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From The TV IV

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 1 Cast 2 Seasons 3 In-Depth 4 DVD Releases 5 External Sites

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

• opening credits for season 1