My God! Her temper got really bad. I still remember her and Addy in that physical catfight in season five when they were shoving and pushing each other. Addy pushed Nell to the couch were she rolled around and then later Nell body slammed Addy to the couch. It's even in the opening of the show's credits. Nell pushed people hit people with flowers, pies in faces, pushing people in the closet. Etc. Did losing that weight at the beginning of season three make Nell cranky or what? Or was it because there was new theme song? :lol:

BTW, Excuse the error in the topic section. It should read
"Seasons 3 and 6".

Yep, Nell was definitely a candidate for some serious anger management. I mean, it's for comedic and slapstick purposes, but seriously now, she needed to calm down sometime.:meangya:

I was like, "dang, calm down, lady!" It was overbearing for me to watch sometimes.

Yep, Nell was definitely a candidate for some serious anger management. I mean, it's for comedic and slapstick purposes, but seriously now, she needed to calm down sometime.:meangya:


I find it interesting that you would mention anger management. I belong to an organization that offers group therapy for people who need help with anger management!

My God! Her temper got really bad. I still remember her and Addy in that physical catfight in season five when they were shoving and pushing each other. Addy pushed Nell to the couch were she rolled around and then later Nell body slammed Addy to the couch. It's even in the opening of the show's credits. Nell pushed people hit people with flowers, pies in faces, pushing people in the closet. Etc. Did losing that weight at the beginning of season three make Nell cranky or what? Or was it because there was new theme song? :lol:

BTW, Excuse the error in the topic section. It should read
"Seasons 3 and 6".

I noticed this too. The first 2 seasons are my favorites and I also liked Season 3, but she was so mean at times it was hard to enjoy the show after that. They never should have changed her character.

My God! Her temper got really bad. I still remember her and Addy in that physical catfight in season five when they were shoving and pushing each other. Addy pushed Nell to the couch were she rolled around and then later Nell body slammed Addy to the couch. It's even in the opening of the show's credits. Nell pushed people hit people with flowers, pies in faces, pushing people in the closet. Etc. Did losing that weight at the beginning of season three make Nell cranky or what? Or was it because there was new theme song? :lol:

BTW, Excuse the error in the topic section. It should read
"Seasons 3 and 6".


Would be nice if this show can land on Antenna TV

Would be nice if this show can land on Antenna TV


I know TV ONE aired it in a marathon back in 2006, I think for a 25 anniversary presentation, I think?

I know TV ONE aired it in a marathon back in 2006, I think for a 25 anniversary presentation, I think?


No I doubt it because I would have seen it since I had TV one in 2006 and was on this board in 2006 LOL

No I doubt it because I would have seen it since I had TV one in 2006 and was on this board in 2006 LOL

TvOne did have a marathon, it was right around the time season 1 DVD was coming out.

TvOne did have a marathon, it was right around the time season 1 DVD was coming out.


Well that means this site gets a BIG FAIL since I knew nothing about it

Well that means this site gets a BIG FAIL since I knew nothing about it

Maybe it's because you don't visit GAB board. I knew about it.

Maybe it's because you don't visit GAB board. I knew about it.


I did watch it because I just checked the announcement that was made on this board and i responded to it in Jan of 2006. I just don't remember watching it

Well that means this site gets a BIG FAIL since I knew nothing about it


So everything has to meet with the Solomon seal of approval or something? :lol:

TvOne did have a marathon, it was right around the time season 1 DVD was coming out.
Which was right around February 14, 2006. I just checked the release date for season one.

So everything has to meet with the Solomon seal of approval or something? :lol:


I must have watched because I just checked the old thread that Pav created to announce the marathon and I responded saying I will watch

So Maybe I forgot to watch it or just don't remember

Wasn't Nell Carter doing cocaine behind the scenes? Maybe the writers were basing the character off the actress.

Wasn't Nell Carter doing cocaine behind the scenes? Maybe the writers were basing the character off the actress.

Yeah, early on at least.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LBzb346Z_E

Wasn't Nell Carter doing cocaine behind the scenes? Maybe the writers were basing the character off the actress.

Before, Nell Harper seemed to really only lose it if someone did something incredibly stupid. But once, Nell Carter quit cocaine and her weight started yo-yo-ing, Nell Harper on Gimme A Break! got progressively louder and meaner. So maybe the writers wrote her outbursts as a form of catharsis.

Before, Nell Harper seemed to really only lose it if someone did something incredibly stupid. But once, Nell Carter quit cocaine and her weight started yo-yo-ing, Nell Harper on Gimme A Break! got progressively louder and meaner. So maybe the writers wrote her outbursts as a form of catharsis.


