Grace Under Fire

Grace Under Fire

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Cast

Brett Butler, Dave Thomas, Julie White, Casey Sander, Jon Paul Steuer, Sam Horrigan, Kaitlin Cullum, Dylan and Cole Sprouse, Peggy Rea



Grace Under Fire is about a divorced woman raising 3 children on her own. Her interactions with her friends and extended family are humourous but some of us can relate to the situation and so we kind of use the show as therapy.



The show begins after the main character divorces her abusive alcoholic husband of eight years in an attempt to start life anew and prevent her children from making the same mistakes she did. The show revolved around Grace; her neighbors Nadine and Wade, along with the town's bachelor pharmacist, Russell Norton (played by Dave Thomas of SCTV fame), they help her keep her sanity.




Sheila McCarthy was originally offered the role of Nadine but she declined because she didn't want to commute between Toronto and Los Angeles.

The show was the highest rated new show in its first season. The show was preceded by the Brett Butler Special one month before airing.

The show was nominated for three Golden Globe awards: Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series Comedy/Musical in 1995 and 1997 and Best TV Series Comedy/Musical in 1995.

Production and Production Staff

The show went through a few producers and writers. Butler was always at odds with the production team. Butler fought and won control of her character and show. Chuck Lorre was removed as the Creator/Executive Producer but he remained with the show as a "comedy consultant."



That's Cole and Dylan Sprouse ---you know from The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. Who would have thought that was their start.

In the fourth and fifth seasons of the show, Butler sought medical help for a painkiller addiction. A situation involving Butler and actor John Paul Steuer, who was 12 years old at the time and was playing the son of Butler's character, was the reason Julie White (Nadine) left the show.

The show was cancelled in February 1998 and the last episode aired on February 17, 1998. It can still be seen on the Oxygen Network in the United States and TVtropolis in Canada.



Ratings and recognition

The show was the highest rated new show in its first season. In the month before Grace Under Fire first aired, Showtime broadcast the Carsey Werner-produced Brett Butler Special, a half-hour comedy performance by Butler.

Grace Under Fire was nominated for three Golden Globe awards: Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series Comedy/Musical in 1995 and 1997 and Best TV Series Comedy/Musical in 1995.

Jean Stapleton (Edith Bunker from All in the Family) was nominated for the 1995 Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy series Emmy Award for playing Aunt Vivian in the episode "The Road to Paris Texas." Diane Ladd was nominated for the same award the previous year for playing Louise Burdett in the episode entitled "Things Left Undone." this SUCKS

Controversy and cancellation

After the first season, the creative aspect of the show experienced a revolving door of producers and writers. These changes were a result of creative clashes between the production team and Butler. Butler constantly fought for (and eventually won) more creative control for her character and show. These arguments led to the removal of the show's Creator/Executive Producer, Chuck Lorre, from production work, although he stayed with the show as a "comedy consultant." As with Roseanne and Cybill, the back-stage conflicts of Grace Under Fire were well publicized. Butler's battle for creative control on the show was categorized by the press as the behavior of a woman being "difficult[citation needed]."

Click here to see a great Grace Under Fire video clip.



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In the fourth and fifth seasons of the show, Butler was fighting a painkiller addiction, for which she eventually sought medical help. During Butler's addiction and subsequent treatment, clashes with other cast members occurred. Butler allegedly flashed her breasts at actor Jon Paul Steuer, who was 12 years old at the time and was playing the son of Butler's character. Cast member Julie White left the show after Season 4, citing Butler's behavior as the reason.

The Grace Under Fire was cancelled in February 1998. The last episode aired on February 17, 1998. It can currently be seen on the Oxygen Network in the United States and TVtropolis in Canada.

International remakes

The show was remade in Russia as Lyuba, Children and the Factory in 2003.

A Polish adaptation titled Hela w opa³ach (Hela Under Fire, Hela is short form from Helen) is being broadcast by TVN from September 2006. The third season is scheduled to be aired in Autumn 2007. The title character's full name Helena Trojañska (played by Anna Guzik) may be translated as Helen of Troy. The series is praised the light and liberal approach in depicting lower class life, in opposition to its major competitors like Plebania (The Parish) broadcast by the public TVP. Piotr G¹sowski playing one of the main characters was nominated to a prestigious Telekamery 2007 Award.





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