Mrs. Garrett is absent for most of the second half of season 7. The show still works pretty well without her. What’s odd is that high school student Tootie is living in the house without her guardian. At this point, they hardly mention that Tootie is still in high school and we never see her in her uniform. But would her parents be comfortable with her just living with her friends? And would the school? Remember, she and Natalie had to get permission in season 5 to live off campus with Mrs. Garrett.

Also, with Edna absent, who is running the shop? I know the girls are now parters with Mrs. G, but I’m assuming that Mrs. G has still been keeping the books, doing the inventory, and taking most of the shifts.

Then, we get to season 8. Mrs. G decides to rejoin the Peace Corps and marry Bruce, with whom she served in the Peace Corps 20 years earlier. Now wait a minute. In previous years, we’ve met Edna’s sons, Alex and Raymond. Alex looked to be about 25-30 years old when we saw him several years previously. So that would make him a teenager when Edna was supposedly serving in the Peace Corps. This makes NO sense. Why does Edna have to be sent off to Africa anyway? Why can’t she just marry Bruce and move away to California? Or Florida, or Texas, or anyplace more common?

And while Edna is planning her wedding to Bruce, NOW she’s all concerned about someone replacing her in the shop, namely Beverly Ann. Hmmmm....they managed to get along fine without her the previous season.

I’d also love to know what was going on behind the scenes in terms of producers during those last few years. Linda Marsh and Margie Peters were instrumental in retooling the show at the beginning of season 2. They left in the middle of season 6, to be replaced by Deirdre Fay and Stuart Wolpert, who in turn left in the middle of season 7. Very unusual to have production changes mid-season, let alone two seasons in a row. Fay and Wolpert were replaced by original series producer Jack Elinson. Paul Haggis, who went on to write Crash and Million Dollar Baby became one of his deputies.

At the beginning of season 8, Elinson is gone, and now Haggis is the executive producer, along with Richard Gurman. After the first transition episode, Out of Peekskill, Haggis is gone, and Katherine Green is now executive producer alongside Gurman. After a few more shows, Gurman and Green are gone, replaced by Irma Kalish.

What the heck was going on, I wonder.

Wow...very interesting observations. So it looks like former episode writers Deirdre and Stuart could be blamed for "burning down" Edna's Edibles and creating Over Our Heads, or at least for allowing those events to happen (they wrote "Into the Frying Pan", while Paul Haggis wrote the episode "Out of the Fire...")

Found an interview with Paul Haggis, the executive producer for the first two episodes of season 8 only (he was a writer/producer during season 7). He says he was fired in part because during his first staff meeting he said, “I want to do something different with Facts of Life this year. I want to make it funny.”

I'm in Season 5 now of the complete series, will totally watch for this and get back to you

Im through about half of Season 6 and Mrs. Garrett has only been in one episode of this season so far

Im through about half of Season 6 and Mrs. Garrett has only been in one episode of this season so far

I think she was having some health issues in Season 6.

Im through about half of Season 6 and Mrs. Garrett has only been in one episode of this season so far



Are you sure you're on season 6? Charlotte Rae was in like 20 episodes that season, more than half of the season. In season 7 she was gone almost the whole season. It was weird to have her start a new business with the girls and not have her be a key role in it. That's not something Mrs. Garrett was portrayed to have done to the girls. It was out of character.

I went back to count, and Mrs. Garrett is actually in 17 of the 24 episodes during season 7. But of those 17, she has a just a single scene in two of them: “The Apartment” and “Come Back to the Truck Stop, Natalie Green, Natalie Green”. And in many of the others she just has a small role, so it seems like she’s there less than she is. There’s only one I can think of that focuses on her - the one where her nasty friend comes to visit and accuses her of having had an affair with her late husband (don’t get me started on how easily Edna forgives her).

It’s definitely the season where she has the least presence.

I think Charlotte missed five or so shows in season 6 and then more in season seven. She wrote in her book that come season 5, she dreaded going to work. She apparently was bored, and had never stayed with an acting job that long. She also felt, when she left, that she has exhausted every possibility, storywise, with Mrs. G.

Are you sure you're on season 6? Charlotte Rae was in like 20 episodes that season, more than half of the season. In season 7 she was gone almost the whole season. It was weird to have her start a new business with the girls and not have her be a key role in it. That's not something Mrs. Garrett was portrayed to have done to the girls. It was out of character.
Yes starting in like season 6 she would be randomly absent here and there for stretches of 2-3 episodes