Because of the mostly second-rate film roles that came her way in the 1970s, Saint returned to television and the stage in the 1980s. She appeared in a number of made-for-television films; she played the mother of Cybill Shepherd on the television series "Moonlighting", which lasted three years. She received an Emmy nomination for the 1977 miniseries "How The West Was Won" and a 1978 Emmy nomination for "Taxi!!!". She was reunited with "On the Waterfront" co-star Karl Malden in the television film "Fatal Vision", this time as the wife of his character, as he investigated the murder of his daughter and granddaughters.