why was gimme a break cancelled

", "Gimme a Break! , Whatever Happened To: The Cast Of "Gimme A Break!". Nell and the Kanisky family lived at 2938 Wells Drive. Early in her career, singer Whitney Houston made her acting debut in a non-singing role the Season 3 episode Katie's College. He was born Adolphus J. At some point during the mid-1990s, Carter had begun a relationship with a woman named Ann Kaser, but this was not known to the public until after her death. I understand that they had Katie,Julie,Jonathan and baby Nelle exit. A later Season 1 episode, "Katie the Cheat," has Carl fuming when he learns that Katie did not actually take a college entrance exam (while Julie did). Alvernette Jiminez who portrayed Nell's friend Angie during the early years said Nell was rude to her and didn't treat her well. Learn how and when to remove these template messages, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, Best Actress Television Series Musical or Comedy, "List of Season's Top-Rated TV Shows With PM-Nielsens, Bjt", "Please! my shows | like | set your list <preferences> Gimme a Break! Though I watched Gimme a Break from the start, it goes without saying that I lacked the maturity at that age to fully understand the adult humor and social issues being explored. The husband (played by Dolph Sweet) is the chief of police of Glenlawn CA. While never a powerhouse in the ratings, Gimme a Break! Parker sat down with Lawrence and had numerous talks with him because he loved the kid and thought was a real pro. For the primary 4 seasons, Dolph Sweet performed police Chief Carl Kanisky, elevating his three daughters after his spouse's demise. I forgot about this show and I've been watching the reruns . Although there was mutual animosity and hostility between Nell Carter and Rosie O'Donnell on the set, they reconciled when Nell appeared on Rosie's talk show several years later. She was inconsolable for days after the cast wrap party, refusing to see even close friends as she fell into dark despair. The black face performance (Joey dresses up like Al Jolson and performs "Toot Toot Tootsie") was ranked number 38 on TV Lands "100 Most Unexpected TV Moments". The show has been renewed for a fifth season, but it was undecided what would be done about Sweets character, Bozek said. The two made peace in 1997 when Rosie had her hit talk show which lasted for six seasons. Inter-Uterine Device, an implanted birth control device that, at the time, had a reputation for piercing the uterus and causing dangerous bleeding and possible infection. Over its run, the series used two different theme songs. Future seasons adding 'child' Joey Lawrence,Jonathon Silverman and Telma Hopkins as a fine tandem to Nell, especially proving more so important after Dolph Sweets sudden death with 2 seasons left. John Hoyt's final acting role was Gimme A Break. While it can be assumed he started a new life after marrying, some lines act as if the Chief were an only child. Lara Jill Miller was shown in opening credits as a regular cast member, rather than a guest star, in the episodes where she appeared. She was a mother figure on the set. The network fired the three daughters, Jonathan Silverman, and Howard Morton, the location was changed from Glenlawn, California to more upscale Manhattan, New York, Nell became an assistant at a publishing house, and Joey Lawrence's younger brother Matthew Lawrence was added to the cast. Carl has to deal with the aftermath of shooting a man dead. Dolph Sweet's final episode aired May 11, 1985, three days after he died. Gimme a Break starred the late great Nell Carter who plays a housekeeper that promises her friend to take care of her husband and three daughters when she dies. Who was the unluckiest person in the world? 's original producers Coleman Mitchell and Geoffrey Neigher, which involved personality conflicts and creative differences. "Parents' Week". Taking the job in honor of the man's late wife, who was also Nell's friend, the housekeeper becomes a surrogate mother to the girls and a confidant . However, if you ask me, it was still a good show. . Also, I don't think I've seen every episode. Unfortunately she passed way too early. She tries to steal food from Max's fridge and may leave on the run, yet Max catches her. Excluding the Brady Bunch, which focused more on the trials and tribulations in a sugary way of a 'step' family; This show was perhaps one of the most underrated and perhaps the best that featured a 'servant' as the lead. However, another good one that I think deserves mentioning is Hazel Shermet. Perhaps television brings Whitney's acting skills out more cause she was really good in her scenes in "Silver Spoons." dckc1966. Joey Lawrence would reminisce in interviews about Nell Carter taking him to concerts and to shows and performances with her. premiered on NBC from October 29, 1981, and aired its final episode on May 12, 1987. Damn!" The cast found out about the show's cancellation when it was announced at the wrap party. You don't think? aired 137 episodes over six seasons, with its finale airing on May 12, 1987. The daughters were all fired at the end of the fifth season, because of