The "Cassie era" with Ann Jillian (Seasons 1-3) or the "Ginger era" with Sheryl Lee Ralph (Seasons 4-6).

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/photopost/data/669/8.jpg

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/photopost/data/669/It_s_a_Living_-_Season_5.jpg

The Cassie era of course! She was like the "Flo" of this show, and when she left it was never as good. It was missing that certain spark without her IMO. They needed a real sassy character (someone like Jackee really would have livened things up; Ginger was a bore).

It's a Living in a round about way, kind of reminds me of Charlie's Angels, and not just because they aired on ABC during the early 1980s. You have Ann Jillian, who like Farrah Fawcett, wasn't on the show that long even though they're arguably, the most iconic cast members for their respective shows. Sheryl Lee Ralph like Cheryl Ladd on Charlie's Angels, was actually on the show longer than the woman for whom she replaced.

Also, just like with Kate Jackson's departure from Charlie's Angels following Season 3, it's arguable that the producers didn't really count on (since it wasn't the first time that they had to replace a major character) how much Ann Jillian's departure from It's a Living hurt.

And just like with Jaclyn Smith and David Doyle (and if it counts, John Forsythe) on Charlie's Angels, Barrie Youngfellow, Gail Edwards, Paul Kreppel, and Marian Mercer were the only ones who stuck with It's a Living from beginning to end.

As an original viewer and now enjoying its incredible resurgence I am and always was a Ann fan, but season 1 for me is the best, plus to be as respectful to all as possible, I much preferred the season one waitress attire, as it was changed for the rest of the series.

I always wondered did they not want to visually over-expose the actresses past season one or was it because of the additional though beautiful in her own way, was the change in covering up a bit in attire due to the addition of Louise Lasser?

Yes, Louise was a "mature woman" by 1981 and had gained a lot of weight since her Mary Hartman days just 5 years before, so it would have looked inappropriate for her to wear the "spaghetti straps" uniform of Season 1. Or perhaps ABC was trying to "tone it down" in regards to the jiggle factor since they reportedly got a lot of backlash about the show that first season, which is also the reason they changed the title for Season 2.

I was disappointed when I tuned in for season 4 and Ann Jillian was gone. Her departure wasn’t publicized ahead of time.

The Ginger era. I never cared for Cassie and I never found Ann Gillian to be funny. But it was unfortunate they never gave the character a proper departure though.

I'm partial to Nancy and Howard, so I'd lean toward the 3-6 seasons for that reason. Also, there seemed to be a better balance and more of a family atmosphere among the characters in the latter years, which the cast continuity no doubt helped. That said, there was good stuff in the earlier seasons too.

The Ginger era. I never cared for Cassie and I never found Ann Gillian to be funny. But it was unfortunate they never gave the character a proper departure though.

What's ironic is that some may think that the show jumped the shark (https://web.archive.org/web/20061031125318/http://www.jumptheshark.com/i/itsaliving.htm) when Ann Jillian departed but the show finally found stability when Sheryl Lee Ralph came onboard. So Season 3 (the first syndication season) could serve as a bridge between the ABC years and the syndication run.

The Cassie era. I didn’t like Ginger all that much, she was okay, I just didn’t like her too much. And I refuse to watch any episode after Season 4 so I like the Cassie era way better.

What's ironic is that some may think that the show jumped the shark (https://web.archive.org/web/20061031125318/http://www.jumptheshark.com/i/itsaliving.htm) when Ann Jillian departed but the show finally found stability when Sheryl Lee Ralph came onboard. So Season 3 (the first syndication season) could serve as a bridge between the ABC years and the syndication run.
It went downhill when Ann Jillian left, but officially jumped the shark when Howard married Nancy and everybody else got married. :rolleyes: From there on, it became The Howard-Nancy-And-The-Every-Waitress-But-Dot-Gets-Married-Out-Of-The-Blue Show. Why would Howard even wanted to be married to the same crazy, snooty, stuck up, snotty, annoying, miserable woman who repeatedly sexually harassed him? :confused: If this was in real life, Howard would’ve sued Nancy for sexual harassment a LONG time ago. God, Howard was an idiot.

