Lara Jill Miller did an interview and talked about the possible 7th season - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Wildchats · 02-04-2013, 01:12 PM

I was right, Gimme A Break! was supposed to center around Sam's college life if the show came back for a 7th season, or just spin-off into a show JUST about Nell and Sam.

Lara answered why she thought she was the only one of the 3 girls to return to the show in the 6th season, and she said she thinks Nell had say to keep her there. She had been flown from NY to LA several times that season to take part in "Below Sea Level", "Sam Goes To College 1/2" "Christmas In New York", "Joey The Gigilo" and "Parents Week 1/2". She said it was a total of about 6 trips back and forth. They did shoot out of airdate order on there, too.

She said the final 2 parter in season 6 "Parents Week" was to be a preview of things to come. That Nell would be housemother/den mother to the girls in the dorm and that comedy would ensue. I strongly doubt it would have been a spin-off, just another re-tooling. It would have been a spin-off had the show been about Sam as the lead and Nell making occasional visits at times.

I think the plan was to keep the tone of the show the same, with Nell living in the NY apartment with Addy, Joey, and Matthew, but her getting a job on campus and commuting on the subway every morning and afternoon when she was working at the College. Somehow I think she would have taken a job at the college, and several or more episodes would have focused on Samantha in college/coming in contact with Nell.

Would have been nice to see.

TJ · 02-04-2013, 04:49 PM

After a 15-episode run in 2011-12, Reimagine That! with Chris Mann is back for an all-new season of fun with classic TV stars! If you forgot, the series is a popular podcast "where retro pop meets forward thought" as Retroality.TV's behind-the-scenes "TVographer" Chris Mann talks rebooting pop culture's past, re-envisioning reality (TV and otherwise) and reinventing life after 35 -- spiritually, professionally and otherwise -- with Hollywood storytellers and survivors, retro aficionados and "re-creative" visionaries. Also: Chris reviews headline-making pop culture controversies. In episode 16, Chris talks with Lara Jill Miller of Gimme a Break! fame. Lara of course talks Gimme a Break!, Nell Carter, her appearance on Disney's Doc McStuffins, and other voice-artist success.

Lara Jill Miller grew up before our eyes as Nell Carter's sweet-faced "little girl" Samantha Kinisky on the hit NBC sitcom Gimme a Break! In the '90s she went back to the East Coast, earned a law degree and became a practicing New York attorney ... but her passion for showbiz brought her back to Hollywood once more. In the last decade, Lara Jill has become one of the industry's most in-demand voice artists, with starring roles in several animated series (like Clifford's Puppy Days), films, video games and more. In a special Valentine-themed episode of the hit Disney Jr. series Doc McStuffins, which premiered on Friday on the Disney Channel and Disney Junior, the former child star again takes the spotlight, this time as Doc's lovable pal Lambie. In this exclusive, in-depth interview about her amazing journey, Lara Jill opens up about her close relationship with the late Carter, revealing how being the "Ain't Misbehavin'" star's "baby" kept Sam in the Gimme a Break! fold after the show was extensively retooled (and much of the original cast let go) during its final season. Lara Jill recalls some of the long-running sitcom's landmark episodes (Joey in blackface?! Katie has an IUD?!) and discloses that, had the show been renewed for a seventh season, the focus would have shifted to Nell's misadventures with Sam in college. (NBC, instead giving us A Different World, missed the boat on this one, folks.) Chris also fondly remembers Nell Carter, and three other TV greats we've lost more recently: Dallas icon Larry Hagman, Three's Company Regal Beagle bartender (and stage star!) Paul Ainsley and Maude and Diff'rent Strokes star Conrad Bain.

Head on over to Retroality.tv and listen to episode 16 of this wonderful podcast from the great Chris Mann! "Gimme a break I sure deserve it...It's time I made it to the top."

Read more:
http://blog.sitcomsonline.com/2013/0...n-at-work.html

greelywinger · 03-15-2013, 09:58 AM

Thanks for the link.

Darryl

MrCleveland · 03-17-2013, 04:27 PM

That could make an interesting fan-fiction...what 7th season would be.

Smartboy · 03-17-2013, 06:09 PM

Although I never really got into Fan-Fiction, I can see where you are coming from. I think that a lot of people could come up with a lot of interesting ideas about what could have happened in future seasons if they had existed.

JR1 · 03-17-2013, 06:36 PM

was still on the air, so that seventh season would have seemed too similar to that show, most likely.

Smartboy · 03-17-2013, 07:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JR1

was still on the air, so that seventh season would have seemed too similar to that show, most likely.

I had never thought of that before, but it is a very interesting observation!

ThomasE · 04-18-2013, 10:47 PM

To me, it seems as though season six was already a spinoff since the entire format had changed. Heck, I've been playing around with the idea of transforming all but the first two eps of season six into a spinoff with different opening theme music for the fun of it. LOL. So for the possible season seven, Nell would have switched careers again, huh?

Smartboy · 04-18-2013, 11:05 PM

Because of how seldom this page gets any posts by another other than me, I jump at every chance to respond to anything! I can see why they did not even try for a seventh season. I found season six to be more or less, a joke in its own time! It was too far removed from what the show was originally about. I found it to be worse than "What's Happening!!" and, at least as bad as "Punky Bruster"!

