Mrs. Garrett 2.0
Charlotte Rae chose to leave the show in season 8 because she was no longer passionate about it like she used to be. She wanted more time to focus on other projects outside of television.
Rae also believed that Mrs. Garrett’s character had become stale and repetitive by that point. So when Rae left, she recommended to the producers that they hire Cloris Leachman! The Academy Award and Golden Globe winner was added to the show as Beverly Ann, adding her own unique spunk to the show.