As we all know Telma Hopkins and Rosetta Lenoire did Gimme A Break and Family Matters together. I also remember that Telma and Rosetta became guest appearances as the show progressed. They must have been good friends or had a good agent to end up on 2 different shows together. Also I have preview all 1 disc per season but I did not preview season 2 and season 4 were they unedited seasons? I work during the week but during the weekend this is all I am going to watch.

All the episodes are 24 minutes long, maybe a few seconds more than 24 minutes long, maybe a few seconds under 24 minutes. But just about that.

When I compare them to reruns, they are full episodes. USA Network/UPN reruns in the 1990s and early 2000's on tape tradings I have of the show on VHS are AWFUL. They end some of the episodes too soon, and on the DVD release, some episodes open a half a minute or more earlier and end a half a minute or more later which those parts are sometimes edited out of re-runs on different networks...it depends.


For example...


Mama from season 5, on UPN, from my tape trading back in 2002, ended with Nell going "You can see! You can see!" And the ending credits rolled there. However, on the DVD release, there is an additional scene with Nell back home with Addy and Nell in the living room looking at a letter Mama sends Nell when she returns home to Alabama and talks about her earrings Nell gave her. That goes on for close to a minute and the end credits roll there. THAT's how it was originally aired and they cut that on UPN airings. UPN airings were much much longer than USA network airings because when I recorded the show on USA network, they would leave out a lot, and on UPN they'd include more, as some of the episodes I recieved on tape trading were bonus ones I already had like "Friendship" in which USA cuts out some parts that UPN kept in. Usually, the transition scenes to commercials are severely edited out on reruns which are ALL intact on the DVD release. Like when you know something is so stupid and makes no sense and on the DVD it's all there and then you think "Wow, that's where that line came from!," or "Wow, I knew there would be more in that scene that faded into the next!" A lot of scenes that faded into new ones on reruns are extended on the DVD, so yes, they are full original network airings.


In season 6, in Joey the Gambler, Nell walks into the living room to watch Casablanca on the USA airing back in 1998, but I had no idea there was a scene with Maggie in the hallway that opened the episode. That scene is now back. So it all makes sense with Maggie bringing in Nell's shoes and the line she told Nell which Nell told her in the hallway that wasn't there on USA airings.



On USA network, they had several commercial breaks, but on UPN, I recall they only had ONE, or two. On the DVD release, they usually have ONE commercial break with the still photo of the cast that appears. Chapter 1 is the credits or the opening scene that goes into the credits which happened a few times between seasons 3-6, chapter 2 is the first 8-13 minutes, chapter 3 is the next up to 23/24 minutes or so, chapter 4 is the end credits OR if there is ONE final commercial break which happens a few times throughout seasons 3-6, in that case, the final scene starts, then 30seconds to a minute later the end credits roll.



The episode "Grandpa's Secret Life" I am surprised from the USA network airing I have of it is pretty much in it's entirety when it aired on re-runs. However, they did edit a few lines out which are back on the DVD such as Katrina responding to her grandfather still being alive "It must be something in the pickles," and Leopold commenting on how Nell called him "Leo" and how his late wife called him that and he HATED it.

The episode "Baby of the Family" on USA airing made no sense when Katie said "Nell, the Library's at 4th and Elm", but I believe the line was cut out on the USA airing where Nell told Katie if she knew where the library was. That's all intact and included on the DVD release now. So that's proof everything is there.



So yes, these are FULL original network airings and all the songs Nell sang are there. Nothing is left out I believe. All the scenes are there, and they are possibly just the way they aired on NBC. Some openings of the show are not the way USA network did them, as the cast picture in the opening was sometimes different...they edited the show badly on USA and even on UPN at times, messing up the opening theme and cutting out a note or 2 or 3 from the first second of the song...you know, how they'd roll the USA network logos and then quickly jump into the opening of the show?



Speaking of the THEME SONGS...They are all perfect now and not rushed, so you hear the ENTIRE notes from the first second of the theme song in every episode. I recall in season 1-2 they did sort of mess up a note or so when they transferred the show to DVD on a few episodes, but I think the transfer of seasons 3-6, the opening theme came a lot better than seasons 1-2 transfer overall, because all the episodes you can hear the entire notes without any of the first few missing.


Like in the season 5-6 version theme, there is a quick note that you can hear as the theme opens up that was most of the time edited out on reruns because they went into the themes too fast as they did in seasons 3-4...it sounded better than season 3-4 if they went into the theme fast on reruns because it still sounded good, but that one note is there in all the theme openings of seasons 5-6. As in "Joey the Gambler" when it aired on reruns on USA, you can hear that note, and you can also hear that note in other episode openings that don't rush too fast into the theme. I don't know if you get what I'm saying...but it sounds more like a Violin opening the theme if they cut that first note out on re-runs, and on the DVD release, you get that very first ditty note before they add that volinish music, so the entire theme is in full and not edited one bit on the DVD release.


