Gimme a Break!
Gimme a Break!

Gimme a Break!

1981 6 Seasons 137 Episodes ⭐ 6.7 Comedy Family

Gimme a Break! is an American sitcom which aired on NBC for six seasons, October 29, 1981, until May 12, 1987. The series stars Nell Carter as the housekeeper for a widowed police chief and his three daughters.

Gimme a Break! is an American sitcom which aired on NBC for six seasons, October 29, 1981, until May 12, 1987. The series stars Nell Carter as the housekeeper for a widowed police chief and his three daughters.

Seasons & Episodes

EP 1

Katie the Crook

In the series premiere, Samantha comes home with a black eye, and Nell teaches her a few skills on how to fight. Julie a

EP 2

A Good Man is Hard to Find

Nell and Angie go to a bar to meet guys. However, Nell gets sad that she isn't admired by any of the men. She then goes

EP 3

The Second Time Around

A woman accidently hits the cheifs police car, because her contact lense came out as a moth sat on her face. When she me

EP 4

Mom's Birthday

A woman with a perfume gift for Margaret on her birthday shows up, learning that Margaret is deceased. When the Cheif co

EP 5

Do or Diet

Nell decides to hold her PORKO'S meeting at the house, and when she gets on the scale she gets mad because she gained tw

EP 6

A Man in Nell's Room

When the Cheif finds a man in Nell's room, he tells her he doesn't want her fooling around with guys in the same house a

EP 7

Your Prisoner is Dead

As he is on an erand at the drug store, the chief witnesses a robber hold up the place. When the robber turns his gun on

EP 8

Julie's Rejection

Julie wants to join Katie's club, and gets help from Nell and Katie on how to be cool, sitting, and dancing. When she sh

EP 9

Julie's First Love

Julie goes off to the arcade after having no luck at finding a date to the Junior prom. At the arcade, she meets a worke

EP 10

Nell's Ex

Nell's finds out that her ex-husband Tony is in town and wants to meet with her. At the house, he tells her that he is g

EP 11

Katie the Cheat

The chief is counting on Katie to do real good on her final exam, but she gets Julie to take it instead. The family is s

EP 12

The Emergency

Katie comes home with pain in her stomache and Nell rushes her to the emergency room. Once there, she meets a pushy rece

EP 13

Nell Goes Home

As the Cheif is getting ready to leave for an assignment in New York, Samantha is mad that she can't go fishing with a m

EP 14

Samantha Steals a Squad Car

As the chief is preparing a speech for an awards banquet, Nell accidently sits on his cap, which ticks him off. As the t

EP 15

Grandma Fools Around

The family gets ready for Grandma and Grandpa's 55th anniversary at the house. Meanwhile, back at their house, Grandma a

EP 16

Hot Muffins

Katie's band is a big success in Glenlawn as they perform at amateur night at a restaraunt. A big producer spots them, a

EP 17

Sam's Affair

Samantha and her friend Scottie from her baseball team decide to sit on the couch and watch some television. As they are

EP 18

The Robbery

The Kaniskis come home to find burglars at work, when they return home from thei cheif's law enforcement officer of the

EP 19

An Unmarried Couple

Katie's friend Valerie shows up at the Kanisky house, pregnant and due any day. She tells Katie that her boyfriend Jonat

EP 1

Nell Goes to Jail

While Nell is on the phone with Angie, her phone dies out and a second later a man from the phone company takes the phon

EP 2

Brother Ed and the Hooker

At the bowling alley, the Cheif meets up with Maxine, a prostitute who is used to nail bad cops. When Ed meets Carl at t

EP 3

Sam's Imaginary Friend

Katie and Julie go out on a double date as Samantha tells everyone to make room for Debbie Jo, an imaginary friend of he

EP 4

Grandpa's Visit

When Grandma leaves to go see her sick sister who is about to have an operation, Grandpa is sent to live with the family

EP 5

Take My Baby, Please

Katie's friend, Valerie shows up at the Kanisky house with her new baby David. She tells the family that she and her hus

