It's a Living

1980 - 1989

Follows the everyday lives of a group of waitresses at a high class hotel restaurant in Los Angeles.

Stars: Barrie Youngfellow, Gail Edwards, Marian Mercer, Paul Kreppel, Crystal Bernard, Richard Stahl, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Ann Jillian, Luise Lasser, Earl Boen, Susan Sullivan, Bert Remsen
Created by: Dick Clair, Jenna McMahon, Stu Silver
Tags: workplace

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Episode Tropes

Season 1

Going Co-op: Episode 3, "Roomies" (1980). Vicki has to move out of her apartment because her building went condo, but her new apartment is still occupied, so she temporarily moves in with Cassie.
Moonlighting: Episode 6, "Super-Mom" (1980). Jan gets a second job handwriting invitations to pay for her daughter's ballet lessons. When she falls behind, she starts working on the invitations at the restaurant, leaving the other waitresses to cover for her.
On Fire: Episode 8, "Up on the Roof" (1981). The building's on fire, and the fire department is evacuating the building one floor at a time, starting at the bottom. Unfortunately, the restaurant is on the top floor, so Nancy urges the waitresses to serve slowly and try to keep the customers from leaving.
Hot for Student: Episode 9, "Making the Grade" (1981). Jan goes on a date with her economics professor and has a terrible time. When she tells him she doesn't want to go out with him again, he tells her if she doesn't sleep with him, he's going to flunk her.
Limp Willy: Episode 11, "R-E-S-P-E-C-T" (1981). Sonny's been depressed lately, and he confesses to Dot that it's because he can't "finish" his dates anymore, even with a woman who "makes Bo Derek look like Kelp."

Season 2

You are Not the Father: Episode 2, "All My Son" (1981). A woman claims Sonny is the father of her son, Arthur, and when Sonny questions her, she leaves Arthur with him and runs off. Sonny takes a liking to Arthur, and he's disappointed when his mother confesses that Sonny's not his father.
Reluctant Hero: Episode 3, "Of Mace and Men" (1981). Dot takes down a mugger with pepper spray, and everyone congratulates her and calls her a hero, but she feels terrible for hurting the mugger and doesn't want anyone to celebrate.
Weird Wedding Venue: Episode 4, "The Wedding" (1981). A couple holds their wedding in the restaurant, and the groom leaves the bride at the altar because he's in love with Cassie.
Replacement Pet: Episode 5, "Second Time Around, Almost" (1981). Oscar and Felix think they lost Felix's son's trained frog ahead of a frog jumping contest, so they go to a pet store to get a replacement, but the replacement frog won't jump, so they end up knee-deep in a bog trying to catch one.
Wanna Bet?: Episode 12, "Horsing Around" (1982). Jan overhears two customers talking about fixing a horse race, and she and Maggie place bets on the horse, which wins. When the same two customers come in again, Maggie hears them say "number four," so the whole staff bets on number four, but what they don't know is that what Maggie heard was their selection from the wine list.
Disarmed: Episode 14, "A Farewell to Arm" (1982). While the gang is helping Maggie clean out her basement for a garage sale, Maggie discovers her son's secret hiding place, a small hole in the wall, where she finds a gold bracelet her husband gave her. She tries to see what else is in the hole, but she can't reach, so Jan tries because she says she has "small hands," and her arm gets stuck just before she has to get ready for a hot date.