The Cassie era of course! She was like the "Flo" of this show, and when she left it was never as good. It was missing that certain spark without her IMO. They needed a real sassy character (someone like Jackee really would have livened things up; Ginger was a bore).

I just started watching this and so far have only seen episodes with Ralph. Not a bad show show but not fantastic either.

Ann Jillian sucks, she was very boring and overrated. Season 3 with Crystal Bernard's addition was when it started to get better, then when Ginger came was when It's a Living hit its stride.

Ann Jillian sucks, she was very boring and overrated. Season 3 with Crystal Bernard's addition was when it started to get better, then when Ginger came was when It's a Living hit its stride.
How did you like Louise Lasser?

Ann Jillian sucks, she was very boring and overrated. Season 3 with Crystal Bernard's addition was when it started to get better, then when Ginger came was when It's a Living hit its stride.

Funny how Cassie seems to be the most-mentioned of all the characters all these years later, but rarely anything about Crystal Bernard or Sheryl Lee Ralph.

https://poptrashmuseum.com/blog/its-a-living

I liked both eras.

Funny how Cassie seems to be the most-mentioned of all the characters all these years later, but rarely anything about Crystal Bernard or Sheryl Lee Ralph.

https://poptrashmuseum.com/blog/its-a-living

Which is unfortunate as I liked both eras.

Funny how Cassie seems to be the most-mentioned of all the characters all these years later, but rarely anything about Crystal Bernard or Sheryl Lee Ralph.

https://poptrashmuseum.com/blog/its-a-living

Crystal Bernard was the reason I remembered this show after all these years. She was my favorite of all the waitresses. I voted for the syndicated run not due to Sheryl Lee Ralph but due to Crystal.

How did you like Louise Lasser?What I have seen of her was also boring. Antenna TV made a mistake not starting with season 3 or season 4 in primetime where the beginning flopped, of course the first two boring seasons are going to do worse. Although Sonny, Nancy, and Dot I like in any era.

Funny how Cassie seems to be the most-mentioned of all the characters all these years later, but rarely anything about Crystal Bernard or Sheryl Lee Ralph.

https://poptrashmuseum.com/blog/its-a-livingCrystal had the most success of anyone after It's a Living with the possible exception of Susan Sullivan. Crystal was the female star of Wings, which lasted 8 seasons and was a top notch ensemble comedy. Some random blog praising Cassie doesn't really matter.

Read any article about show--Ann is always mentioned, the others not so much. Don't you have another "My Top 1237 Scripted TV Characters of 1970-85" list to compile?

What I have seen of her was also boring. Antenna TV made a mistake not starting with season 3 or season 4 in primetime where the beginning flopped, of course the first two boring seasons are going to do worse. Although Sonny, Nancy, and Dot I like in any era.
Believe it or not, Season 2 is my favorite season. So I’ll have to disagree with you, as I liked Maggie.

Crystal had the most success of anyone after It's a Living with the possible exception of Susan Sullivan. Crystal was the female star of Wings, which lasted 8 seasons and was a top notch ensemble comedy. Some random blog praising Cassie doesn't really matter.

There was also of course, Sheryl Lee Ralph who had a nice little run on Moesha during the '90s-early 2000s and more recently, won an Emmy for Abbott Elementry, which is now entering its fourth season.

I would say that Sheryl Lee Ralph and Susan Sullivan had the most success post-It's a Living since Crystal Bernard (https://www.datalounge.com/thread/11844514-weht-crystal-bernard-) you can argue, had a pretty unremarkable career (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal_Bernard#Filmography) after Wings (https://www.reddit.com/r/wingstvshow/comments/1dmvpg5/what_happened_to_crystal_bernardhelen_in_wings/) and she has (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLUANClHl-M) for all intents and purpose, been retired (https://nedhardy.com/2022/06/20/crystal-bernard/) since 2008.