www.fgks.org   »   [go: up one dir, main page]

Carl Kanisky is chief of police in Glenlawn, California. After the death of his wife, Margaret, he asks her friend, Nell Harper, to come in to keep house and take care of his children, ... See full summary »

Creators:

,
Reviews
Popularity
2,559 ( 296)

On Disc

at Amazon

Episodes

Seasons


Years



6   5   4   3   2   1  
1987   1986   1985   1984   1983   1982   … See all »
Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 12 nominations. See more awards »
Learn more

People who liked this also liked... 

What's Happening!! (1976–1979)
Comedy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7/10 X  

A trio of black youths learn about life, love, friendship, credit cards, gambling, and a variety of other things while growing up in an inner city.

Stars: Ernest Thomas, Haywood Nelson, Danielle Spencer
227 (1985–1990)
Comedy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.5/10 X  

This series took place in an apartment building, numbered 227. The cast would frequently be found sitting outside on a large set of stone stairs, in some discussion that would unfold into the weekly plot line.

Stars: Helen Martin, Marla Gibbs, Hal Williams
Alice (1976–1985)
Comedy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.9/10 X  

A greasy-spoon diner in Phoenix, Arizona is the setting for this long-running series. The title character, Alice Hyatt, is an aspiring singer who arrives in Phoenix with her teenaged son, ... See full summary »

Stars: Linda Lavin, Beth Howland, Vic Tayback
Good Times (1974–1979)
Comedy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.3/10 X  

A poor Afro-American family make the best of things in the Chicago housing projects.

Stars: BernNadette Stanis, Ralph Carter, Jimmie Walker
Amen (1986–1991)
Comedy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.9/10 X  

Deacon Frye, head of the First Community Church of Philadelphia, is trying to keep everything in his church firmly under control. His new assistant, Rev. Reuben Gregory, however, has some ... See full summary »

Stars: Sherman Hemsley, Clifton Davis, Anna Maria Horsford
The Jeffersons (1975–1985)
Comedy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.5/10 X  

A nouveau riche, African-American family who move into a luxury apartment building develop close, if occasionally fractious, relationships with other tenants.

Stars: Isabel Sanford, Sherman Hemsley, Marla Gibbs
One Day at a Time (1975–1984)
Comedy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.6/10 X  

This sitcom follows recently divorced mother (Ann Romano) and her two teenage daughters (Barbara and Julie) as they start a new life together in Indianapolis, They are befriended by the ... See full summary »

Stars: Valerie Bertinelli, Bonnie Franklin, Pat Harrington Jr.
What's Happening Now! (1985–1988)
Comedy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.3/10 X  

"What's Happening Now!" is a sequel to "What's Happening!," a TV series about the adult main characters (Raj, Dwayne, Rerun, Shirley, and Dee) as teenagers/children.

Stars: Ernest Thomas, Haywood Nelson, Anne-Marie Johnson
Sanford and Son (1972–1977)
Comedy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8/10 X  

The misadventures of a cantankerous junk dealer and his frustrated son.

Stars: Redd Foxx, Demond Wilson, LaWanda Page
Welcome Back, Kotter (1975–1979)
Comedy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.2/10 X  

A compassionate teacher returns to his inner city high school of his youth to teach a new generation of trouble making kids.

Stars: Gabe Kaplan, Ron Palillo, John Travolta
Three's Company (1977–1984)
Comedy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.6/10 X  

The misadventures of two women and one man living in one apartment and their neighbors.

Stars: John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt, Suzanne Somers
Maude (1972–1978)
Comedy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.2/10 X  

This "All In The Family" spin-off centers around Edith's cousin, Maude Findlay. She's a liberal, independent woman living in Tuckahoe, NY with her fourth husband Walter, owner of Findlay's ... See full summary »

Stars: Bea Arthur, Bill Macy, Conrad Bain
Edit

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
...
 Nellie Ruth 'Nell' Harper (137 episodes, 1981-1987)
...
 Samantha 'Sam' Kanisky / ... (119 episodes, 1981-1987)
...
 Julie Kanisky / ... (114 episodes, 1981-1986)
Kari Michaelsen ...
 Katie Kanisky (111 episodes, 1981-1986)
Dolph Sweet ...
 Chief Carl Kanisky / ... (88 episodes, 1981-1985)
...
 Grandpa Stanley Kanisky / ... (82 episodes, 1982-1987)
...
 Joey Donovan (77 episodes, 1983-1987)
...
 Addy Wilson (68 episodes, 1983-1987)
Howard Morton ...
 Officer Ralph Simpson / ... (49 episodes, 1981-1986)
Edit

Storyline

Carl Kanisky is chief of police in Glenlawn, California. After the death of his wife, Margaret, he asks her friend, Nell Harper, to come in to keep house and take care of his children, Katie, Julie, and Samantha, in short, be like a mother to them. Later, Carl's father, Stanley, moves in. Around the same time, Nell takes in young Joey Donovan as her foster son. Written by Anonymous

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Genres:

Comedy

Edit

Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

29 October 1981 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Allo Nelly Bobo  »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

(137 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1
See  »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

Nell and the Kanisky family lived at 2938 Wells Drive. See more »

Goofs

The front door of the set has a brass mail slot, but exterior shots are of a door with no slot. See more »

Quotes

Samantha: What's a cliché?
Nell: [serving breakfast] A black woman serving pancakes to a white kid.
See more »

Connections

Referenced in E! True Hollywood Story: Gimme a Break (2003) See more »

Soundtracks

Merry Christmas Stranger
Performed by Nell Carter and Telma Hopkins
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.

User Reviews

 
Warm, funny 80s sitcom.
6 August 2009 | by (United States) – See all my reviews

Gimme A Break was in the sitcom line-up, on NBC in the 80s. NBC had many quality sitcoms on the air in the 80s, such as Diff'rent Strokes, The Facts Of Life, Silver Spoons, etc. Gimme A Break, was certainly in the same league as any of NBC's other popular comedy shows. It was warm, funny, and presented many contemporary topics that modern families struggle with, such as teen sex, drugs, alcoholism, dating, etc.

Nell Carter played the main character, Nell Harper. On the show, Nell often got to display her considerable singing and dancing talents. This made the show quite entertaining overall. And Nell held this show together, with her no nonsense brand of comic delivery. She had a feisty charm, that made her shine above the rest of the cast. Her co-star Dolph Sweet (who played the family patriarch, Carl Kominski), was lackluster by comparison. Only Thelma Hopkins, as Nell's best friend Addy Wilson, had nearly as much comedic talent as Nell. If you like 80s sitcoms, I'd highly recommend watching Gimme A Break on DVD.


3 of 4 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

Message Boards

Recent Posts
Filming Locations centipede84
How did they explain the cheifs death JAlexa9898
The last season ctfan79
The Girls Were Too Old... centipede84
Season 2 DVD jarredk
questions busybook91
Discuss Gimme a Break! (1981) on the IMDb message boards »

Contribute to This Page