoItYourselfThemeTune: Charlotte Rae (Mrs. Garrett) provided vocals for the season 1 theme.
* DontYouDarePityMe: Jo reacts with hostility every time someone attempts to take pity on her due to her poor upbringing.
* [[ChickMagnet Dude Magnet]]: Natalie in particular tended to have a LOT of boyfriends during the show's run.
* TheEighties: Pretty much one of the definitive shows of the 1980's, so it's impossible to avoid 80's nostalgia and/or horror.
* EightiesHair: And how. Started out okay, but we ended up with more poof than a Whitesnake concert. There were mullets. On women.
* EverythingsBetterWithPrincesses: Temporary character Alex was a European princess.
* FanService: The first season was made at the height of the [[JiggleShow "Jiggle TV"]] era, so the older girls ran around in skimpy shorts for large portions of every episode. When new producers arrived to do the second season ReTool, they insisted on less exploitative wardrobes.
* FatGirl: Natalie, the "happy Magic Marker."
* FrenchJerk: Chef Antoine from the ''Facts of Life Goes to Paris'' special; he makes a return appearance with his jerky family the following season.
* FourGirlEnsemble: Of course.
* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: Blair's mother visits and tells Blair that she's pregnant but not going to go through with it, but Blair convinces her to keep the baby.
** Averted in an earlier episode, where Natalie fabricates an article for the Eastland paper, saying that one of the students at Eastland had secretly had an abortion; she later finds out that such an event did in fact occur.
* HappilyAdopted: Natalie. She finds her birth mother in one of the earlier seasons, but still happily considers her adopted family her 'real' family.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: Blair and Jo are a textbook example, right down to having dialogue that could be effortlessly be used by a genuine old married couple.
* HeyItsThatGuy: Lots, but most notably Kenneth Mars in the episode "Gossip".
** Natalie wound up voicing Velma in ScoobyDoo.
* HollywoodAtheist: Blair is an atheist for most, if not all, of the series. Arguably ends when her sister is born.
** Which becomes [[HilariousInHindsight rather bizarre]] remembering Lisa Whelchel (actress playing Blair) is a devout Christian.
* HollywoodPudgy: Joan Rivers infamously dubbed the cast members "The '''Fats''' of Life" following an appearance at the Emmys one year.
* IneptAptitudeTest
* InformedJudaism: Natalie. It only comes up once or twice.
* InspirationallyDisadvantaged: Blair's cousin Geri, who has cerebral palsy.
* IntrepidReporter: Natalie aspires to become a journalist. Many episodes feature her talking about her latest scoop.
** Jo was this until her big scoop [[spoiler: got her journalism teacher fired]].
* LampshadeHanging: Done in a late season episode when Tootie digs up and shows off the rollerskates that were her trademark in the first season. It also occurs in the reunion movie when Natalie's fiance expresses doubt that Mrs. Garrett can pull Thanksgiving dinner together:
--> '''Natalie:''' Mrs. G. can do anything.
--> '''Tootie/Dorothy:''' Didn't you watch our show?
* LawyerFriendlyCameo: A balloon resembling [[DaiSentaiGoggleFive Goggle Red]] briefly appeared in the beginning of the episode "Reunion".
* LonelyRichKid: Blair, whose snotty behavior tends to cover up her deep seated [[ParentalAbandonment parental abandonment]] issues. She has few real friends outside of the main cast.
* TheMovie: ''The Facts of Life Goes to Paris''; ''The Facts of Life Down Under'' - both made for TV.
* NewTransferStudent: Pippa, who is from Australia. Also Alex, the princess of something-in-Europe. Miko was a temporary Japanese exchange student.
* NotBloodSiblings: Blair and her former stepsister (portrayed by Eve Plumb) are not actually related but treat each other as genuine siblings.
* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: Jo, Blair, and Natalie all hailed from New York City, but only Jo actually sounded like it (Lisa Whelchel had a Texas twang and Mindy Cohn had a California accent). Conversely, Kim Fields had a New York accent, but Tootie was supposed to be a D.C. native.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Joanne "Jo" Polniaczek, Dorothy "Tootie" Ramsey
* ParentalSubstitute: Mrs. Garrett serves as this to most of the girls. Her sister Beverly Ann fills this role when Mrs. Garrett leaves the show, but to a lesser extent.
* PerpetualPoverty: Much is made of Jo's poverty for most of the show.
