Gimme a Break

Gimme a Break
Premiere	October 29, 1981
Finale	May 12, 1987
Creator	Mort Lachman and Sy Rosen
Network/Provider	NBC
Style	30-minute sitcom
Company	Alan Landsburg Productions (seasons 1-4), Reeves Entertainment Group (seasons 5-6), Mort Lachman & Associates
Distributor	MCA Television (1985-1996; USA) Universal Television Enterprises (1996-1998; USA) Studios USA (1998–2002; USA) Universal Domestic Television (2002-2004; USA) NBCUniversal Television Distribution (2004- ; USA) Thames Television (1990-1997; non-USA) Pearson Television International (1997-2001; non-USA) Fremantle (2001- ; non-USA)
Seasons	6
Episodes	137
Origin	USA

Gimme a Break is a sitcom that aired on NBC.

The sitcom took place in the fictional Los Angeles, California, suburb of Glenlawn. Nellie Ruth "Nell" Harper agrees to be a housekeeper for the Kanisky household as a special favor to her late friend, Margaret Kanisky (née Huffman), who was the wife of police chief Carl Kanisky. Nell also served as a confidante to the chief's three daughters: Katie, Julie , and Samantha. A foster son, Joey, was added in season 3.

Cast

Actor	Character	Duration
Main Cast		1	2	3	4	5	6
Nell Carter	Nellie Ruth "Nell" Harper	*	*	*	*	*	*
Dolph Sweet	Chief Carl Kanisky	*	*	*	*
Kari Michaelsen	Katie Kanisky	*	*	*	*	*	*
Lauri Hendler	Julie Kanisky Maxwell	*	*	*	*	*	*
Lara Jill Miller	Samantha "Sam" Kanisky	*	*	*	*	*	*
John Hoyt	Grandpa Stanley Kanisky	o	*	*	*	*	*
Howard Morton	Officer Ralph Simpson	o	*	*	*	*
Joey Lawrence	Joey Donovan			*	*	*	*
Telma Hopkins	Addy Wilson			o	*	*	*
Jonathan Silverman	Jonathan Maxwell				o	*	*
Rosetta LeNoire	Maybelle Harper				o	o	*
Matthew Lawrence	Matthew Donovan						*
Rosie O'Donnell	Maggie O'Brien						*
Paul Sand	Marty						*
Orange/Red/o indicates a recurring or guest role during that season. Dark Green indicates top billing during that season.

Seasons

Season	Premiere	Finale				#
NBC
Season One	October 29, 1981	April 1, 1982				19
Season Two	October 2, 1982	May 5, 1983				22
Season Three	September 29, 1983	May 3, 1984				22
Season Four	September 29, 1984	May 11, 1985				25
Season Five	September 14, 1985	May 10, 1986				24
Season Six	September 24, 1986	May 12, 1987				25

In-Depth

• At a Glance: Additional information about the series

DVD Releases

Title			Release			Discs
Season Sets  (Region 1)
Season One			February 14, 2006	purchase		3
Season Two			May 21, 2007	purchase		6
Multiple Season Sets  (Region 1)
Seasons One and Two			February 14, 2006	purchase		6
Seasons Three and Four			September 4, 2014	purchase		6
Complete Series  (Region 1)
The Complete Series			May 18, 2010	purchase		18

External Links

• opening credits for season 1on YouTube