Season 3

Come Home, Pumpkin: Episode 3, "Amy Big Girl Now" (1985). Amy's dad comes to the restaurant and tells her she has to come home to Tyler, Texas because Los Angeles is "a hotbed of sin and corruption."
Hostage Situation: Episode 4, "Desperate Hours" (1985). A foreign embassador dines in the restaurant, and three terrorists from his country hold everyone hostage until he complies with their demands.
Stalker: Episode 5, "Harassed" (1985). A stalker starts harassing Amy by calling her with creepy messages and sending her gifts. She calls the police, but they won't do anything about it.
The Magician: Episode 8, "The Prom Show" (1985). A prom is being held at the restaurant, and Dot has taken it upon herself to make sure it runs smoothly. When the musical act didn't show up, Howard offers do his magic act. Dot refuses to let Howard perform, so he starts doing tricks in the kitchen to convince her, and he accidentally handcuffs Cassie to a shelf.
Weird Wedding Venue: Episode 9, "The Wedding Show" (1985). Jan and Richie plan to hold their wedding ceremony in the restaurant, but the minister is sick with a 104-degree fever. To everyone's surprise, Howard announces that he's an ordained minister, but he'll only marry them in the kitchen with only their immediate family.
Secret Criminal Past: Episode 10, "Hail to the Chef" (1985). The president is coming to the restaurant, and the Secret Service is investigating all the employees ahead of his visit. Jan is nervous because in the '60s, she got arrested for mooning a cop at an anti-war rally.
12 Angry Men: Episode 11, "Eleven Angry Men and Dot" (1985). Dot serves on a jury with 11 men, and as usual, one of them insists on voting the opposite of everyone else.
Glen or Glenda: Episode 12, "Gender Gap" (1986). An attractive woman customer named Louise starts getting close to Sonny, and Nancy thinks she looks familiar, but can't remember who she is. Eventually, Louise reveals to Nancy that when they met many years ago, she was living as a man named Louis, and she started her transition the very next day.
Plastic Fantastic: Episode 14, "The Doctor Danny Show" (1986). Sonny is considering plastic surgery to give him "Kirk Douglas's chin."
Under the Knife: Episode 14, "The Doctor Danny Show" (1986). Nancy needs a hernia operation that could be a matter of life or death, but she refuses to have it done because she's afraid of hospitals.
Tax Audit: Episode 20, "Jump" (1986). When Cassie chides a customer for not leaving a tip, he reveals that he's an IRS agent and audits her.
Jumper: Episode 20, "Jump" (1986). A guy from Dot's acting class stands on a window ledge and threatens to jump if Dot doesn't agree to do a scene with him.
Poor Imitation: Episode 21, "America's Sweetheart" (1986). Dot dates a cartoonist who creates a character based on her named "Betty Spaghetti," who looks funny and is always screwing things up. Dot feels insulted by her portrayal, but everyone else loves the character.
Assertiveness Training: Episode 21, "America's Sweetheart" (1986). Jan feels that Amy is letting Nancy take advantage of her by having her run her errands, so she gives her a book on how to say no, but it turns her into a jerk.
Clip Show: Episode 22, "The Mann Act" (1986). Sonny reminisces about the waitresses in clips from previous episodes.

Season 4

Up on the Roof: Episode 1, "The Roof Show" (1986). After Sonny accidentally locks himself out on the roof, one-by-one, the rest of the staff go looking for each other and get locked out there too.
School Reunion: Episode 3, "The Reunion Show" (1986). Jan is organizing her high school reunion, which is being held at the restaurant, and her former boyfriend tells her he's still in love with her.
Psycho: Episode 6, "Night of the Iguana" (1986). When their car breaks down on the way to Vegas, the waitresses and Sonny get stranded at a run-down motel run by a Norman Bates wanna-be.
Dead Wrong: Episode 7, "Family Feud" (1986). When Sonny gets conned into buying a burial plot, Amy thinks he's dying. Sonny doesn't correct Amy because he enjoys her sympathy, and it's not long before she tells some of the other staff.
Whodunnit?: Episode 9, "Farewell, My Sonny" (1986). The restaurant hosts a murder mystery party that ends with what looks like a real murder, and Sonny is the number one suspect.
Painting Party: Episode 14, "The Evictables" (1987). Ginger's landlord refuses to paint her apartment even though the paint is chipping off the walls, so she decides to invite the rest of the gang to a "painting party," where she won't be painting; she'll be making sandwiches.
Home Sweet Office: Episode 14, "The Evictables" (1987). When Ginger and Amy both get evicted from their apartments, they end up sleeping in the lounge at the restaurant.
Pyramid Scheme: Episode 17, "Amy's Rusty" (1987). A multi-level marketing company holds an event at the restaurant, and one of the salesmen talks Dot into signing up. Soon she's trying to sell shoddy skincare products to the rest of the staff.
Sham Wedding: Episode 17, "Amy's Rusty" (1987). After being invited a family wedding in her hometown in Snyder, Texas, Amy starts to worry that she might never get married, so she decides to accept a proposal from Rusty, her old boyfriend from Snyder, but eventually both Amy and Rusty confess to each other that they don't really want to get married, they just wanted to please their friends and families back home.
Going Your Way: Episode 18, "Dot's Priest" (1987). Dot's college boyfriend, who is now a priest, is unhappy with the ecclesiastic life and considering leaving the priesthood to be with her.
Clip Show: Episode 25, "Nancy's Shrink" (1987). Nancy talks to her therapist in clips from previous episodes.

