MovieChat Forums > The Facts of Life (1979) Discussion > Facts of Life season One was Iconic.

Facts of Life season One was Iconic.


In my humble and modest opinion, FOL season one with all seven girls; the brilliant Molly Ringwald and the very talented and beautiful Julie Anne Haddock was Iconic. I enjoyed when each episode ended there was a lesson to be learned. John Lawlor as Mr Bradley was great. He had great chemistry and a fun loving dynamic with Charlotte Rae. The girls on season one had great chemistry together. BTW a girls school is supposed to have girls, plenty of them, like more than four. Great story lines, simple, sweet, fun, fun loving and go old fashion silly fun. It's still a enjoy watching season one on Youtube. Thank you to season One girls...You Rocked!

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I don't think you know what iconic means. Season 1 was the least iconic of the series, even less than the Beverly Ann and Pippa era.

If anything was iconic it was the cafeteria era or the Edna's Edibles era. When anyone thinks of the show, they're usually going to think of those parts.

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I respect your opinion. However everyone is entitled to their opinion. I enjoyed the cheesy good fun from season one. All those special episodes in the common room. The girls had great chemistry and symmetry amongst each other. Mr Bradley and Mrs. Garrett had a great dynamic and so did Blair and Sue Anne. Remember this show had a very talented Molly Ringwald and a very talented and beautiful Julie Anne Haddock. After season one, the show lost it's girls school flavor, it's sweetness, innocence, and fun lovingness. The show took on a more serious tone. Season one was silly good fun, goofy and entertaining. A poster from Season one would be worth far more than any other seasons.

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And you're allowed to like season one as much as you want, even more than later seasons if you want, but iconic means something more. Only people really into the show (like you) even remember that season, but everyone who ever saw the show remembers the show as being about the Mrs. G and the four girls, including Jo, not the entire rooming house full of girls and Mr. Bradley and that other woman and Mrs. G as the house mother.

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You are right, people really identity with seasons 2-8. Season one special to me. I loved the characters. It was iconic because it was unique. There was one iconic actress on the show, Molly Ringwald. Unfortunately, 13 episodes was never a fair barometer for the future success..A poster from season one would be worth a lot more than any other seasons. ?

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I agree. The only stand outs from season 1 was Tootie, her skates, Blair (although i can't stand her), Mrs. Garrett, and Natalie. The others were so forgettable.

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Season one is basically lost/forgotten (despite its inclusion in the syndicated package.) When the average person think of The Facts of Life, they think of Blair, Jo, Natalie, Tootie and Mrs. Garret. Then they may recall its roots as a spinoff of Diff'rent Strokes...then perhaps they remember Clooney being there at some point. No one thinks of Sue Ann or Molly Ringwald (who is defined by her status an a member of The Brat Pack, and those movies, which towers that one season she did on this show)

In order for something to be 'Iconic,' it needs to be memorable first...and that's something that S1 of FOL is not. You've decided that you like it best, and that's all well and good, but that is not the general consensus. S1, if anything, would be more aligned with having something of cult status...but even that's pushing it. Season 1 was basically a premature experiment that came off as very unfinished/unrefined/unorganized and can be likened as being a miniseries pilot.

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You're commentary is excellent. You should be a writer. People don't identify with season one. Season one never got a chance, only 13 episodes. Late summer replacement, instead of being a new show for the fall. Nine new episodes that were not should until March. Episodes that were also not shown on a set schedule. On one week, then not on for a few weeks, shown on different days and times. The writing was not superlative either. The show was cheesy good fun, innocent, cute, adorable, sweet and fun loving. Unfortunately the first season was not sophisticated enough for its audience. Then again its about teenagers. What season one did was something special it taught a lesson after each episode. A cult following is an excellent analogy.

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Season 1 of "The Facts of Life" had seven girls, including longtime cast members Lisa Whelchel (Blair), Kim Fields (Tootie) and Mindy Cohn (Natalie), along with future Brat Pack movie star Molly Ringwald. When Linda Marsh and Margie Peters took over much of the writing-producing duties beginning in Season 2, and ending midway in Season 6, Ringwald, Julie Anne Haddock (Cindy), and the actresses who played Nancy and Sue Ann, were reduced to recurring roles until they were written out of the show completely, and Nancy McKeon was brought in as Jo, the tomboyish new student of Eastland Academy. According to an interview on "The E! True Hollywood Story," Peters said that she and Marsh also eliminated Tootie from wearing roller skates because it served as a stereotype for African Americans at the time, going to roller discos, and Blair and Sue Ann from wearing halter tops and short shorts. In came the more serious topics that teenagers face including suicide, alcoholism and the death of Natalie's father. In my opinion, all except the final season were the best seasons of "FOL."

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I was surprised to see molly ringwald on it then again the show began running when I was born/was a toddler.

USED to love the over our heads era. Watched it now and I was like ewww. I cannot believe that made it to air. Then again I was in elementary school back then. I can't watch it now w out getting sick

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I really enjoyed season 1 and wish they had kept more of the girls, even if they had to eliminate some. I think that Cindy coming back to school completely changed (feminine) would have been a good conflict/competitive for boys storyline with Blair.

I definitely liked the first season and the cafeteria seasons. I liked some of Edna's Edibles shows, and had no interest in the Over Our Heads era.

The show could have done without Beverly Anne, Pippa, and all the new characters they brought in later.

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I thought season one was okay, but the four girls that were "axed" were pretty dull, IMO. Jo and Blair bounced off each other splendidly.

Maybe that bloody dagger will lead us to the murder weapon.

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They should have kept Mr. Bradley. He was more handsome than Mr. Parker. Yes the series was supposed to be about the girls

Re over our heads....if it did not have Beverly Ann but maybe had one of Edna's sons move in bc he needs place to stay while setting up his business?? Would have made more sense.

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We now know, thanks to THE OFFICE, how you're supposed to handle a large regular cast. You make about 4 of them the main characters (Michael-Jim-Pam-Dwight/Edna-Blair-Jo-Natalie-Tootie) and make the others consistent background players. But the consistent background folks have to be really unique. Molly was. Cindy, Nancy, and SueAnn, not so much. It would have been easy to make Cindy unique as the gifted and obsessed athlete. But what could they have done with Nancy and SueAnn?

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