The 1980s marked Gillette's transition from Broadway and television into a character film actress. Prior to this transition, she had sizeable television roles as Nancy Baxter on the national run of "The Baxters", Quincy's second wife Dr. W. Emily Hanover on the last season of "Quincy M.E." (having previously portrayed his deceased first wife Helen Quincy in a flashback), and a role on "Search for Tomorrow" at the end of that series' long run, as well as the early David Chase series "Almost Grown" (1988–1989).