"Gimme a Break!" was a popular American sitcom that aired from October 29, 1981 to 1987. The show centered around the character Nell Harper, played by Nell Carter, who works as a live-in housekeeper for the Kanisky family. The supporting cast included Dolph Sweet as Chief Carl Kanisky, the widowed police chief who hires Nell as his housekeeper. Other notable characters included Katie (played by Kari Michaelson), Julie (played by Lauri Hendler), Samantha (played by Lara Jill Miller), and Grandpa