Gimme a Break! background

Gimme a Break!

Nell becomes the housekeeper and parental figure to a widowed police chief and his three teenage daughters, as well as a foster son, after agreeing to look after their home as a favor to her dying friend.

The show follows Carl Kanisky, the chief of police in Glenlawn, California, as he navigates life as a single father to three daughters, Katie, Julie, and Samantha, after the passing of his wife Margaret. He hires his friend Nell Harper to help care for the girls, essentially acting as a mother figure. As the Kanisky household adjusts, Carl's father Stanley moves in, and Nell also takes in young Joey Donovan as her foster son, adding to the family dynamics.

Episodes:

Episode 1 Katie the Crook

1. Katie the Crook

Aired: Oct 29, 1981

Recently widowed Police Chief Carl Kanisky returns home to find his household...

Episode 4 Mom's Birthday

4. Mom's Birthday

Aired: Nov 19, 1981

Nell, the Chief, and the girls try to take their minds off of the fact that i...

Episode 5 Do or Diet

5. Do or Diet

Aired: Nov 26, 1981

Nell and the Chief, who have both struggled with weight problems for years, t...

Episode 6 A Man in Nell's Room

6. A Man in Nell's Room

Aired: Dec 3, 1981

Nell quits her job and moves out of the house when she argues with the Chief ...

Episode 7 Your Prisoner is Dead

7. Your Prisoner is Dead

Aired: Dec 10, 1981

The Chief is caught in a stand-off at a drug store and is forced to shoot the...

Episode 8 Julie's Rejection

8. Julie's Rejection

Aired: Dec 17, 1981

Katie sponsors Julie for membership in the Silver Slippers, an exclusive club...

Episode 9 Julie's First Love

9. Julie's First Love

Aired: Jan 7, 1982

Julie falls in love with Arnie, a boy she meets at a video arcade.

Episode 10 Nell's Ex

10. Nell's Ex

Aired: Jan 14, 1982

Nell's ex-husband Tony, a singer who had a modest Top 40 hit in the mid-1960s...

Episode 11 Katie the Cheat

11. Katie the Cheat

Aired: Jan 21, 1982

The Chief hopes Katie will be the first member of the Kanisky family to go to...

Episode 12 The Emergency

12. The Emergency

Aired: Feb 4, 1982

Katie is hospitalized with what turns out to be complications from an Intra-U...

Episode 13 Nell Goes Home

13. Nell Goes Home

Aired: Feb 11, 1982

Nell goes back to Alabama when she learns her father is dying.

Episode 15 Grandma Fools Around

15. Grandma Fools Around

Aired: Feb 25, 1982

On their 55th wedding anniversary, Grandpa Kanisky discovers a shocking revel...

Episode 16 Hot Muffins

16. Hot Muffins

Aired: Mar 11, 1982

Katie's band has an opportunity for a gig in Hollywood.

Episode 17 Sam's Affair

17. Sam's Affair

Aired: Mar 18, 1982

Samantha believes that an innocent kiss from a boy has made her pregnant, but...

Episode 18 The Robbery

18. The Robbery

Aired: Mar 25, 1982

Two burglars break into the house while the Chief and the girls are away at a...

Episode 19 An Unmarried Couple

19. An Unmarried Couple

Aired: Apr 1, 1982

Katie's friend Valerie is pregnant, and her boyfriend Jonathan is unsure abou...

Info about Gimme a Break!

Seasons: 6

Current Status: Ended

Network: NBC

Production Country: United States

Genres:Comedy