The Facts Of Life - Television Tropes & Idioms

Narrative

Genre

Media

Topical Tropes

Other Categories

Custom Search

The Facts Of Life

Long-running Sit Com (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 Diff'rent Strokes (and, in later seasons, her Jonas Quinn 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 retooled, the mob was thinned down to four "core" girls, and almost nothing was ever seen again of their schoolmates.

The central girls after the first season were:

Snooty Blair
Funny Natalie
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 Sit Com trope in existence, including Blair's Inspirationally Disadvantaged cousin Gerri, who had cerebral palsy, and many Very Special Episodes. A reunion movie, featuring the entire cast except for Nancy Mc Keon's Jo, aired in 2001.

This show provides examples of:

Brother Chuck
The Celebrity Lie
Celebrity Star
Crowning Moment Of Awesome (pretty much the entire "Christmas in the Big House" from 1984, with special mention going to the songs performed by Natalie, Jo and Blair)
The Danza (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.)
Date Rape Averted (Played with, since the loss of consent and the averting of the rape happened at about the same time.)
Hollywood Pudgy (Joan Rivers infamously dubbed the cast members "The Fats of Life" following an appearance at the Emmys one year)
Inept Aptitude Test
Inspirationally Disadvantaged
Jonas Quinn
Lampshade Hanging (Done in a late season episode when Tootie digs up and shows off the rollerskates that were her trademark in the first season.)
The Movie (The Facts of Life Goes to Paris, The Facts of Life Down Under - both made for TV)
Poorly Disguised Pilot (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 Poorly Disguised Pilot.)
Reunion Show
Rich Bitch (Blair was a milder version)
Shoot the Money
Tomboy and Girly Girl (Jo and Blair)
Troubled but Cute (Jo)
Very Special Episode
Zany Scheme ("I just had another one of my brilliant ideas.")