That is very interesting. It is always nice to read about a new school of thought.

My former professor who wrote Diff'rent Strokes told me the reason why the theme song changed--

Nell wanted to make money or something and didn't want to give credit anymore to the creators of the original- It was something along those lines but I'm not sure how true that was--

Usually a show just updates their theme song with the same lyrics but they changed them completely and I liked them so much better than the original!


The first 2 seasons were as if the show was in the 70s! The last 4 were so much better!


They got rid of the original producers as well as Nell had them fired!


But getting rid of the theme meant getting rid of the instrumentals used in opening scenes as they did in seasons 1-2! Those were most likely by the same team who wrote the season 1-2 song! The 2nd theme song- the ONLY time they used parts of it to open scenes of an episode were in "The Center" but they just took segments of the actual theme--they didn't make new instrumentals to open scenes that had the feel of the intro!


Other than that--


The show was changing! They added Addy- so Nell had to get mad!

My former professor who wrote Diff'rent Strokes told me the reason why the theme song changed--

Nell wanted to make money or something and didn't want to give credit anymore to the creators of the original- It was something along those lines but I'm not sure how true that was--

Usually a show just updates their theme song with the same lyrics but they changed them completely and I liked them so much better than the original!


The first 2 seasons were as if the show was in the 70s! The last 4 were so much better!


They got rid of the original producers as well as Nell had them fired!


But getting rid of the theme meant getting rid of the instrumentals used in opening scenes as they did in seasons 1-2! Those were most likely by the same team who wrote the season 1-2 song! The 2nd theme song- the ONLY time they used parts of it to open scenes of an episode were in "The Center" but they just took segments of the actual theme--they didn't make new instrumentals to open scenes that had the feel of the intro!


Other than that--


The show was changing! They added Addy- so Nell had to get mad!


That is all very interesting. I agree that, by Season 3, the show had become quite a bit different. I would say that the addition of Addie was only one of the significant differences in the show.

Also for Season 4, Dolph Sweet was going in for cancer treatment and he wanted to do the show to get away from his actual problems. The Chief too can have a mean streak...more so than Nell!

And when Sweet died, Carter probably did more cocaine to deal with Sweet's death...I think she was devastated with that loss.

That is very interesting. It is always nice to read about a new school of thought.

From my understanding, Nell Carter was also diabetic and did not regulate it well. When her sugar was off, she was an absolute monster. She had anger management issues to begin with (hence the weight), but when her sugar was off, her anger was white hot and out of control.

From my understanding, Nell Carter was also diabetic and did not regulate it well. When her sugar was off, she was an absolute monster. She had anger management issues to begin with (hence the weight), but when her sugar was off, her anger was white hot and out of control.

I had no idea of that. Very interesting indeed.

Right now, I am going through and watching the entire series from beginning to end. I am in Season 4, right now.

The biggest issue I am having with the series is Nell's transformation into this mean, angry person. She is so mean and so nasty to Addie and all of the girls. It's too much! Oh and then every episode has to have Nell sing in it. Come on!!

The biggest thing I notice is this certainly started in Season 3 when the Maude crew come in. Hal Cooper, Arthur Julian and Rod Parker, all worked on Maude. I love Maude, don't get me wrong. But Nell's anger is out of control.

Did Hal Cooper direct her to be like this?

Right now, I am going through and watching the entire series from beginning to end. I am in Season 4, right now.

The biggest issue I am having with the series is Nell's transformation into this mean, angry person. She is so mean and so nasty to Addie and all of the girls. It's too much! Oh and then every episode has to have Nell sing in it. Come on!!

The biggest thing I notice is this certainly started in Season 3 when the Maude crew come in. Hal Cooper, Arthur Julian and Rod Parker, all worked on Maude. I love Maude, don't get me wrong. But Nell's anger is out of control.

Did Hal Cooper direct her to be like this?

First off, it is great to hear from a familiar SOL memeber. ❤️

Second, you’re correct. The Maude writing staff did come onto the scene. Maude was loud and angry. Nell became angry and LOUDER! It was overbearing. I’d be glad when her mother and give her that crap because Nell couldn’t get away with a lot when it came to her mother. Nell tried it with her sister Loretta as well. To this day, I hate seeing Nell body slam Addy on the couch in the actual episode and theme opening.

Third, the singing I’m ok with. Nell could blow with authority.

Fourth, I LOVED her new wardrobe choices. Nell has it going on with that. It was as almost there were a set of twins alternating in the role with one playing the role during the first two years hen someone taking over the last four.