02-04-2013, 01:12 PM	#1
Wildchats Me Senior Member Join Date: Jul 15, 2001 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 1,076	Lara Jill Miller did an interview and talked about the possible 7th season I was right, Gimme A Break! was supposed to center around Sam's college life if the show came back for a 7th season, or just spin-off into a show JUST about Nell and Sam. Lara answered why she thought she was the only one of the 3 girls to return to the show in the 6th season, and she said she thinks Nell had say to keep her there. She had been flown from NY to LA several times that season to take part in "Below Sea Level", "Sam Goes To College 1/2" "Christmas In New York", "Joey The Gigilo" and "Parents Week 1/2". She said it was a total of about 6 trips back and forth. They did shoot out of airdate order on there, too. She said the final 2 parter in season 6 "Parents Week" was to be a preview of things to come. That Nell would be housemother/den mother to the girls in the dorm and that comedy would ensue. I strongly doubt it would have been a spin-off, just another re-tooling. It would have been a spin-off had the show been about Sam as the lead and Nell making occasional visits at times. I think the plan was to keep the tone of the show the same, with Nell living in the NY apartment with Addy, Joey, and Matthew, but her getting a job on campus and commuting on the subway every morning and afternoon when she was working at the College. Somehow I think she would have taken a job at the college, and several or more episodes would have focused on Samantha in college/coming in contact with Nell. Would have been nice to see.

03-15-2013, 09:58 AM	#3
greelywinger That T Rex Guy Frequent Poster Join Date: Mar 16, 2004 Location: Ohio Posts: 222	Thanks for the link. Darryl
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03-17-2013, 04:27 PM	#4
MrCleveland Drew Carey from Hell Forum Star Join Date: Nov 10, 2007 Location: The City of Cleveland, in The State of Cleveland, in The United States of Cleveland Posts: 14,226	That could make an interesting fan-fiction...what 7th season would be.
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03-17-2013, 06:36 PM	#6
JR1 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Mar 07, 2009 Location: USA Posts: 742	Facts of Life... was still on the air, so that seventh season would have seemed too similar to that show, most likely.

04-18-2013, 10:47 PM	#8
ThomasE Member Moderator Forum Fanatic Join Date: Apr 04, 2000 Location: New York, New York, U.S.A. Posts: 10,857	To me, it seems as though season six was already a spinoff since the entire format had changed. Heck, I've been playing around with the idea of transforming all but the first two eps of season six into a spinoff with different opening theme music for the fun of it. LOL. So for the possible season seven, Nell would have switched careers again, huh?
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02-04-2013, 04:49 PM	#2
TJ Site Owner Administrator Forum Star Join Date: Feb 03, 2000 Location: Marietta, GA Posts: 10,681	After a 15-episode run in 2011-12, Reimagine That! with Chris Mann is back for an all-new season of fun with classic TV stars! If you forgot, the series is a popular podcast "where retro pop meets forward thought" as Retroality.TV's behind-the-scenes "TVographer" Chris Mann talks rebooting pop culture's past, re-envisioning reality (TV and otherwise) and reinventing life after 35 -- spiritually, professionally and otherwise -- with Hollywood storytellers and survivors, retro aficionados and "re-creative" visionaries. Also: Chris reviews headline-making pop culture controversies. In episode 16, Chris talks with Lara Jill Miller of Gimme a Break! fame. Lara of course talks Gimme a Break!, Nell Carter, her appearance on Disney's Doc McStuffins, and other voice-artist success. Lara Jill Miller grew up before our eyes as Nell Carter's sweet-faced "little girl" Samantha Kinisky on the hit NBC sitcom Gimme a Break! In the '90s she went back to the East Coast, earned a law degree and became a practicing New York attorney ... but her passion for showbiz brought her back to Hollywood once more. In the last decade, Lara Jill has become one of the industry's most in-demand voice artists, with starring roles in several animated series (like Clifford's Puppy Days), films, video games and more. In a special Valentine-themed episode of the hit Disney Jr. series Doc McStuffins, which premiered on Friday on the Disney Channel and Disney Junior, the former child star again takes the spotlight, this time as Doc's lovable pal Lambie. In this exclusive, in-depth interview about her amazing journey, Lara Jill opens up about her close relationship with the late Carter, revealing how being the "Ain't Misbehavin'" star's "baby" kept Sam in the Gimme a Break! fold after the show was extensively retooled (and much of the original cast let go) during its final season. Lara Jill recalls some of the long-running sitcom's landmark episodes (Joey in blackface?! Katie has an IUD?!) and discloses that, had the show been renewed for a seventh season, the focus would have shifted to Nell's misadventures with Sam in college. (NBC, instead giving us A Different World, missed the boat on this one, folks.) Chris also fondly remembers Nell Carter, and three other TV greats we've lost more recently: Dallas icon Larry Hagman, Three's Company Regal Beagle bartender (and stage star!) Paul Ainsley and Maude and Diff'rent Strokes star Conrad Bain. Head on over to Retroality.tv and listen to episode 16 of this wonderful podcast from the great Chris Mann! "Gimme a break I sure deserve it...It's time I made it to the top." Read more: http://blog.sitcomsonline.com/2013/0...n-at-work.html

03-17-2013, 06:09 PM	#5
Smartboy Member Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 06, 2007 Location: South Orange, NJ Posts: 4,231	Although I never really got into Fan-Fiction, I can see where you are coming from. I think that a lot of people could come up with a lot of interesting ideas about what could have happened in future seasons if they had existed.

04-18-2013, 11:05 PM	#9
Smartboy Member Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 06, 2007 Location: South Orange, NJ Posts: 4,231	Because of how seldom this page gets any posts by another other than me, I jump at every chance to respond to anything! I can see why they did not even try for a seventh season. I found season six to be more or less, a joke in its own time! It was too far removed from what the show was originally about. I found it to be worse than "What's Happening!!" and, at least as bad as "Punky Bruster"!