Nancy McKeon was unable to participate due to scheduling conflicts with her then-starring role in the television series The Division.
Thirteen years after the events of the original series, a widowed Mrs. Garrett is heading back to America on a cruise ship, ready for a whole new life and also looking forward to seeing "her girls" again, all of whom have grown into successful, independent women: Natalie has talked to Mrs. Garrett and all the girls into spending the Thanksgiving holiday together back in Peekskill, New York.
[2] All the outdoor scenes in Peekskill and the train station were shot as the World Trade Center went down during the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York City.
Nancy McKeon originally met with the reunion's producers early on and offered to direct the movie if the plot revolved around Jo's death, similar to the film The Big Chill.
In a TV Guide magazine article in March 2001, Mackenzie Astin, who played Andy Moffett on The Facts of Life from 1985–88, was asked about the reunion and he was quoted as saying: "I keep hearing about that too.