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Season 1 – Gimme a Break

Play trailer Poster for Season 1 – Gimme a Break Oct 1981 Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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Nell Harper is the no-nonsense housekeeper and surrogate mother for police chief Carl Kanisky's children: Samantha, Julie and Katie; the Kanisky daughters need all the help they can get after their mother dies.

Audience Reviews

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Mike P @RT35394098 11/05/2023 Entertaining 80s schtick, which has been unfairly maligned with the passage of time, isn't half bad; it has it's good points. Nel Carter is one of them; her good chemistry with the rest of the cast and especially the girls is another... I don't love the tired racially backwards stereotype of a sassy black maid...And if this had been done today it would just be Nel adopting these kids and taking care of them as her kids...which is sort of what happens here anyway... Nel's not so much a maid; she's really a mother...And she's also sort of an African American Mary Poppins in some ways...Going along with the old Hollywood trope of the Wacky Nanny Savior; that has been pushed in movies like Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, The Innocents, The King and I and even Uncle Buck...And in that sense the show works well...It's certainly watchable.... Overall: Recommended See more Read all reviews
Gimme a Break — Season 1

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Cast & Crew

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Nell Carter

Nellie Ruth "Nell" Harper

Dolph Sweet

Chief Carl Kanisky

Kari Michaelson

Katie Kanisky

Lauri Hendler

Julie Kanisky Maxwell

Lara Jill Miller

Samantha "Sam" Kanisky

Howard Morton

Officer Ralph Simpson

Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Oct 29, 1981 Katie the Crook The chief is in for a surprise when Katie is hauled in on a shoplifting charge. Details Episode 2 Aired Nov 5, 1981 A Good Man Is Hard to Find The chief matches Nell up with a colleague who has an ulterior motive in asking her for a date. Details Episode 3 Aired Nov 12, 1981 Second Time Around One of the chief's high-school classmates (guest star Rue McClanahan) runs into his car and adds spice to his love life. Details Episode 4 Aired Nov 19, 1981 Mom's Birthday Nell sets out to lift the family's spirits on the late Mrs. Kaniski's birthday. Details Episode 5 Aired Nov 26, 1981 Do or Diet Mouth-watering food commercials and the Kaniski's refrigerator prove to be irresistible temptations for the dieting Nell. Details Episode 6 Aired Dec 3, 1981 Man in Nell's Room Nell packs her bags after she and the chief have a heated argument about her personal life. Details Episode 7 Aired Dec 10, 1981 Your Prisoner Is Dead The chief has second thoughts about his job after he fatally wounds a drugstore robber. Details Episode 8 Aired Dec 17, 1981 Julie's Rejection Julie attempts to make a good impression at an exclusive club's initiation rites. Details Episode 9 Aired Jan 7, 1982 Julie's First Love Julie's late-night date with an electronics wizard costs her a stiff punishment. Details Episode 10 Aired Jan 14, 1982 Nell's Ex Nell's smooth-talking former husband arrives at the Kaniski home and leaves with $1,000. Details Episode 11 Aired Jan 21, 1982 Katie the Cheat Katie asks Julie to help her in school by taking an exam in her place. Details Episode 12 Aired Feb 4, 1982 The Emergency The chief finally comes to the realization that Katie isn't his little girl anymore. Details Episode 13 Aired Feb 11, 1982 Nell Goes Home Samantha and Nell learn the true meaning of family love after Nell's father dies. Details Episode 14 Aired Feb 18, 1982 Samantha Steals a Squad Car Upset that no one's listening to her problems, Samantha storms out of the house and takes off in a squad car. Details Episode 15 Aired Feb 25, 1982 Grandma Fools Around On their 55th wedding anniversary, Grandpa Kaniski uncovers his wife's long-kept secret. Details Episode 16 Aired Mar 11, 1982 Hot Muffins Katie's singing group accepts an offer to appear at a Hollywood nightclub. Details Episode 17 Aired Mar 18, 1982 Sam's Affair Samantha's first kiss prompts her to ask questions about the facts of life, but no one takes her curiosity seriously. Details Episode 18 Aired Mar 25, 1982 The Robbery The quick-thinking Nell thwarts the plans of burglars who chose the Kaniski home as their next stop. Details Episode 19 Aired Apr 1, 1982 An Unmarried Couple An unmarried, pregnant friend of Katie's arrives for a visit. Details

Season Info

Director
Will Mackenzie, Tony Singletary, Dick Harwood, Howard Storm, Herbert Kenwith, Linda Day, Jim Drake
Screenwriter
Chip Keyes, Ted Bergman, Sy Rosen, Geoffrey Neigher, Booker Bradshaw, Gene Perret, Jerry Ross, Doug Keyes, Coleman Mitchell, John Markus, Erik Tarloff, Mort Lachman, Howard Storm
Network
NBC
Rating
TV-G
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date
Oct 29, 1981