I was afraid that they were going to use rushed versions of the original aired themes, because I'm sure on NBC they also edited the rush in's to the theme song badly at times, cutting out a note or so, but on the DVD, you get every single note, which means they did a good job with the audio transfer. It may just be my TV because it's not a plasma or flatscreen, but the sound quality is not excellent. It's good, but it's not excellent. Maybe it would be best if I played the DVD on a TV that was flatscreen on plasma. But the audio they did a great job not cutting any of the themes first few notes out as they usually did on network airings.


On USA airings, they did not include Sammy Davis Jr.'s credit for "The Lookalike"...it's there now on the DVD release, and they didn't include Simpson's credit from "Joey" I believe, or one of the first few from season 3 which he was in, which is now there in the opening credits. Also, there is ONE episode where Simpson/Addy's credit is side by side in season 4 when they are at the front door. Was this how it was in the original airing? I think it was the VERY first episode where Addy was added to the cast and the first episode she was part of in season 4, then they gave her and Simson their own shot seperately.

All the episodes are 24 minutes long, maybe a few seconds more than 24 minutes long, maybe a few seconds under 24 minutes. But just about that.

When I compare them to reruns, they are full episodes. USA Network/UPN reruns in the 1990s and early 2000's on tape tradings I have of the show on VHS are AWFUL. They end some of the episodes too soon, and on the DVD release, some episodes open a half a minute or more earlier and end a half a minute or more later which those parts are sometimes edited out of re-runs on different networks...it depends.


For example...


Mama from season 5, on UPN, from my tape trading back in 2002, ended with Nell going "You can see! You can see!" And the ending credits rolled there. However, on the DVD release, there is an additional scene with Nell back home with Addy and Nell in the living room looking at a letter Mama sends Nell when she returns home to Alabama and talks about her earrings Nell gave her. That goes on for close to a minute and the end credits roll there. THAT's how it was originally aired and they cut that on UPN airings. UPN airings were much much longer than USA network airings because when I recorded the show on USA network, they would leave out a lot, and on UPN they'd include more, as some of the episodes I recieved on tape trading were bonus ones I already had like "Friendship" in which USA cuts out some parts that UPN kept in. Usually, the transition scenes to commercials are severely edited out on reruns which are ALL intact on the DVD release. Like when you know something is so stupid and makes no sense and on the DVD it's all there and then you think "Wow, that's where that line came from!," or "Wow, I knew there would be more in that scene that faded into the next!" A lot of scenes that faded into new ones on reruns are extended on the DVD, so yes, they are full original network airings.


In season 6, in Joey the Gambler, Nell walks into the living room to watch Casablanca on the USA airing back in 1998, but I had no idea there was a scene with Maggie in the hallway that opened the episode. That scene is now back. So it all makes sense with Maggie bringing in Nell's shoes and the line she told Nell which Nell told her in the hallway that wasn't there on USA airings.



On USA network, they had several commercial breaks, but on UPN, I recall they only had ONE, or two. On the DVD release, they usually have ONE commercial break with the still photo of the cast that appears. Chapter 1 is the credits or the opening scene that goes into the credits which happened a few times between seasons 3-6, chapter 2 is the first 8-13 minutes, chapter 3 is the next up to 23/24 minutes or so, chapter 4 is the end credits OR if there is ONE final commercial break which happens a few times throughout seasons 3-6, in that case, the final scene starts, then 30seconds to a minute later the end credits roll.



The episode "Grandpa's Secret Life" I am surprised from the USA network airing I have of it is pretty much in it's entirety when it aired on re-runs. However, they did edit a few lines out which are back on the DVD such as Katrina responding to her grandfather still being alive "It must be something in the pickles," and Leopold commenting on how Nell called him "Leo" and how his late wife called him that and he HATED it.

The episode "Baby of the Family" on USA airing made no sense when Katie said "Nell, the Library's at 4th and Elm", but I believe the line was cut out on the USA airing where Nell told Katie if she knew where the library was. That's all intact and included on the DVD release now. So that's proof everything is there.



So yes, these are FULL original network airings and all the songs Nell sang are there. Nothing is left out I believe. All the scenes are there, and they are possibly just the way they aired on NBC. Some openings of the show are not the way USA network did them, as the cast picture in the opening was sometimes different...they edited the show badly on USA and even on UPN at times, messing up the opening theme and cutting out a note or 2 or 3 from the first second of the song...you know, how they'd roll the USA network logos and then quickly jump into the opening of the show?



