She was in "Day by Day", as the yuppie friend of a couple who had dropped out of yuppie careers to open a day care center in their home. The husband used to play Joe Kelly on General Hospital, and the wife used to play a reporter (maybe on Lou Grant?).
Their teenage son was obsessed with the college student who worked at the day care center, played by Courtney Thorne-Smith, now of Melrose Place (yeesh, I can't believe I remember all this -- I don't even watch much TV). Julia's character (was her name also Elaine on that show?) served to keep the couple in touch with the yuppie world.
"Day by Day" was only a so-so show, but Julia was great in her part. They had one funny episode where the teenage son spends the whole day watching a Brady Bunch Marathon and then has a nightmare where his family turns into the Brady Bunch -- there were even some BB alum in the dream sequence.
Chris