Gimme a Break! is an American sitcom television series created by Mort
Lachman and Sy Rosen, that aired on NBC for six seasons from October
29, 1981, until May 12, 1987. The series starred Nell Carter as the
housekeeper for a widowed police chief (Dolph Sweet) and his three
daughters.The sitcom takes place in Glenlawn, a fictional suburb
located in California. Nellie Ruth "Nell" Harper (Nell Carter) agrees
to look after the Kanisky household as a special favor to her dying
friend Margaret Huffman Kanisky (played in flashback by Sharon
Spelman), who was the wife of police chief Carl Kanisky (Dolph Sweet),
serving as a parental figure to the Chief's three teenage daughters,
Katie (Kari Michaelsen), Julie (Lauri Hendler), and Samantha (Lara
Jill Miller). A foster son, Joey (Joey Lawrence), was added to the
Kanisky household in Season 3.Five episodes into the sixth and final
season, the show changed locales from Glenlawn to New York City, when
Nell, concerned for Joey's welfare after he moved there with his
absentee father, traveled there to check on him. She subsequently
assumed guardianship of Joey and his younger brother Matthew (played
by Joey Lawrence's real-life brother Matthew Lawrence) at their
father's request and was forced to permanently relocate there after
Chief Kanisky's father Stanley (John Hoyt) sold the family's Glenlawn
home.Over the six-year run, a handful of celebrities appeared on the
show, including singers Whitney Houston, Andy Gibb, Sammy Davis, Jr.,
Ray Parker Jr. and The Pointer Sisters. More often than not, the guest
singers would perform a song with Nell on the episodes. During the
third season, Pat Sajak guest-starred as himself when Nell and her
friend Addy (Telma Hopkins) were contestants on Wheel of Fortune.
Other notable guest stars included Milton Berle, Danny Glover, Rue
McClanahan, Tony Randall, Helen Hunt, Don Rickles, Gwen Verdon, Dennis
Haysbert, Ernie Hudson, Gary Collins, and Elizabeth Berkley.
Lachman and Sy Rosen, that aired on NBC for six seasons from October
29, 1981, until May 12, 1987. The series starred Nell Carter as the
housekeeper for a widowed police chief (Dolph Sweet) and his three
daughters.The sitcom takes place in Glenlawn, a fictional suburb
located in California. Nellie Ruth "Nell" Harper (Nell Carter) agrees
to look after the Kanisky household as a special favor to her dying
friend Margaret Huffman Kanisky (played in flashback by Sharon
Spelman), who was the wife of police chief Carl Kanisky (Dolph Sweet),
serving as a parental figure to the Chief's three teenage daughters,
Katie (Kari Michaelsen), Julie (Lauri Hendler), and Samantha (Lara
Jill Miller). A foster son, Joey (Joey Lawrence), was added to the
Kanisky household in Season 3.Five episodes into the sixth and final
season, the show changed locales from Glenlawn to New York City, when
Nell, concerned for Joey's welfare after he moved there with his
absentee father, traveled there to check on him. She subsequently
assumed guardianship of Joey and his younger brother Matthew (played
by Joey Lawrence's real-life brother Matthew Lawrence) at their
father's request and was forced to permanently relocate there after
Chief Kanisky's father Stanley (John Hoyt) sold the family's Glenlawn
home.Over the six-year run, a handful of celebrities appeared on the
show, including singers Whitney Houston, Andy Gibb, Sammy Davis, Jr.,
Ray Parker Jr. and The Pointer Sisters. More often than not, the guest
singers would perform a song with Nell on the episodes. During the
third season, Pat Sajak guest-starred as himself when Nell and her
friend Addy (Telma Hopkins) were contestants on Wheel of Fortune.
Other notable guest stars included Milton Berle, Danny Glover, Rue
McClanahan, Tony Randall, Helen Hunt, Don Rickles, Gwen Verdon, Dennis
Haysbert, Ernie Hudson, Gary Collins, and Elizabeth Berkley.
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