Addressing the decision to cast Actors of a Certain Age to fill pint-sized roles, Lear’s producing partner Brent Miller told TVLine, “It started with Jimmy and his desire to have Kevin Hart play Arnold Jackson, the Gary Coleman role…. The legendary Norman Lear - whose Embassy Television produced the original runs of Diff’rent Strokes and Facts of Life - served as host and executive producer, alongside Jimmy Kimmel. Kojak used 4 themes in its run, and the last season was totally different. Wonder Years used different parts of the Joe Cocker song for the high school years. Donna Reed changed for the final 2 seasons. Diffrent Strokes began an eight-year run across two networks in 1978, making stars out of its young lead. The Drummonds (Gary Coleman, Todd Bridges, Dana Plato and Conrad Bain) are very excited to spend their Thanksgiving with some very special family friends: th. Diffrent Strokes changed in the final season. TV-PG 188 Episodes Comedy, Family 1978 - 1986. Snoop Dogg, whose casting was previously unannounced, played Willis’ friend Vernon. Mary Tyler Moore Show changed in season 2. Garrett - a role she also played during the preceding reenactment of Facts of Life. A group of A-list stars joined together to perform two episodes of The Facts of Life and Diff’rent Strokes, which both debuted in the late 1970s and for the most part, all went. Tuesday’s presentation - a reenactment of the Season 1 episode “Willis’ Privacy,” wherein Willis tires of having “Super Arnold” hang around him all the time - starred Kevin Hart as Arnold John Lithgow (3rd Rock From the Sun) as Phillip Damon Wayans ( My Wife and Kids) as Willis and Ann Dowd ( The Handmaid’s Tale) as Mrs. A family whose little boy died, forces the father to kidnap Sam, who is shopping for some snacks in a grocery store.