Gimme a Break

Gimme a Break 80's TV Show

Gimme Me a Break was a sitcom that ran from 1981 to 1987 on NBC.  The showed starred Nell Carter as Ruther “Nell” Harper, and Dolph Sweet as Police Chief Carl Kanisky.  The show ran for a total of 6 seasons and featured a number of notable guest stars, such as Whitney Houston, Sammy Davis Jr., Ray Parker Jr., Pat Sajak, Danny Glover, Helen Hunt, Don Rickles, and Elizabeth Berkley.

Fans of this show will remember that chief of police, Carl Kanisky, needed help raising his kids (Julie, Katie, Samantha, and Joey) after the death of his wife.  He asks one of his wife's old friends, Nell Harper, to move in and help out, which she agrees to do.  Episodes were humorous looks into everyday situations, and of course those topics that many families find themselves dealing with, such as drugs, sex, self-esteem, dealing with loss, etc.  For example, in one episode, after Carl finds his daughter Samantha kissing a boy, he tells her that a person can get pregnant from kissing, and she takes that literally.  Very upset and thinking she is pregnant (from kissing), Nell calms her down and sets the record straight about the birds and the bees.