Gimme a Break
From The TV IV
| Gimme a Break | |
| Premiere | October 29, 1981 |
| Finale | May 12, 1987 |
| Airs | |
| Creator | Mort Lachman & Sy Rosen |
| Network | NBC |
| Style | 30-minute sitcom |
| Company | Alan Landsburg Productions Mort Lachman & Associates Reeves Entertainment Group |
| Episodes | 137 |
| Seasons | 6 |
| 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.
Contents |
Cast
| Actor | Character | Duration | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main Cast | |||||||
| Nell Carter | Nellie Ruth "Nell" Harper | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Dolph Sweet | Chief Carl Kanisky | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||
| Kari Michaelson | Katie Kanisky | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Lauri Hendler | Julie Kanisky Maxwell | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Lara Jill Miller | Samantha "Sam" Kanisky | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| John Hoyt | Grandpa Stanley Kanisky | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Howard Morton | Officer Ralph Simpson | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| Joey Lawrence | Joey Donovan | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | ||
| Telma Hopkins | Addy Wilson | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | ||
| Jonathan Silverman | Jonathan Maxwell | 4 | 5 | 6 | |||
| Rosetta LeNoire | Maybelle Harper | 4 | 5 | 6 | |||
| Matthew Lawrence | Matthew Donovan | 6 | |||||
| Rosie O'Donnell | Maggie O'Brien | 6 | |||||
| Paul Sand | Marty | 6 | |||||
| Season numbers in red indicate a recurring or guest role in 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 Date | # | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season Sets | |||
| Season One American release | February 14, 2006 | 3 | |
| The Complete First Season Canadian release | May 30, 2006 | purchase | |
| The Complete Second Season | OCtober 3, 2006 | purchase | |
| The Complete Third Season | First half 2009 | ||
| Multiple Season Sets | |||
| The Complete First and Second Seasons | July 22, 2008 | purchase | |
External Sites
Categories: Program | NBC | Sitcom | California | New York | New York City | FremantleMedia | NBC Universal Television | 1980s | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1981 Premieres | 1987 Finales | Gimme a Break