EP 6

Porko's

Nell hosts another one of her PORKO meetings at the house, where the head of the weight loss group shows up. When he arr

EP 7

The Chief's Gay Evening

The Chief goes on a stakeout with two officers where they are on lookout for an old-lady targeter. One of the officers d

EP 8

Katie Steals Julie's Jock

Julie invites a handsome boy at school to come over to stud with her, but he falls for Katie, and the two go out. When K

EP 9

Sam Faces Death

Nell is out of town at her cousin's funeral as Simpson storms into the house and says that the Cheif was shot but is alr

EP 10

Nell Goes Door to Door

Angie tells Nell that she is going on a trip to Mexico with the money she made by selling vaccums. She urges Nell to att

EP 11

Love Thy Neighbor

Nell is woken up in the early hours of the morning by a neighbors barking dog. When the Cheif wakes up he sees that she

EP 12

Love, Kidney

While playing the accordian at dinner, Uncle Ed falls I'll and feints into the fishtank while cooling off. He ends up in

EP 13

Julie Smokes

The Chief finds a cigarrette in his sock and questions each of the girls about it. When he finds out that Samantha and K

EP 14

The Centerfold (1)

When Mr. Swackhammer shows up to inform the Cheif about the female officer who posed nude, he rushes into work and tells

EP 15

The Centerfold (2)

The man who has a bomb strapped to him tells Simpson he knows him from some place. He realizes that he's seen him before

EP 16

The Custody Suit

Aunt Blanche pays a visit to the Chief on his birthday and threatens to take custody of the girls after seeing what look

EP 17

The Return of the Doo-Wop Girls

Nell tells about her singing past with a doo-wop girl group. Nell and her two friends years before she met the Kanisky's

EP 18

Eddie Gets Married

At the dinner table, Grandpa insists that Eddie should marry Maxine, since they have been going together for six months,

EP 19

Grandpa Robs a Bank

Grandpa hides a letter from Grandma and she beleives he is cheating on him. When she secretly takes the letter and reads

EP 20

Greenlawn Street Blues

When Samantha reads Nell part of her essay she is doing on the Cheif for school, Nell tells her it would be a good idea

EP 21

Nell and the Kid

While at ""Max's Delacatesan"", Nell and Max see a girl shoplifting. Nell saves her from being arrested, telling Max she

EP 22

Nell Gets Sick

When Nell is sick at home and the Chief going off to Los Angeles for a meeting, he calls his mother to help out around t

EP 1

The Groupie

Julie wants to meet Andy Gibb and goes to see him after Nell lets her go, despite the fact that the chief grounded her,

EP 2

The Way to a Man's Heart

Nell falls for James Roland, a former member of her weight group , who continues to go to the classes on weight loss. He

EP 3

Katie's Commitment

Katie becomes involved with a college professor at Glenlawn Junior College who is much older than her. Nell begins to ge

EP 4

Joey (1)

Katie practices her jazz routine to ""Maniac"" for a show that will be taking pace soon in Glenawn. As the family is get

EP 5

Joey (2)

Joey goes on a hunger strike and says he is not going to an orphanage. Nell then lies to Joey and tells him that she mad

EP 6

The Mayor

The Mayor of Glenlawn falls for Nell, who wants nothing to do with him. He tells her that the cheif will get his new pa

EP 7

Melissa

The cheif is awarded man of the year, and Nell tries to fix him up with a woman named Melissa. What he doesn't know is t

EP 8

Nell's Friend

While Nell is out getting the Chief's clothes cleaned, Addy Wilson, Nell's childhood friend arrives at the house. She me

EP 9

Grandpa's Rebellion

Nell, the girls and the Cheif fix up the spare room at the house and await Grandpa's arrival home from his trip to Polan

EP 10

A Kanisky Christmas

Joey's first Christmas might be a disaster if Nell doesn't get the whole family together. Samantha is going to babysit f

EP 11

Herbie

Herbie, Samantha's unseen new friend, puts ideas of judgment day into Samantha's head. An earthquake causes Samantha to