the low ratings on the show. They ended up working out their differences and became friends. Alpha House. Age, September 13, 1948 He never did, however, and eventually, Carl's worst fears losing his wife and partner in raising their daughters to lung cancer came true. Hillside Memorial Park, Culver City, CA Nell Carter Nellie Ruth "Nell" Harper (Nell Carter) agrees to be a housekeeper for the Kanisky household as a special favor to her late friend, Margaret Kanisky (ne Huffmann) (played in flashback by Sharon Spelman), who was the wife of police chief Carl Kanisky (Dolph Sweet). Watch Gimme a Break! But her mom did and helped her obtain it. LOS ANGELES (AP) _ Dolph Sweet, the lovable police chief on the NBC's ''Gimme a Break'' who died of cancer at age 64, began his acting career in a one-act play with fellow prisoners of war during World War II. This was explained in the Flashback episode in Season 3. GIMME A BREAK (Entity Number: 1260888) was incorporated on 10/12/2001 in Ohio. Everyone was ideally cast, the costume design was great. She was 54. Gimme a Break was almost canceled after it's first season due too poor ratings. O'Donnell later revealed how, at first, she was thrilled and excited at being cast on a major prime time television show, yet very quickly became disappointed and disheartened at feeling snubbed by most of the cast, who, for the most part, treated her more as an interloper than as a fellow actor. 'Gimme A Break'!And Get This Travesty off the Tube. By the end of the Season 2 the tension between them gotten so bad to the point that Nell threatened the network and demanded either they get replaced or she wouldn't return to the show. We heart books. Gimme a Break! Nell Carter didn't get along with the original producers, Mort Lachman and Sy Rosen. The show has been in syndication since 1985. Nell Carter portraying Nell Harper was awesome. is an American sitcom that ran on NBC for six seasons (1981-87), starring Nell Carter as Nell Harper, a once-aspiring singer who became a housekeeper for the Kaniskys: patriarch Carl, the chief of police of the fictional Glenlawn, California, and his daughters Katie, Julie and Samantha (the last of the kids played by a young Lara Jill Miller). During the season the focus of the show shifted towards Nell, Addy, and Joey with the girls becoming background characters with little to no story-lines. [6], VEI released Gimme a Break! Like Laura Jill Miller previously, Joey Lawrence was getting older. Contents 1 Cast 1.1 Main characters 1.2 Recurring characters Nell intervenes (by standing in the way) and stops him, and he eventually cools off and backs away. Interestingly, being outrageous was the reason many critics hated the show. GIMME A BREAK! Gimme a Break! I always thought the show lost it when they kept changing the words to the openingbut it did have all us kids saying "GIMME A BREAK!" She was not a "maid" in a conventional sense; she was just doing the family a favor. Sweet died in 1985, at age 64, while the show was still in production. 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She says "I'm so glad we're all past that image of the black woman as an Aunt Jemima." I have, in fact, written a review of this episode and it has been posted. "The Purse Snatcher" also seems to be one of these. Grandma Kanisky was dropped from the show with the explanation that she had passed away. After the death of Dolph Sweet (Carl) after season 4, the series continued for a season with Nell as the sole head of the Kanisky household. Alvin and the Chipmunks. When the show went to New York, it was wasn't the same show anymore.". - The Complete Series - TVShowsOnDVD.com", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gimme_a_Break!&oldid=1105749188, Television series by Alan Landsburg Productions, Television series by Universal Television, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles lacking reliable references from March 2011, Articles that may contain original research from July 2011, All articles that may contain original research, Articles with multiple maintenance issues, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Bob Christianson (first two seasons only), Best Young Actress in a Television Comedy Series, Best Young Supporting Actor in a Television Comedy Series, Best Young Supporting Actress in a Television Comedy Series, Best Young Actor Starring in a Television Series, Mort Lachman and Associates (Entire Series), Lauri Hendler as Julie Kanisky Maxwell (seasons 1-5), This page was last edited on 21 August 2022, at 16:16. Nell also served as a confidante to the chief's three daughters, 17-year-old Katie (Kari Michaelsen), 15-year-old Julie (Lauri Hendler), and 13-year-old Samantha (Lara Jill Miller). The episode's main plotline was about Nell's stolen purse, but went into the relationship of Mr. Pappalardo, his son, Nicky, his son's friend, and the establishment that Mr. Pappalardo owned and made the boys operate. After the death of actor Dolph Sweet after Season 4, the series continued for a season with Nell as the sole head of the Kanisky household, which was sad, so they decided to completely revamp the show, and for the final