Speaking of the THEME SONGS...They are all perfect now and not rushed, so you hear the ENTIRE notes from the first second of the theme song in every episode. I recall in season 1-2 they did sort of mess up a note or so when they transferred the show to DVD on a few episodes, but I think the transfer of seasons 3-6, the opening theme came a lot better than seasons 1-2 transfer overall, because all the episodes you can hear the entire notes without any of the first few missing.


Like in the season 5-6 version theme, there is a quick note that you can hear as the theme opens up that was most of the time edited out on reruns because they went into the themes too fast as they did in seasons 3-4...it sounded better than season 3-4 if they went into the theme fast on reruns because it still sounded good, but that one note is there in all the theme openings of seasons 5-6. As in "Joey the Gambler" when it aired on reruns on USA, you can hear that note, and you can also hear that note in other episode openings that don't rush too fast into the theme. I don't know if you get what I'm saying...but it sounds more like a Violin opening the theme if they cut that first note out on re-runs, and on the DVD release, you get that very first ditty note before they add that volinish music, so the entire theme is in full and not edited one bit on the DVD release.


I was afraid that they were going to use rushed versions of the original aired themes, because I'm sure on NBC they also edited the rush in's to the theme song badly at times, cutting out a note or so, but on the DVD, you get every single note, which means they did a good job with the audio transfer. It may just be my TV because it's not a plasma or flatscreen, but the sound quality is not excellent. It's good, but it's not excellent. Maybe it would be best if I played the DVD on a TV that was flatscreen on plasma. But the audio they did a great job not cutting any of the themes first few notes out as they usually did on network airings.


On USA airings, they did not include Sammy Davis Jr.'s credit for "The Lookalike"...it's there now on the DVD release, and they didn't include Simpson's credit from "Joey" I believe, or one of the first few from season 3 which he was in, which is now there in the opening credits. Also, there is ONE episode where Simpson/Addy's credit is side by side in season 4 when they are at the front door. Was this how it was in the original airing? I think it was the VERY first episode where Addy was added to the cast and the first episode she was part of in season 4, then they gave her and Simson their own shot seperately.

I'm guessing that USA cut out more room for commercials than UPN did.
I think this is because that USA is a bigger station than UPN.
Had the reruns aired on TBS, I'm guessing we would have seen the same kinds of cuts as USA.

I know what you mean by the theme having a rushed feeling.
I see this all the time these days with newer shows (that is if they even have a theme).
I don't think NBC was rushing themes back in GAB's day.
Just like they weren't squishing the end credits to squeeze in an extra promo or 2 like they do now.

I don't understand what having a flat screen or a plasma TV has to do with sound. Wouldn't that be for better picture quality?

I don't remember the split-screen credit for Simpson/Addy.
By this time (Season 4) wouldn't Simpson already have his own separate credit? Why show a split credit for both in one episode, and then separate credits for both in the next episode.
And it has nothing to do with the pacing of the theme.

Yeah, I don't know anything about video/sound, but I assume that the sound would be a lot better on a newer TV than an older model just as the video would, especially if it's something that's on DVD that has been digitally restored by a company and for sale.

I'm not sure why they did that split screen. I am guessing it was in the original for that ONE episode because the cast had gotten bigger and it was the FIRST episode of season 4 which both Addy and Simpson were in, so I am guessing after that, they did two seperate ones.

The split screen credit of Simpson/Addy happened in "Nell's Birthday", then the two characters weren't on for a few episodes, then got their own seperate credit.


It seems the first "I finally know where I belong" was where the last person who was in the episode was credited throughout seasons 3-6, and after that, they used scenes from the show so they could show the creators at the right pacing. I think that's why they did that in that episode. Everyone was included in the opening, including Grandpa. It could be because of that they did it that way. All the other episodes, I am not sure if they had a cast bigger than that. Wait...Cat Story had the SAME EXACT amount of cast as all of them were in it, as well as a few other episodes had that many cast members, so I'm not sure.

I think because they showed a longer version of Joey dancing the moonwalk on the kitchen floor, sort of like extra scene time from the series they didn't need to show for that opening. They could have taken that moonwalk part out and given the two seperate credits, which I think is what they did afterwards for future episodes.

Remember, this was the FIRST episode that featured the biggest amount of cast members with the addition of Addy. In season 3, Simpson was on a few times, and once in a while "Special Guest Stars" after him such as Andy Gibb, who also got their own credit. That moonwalk with Joey messed things up and that's why I think they did the split screen, so they'd be enough time to add in the "created by" credits.