Star Trek's John De Lancie Had A Big Guest Role On A Nearly Forgotten Ann Jillian Sitcom

A few years before John de Lancie played Q on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (and subsequently other "Star Trek" properties), he had a guest spot on an episode of a nearly forgotten '80s sitcom starring Ann Jillian. We're talking about "It's a Living" — renamed "Making a Living" for Season 2 — which followed a group of waitresses who worked at Above the Top, a highbrow restaurant inside a skyscraper. Jillian played the role of feisty blond Cassie Cranston during the show's first three seasons. John de Lancie appeared in the November 1981 episode titled "The Wedding," which aired during Season 2.

The episode centers on Cassie, who's helping prepare for a wedding at Above the Top. She soon realizes the groom — a guy named Tom Morton, played by de Lancie — is someone she used to date. However, the realization does much more than stir up awkward memories. Tom actually attempts to rekindle things with Cassie after realizing he still holds affection for her. Unsurprisingly, Tom's choice throws a wrench in his original wedding plans. The episode is the only time that de Lancie got to work with Ann Jillian, who hasn't done any acting work since 2000.

John de Lancie appeared on "It's a Living" for only one episode, but it's not like he would've had many more chances to test his onscreen chemistry with Ann Jillian — low ratings prompted ABC to cancel the sitcom at the close of Season 2 in 1982. It got a second chance at life in 1985, when it was brought back for four more seasons after experiencing success in syndication, but Jillian stayed only for Season 3. She left the TV show because of a breast cancer diagnosis, which she eventually beat.

Outside of "It's a Living," de Lancie has also done plenty of other live-action comedy work, and his famous "Star Trek" character, Q, had "a comedic flair," as he told TrekCore. His "Days of Our Lives" character, Eugene Bradford, was often involved in hilarious, nonsensical storylines for much of his run. Additionally, de Lancie appeared in a Season 2 episode of "Ally McBeal," the legal dramedy starring Calista Flockhart, and he co-starred in the 1996 cloning comedy "Multiplicity," starring Michael Keaton.