EP 12

James Returns

James wants to start over again with Nell after she meets him at a fancy restaraunt during a girls night out with Addy a

EP 13

Samantha's Protest

Samantha protests against demolition of an historic Spanish site after Nell tells her she did the same thing in Alabama

EP 14

Flashback

When the Chief tells Samantha that she cannot go out on a date with a boy, Nell decides to tell the girls the story of h

EP 15

Knock Three Times

Nell gets hypnotized to remember where she put Katie's ring for graduation, but she ends up remembering a whole lot of t

EP 16

Valentine

Nell gives advice on Valentine's day to the entire family as she waits for James to come home from his visit to Sanfrans

EP 17

The Big Apple (1)

Nell & Addy appear & compete on Wheel of Fortune during Best Friends week. Nell has $7,600 & wants to win a car. But af

EP 18

The Big Apple (2)

Nell calls the Chief for help and he says he will tell a policeman friend of his about it and he will come up to New Yor

EP 19

Rodeo

After the chief & Nell couldn't take Joey to the rodeo in town, Grandpa decides to take him. But that day, it was raini

EP 20

Katie's College

Katie decides to ditch college and open her own busines with friend, which the Cheif agrees to. However, Nell doesnt li

EP 21

The Center

Nell decides to take Grandpa to the senior citizen Center to have some time to spend with people his own age. While ther

EP 22

Class of '84

Nell helps write a book report for a straight-A student who has several children to take care of, and is aways exhausted

EP 1

New Orleans (1)

Nell and Joey go to New Orleans where Nells sees a man she hant seen in 15 years. The two take Joey to the World's Fair,

EP 2

New Orleans (2)

Joey and his father reunite, and he takes Joey on a day at the World's fair. He then asks Nell if he can have Joey sleep

EP 3

Nell's Birthday

Nell gets the bitrhday blues at turning 33. Addy is mocking her as the two are going on a cruise for singles 18-32 years

EP 4

Grandpa's Secret Life

An old Polish man finds Grandpa and forces him to marry his daughter. He finds out that Grandpa was the man that came ov

EP 5

Sam's First Love

Sam is in love with a boy who just happens to be a big heel. He borrows money from the whole family, and when Nell tells

EP 6

Who Dunnit?

Nell and Ray Parker, Jr. have a difference of opinion over giving CPR to a fallen man. When the man dies, Nell and Ray d

EP 7

Breakdance

When Katie needs money for her business, Joey helps her out by breakdancing at the beach. Nell finds out Joey's grades a

EP 8

Daddy's Little Girl

While at Skipper Dwayne's for dinner, Addy finds out her car is being towed away as Nell is approached by a sleezeball w

EP 9

Carl's Delicate Moment

It's a case of sexual harassment when a female officer wants a raise and the Chief will not give it to her. SHe takes th

EP 10

Julie's Lie

Nell and Addy go up to a ski lodge to find Julie with her boyfriend, Jonathan after they win their big debate. When Jona

EP 11

Baby of the Family

Samantha gets upset at Nell, who disapproves of her going on a camping trip with teenage boys which will not be chappero

EP 12

TV or Not TV

After being lifted by a class at night school on how TV tears families apart from one another, Nell decides to make the

EP 13

The Spirit of Christmas

Nell and Addy decide to spend Christmas in her apartment a few days earlier, since she is going to Alabama for Christmas

EP 14

Grandpa's Will

When the family tells Grandpa to go see a lawyer to make up his will, he refuses in doing so. In the end, Nell finds out

EP 15

The Answering Machine

Nell is mad that her current flame is going on a buisness trip with another woman, so she leaves him a message on his an

EP 16

The Gift

Nell disapproves of Katie accepting a diamond necklace from her new boyfriend and tells her to give it back to him. Howe

EP 17

Alabamy Bound (1)

Nell, Addy, and Joey go off to Alabama to arrive for Nell's sister's Wedding. Nell is angered because her mother has not

