Grace Under Fire

[ClassyCo]

I remember watching this show on Laff TV when that channel was new (at least to my cable anyway). GRACE UNDER FIRE aired on ABC from 1993 to 1998, producing 112 half-hour episodes. The series stars comedienne Brett Butler as Grace Kelly, a divorced mother and recovering alcoholic.

Any fans?
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[darkshadows38]

i used to love this show as well i dunno about now though did you know the only reason that they changed sons is cause Brett Butler apparently flashed him i think he was 12 at the time. how that messed him up i dunno as far as i know she only flashed him but what is really said he that years later he did end up killing himself but i really doubt it was cause of that. i dunno what i'd think of it now though

 

[Chris2]

Was great until Grace moved into the new house, the bizarre new Quentin showed up, and they changed showrunners once too often. Both JP Steuer (Quentin) and Julie White (Nadine) continued to collect their salaries after the left the show. Which should tell you a lot about Brett Butler. That’s sad, because she was a very appealing performer.

 

[DallasFanForever]

I liked Brett Butler as a comedienne. I thought she was extremely talented but the show really didn’t appeal to me. Something just seemed to be missing.
It did finish in the top 10 in two out of its five seasons so I’ll give her credit.

 

[darkshadows38]

what did happen was it was Her she was Very controlling much like Roseanne was in the 90's. she was Worse i think cause she wasn't in trouble like Butler for one thing which was far worse than Roseanne ever was. at least in the 90's anyways, i don't remember what all the things Butler did but i think part of it was i think her drinking which was quite a bit if i recall and anyone can correct me on this i may be wrong. the show wasn't the same after they had Quentin Age my guess they aged him due to her flashing a 12 year old kid or however old he was at the time. it saved a lot of hassle but if she did it to someone closer to being an adult... i have no idea how old the dude that played Quentin as a Teenager was back than but he was at least playing it as a 16 year old. on that i can't say that i really blame them to be honest, honestly it's amazing it lasted as long as it did and it wasn't cause of the quality of the show but on Butler's antics behind the scenes.

i think she has mental issues as well if i recall i don't remember exactly what they are though but her drinking made it far worse i believe

 

[DallasFanForever]

She definitely had her problems back then and admittedly went into a deep depression after the show ended. That’s when things got a lot worse for her. Luckily she seems to have been able to get her life in order in recent years.

 

[ClassyCo]

GRACE UNDER FIRE hasn't had excessive exposure in syndication. What few stations I've known it to be on, it wasn't there too long.​

 

[Crimson]

This is one of those shows that I watched -- to some extent, at least -- but which of which I have no clear memory. I know it was a sarcastic blue collar mom sitcom clearly inspired by the success of ROSEANNE, but I don't recall a single thing about the show's details; the photos of Brett with her on screen kids triggers no memories.

But I like Brett; I was pleased when she turned up as Reese Witherspoon's mom in the current Apple TV series THE MORNING SHOW.

 

[ClassyCo]

One could easily see GRACE UNDER FIRE as spawning from the success of ROSEANNE. They aired on the same network and each starred former stand-up comediennes.

When GRACE UNDER FIRE premiered in 1993, ROSEANNE was the second-highest-rated TV show in the US. I imagine ABC felt that they could catch lightening in a bottle twice when they hired Brett Butler to star in her own sitcom. GRACE UNDER FIRE was a solid hit its first three seasons: it peaked as the fourth-highest-rated TV show in 1995. Its ratings dropped drastically its final two seasons, partly because of the behind-the-scenes controversy and cast change-ups, and it was abruptly axed by ABC in 1998. ROSEANNE had concluded its original run in 1997.​

 

[Chris2]

Grace Under Fire was also from the same production company as Roseanne - Carsey Werner - and was created by former Roseanne writer/producer Chuck Lorre. So the ties between the two shows were deep.

I thought Butler was a more natural actress than Roseanne Barr. I was sorry to see the show destruct, because she was a very appealing, funny performer.

 

[ClassyCo]

Grace Under Fire was also from the same production company as Roseanne - Carsey Werner - and was created by former Roseanne writer/producer Chuck Lorre. So the ties between the two shows were deep.

I thought Butler was a more natural actress than Roseanne Barr. I was sorry to see the show destruct, because she was a very appealing, funny performer.

Roseanne Barr seemed tailor-made to star in her own series, but Brett Butler seemed as if she could've done some good on the big screen. Roseanne, however, was a not a big success in films. SHE-DEVIL was next-to-awful, and Meryl Streep was her co-star.​

 

[DallasFanForever]

Brett Butler seemed as if she could've done some good on the big screen.

I liked her but I never really got this impression from her. I felt she was better suited for stand up and starring in her own series but I can be wrong I guess. I’m not knocking her but I just didn’t get the feeling the big screen would be her niche.

 

[darkshadows38]

i dunno about the big screen i think she needed to get her act together and not burned so many bridges to ever even get that at all

 

[ClassyCo]

I just ordered the complete series of GRACE UNDER FIRE on eBay for $19.99 (US). Brand new.

 

[darkshadows38]

i had no idea that even existed to be honest, i can't stand Chuck Lorre but stuff he did in the 80's and 90's i enjoy the stuff he did after that i think he did Dharma & Gregg anything he's done since is just plain awful. but than today's sitcoms suck anyways at least i think so anyways for the ones i have tried to watch they have

 

[AndyB2008]

Grace Under Fire aired on BBC2 here.

Went out in a midweek slot - either 9pm or 10pm, but was prone to being preempted by live sport or a news special.

In the case of the latter, after Rose West was convicted on 22nd November 1995, a special edition of the BBC's Public Eye current affairs show was added, replacing the scheduled edition of Modern Times (a Steptoe and Son repeat was added as an extra programme at 9pm), and Grace not airing, with the next episode shown 2 weeks later (as A Slice of Life aired the following week in the Grace Under Fire slot.). Previously the schedule that day was Modern Times at 9pm, My Secret Life at 9.50pm (moved to 10.20pm for the Public Eye special), Grace at 10pm and Newsnight at 10.30pm.

Later in the run, Grace Under Fire would either air Tuesday or Thursday nights post Newsnight.

 

[Sea - Boo! - Er]

112 episodes? I don't think it lasted anywhere near that here, but I could be wrong. As best I remember it was restricted to an afternoon slot but I did catch a few episodes. Brett Butler was an appealing star.

 

[Monzo]

In Chuck Lorre’s memoirs, some of the stars of the sitcoms he produced get taken to task—Brett Butler is one of them:

“Grace Under Fire” was “just a big, heartbreaking nightmare” under star Brett Butler, he writes. “She hated that her romantic interest was Dave Thomas, and insisted she could do better. She hated the scripts. She very quickly decided she hated me. She threw a full can of Coke at one of my writers, barely missing his head. She asked me to give a speaking part to an extra — for reasons left to my imagination. She rubbed up against young PAs who had no choice but to quietly sit and wait it out. To my knowledge, Carsey-Werner did nothing.”

Chuck Lorre Tells All: His 10 Years in Scientology, Clashes With Stars Like Roseanne and Brett Butler, and How ‘The Big Bang Theory’ Cast Shocked Him

In his new memoir "Sitcom," Chuck Lorre discusses his 10 years in Scientology, clashes with stars like Roseanne and Brett Butler, and more.

variety.com

As for Mom, I still wonder why Anna Faris left the sitcom; even Chuck Lorre keeps it a mystery, despite having no problem badmouthing (or just tell the truth about) Roseanne and Cybill.