Shark Bytes

I loved this show and I'm a heterosexual male. You know even though this show had an all female cast and dealt with mostly women's issues there's no rule that said both women and men couldn't enjoy it. If anything, I think guys were able to peak into the female pshyche. And yes, I confess I did have a massive crush on Blair. Even when she was going through her occasional "bad hair" days, I still loved her. I also hate the newer shows, especially "Friends". First off, they are a bunch of 30-somethings behaving like children. Second, the women all looked too skinny like they were all on some kind of diet. I always hated hearing the "Facts of Life" girls being ridiculed for having a few extra pounds because I love a woman with some meat on her bones. These anorexics on TV nowadays set a bad example. And for the record, give me Lisa Welchel over Jennifer Aniston anytime, anyplace, anyday, anywhere!

I sure wish they'd put the entire series and the three movies out on DVD. And yeah "Frasier" is a stupid piece-of-crap show! So are alot of the newer shows, because yeah they are always about sex. But me and my friends were saddnened to learn that this gem of a show only went up to season 3! Heck, "Frasier", "Friends", "Seinfeld", "Raymond", "Home Improvement" and all these other crappy new shows are being reran all the friggin time!! So why is it these shows are given the full DVD treatment while "Facts" is being neglected?!?!?! Someone needs to write to those bums over at Sony and tell them to get off their lazy butts and put the rest of this show on DVD as long as they are pumped up enough to suspend accounts on YouTube hense taking down episodes!!

Even though I'm a dude, I used to watch this show constantly. As a guy I loved to see a show about a group of women who were funny and allowed to assert themselves. And while none of the girls were ravishing beauties (even though Tootie was really pretty) they all had something special about them. I also agree that TV's been spending too much time on all these more recent sitcoms which in my opinion are really not all that funny and all basically follow the same premise; pretty white people traveling the city looking for a sex partner. And yeah "Frasier" sucks!

I love this show. I am so mad that they haven't put out anymore seasons on DVD. Guess they are focusing more on all the newer shows instead. I think the newer shows all stink. "Facts" is a great show and should be seen, on DVD and in reruns, rather than all the sex stuff on TV.

I loved this show growing up, but looking back on it as an adult, I noticed that like "Diff'rent Strokes", there were just one two many "Very Special Episodes" of "Facts of Life".

-In the very first episode, we had one of the girls who was confused about her sexuality and who thought she was "not normal".

-Another episode dealt with one of the girls' mother flirting with a married man and worrying that she herself would turn out the same way.

-Then we had the episode about the girls' IQ scores and the pressure that one girl faced to try and be smarter and another girl feeling the pressure of being too smart for her own good.

-Of course, we had the classic eating disorder episode, where one of the girls goes from gorging herself on junk food to going on a crash diet for a week after learning that a boy she likes is hosting a pool party where she would be required to wear a bathing suit. Oddly enough, in what has got to be one of the most unrealistic shows on episodic TV, the girl is cured without even having to go to the hospital...all Edna Garrett had to do was waltz right into the girl's bedroom in her designer dress that she was going to hold off on and then hand her a banana, along with the everpresent lecture.

-Then we had the episode dealing with sex. Blair wants to go all the way with her boyfriend, but he doesn't want to.

-We have the infamous "period" episode where we see some intense dramatic acting from Tootie when she comes rolling down the stares at the start of the episode crying into Mrs. Garrett's arms thinking she's dying because, as she puts it, "I'm bleeding down there!" Apparently, Tootie's parents were too busy to explain the "Facts of Life" to Tootie!! In the subplot, Natalie is resentful because even though she's a year older, she hasn't started hers yet.

-The episode where Natalie reveals she was adopted as a baby and gets all dramatic on everyone. Then Blair has to poke her nose in and contact her real mother.

-Molly's one and only episode centered on her, dealing with her parent's divorce and how it all worked out in the end.

-Natalie, Tootie, Blair and new girl Jo get arrested after sneaking into a bar and then as punishment have to serve probation by working in the school's cafeteria.

-Tootie starts feeling the burn of being the only black girl and decides to turn her back on her friends and all white people in general.

-Jo nearly gets date raped by her rival, Blair's, boyfriend.

-The infamous "Cousin Geri" episode. Nothing personal against handicapped people, but this episode was one of the worst I've seen.

-The suicide episode with Denise Richards (or some actress who looked like her) which wasn't handled in the best way.

-Jo's father is in jail.

-Natalie's reputation being tarnished by some no-good boyfriend.

-The infamous "kiddie porn" episode, where Tootie is tricked into posing for some provocative pictures by some pervy photographer who insists on holding her face in order to get his point accross.

-The gossip episode, where Tootie nearly ruins Mrs. Garrett's reputation and her job by spreading a rumor that she's an alcoholic.

