Recently, I thought the exact opposite: that Sarah Douglas had been on the show for too long. Why was she the only one of Richard's female confidantes included in the opening credits (in season 4)? Pamela actually had far less to do in season 4 than in season 3.
I would have preferred Richard to have a new female confidante each season—until Garth arrived. In season 4, I would have made Lorraine Richard's confidante. She should have wanted to get into the business and revealed to him that, even as a child, she had overheard "dangerous" conversations and phone calls and was curious about that danger. Richard would have initially resisted involving Lorraine in his business but would have relented, especially after Pamela's death. As for Pamela, it should have been revealed shortly before the season 3 finale that she was an excellent pilot, so she would have become Chase's co-pilot on the flight to Italy and die in the crash.