** When a later episode attempted to give the Polniacseks an incredible financial windfall, Nancy Mckeon nearly quit over the idea that Jo would suddenly become rich. The writers decided to make it just a temporary situation, so that by the end of the episode everything was back to normal. (Though Jo insisted on keeping the fancy motorcycle helmet her dad bought her.)
* PoorlyDisguisedPilot: Several, including one featuring Tootie's aunt and uncle, and another at the end of the series setting up Blair as the new headmistress of the school. In addition, the show itself started as a PoorlyDisguisedPilot.
** In fact, there were no fewer than ''six'' attempted spinoffs over the course of the show: beyond the aforementioned ones featuring Tootie's mixed-marriage aunt and uncle ("Brian and Sylvia") and Blair as a headmistress ("The Beginning of the End"), there was "The Academy" (about four military academy guys who were pretty much the girls' male alter egos), "Jo's Cousin" (which is self-explanatory), "Rumor Has It" (featuring Blair's law professor), and "Big Apple Blues" (in which Natalie joins up with a bunch of wacky twentysomethings trying to make it in New York City). Not a single one of these turned into a series.
* PrettyInMink: Blair possesses about a zoo's worth of fur coats.
* PrinceCharming: Blair's steady boyfriend Cliff is a modern version of this, but she ends up falling out of love with him for an unknown reason and calls the relationship off.
* PromotionToParent: Blair acts as a surrogate parent to her little sister, who is born when Blair is 20-something. Also acted as birth coach for her mother.
* TheQuincyPunk: In "The Americanization of Miko," the writers demonstrated total ignorance about the Stray Cats. Based on the characters' dialogue--specifically, the adults' horror about this crazy new music and the girls' references to wild concerts wherein Brian Setzer evidently ate his guitar--the writers seemed to think the band put out earsplitting punk tunes rather than what really amounted to ''old-time rockabilly.''
** Also, when troublemaker Kelly enters the cast, she claims to be a member of the (fake) local gang [[WhiteGangBangers the Lords of Discipline]], who specialize in vandalizing Edna's Edibles and dress like the guys in the "Beat It" video.
* ReligiousRussianRoulette
* ReunionShow
* RichBitch: Blair, although she's the rare HiddenHeartOfGold subtype.
* TheRival: Blair and Jo are this to each other.
** Also the [[DrivenToSuicide ill-fated]] Cynthia character in [[VerySpecialEpisode "Breaking Point"]] is this to Blair; she's more intelligent, more attractive, more worldly, more popular, and more fluent in French.
* RubeGoldbergHatesYourGuts: Would you believe ''this'' is the TropeNamer? [[spoiler:Good thing it was AllJustADream, because the entire group died.]]
* ShootTheMoney
* ShoutOut: In a nod to George Clooney, the reunion movie stated that George the handyman left to pursue an acting career in Hollywood.
* SmokingIsCool: Although several episodes had [[AnAesop Aesops]] relating to smoking, RichBitch Blair can be seen puffing on a cigarette in the pilot episode, "The Girls School." By the time the show's first true episode aired, Blair was a non-smoker (reflecting real life, as Welchel was a non-smoker).
* StalkerWithACrush: Roy has a crush on Jo, although this is a comedic version of the trope. Still creepy.
* TheStoolPigeon: This was Tootie's primary function for the early seasons, and she retains it to a lesser extent as an adult. Combine her with Natalie and you get [[GossipyHens Gossipy Hens]].
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Beverly Ann, who replaces Mrs. Garret as the girl's denmother/landlady.
* TeamMom: Mrs. Garret
* TheirFirstTime: One popular episode in a later season involved Natalie choosing to have sex with her boyfriend for the first time.
* TokenMinority: Tootie, who is drowning in a sea of white people. Also Natalie, who seems to be the only Jewish member of the show.
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Jo and Blair
* TomboyishPonytail: Jo
* TroubledButCute: Jo, in a RareFemaleExample.
* TrueCompanions: The main cast is essentially this due to the fact that they seldom see their real families or have trouble at home.
* {{Tsundere}}: Jo reacts with hostility every time she is accused of having a 'sensitive side.' This dies down in the last seasons.
* VerySpecialEpisode: A never ending supply of them, really.
* VisitByDivorcedDad: Jo has a couple of these after he's released from prison. Blair also has one or two.
* VitriolicBestBuds: Jo and Blair spend most of their time sniping at each other, but they are actually best friends and will jump to the other's defense in a heartbeat.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Despite the number of main characters being thinned between Seasons 1 and 2, production expressed interest in retaining Molly Ringwald as a regular. However, she left to pursue a movie career.
* ZanyScheme: Well, it IS a sitcom.
----