Season 5

On Strike: Episode 7, "Search and Strike" (1987). Sonny's union goes on strike, so he reluctantly walks out on the restaurant and then tries to sneak back in disguised as a Mexican guitar player named "Enrique Gomez."
What Happens in Vegas...: Episode 9, "The Vegas Show: Part 2" (1987). The gang goes to Vegas to see Sonny play a casino, and Amy gets addicted to gambling while Nancy and Howard tie the knot in front of a bad Elvis impersonator.
Catfish: Episode 12, "A Pen Pal for Your Thoughts" (1987). Amy has been corresponding with a convict named Ernie, who tells her he's 28 years old and has blue eyes. When he gets released and stops by the restaurant, he confesses that he "shaved a few years off" of his age in his letters (about 30).
Plastic Fantastic: Episode 14, "Skin Deep" (1988). Howard has been flirting with a beautiful young woman who runs a newsstand, so Nancy decides to have plastic surgery so she can compete with the object of Howard's affections, but after a conversation with Ginger, she changes her mind.
Chain Letter: Episode 18, "Daddy's Little Girl" (1988). Amy receives a chain letter and feels pressured to send it out to other people to avoid a terrible fate.
I Want My MTV: Episode 19, "The Ginger's Grandmother Show" (1988). The waitresses help Sonny and his friend Louie record a music video of "The Heart of Rock & Roll" (Huey Lewis and the News) with cameos by Nancy, Howard, and even Ginger's grandmother, who's in town for a visit.
Mounting the Hustings: Episode 22, "Ginger and the Senator" (1988). Ginger has been campaigning for a senator, and a newspaper reporter prints a false story about the senator having an affair with her.
Centerfold: Episode 25, "The Waiting" (1988). A writer interviews the staff for a career magazine.
Clip Show: Episode 25, "The Waiting" (1988). A writer interviews the staff for a magazine article, and they tell her stories in clips from episodes from the last two seasons.
Bottle Blonde: Episode 26, "Tune In , Tune Out" (1988). Jan borrows Dot's blonde wig to spice up her marriage, and Richie gets a little too attached to the "blonde stranger."

Season 6

Drop Dead: Episode 1, "Pistol Packin' Mama" (1988). The curmudgeonly owner of the hotel dines in the restaurant, complains about everything, and verbally abuses the staff. Dot gets fed up and tells him off, after which he drops dead of a heart attack.
Awkward Awards: Episode 2, "The Nancy and Roscoe Show" (1988). The annual lounge singer awards (the "Lizzie") ceremony is held at the restaurant, and Sonny is nominated for an award, but nobody cares.
Unwanted Surprise Party: Episode 4, "Never Trust Anyone Under 40" (1988). The waitresses help Louie throw a surprise party for Sonny's 40th birthday just to piss him off. Things get even more awkward when they wait in his apartment and he comes home with a prostitute.
Rear Window: Episode 6, "Rear Window" (1988). Dot has been using binoculars to spy on a randy couple in the next building through a window, and it's all fun and games until she thinks she sees the man murder the woman. To make matters worse, no one believes her, and the killer shows up in the restaurant.
Mi Casa Es Su Casa: Episode 6, "Rear Window" (1988). Howard tells Nancy that his mother is coming to town, and Nancy insists that she stay with them instead of a hotel.
Centerfold: Episode 11, "The Ginger's Mother Show" (1989). A reporter interviews Sonny for an article about lounge singers. While he's preoccupied, she interviews some of the staff, who make the mistake of being honest about Sonny.
I'm My Own grandpa: Episode 13, "He Never Sang for His Father" (1989). Paul Kreppel plays both Sonny Mann and his father, Irving.
Between Floors: Episode 16, "The Dark at the Top of the Top" (1989). During a blackout, Dot gets stuck in the elevator with Ira Baynes, the new owner of the hotel, and they fall for each other.
Little Black Book: Episode 17, "My Little Red Book" (1989). Sonny finds a little black book full of women's names and numbers in the restaurant, and he calls one of the women in the book for a date, but the book turns out to belong to a trio of spies from Bulgaria, and Sonny gets in trouble when he accidentally says the secret passphrase, "What's your sign?"
Clip Show: Episode 20, "The Sonny and Dot Show" (1989). Dot and Sonny find themselves hanging around at the restaurant after closing, and they reminisce about clips from previous episodes.

Character Tropes

Loveable Lech: Sonny Mann - Played by Paul Kreppel.
Mommie Dearest: Rose Manashevitz - Played by Nita Talbot in season 5, episode 10, "The Sonny's Mother Show" (1987).