Would be nice if this show can land on Antenna TV

And it has been for the past year. I love it!!

Nell treated Addy like trash! :mad:

Nell treated Addy like trash! :mad:

I never found anything funny about it. :mad:

I never found anything funny about it. :mad:

Me either. I don't know how anyone could find Nell's cruel treatment of Addy to be funny. It was cruel, disgusting and so very inappropriate. IMO, Addy never did anything to deserve any of Nell's wrath. Addy was a kind person.

Me either. I don't know how anyone could find Nell's cruel treatment of Addy to be funny. It was cruel, disgusting and so very inappropriate. IMO, Addy never did anything to deserve any of Nell's wrath. Addy was a kind person.

Exactly! I agree with you. I thought it was unprovoked. It really was unnecessary and I do not like forced comedy. That’s what it was:forced comedy!

Exactly! I agree with you. I thought it was unprovoked. It really was unnecessary and I do not like forced comedy. That’s what it was:forced comedy!

I hated when those dumb laugh tracks were played after one of Nell's outrageous violent attacks aimed at Addy or someone else. It's like those writers/producers think us audience members are brain dead and need those laugh tracks to dictate when we are supposed to laugh. Not for me! I cringed every time Nell got violent with poor Addy or some other victim.

I hated when those dumb laugh tracks were played after one of Nell's outrageous violent attacks aimed at Addy or someone else. It's like those writers/producers think us audience members are brain dead and need those laugh tracks to dictate when we are supposed to laugh. Not for me! I cringed every time Nell got violent with poor Addy or some other victim.

That’s why I can’t watch the Episode when Jonathan takes the job as an archaeologist assistant. That’s the episode when the ladies get into a fight in the living room and Nell body slams Addy. I really do hate that.

That’s why I can’t watch the Episode when Jonathan takes the job as an archaeologist assistant. That’s the episode when the ladies get into a fight in the living room and Nell body slams Addy. I really do hate that.

Nell blamed Addy for everything including Katie's decision not to go to college. Nell was ridiculously unreasonable.

The show really used the 'angry black woman' trope in the later seasons. Remember Nell's mother was a sweet woman in the earlier years with a different actress. Then, when Rosetta LeNoire was cast, the character became mean and bitter towards Nell, it was slightly addressed with 'Alabama Bound' when mama admitted she put her dreams on the shelf to be a wife and mother and kept resentment over such. This similar storyline was in Eunice with how she put her dream on the shelf to take care of everyone else then became salty later.

Season 6's opener should have been the final episode as Season 5 was horrible to watch

Before, Nell Harper seemed to really only lose it if someone did something incredibly stupid. But once, Nell Carter quit cocaine and her weight started yo-yo-ing, Nell Harper on Gimme A Break! got progressively louder and meaner. So maybe the writers wrote her outbursts as a form of catharsis.
Catharsis for whom? Them or her?

Yeah, early on at least.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LBzb346Z_E

In hindsight, knowing what we know now, was Nell Carter's substance abuse quite obvious on screen? In many of the episodes, didn't she seem very hyper, talked super fast, and her eyes were all wide and buggy? For example, there was one scene where she picked up Telma Hopkins and bodyslammed her onto the couch.

The uncontrolled diabetes with drugs most likely contributed to her wild mood swings. Perhaps the production crew decided it was best to write her as an angry character.

The uncontrolled diabetes with drugs most likely contributed to her wild mood swings. Perhaps the production crew decided it was best to write her as an angry character.

The sad thing is, is if you're the star of a hit show, they'll enable your behavior because they don't want to run the risk of the show going off the air.

Her behavior was inexcusable. She was taking illegal drugs and she should have been made to get help; unfortunately, we didn't have the rehab culture we have now and the internet wasn't there to expose her misdeeds on a daily basis.

Nell Carter didn’t lose weight until Season 4, but I see what you mean. It all started in Season 3 when Nell went on an eating binge because her friend or something was flirting with the guy she had a crush on. And after that, it kept on getting more physical and violent. When Nell body slammed Addie, I felt body slammed as well. I don’t know what was up but maybe Nell was upset that Carl’s brother got married and she couldn’t find a man?

Nell Carter didn’t lose weight until Season 4, but I see what you mean. It all started in Season 3 when Nell went on an eating binge because her friend or something was flirting with the guy she had a crush on. And after that, it kept on getting more physical and violent. When Nell body slammed Addie, I felt body slammed as well. I don’t know what was up but maybe Nell was upset that Carl’s brother got married and she couldn’t find a man?

Nell was doing cocaine and that's a drug that apparently does not bring out the best in people.