Having just finished a Facts of Life rewatch plus one Different Strokes episode, I was looking forward to seeing this.
How much did I enjoy seeing Lisa Whelchel come out in Blair's Eastland uniform and sing The Facts of Life theme? That was the best. Especially after rewatching The Facts of Life, and Blair becoming my favorite. She looks exactly the same. Lol. Loved seeing Mindy Cohn and Kim Fields. I enjoyed hearing their brief thoughts on the episode. Too bad Nancy Mckeon couldn't be there. Would have loved to see her.
Unfortunately, the episode wasn't that great. They picked season three's episode 20: 'Kids Can Be Cruel.' The actors weren't very good in the roles they played, except for Ann Dowd who nailed Mrs. Garrett. I had thought Jennifer Aniston would be great as Blair, but she played her dour. Blair wasn't dour. There were no signature hair tosses that Blair always did. They didn't have her signature line, "I just had a brilliant idea." Of course, the line may not have been in the original script. But I mean, if they worked it in that would have been fine, especially as a nod to fans. Kathryn Hahn as Jo wasn't very good. I thought she was ott: being loud too much, too much scowling, and body language ott. The actress who played Natalie was decent. The actress playing Tootie didn't seem to have much to do. Too bad they couldn't work in Tootie's signature line "there's gonna be trouble." The other actors playing the male characters played them more like a parody, which this wasn't supposed to be. It was supposed to be a tribute. It was like they thought it was a joke to be there.
I thought Different Strokes was done better as an episode. How touching was it to see Todd Bridges, the last surviving member of the show, making the introductions? I always thought he was wonderful as Willis. They did manage to get in Arnold's signature line "what chu talkin' bout Willis." I really appreciated that. I laughed so much seeing John Lithgow carrying Kevin Hart as Arnold or having him sit in his lap. I actually think the actors did a much better job here than in The Facts of Life. The Boyz II Men singers singing the theme were great.
The actors ALL looked too old. So they looked ridiculous, no matter how hard I tried to suspend my disbelief. Ann Dowd did her homework as did the Different Strokes actors. Now it was live, and they only had a week to get ready for this, so I'm taking these things into account. I really should give it a five, but the opening alone had me so happy with Lisa Whelchel, plus seeing the original cast from both shows. I know the actors who played the parts are good actors, but for The Facts of Life, they just didn't capture the spirit of the show or the characters. But I give them a point for really trying. Plus I thought they did a good job with Different Strokes. 6/10.
How much did I enjoy seeing Lisa Whelchel come out in Blair's Eastland uniform and sing The Facts of Life theme? That was the best. Especially after rewatching The Facts of Life, and Blair becoming my favorite. She looks exactly the same. Lol. Loved seeing Mindy Cohn and Kim Fields. I enjoyed hearing their brief thoughts on the episode. Too bad Nancy Mckeon couldn't be there. Would have loved to see her.
Unfortunately, the episode wasn't that great. They picked season three's episode 20: 'Kids Can Be Cruel.' The actors weren't very good in the roles they played, except for Ann Dowd who nailed Mrs. Garrett. I had thought Jennifer Aniston would be great as Blair, but she played her dour. Blair wasn't dour. There were no signature hair tosses that Blair always did. They didn't have her signature line, "I just had a brilliant idea." Of course, the line may not have been in the original script. But I mean, if they worked it in that would have been fine, especially as a nod to fans. Kathryn Hahn as Jo wasn't very good. I thought she was ott: being loud too much, too much scowling, and body language ott. The actress who played Natalie was decent. The actress playing Tootie didn't seem to have much to do. Too bad they couldn't work in Tootie's signature line "there's gonna be trouble." The other actors playing the male characters played them more like a parody, which this wasn't supposed to be. It was supposed to be a tribute. It was like they thought it was a joke to be there.
I thought Different Strokes was done better as an episode. How touching was it to see Todd Bridges, the last surviving member of the show, making the introductions? I always thought he was wonderful as Willis. They did manage to get in Arnold's signature line "what chu talkin' bout Willis." I really appreciated that. I laughed so much seeing John Lithgow carrying Kevin Hart as Arnold or having him sit in his lap. I actually think the actors did a much better job here than in The Facts of Life. The Boyz II Men singers singing the theme were great.
The actors ALL looked too old. So they looked ridiculous, no matter how hard I tried to suspend my disbelief. Ann Dowd did her homework as did the Different Strokes actors. Now it was live, and they only had a week to get ready for this, so I'm taking these things into account. I really should give it a five, but the opening alone had me so happy with Lisa Whelchel, plus seeing the original cast from both shows. I know the actors who played the parts are good actors, but for The Facts of Life, they just didn't capture the spirit of the show or the characters. But I give them a point for really trying. Plus I thought they did a good job with Different Strokes. 6/10.