EP 18

Alabamy Bound (2)

After hearing the news that her sister Loretta insists that Mama Maybelle move to California to live with Nell in Glenla

EP 19

The Earthquake

Nell is having a very bad day, due to the fact that Sal Bonaducci charged her more money for her car being fixed, and th

EP 20

The Lookalike

Nell books Sammy Davis Jr. to appear to the town of Glenlawn, and sing for them. However, when she calls Sammy to ask hi

EP 21

Cat Story

Officer Simpson ane the chief go out during a stormy night in Glenlawn, to check upon a bridge that had washed out. When

EP 22

Police Mamas

When the whole staff at the police station gets food poisoning, it's up to Addy and Nell to help them out. Simpson makes

EP 23

Monkey See, Monkey Do

The chief gets angry Katie after her friend who got a part in a play offers her apartment to her. The Cheif also gets ma

EP 24

Friendship

Nell is angry that Addy has not called her in over a week, and is doing things with other members of the family and not

EP 25

Julie's Birthday

On Julies 18th birthday, Nell has a plan to get her and Jonathan back together after they broke up. She keeps orderig pi

EP 1

Joey's Train

Nell is sad and doesnt want anyone to remind her of the Cheif since he pased away. Joey recives part of a toy train the

EP 2

Ship of Fools (1)

Nell decides to take her ex-husband's offer up on performing on his ship. While she is on the ship,she finds out that To

EP 3

Ship of Fools (2)

While continuing to perform on Tony's ship, Nell discovers that he has fallen in love all over again with a woman that J

EP 4

The Man From Zoron

Joey is saved by a man from being hit by a bus, and when the man tells his family that he is from another planet, everyo

EP 5

Addy's Goodbye

Nell finds out Addy was given a teaching job as the a Dean at Columbia University by a professor she despises and thinks

EP 6

So Long, Jonathan

Jonathan leaves on his archeological Mexican dig project. In the meantime, back at the Kanisky house, Julie finds out th

EP 7

Mama

Mama Maybelle arrives in Glenlawn to visit Nell, and tells her that she has to have an eye operation, and fears that she

EP 8

Sam's Little Girl

Sam is taking the role of a big sister to a girl named Pam, a kid from a single-parent home. When Pam arrives at the hou

EP 9

The Elevator

Nell finds out that Addy is engaged to be married to her dentist, who has been previously married before, and has severa

EP 10

Nell's New Car

Nell finds out Addy is selling her car, and wants to be the first one to take it off her hands. However, Angies sister h

EP 11

Nell's Gifted Child

Nel finds out that Joey is a gifted child, and should take a test to see what grade he should be placed into. When Joey

EP 12

Katie's Apartment

Nell finds out that Katie is dating a married author of a famous book. She tells Katie to stop seeing him, and she tells

EP 13

Snippets

Nell and the gang decorate the Christmas tree as Joey pretends that he is sick, but wants to help out as well. During th

EP 14

Second Chance (1)

Nell decides to quit college and pursue a real singing career. She becomes the manager for an ex-con who wrote a song in

EP 15

Second Chance (2)

The ex-con is sad that Gary hated the song, and decides that singing is not the career for him. Nell then appears on Gar

EP 16

Bienvenido, Jonathan

Jonathan returns home, giving attention to everyone accept Julie, who beleives that Jonathan doesn't love her anymore. I

EP 17

The Gun

Joey accidently shoots Nell when he finds the cheif's gun in one of her dresser drawers. The whole family, including Mam

EP 18

A Lesson for Nell

Nell finds out that Grandpa is dating Sally Parsons, who was previously dating Officer Simpson. When Simpson finds out h

EP 19

Pride and Prejudice

Nel is rejected for a job as a receptionist because she thinks she is black. When Addy decdies to go for the same job as

EP 20

Family Reunion

Nell's sister Loretta comes to town when she decides to leave Howard. She confides in Nell on what to do, but Nell doesn

EP 21

Getting to Know You

When Officer Simpson leaves his cousins adopted children with Nell to babysit for her, her date who is at the house at t