-Ironically, the next episode (and the third-season starter) has Tootie downing an entire bottle of expensive French wine because she feels left out.

-The very next episode has Natalie almost being sexually assaulted. Could have been a much more effective episode if Natalie wasn't made to dress as Charlie Chaplin.

-The baby episode, where a friend of the girls' brings a baby over and leaves it in the girls' care.

-Blair's mother lies about getting a facelift when in truth she has cancer.

-Jo catches her teacher doing cocain.

-Natalie sees her father making out with a woman who is not her mother.

-Tootie almost gets tricked by a teenage prostitute and her pimp.

-Jo learns an old friend is a bigot.

-The book-banning episode.

-Natalie tackled the iffy subject of abortion for her school paper and almost gets tossed out of school.

-Jo has a sexist boyfriend.

-Blair is in a somewhat abusive relationship.

-Jo's teacher dies.

-Blair dates a retarded boy.

-Tootie's jock boyfriend can't read.

-Natalie is attracted to Tootie's cousin.

-Tootie has some mother problems.

-The girls start a chain letter.

-Tootie wants to have sex with her college-age boyfriend.

-Natalie can't open up to her boyfriend.

-Natalie's father dies.

-Jo dates one of her professors who is a single father.

-Blair's boyfriend is a stripper.

-After breaking off an engagement, Blair's behavior gets out of hand and she tells off Mrs. Garrett and winds up grounded.

-Blair's newest boyfriend is a drug addict.

-Jo let's a male friend move in with the girls.

-Edna's Edibles goes up in flames.

-Tootie has a young admirer.

-Natalie dates a guy who is a male model for a risque "Beefcake" calender.

-It is learned that Mrs. Garrett had a secret affair with a married man.

-Tootie wants to have sex with another boyfriend and almost does.

-Mrs. Garrett gets married and leaves the girls in the care of her flighty younger sister, Beverly-Ann.

-Beverly Ann takes in a foster child.

-An old friend's fiance makes a move on Blair.

-Blair is involved in a sandal involving one of her professors.

-Jo starts working in a community shelter for troubled teens.

-Jo's boyfriend thinks he's dying.

-Natalie loses her virginity and almost loses her boyfriend.

-Blair gets seriously injured after a car accident and learns a lesson in vanity (at least until the next episode).

-Jo gets married.

-Eastland is in trouble, so Blair takes over as headmaster.

I'm sure there are a few I left out, but just one too darn many special episodes. For the record the reason why the shows from the past two decades are more popular is because they aren't preachy and they are mostly fun to watch, also they are more geared to adults, whereas "Facts of Life" and similar shows were geared more to teens.

I have to agree with the people on here dissing "Frasier" being on Lifetime TV and all these other pathetic so-called "classic TV" stations airing all these lousy shows like "Just Shoot Me" and "Yes, Dear" all the time. But I also have to say that while I wouldn't call this a jump the shark, I think the entire first season of "Facts of Life" was horrible. It just didn't seem like "Facts of Life" and played more like "Rompa-Room" for teens. I especially could not stand that one girl who was always on the phone with some guy named Roger. At least the later seasons got better and the girls were written better. But I want to see this show back on TV in reruns instead of all the trash that's been on all the time! And, Lifetime, please take that God-awful "Frasier" sh-t off your lineup and replace it with the far superior "Facts of Life". But, do NOT air the first season, PLEASE!!!!!

I only have one thing to say to the most recent poster on this page. I am "very" happy for you that this site was hear for you to express all of that greif and got all of those frustrations off of your chest! Peace be with you!

i actually miss the shows from the '80s because they were so groundbeaking without being filthy. so unlike television today which is basically all sex and gore. and i am so with everyone who has been bashing frasier, friends, seinfeld, sex & the city and all these crappy later shows because first, everyone looks like they had stepped out of a catalogue, second, every episode seems to center around sex, and lastly, i cannot handle all these cop/mystery/crime shows where you see people being ripped open in graphic detail. damn, i remember way back when episodes about sex and violence was considered pretty taboo way back then. now, it's all you see. for the record, facts of life is my favorite show and yeah! lifetime don't know what a good show is otherwise they wouldn't show crap like frasier and will & grace! first you have the golden girls which is another great show, then you have frasier, one of the stupidest sitcoms ever to be aired on television about two stuck-up womanizing brothers and their annoying lazy father! that crap has no business being on lifetime! and i recall hearing that ion-TV was going to air reruns of facts of life but instead keep airing repeats of that drew carey sh%t!! then again, ion also removed the monkees, growing pains and the wonder years so go figure! and since when is home improvement considered a classic?! and why are all these stupid newer shows being shown all the time on TV land anyway?!?!?! and also, why is it sh%tty shows like frasier are placed in full-boxed dvd sets while facts of life is stalled at season 3?!?!?! my guess is either people don't seem to appreciate good television anymore and would rather watch smut, or maybe a show with a female cast who don't look like walking barbie dolls and parade around having sex doesn't exactly appeal to the masses anymore!

