The BEST episodes of The Facts of Life season 5

Every episode of The Facts of Life season 5, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of The Facts of Life season 5!

Charlotte Rae stars as a dietician and house mother at a private girls' boarding school, watching over students Blair, Tootie, Natalie and Jo.

Last Updated: 9/28/2024Network: NBCStatus: Ended
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The Christmas Show
star
8.57
7 votes

#1 - The Christmas Show

Season 5 - Episode 12 - Aired 12/21/1983

The holidays bring joy to the girls when they all plan on going home for Christmas but when Jo's mother temporarily moves to Miami, Jo is stuck in Peekskill.

Directors: Asaad Kelada
Writer: Jerry Mayer
Watch Now:Amazon
A Death in the Family
star
8.42
12 votes

#2 - A Death in the Family

Season 5 - Episode 17 - Aired 2/1/1984

The girls are shaken by the sudden death of Natalie's father and wonder how to ease her pain.

Directors: Asaad Kelada
Watch Now:Amazon
Next Door
star
8.40
10 votes

#3 - Next Door

Season 5 - Episode 14 - Aired 1/4/1984

A young boy enters Edna's Edibles and Tootie befriends him and learns that he lives next door. She also learns that his mother works all day and leaves him home alone and tells him never to leave their apartment and when a gas leak is detected on the block the young boy won't budge.

Directors: Linda Day
Watch Now:Amazon
Small but Dangerous
star
8.33
9 votes

#4 - Small but Dangerous

Season 5 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/16/1983

Streetwise Kelly alleges that the vandalism of Edna's Edibles was the work of a local gang, but Jo decides to investigate.

Directors: Asaad Kelada
Watch Now:Amazon
Brave New World (1)
star
8.30
10 votes

#5 - Brave New World (1)

Season 5 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/21/1983

Jo and Blair have a hard time adjusting to college.

Directors: Asaad Kelada
Watch Now:Amazon
The Chain Letter
star
8.22
9 votes

#6 - The Chain Letter

Season 5 - Episode 13 - Aired 12/28/1983

While Mrs. Garrett frets over an inspection by the Board of Health, the girls get involved with a chain letter and ignore their responsibilities.

Directors: Asaad Kelada
Watch Now:Amazon
The Second Time Around
star
8.14
7 votes

#7 - The Second Time Around

Season 5 - Episode 11 - Aired 12/14/1983

Jo begins seeing sparks between her divorced parents and immediately hopes they get back together. However, her hopes quickly become dashed when she learns that her father is planning to marry another woman.

Watch Now:Amazon
What Price Glory?
star
8.11
9 votes

#8 - What Price Glory?

Season 5 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/19/1983

Tootie's new boyfriend, Jeff, is the star football player on the football team at Eastland. However, she learns a startling secret that he's been keeping, he's illiterate. She now must decide whether or not to encourage his behavior of having other kids do his work for him.

Writer: Alan Spencer
Watch Now:Amazon
Advanced Placement
star
8.11
9 votes

#9 - Advanced Placement

Season 5 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/2/1983

Natalie is allowed to enroll in a college course at Langley College and she quickly gets an overblown ego which quickly threatens her friendships with Blair, Jo and Tootie. Things get even worse when she learns that if she can keep her grade point average up she will be allowed to graduate early and enroll at Langley in the fall.

Directors: Asaad Kelada
Watch Now:Amazon
The Halloween Show
star
8.00
11 votes

#10 - The Halloween Show

Season 5 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/26/1983

A strange man tells the girls that years ago a murder occurred in the shop. Later, when the girls see Mrs. Garret with a knife they assume that she's possessed by the murderer's spirit and is out to get them.

Directors: Asaad Kelada
Writer: Jerry Mayer
Watch Now:Amazon
Crossing the Line
star
8.00
11 votes

#11 - Crossing the Line

Season 5 - Episode 15 - Aired 1/11/1984

Natalie starts dating a black guy, and Tootie thinks that Natalie hates him because of his color.

Directors: Mark W. Travis
Watch Now:Amazon
Mother and Daughter
star
8.00
10 votes

#12 - Mother and Daughter

Season 5 - Episode 21 - Aired 2/29/1984

Tootie's mother comes to Eastland for a visit, and the fact that Tootie doesn't communicate with her mother becomes apparent. Her mother quickly realizes there are many things she doesn't know about her daughter and wants to have an open relationship with Tootie but will Tootie allow that?

Directors: Norman Cohen
Writer: Jerry Mayer
Watch Now:Amazon
Seems Like Old Times
star
8.00
11 votes

#13 - Seems Like Old Times

Season 5 - Episode 23 - Aired 3/21/1984

Jo is surprised when her ex-boyfriend, Eddie, who just got out of the Navy, makes a surprise visit. However, Jo isn't the only one who's in for a surprise when Tootie discovers a shocking secret that Eddie's been keeping.