EP 22

Katie's Korner

Katie, who has been sad since her latest boyfriend left her and is now engaged, is going broke and is deciding to close

EP 23

Found Money

When Nell's grandmother passes away and leaves her a nice amount of money, she decides to split it with the family, and

EP 24

The Purse Snatcher

As she is at a Greek restaraunt with her freinds, Nell's purse is stolen, which upsets everyone. However, the two Grek w

EP 1

Sam Goes to College (1)

Samantha, excitied that she has gotten into Littlfield College in New Jersey, is let down when she recieves a letter in

EP 2

Sam Goes to College (2)

Nell continues to talk Samantha out of moving to Sanfransisco with Katie. She then realizes that Samantha is still 17, a

EP 3

Below Sea Level

Nell and Joey fly to New Jersy to move Samantha to her college living space at Littlefield College. While they are there

EP 4

Joey Meets Matthew

Joey meets Matthew finally, and is mad that he has a little brother. Tim says that he has some matters to take care of

EP 5

Nell Goes Back to New York

Nell recives a letter from Joey in New York, telling her that he is fine, but she knows that Tim is not taking proper ca

EP 6

The Apartment

Nell tries to get a job at a famous New York publishing company. She then decides to rent an apartment in Greenwich Vill

EP 7

I Love New York

Nell is fed up with the new apartment in New York, and tells Addy she wants to go back to Glenlawn to get some of that g

EP 8

Nell the Boss

After Addy is laid off at the University for going on strike, Nell hires her as an assistant at Mcdillon and Loud's publ

EP 9

Harry the Hamster

Nell is furious when she hears a squeaking noise coming from Joey and Matthew's room. When she checks in on them, she fi

EP 10

Joey the Gambler

Joey begins to run ilegal gambling tickets from the staff at El Gatspacio, and Nell is horrified when she finds out he w

EP 11

The Scam

As Nell and her mother are at the bank to put items into Mama Maybelle's safe deposit box, a con man shows up, tells Nel

EP 12

Christmas in New York

Nell decides to buy a Christmas tree, as does Addy, who both know that it costs too much for one in New York. As the gan

EP 13

Nell's Secret Admirer

Nell gets a call from her highschool secret admirer, whom she never knew personally in Alabama. She decides to met him a

EP 14

The Loan

Nell gives Addy a loan to buy a new dress to attend a gala event, knowing that she will pay her back in no time at all.

EP 15

The Window (1)

Nell has a better job in her company as a book editor. However, that tears her away from staying with the boys. When Jo

EP 16

The Window (2)

Nell decides to quit her job so she could stay home with the boys. So Nell decides to get a new job instead. When she

EP 17

Joey's First Crush

Joey begins to have a crush on Maggie, and at her husband's birthday party, Nell finds out that he wants to leave New Yo

EP 18

Joey's Teacher

Joey is upset because his teacher, Mr. Gronomeir keeps hating him. When Nell invites him to the house to talk about Joey

EP 19

Joey's Hero

When Joey's favorite television star ""Captain Jerk"", is hospitalized after swallowing a whistle, it is up to Nell to g

EP 20

Joey the Gigolo

Nell knows that her boss is beginning to fire many workers on the job, and when she finds out he has a daughter named Mo

EP 21

Parents' Week (1)

Nell finds out that it is Parents Week at Littlefield College in New Jersy, and she is upset that Samantha didn't invite

EP 22

Parents' Week (2)

Nell tries to convice Samantha to stay in college, and in the end, is successful at doing so. She also is successful at

EP 23

Save the Church

Nell prepares for Mary-Ellen Baldwin's arrival, a snobbish foe of hers from Alabama. She arrives in New York to tell Mam

EP 24

Someday, My Prince . . .

Nell is wooed by an African man who invented chocolate chip cookies in his African country. She is given a necklace by h

EP 25

Mama's Date

When Grandpa comes to get the boys' pajamas, since they are sleeping in his apartment because Addy is sick in bed, he te

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