I think it sort of jumped the shark once the girls became adults. The show was at its best when Julie and Barbara were teenagers and living with Ann in the apartment. That was the basic premise. Once that was gone, the show was never as good. I think the first three seasons were the very best. Season four is when it started not being *quite* as good but still good nevertheless. Season five was mediocre in my opinion. Season six was pretty good, and I think the addition of Alex was a good thing. There never had been a boy in the mix, and this gave us a chance to see how Ann would parent a boy. And, it was done rather realistically, unlike other shows where the main characters adopt kids after the original kids grow up. Here, it would make sense for Ann to take Alex in after his father dies. She had come to know Alex while she was dating his father. Plus, her daughters were grown, and she had never had a son. I can see that happening.

Seasons seven and eight were still okay and did have some good episodes. I think the real "jump the shark" moment was when they did a season nine. Season nine was very bad. Everything should have been wrapped up in season eight. Ann got married at the end of season eight, and that is when they should of had her move to London and should have done the goodbye episode at the apartment then. That way, Mackenzie Phillips would have been a part of the final episode at the apartment, and that would have made for a good wrap-up. Also, if the show had not gone to season nine, they could have had Ann and Sam legally adopt Alex. This way, Ann has a son in addition to her two daughters plus a new husband. We didn't need to see Ann and Sam's marriage because that wasn't what the show was about. So, I guess the biggest "jump the shark" in my opinion is having the show go for one season too long. Season nine had some depressing episodes, such as the one where Barbara and Mark try to adopt that little boy only to lose him when he is adopted by another family. And,season nine is also when Julie leaves her family, which is totally out of character. Awful season to an otherwise great show. I pretend season nine never happened. The only good episode is when Ann leaves the apartment for the last time.