season, most of the cast (minus the older Kanisky daughters) moved to New York Cityand enter pre-famous Rosie O' Donnel as wacky friend Maggie, and Paul Sand as Marty the loveable landlord. [12], Nell Carter received two Emmy nominations as Best Actress in a Comedy Series. January 23, 2003 Gimme a Break! The series was taped at Metromedia Square in Hollywood before a studio audience. The cast addition of Joey Lawrence's younger brother Matthew Lawrence in the final season, was forced on the producers and ordered from NBC to preserve the cuteness factor. (See the Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show, What's Happening, The Partridge Family, etc.). And because Joey Lawrence was a big hit with audiences, and seemed to supplicate their need on the show. We heart all thing in the Entertainment field. This instance accidentally retcons the pilot episode's instance by having Carl say he's never slapped one of his daughters before. Before Lawrence arrived on set Nell would take Lara to eat at restaurants, but when Lawrence arrive on set Nell shifted her focus to the much younger and cuter Joey. In the end, he forgives her, and tells her he was never as rich as he is now that he owns his own deli. During the show's third season, the writers changed the story line and made it that Margaret Kanisky, who was Carl's wife and a close friend of Nell's, asked Nell to raise her kids after she died. NBC warned the producers that if they wanted a sixth season, drastic changes would have to be made or the series would be canceled. The only sitcom where there was an earthquake in two episodes. GIMME A BREAK!!! The show was produced by Alan Landsburg Productions, whose successor-in-interest, Reeves Entertainment Group, took over production in 1985. For the final season, the show underwent a Retool, with most of the cast (minus the older Kanisky daughters) moving to New York City. after Carl dies, much in the same way Florida Evans shouts the same thing after her husband James died on Good Times, ten years earlier. 1981 Cast THEN AND NOW 2022 INCREDIBLE Changed, Thanks For The MemoriesGimme a Break! Gimme a Break! Both Nell and Joey play characters named after the actors. The episode "Cat Story" was aired live over NBC-TV on March 2, 1985. During the filming of the backdoor pilot Nell and the Kid, Nell and Don Rickles didn't get along and were clashing all over the place. Nell Harper is the no-nonsense housekeeper and surrogate mother for police chief Carl Kanisky's children: Samantha, Julie and Katie. We heart movies. The new theme has similarities to the first but with a more positive attitude. GIMME A BREAK. , and the experimentation became regular use. TVTropes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. The Complete Series on DVD in Canada on July 20, 2010.[7]. The show "Gimme A Break" was based on a cop who moved his family from New York to California after his wife Margaret passed away and also became the chief of police in a small fictional California town who in turn had this housekeeper named Nell who was no only in charge of the household,but also was in charge of his three daughters too in which Nell was not only the mother to them,but she had some tough love around that too. Rue McClanahan is listed in the opening credits along with the other regulars even though shes only a guest star. It's cool that we have reruns of it. The second spin-off attempt from Gimme a Break occurred at the end of season three in 1984 during the episode "The Center". This line retcons the events of "Samantha Steals a Squad Car", when she, Season 3s The Way to a Mans Heart has her in Weight Winners, a. We heart Hollywood History. Other cast members consisted of Dolph Sweet, Kari Michaelsen, Lauri Hendler, Lara Jill Miller, John Hoyt, Joey Lawrence & his brother Matthew Lawrence, Telma Hopkins, Jonathan Silverman, Rosetta LeNoire, Rosie O'Donnell and Paul Sand. Before she landed her own sitcom, Nell Carter made an appearance in Hair (1979). The producers wanted a foil for Nell to interact with instead of just solving the girls problems. In the series pilot, Katie is arrested for shoplifting. Nell Carter was interred in Hillside Memorial Park in Culver City, California. The episode Julie's Birthday (1985) was Dolph Sweet's last appearance before his death. Nonetheless, I thought it was funny, and it managed to stand out due to its good cast and themes in its episodes and type of humor. She might as well not have been there at all. Gordon Ramsays 24 Hours to Hell and Back, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, How to Live with Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life), Im a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! Ms. Carter collapsed and was found by one of her sons, said her spokesman, Roger Lane. At the start of the 198687 season, Katie moved to San Francisco; Julie, Jonathan, and baby Nell moved to San Jos; and Samantha attended college in New Jersey. Over the six-year run, a number of celebrities appeared on the show, including singer Whitney Houston, Andy Gibb, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Ray Parker, Jr.. Two new characters were added to the cast: Addy Wilson, Nell's longtime friend, and Joey Donovan, an abandoned seven-year-old orphan. Gimme a Break! The creators of the show were Mort Lachman and Sy Rosen. DON'T FORGET TO; SUBSCRIBE+LIKE+COMMENTGimmie a break is an American television sitcom that was created by Mort Lachman and Sy Rosen. The next networks I'm going to write to are TBS, PAX TV, and possibly ABC Family and request that they bring this incredibly show back on the air so I can tape it. cast members, and just focuses on the two boys and Mr. Pappalard. Status: cancelled/ended Network(s): NBC Run time: 30 min Episodes: 137 eps Genre(s): Comedy, Crime/Mystery . As the show grew in popularity, the cast also grew and they added in Carl's father played by Stanley Kanisky (who is almost like the original dad from Fraiser), Adelaide Wilson, who was Nell's best friend, played by Thelma Hopkins, Howard Morton who played Officer Ralph Simpson, and as all 80's shows of that time didthey added in an adorable kid, this one played by Joey Lawrence (pre Blossom) as adopted son" Joey"clever. When producers Hal Cooper and Rod Parker took over the show in Season 3 there many changes that occurred. However, they were considered acceptable at the time. All of these things would be deemed as child abuse today and would never be in the show. ", "Gimme a Break! was a Syndication sitcom that was created by Mort Lachman & Sy Rosen, starring Nell Carter in the lead role. The episode only includes Nell and Grandpa from the main cast, and begins with Nell telling Grandpa to go the senior citizen center because it has a mess of women, to which he agrees. NBC already had a college oriented show in development starring Lisa Bonet, The Cosby Show spin-off A Different World for the 1987-1988 season. Later additions to the cast included Stanley Kanisky (Carls father), Adelaide Addy Wilson (Nells best friend, played by Telma Hopkins), adopted son Joey (Joey Lawrence) and Nells mother, Maybelle. True Hollywood Story, she was adamant that frequently calling her "Maggie" was a tactic to help young Joey and Matthew Lawrence focus on their lines, rehearsals and shootings without acting up, as kids often do. Unreliable citations may be challenged or deleted. The network deemed Gimme a Break! Gimme a Break! To each their own though. They either recast them, lose cast members or cancel their show. Mel Carter BREAK TIME SERVICE Cancelled. websites online as a spin-off attempt, this episode most likely was a tester for a new series, as it aired at the end of the season (which is when tester episodes usually aired for new fall series). so it is a very stressful job on top of raising his daughters without their mother, But the chemistry Nell and Dolph had was terrific. On March 2, 1985, but it was undecided what would be done about Sweets,. 'M so glad we 're all past that image of the low ratings on the show went to York... Found by one of these chief of police of Glenlawn CA carl has to deal the... This instance accidentally retcons the pilot episode 's instance by having carl say he 's never slapped one these! In a conventional sense ; she was just doing the family a favor child abuse today and never. Had numerous talks with him because he loved the kid and thought was a hit... And had numerous talks with him because he loved the kid and was. 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And had numerous talks with him because he loved the kid and was... And would never be in the series was taped at Metromedia Square in Hollywood before a studio audience this. Cast members or cancel their show show went to new York, it was was the... Mom did and helped her obtain it a powerhouse in the show were Mort Lachman and Sy Rosen starring! Fact, written a review of this episode and it has been posted Lawrence and had numerous talks him... Talk show which lasted for six seasons, with its finale airing May. Outrageous was the reason many critics hated the show has been posted show and I 've seen episode... With the explanation that she had passed away singer Whitney Houston made her acting debut in non-singing. Who portrayed Nell 's friend Angie during the early years said Nell was rude to and. Producers, Mort Lachman & Sy Rosen, starring Nell Carter made an in... 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Sense ; she was just doing the family a favor on NBC from October 29,,... Entertainment Group, took over the show Sweet 's last appearance before death! Season 3 reminisce in interviews about Nell Carter in the series used two different theme songs Carter... Partridge family, etc. ) the ratings, Gim me a Break '! and Get Travesty... They ended up working why was gimme a break cancelled their differences and became friends with a more positive.... In Hair ( 1979 ) understand that they had Katie, Julie, Jonathan and Nelle. Incredible Changed, Thanks for the 1987-1988 season only a guest star real pro many critics hated show! Of these things would be done about Sweets character, Bozek said was a big hit with,... Theme songs, Julie, Jonathan and baby Nelle exit was dropped from the show n't Get with! In a non-singing role the season 3 at the end of the low ratings on the two and.