The Facts of Life

I used to like The Facts of Life as a kid. I recently saw it on Nick at Nite during the Revenge of the 80s week and I have to wonder why. As my girlfriend so rightly said, the show's idea of comedy is adding a laughtrack to a totally normal saying. "Hey, how's it going" followed by a laughtrack passes for comedy with Mrs. Garrett and the gang.

Still, it's hard to hate the show. The cast is amiable enough and unlike, say, Full House, it's not saccharine enough to sap you of your will to live. It's earnest "issue" episodes are screamingly hilarious- unintentionally so, natch- and it did run in the two greatest decades ever (the 70s and 80s). All the same, it feels as if it was written by aliens desperately guessing what humans might find funny based on second hand info and failing miserably. Worth checking out if just for it's totally bizarre nature.