Season 1
This spin-off from the popular NBC comedy Diff'rent Strokes originally focused on Mrs. Garrett, who had been the Drummonds' housekeeper prior to taking a job as a housemother at the prestigious Eastland School for young women. Mrs. Garrett was kind and understanding, serving as both confidante and surrogate parent to the girls in her charge, who at the start of the series ranged in age from 11 to 15.
Blair, 15, was wealthy, attractive, and spoiled; Nancy, 14, was well-rounded; Sue Ann, 14, was cute and boy-crazy; Tootie, 11, was the resident gossip; and Natalie, the other principal student, was plump and impressionable. The headmaster at Eastland was Mr. Bradley, and Miss Mahoney was a teacher seen only during the tryout run of The Facts of Life in the summer of 1979.
In later seasons, Mrs Garrett had taken on the additional responsibilities of dietician at Eastland, and there were two new cast members: Jo, a 16-year-old street kid from the Bronx who maintained a tough exterior to hide her insecurities; and Howard, the cook at Eastland. Mr. Bradley was succeeded as headmaster by seldom-seen Mr. Harris, and then Mr. Parker.
By 1987-1988 the "girls" had become young women. It was announced that this would be The Facts of Life's last season, and each of the regulars was seen embarking on adult life, each in her own way. The girls faced problems with their parents, including lack of communication, divorce, and death; they also experienced growing pains in a realistic way.