I'm happy to see so many people on here feel the same I do about today's crop, or shall I say "crap", of current TV sitcoms! I personally feel that all the shows from the past couple of decades seem do phony and scripted. Everyone on "Friends" are basically screaming idiots! The jerks on "Frasier" look as though they are reading from an encyclopedia Britannica! "Seinfeld" they look like they're reading off cue cards! And yeah the one with Charlie Sheen is basically a bunch of male macho stupidity! To me, "The Facts of Life" was more real and relatable. They were all good actresses and made their parts and their dialogue beleivable. And I don't know about anyone else, but I've seen more women out there who look more like one of the "Facts" girls than Jennifer Aniston! I wish young girls were exposed more to this show than all the junk that's out there now! And what is with all the stations rerunning these stupid recent shows all the time?!?!?! I for one would feel better knowing my daughter was watching an episode of "Facts" and being inspired by the strength of these amazing young women than watch an episode of "Friends", "Desperate Housewives" and "Sex and the City" and seeing non-realistic stick-thin botoxed Barbie dolls jumping from bed to bed with anything in pants!

The show jumped when the girls worked at Edna's Edibles because 1) the whole child labor laws thing and 2) I guess the parents of these girls didn't mind letting their daughters work and live in a bakery under the care of a former housemaid/dorm mother/dietician who can't seem to hold a steady job. If anything, the very first season was the most realistic.

The shark began circling when the girls got older (i.e., graduated from high school) and the writers were desperate to figure out a way to keep everyone together--it's the "Boy Meets World" problem like when Mr. Feeney went from being a high school teacher to a college prof--I guess he picked up his Ph.D. in his spare time between teaching & droning on incessently. He wasn't so preachy as Captain Nice. Go figure.

For me the shark first appeared when the girls were forced to work at the bakery with Mrs. Garrett even after the two older girls graduated from Eastland and were now going to college. How many parents would willingly leave their young children in the hands of a dizzy older woman who can't seem to hold a steady job and who later leaves them with her even dizzier sister? It's one thing to live together in a dorm at a boarding school, but to have two young teens shacking up with two older teens and an older woman, let alone making them work crazy hours in some bakery after school and on weekends, is not exactly ethical. I guess the child labor laws don't apply to Eastland. I know Tootie and Natalie were still attending Eastland, but that didn't mean they still had to live away from their parents. Kimberly Drummond didn't even live in the Eastland Dorms when she was still going to school there. So, in my opinion, this show should have ended after Jo and Blair graduated from Eastland...or continue the show with Blair and Jo living in a dorm at college and Tootie and Natalie still living in Eastland, yet the four girls and Mrs. Garrett were still close. But having them all live together over a bakery is really far fetched. And to all of you's moaning about "Frasier", "Friends" and all the newer sitcoms get a life! I find these shows alot more realistic than "Facts of Life". And sorry to break this to you but adults do have sex with each other and did you ever stop to think that the characters might be using protection?!

I loved the seasons right up to the "Over-Our-Heads" during the late-80s. But I loved the Eastland years and the Edna's Edibles years. It did seem kind of odd to have two teens and two collegians and a batty older woman living in a bakery, though. But than again, this was a TV show. In any event "Facts" and alot of shows from that era were alot better than all the poop coming out now and during the '90s. And I am SO GLAD people are saying stuff about "Frasier" polluting "Lifetime" because it's a stupid male-oriented show about two annoying brothers who are concerned with getting into all the exclusive clubs and mixing with the upper class...and, yeah, all the shows from the 90s and now are all about sex! This is what I've been saying all along. And why they suddenly stopped airing "Facts of Life" and "Hogan's Family" reruns is boyond me!! What really makes me mad is I-On TV was supposed to start airing reruns of "Facts of Life" and instead they choose to air "Drew Carey"!! I guess the general public consider this mysoginistic sex crazed current shows classic hits! So sad!

"Facts" was a fairly enjoyable show for the first few seasons. (And for the record, I'm a straight male who got to watching it because I had the hots for Blair.) However, the "Edna's Edibles" was the jumping moment.

This is my second favorite show next to "Diff'rent Strokes" and while I am happy to see "DS" being in reruns on BET, I'm pretty peaved that they are no longer showing this in reruns. I think Lifetime should definately replace that "Frasier" sh!t with this show! Everytime I see Kelsey Grammar's smug face, I just want to slam it up against a wall. That stupid crap show has no business being on a women-centered station. And why is Sony dishing out mindless crap DVD's while holding out on issuing an entire boxed set for classics like "FOL" and "DS"?!?!?!?!?!