Directors: Asaad Kelada
Watch Now:Amazon
Store Games
star
7.86
7 votes

#14 - Store Games

Season 5 - Episode 10 - Aired 11/30/1983

Mrs. Garrett is slowly losing business to a competitor, Pete Dawson. However, Natalie, with the help of her computer, breaks into his computer and alters his recipes.

Watch Now:Amazon
All by Herself
star
7.86
7 votes

#15 - All by Herself

Season 5 - Episode 22 - Aired 3/14/1984

Geri is in charge of organizing a charity auction but makes her first mistake by making Blair her assistant. Blair quickly takes over and begins doing things without consulting Geri. Geri in turn fires her and makes her second mistake, not accepting any help from from anyone.

Watch Now:Amazon
I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can
star
7.80
10 votes

#16 - I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can

Season 5 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/9/1983

For a birthday surprise, the girls take Mrs. Garrett to a club featuring male exotic dancers, but the one who's in for the real surprise is Blair.

Directors: Asaad Kelada
Writer: Jim Geoghan
Watch Now:Amazon
Joint Custody
star
7.78
9 votes

#17 - Joint Custody

Season 5 - Episode 24 - Aired 5/2/1984

Mrs. Garrett's son, Raymond stops by Edna's Edibles for a visit and brings along his wife, Doris, whom he has been having marital problems with. This gets Mrs. Garrett and the girls worried about the future of the shop especially since Raymond and Doris have been talking about a divorce.

Directors: Asaad Kelada
Watch Now:Amazon
Just My Bill
star
7.67
12 votes

#18 - Just My Bill

Season 5 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/12/1983

Jo's been dating, Bill, a plain guy who attends the same college as she does, but when she learns that he's a rich kid, Jo becomes resentful and angry that he didn't tell her the whole truth about himself.

Directors: Asaad Kelada
Watch Now:Amazon
The Way We Were (1)
star
7.55
11 votes

#19 - The Way We Were (1)

Season 5 - Episode 25 - Aired 5/9/1984

Another school year has come to an end and all the girls are preparing or their summer vacation. They each reminisce about the last six years they have spent together (via flashbacks). However, leaving one another on good terms is something that may not happen when an accident causes yet another rift between Jo and Blair.

Writer: Jerry Mayer
Watch Now:Amazon
All or Nothing
star
7.50
10 votes

#20 - All or Nothing

Season 5 - Episode 16 - Aired 1/18/1984

Newly elected board member Jo tackles the regents of Langley when they vote to cut academic scholarships in favor of a scoreboard nobody wants.

Directors: Asaad Kelada
Watch Now:Amazon
Star at Langley
star
7.40
10 votes

#21 - Star at Langley

Season 5 - Episode 19 - Aired 2/15/1984

Blair and her boyfriend, Cliff, are serious at least Cliff thinks so but Blair pushes him away. Meanwhile, a movie star, Heather Hunt, is visiting Peekskill and quickly Blair finds herself competing with her for Cliff's attentions.

Directors: Asaad Kelada
Watch Now:Amazon
Dream Marriage
star
7.38
8 votes

#22 - Dream Marriage

Season 5 - Episode 20 - Aired 2/22/1984

A marriage proposal from Blair's boyfriend prompts her to begin dreaming about the future for herself and her friends.

Directors: Asaad Kelada
Writer: Jerry Mayer
Watch Now:Amazon
Gamma Gamma or Bust
star
7.29
7 votes

#23 - Gamma Gamma or Bust

Season 5 - Episode 3 - Aired 9/28/1983

Blair is dying to join the sorority that's she pledging and she volunteers Mrs. Garrett to be the caterer for a rush party. However, when Mrs. Garrett begins making Mexican before consulting Blair, who wanted Chinese, Blair fires her without a second thought.

The Way We Were (2)
star
7.25
8 votes

#24 - The Way We Were (2)

Season 5 - Episode 26 - Aired 5/9/1984

Flashbacks and memories of the past continue as the girls finish getting ready for their summer vacations. However, saying goodbye to one another appears to be easy for all them especially since fights are brewing between Blair and Jo and Natalie and Tootie.

Writer: Jerry Mayer
Big Fish/Little Fish
star
7.09
11 votes

#25 - Big Fish/Little Fish

Season 5 - Episode 18 - Aired 2/8/1984

Blair is distraught when she discovers that Jo has taken her place in popularity on campus. This leads to an argument between the two that ends with Jo refusing Blair's help for planning a party.

Directors: Asaad Kelada