WHEN THE SHOW ENDED IN 1988, IT WAS THE LONGEST RUNNING SITCOM IN NBC’S HISTORY. Other not-yet-famous guest stars who appeared on the show include Helen Hunt, Juliette Lewis, Mayim Bialik, Seth Green, Richard Dean Anderson, Richard Grieco, Dennis Haysbert, Crispin Glover, David Spade, and Bridesmaids director Paul Feig. It’s a widely known bit of trivia that Clooney played a handyman in 17 episodes sprinkled throughout seasons seven and eight. GEORGE CLOONEY WAS JUST ONE OF MANY GUEST STARS WHO WOULD LATER BECOME A BIG-TIME CELEBRITY. “Nobody knew-that I know of-that they were going to make this major cut.” Three of the four castoffs came back as guest stars a few times in seasons two and three, and again for a season eight reunion episode called “The Little Chill.” Ringwald was the one holdout. LISA WHELCHEL, KIM FIELDS, AND MINDY COHN DIDN’T KNOW THE OTHER GIRLS HAD BEEN FIRED UNTIL THEY SHOWED UP FOR WORK ON SEASON TWO. Predictably, it soon became apparent that there wasn’t enough for all of those characters to do, and the show’s ratings were lousy. For the second season, producers stripped it down to the elements that were working best, dumped everyone else, and brought in Nancy McKeon as tomboy, blue-collar Jo. A couple of school administrators were regular characters as well. Things were rather crowded at Eastland School during those first 13 episodes, with Felice Schachter, Julie Anne Haddock, Julie Piekarski, and Molly Ringwald (yes, that one) in the mix with the others. THERE WERE SEVEN GIRLS IN THE FIRST SEASON: BLAIR, TOOTIE, NATALIE, AND FOUR OTHERS.

To make the journey even more edifying, here are some things you might not know about everyone’s favorite all-female ’80s sitcom. And as today marks the 30th anniversary of the series' finale, it’s time to take a trip down memory lane with Blair, Tootie, Natalie, Jo, and good ol’ Mrs. NBC’s long-running sitcom is a fondly remembered part of ‘80s nostalgia. As anyone over the age of 30 can tell you, the recipe is this: You take the good you take the bad you take 'em both-and there you have The Facts of Life.

Cast of facts of life