Editing Gimme a Break! (section)

==Reception==
The show received mixed reviews from critics when it premiered. Writing for the ''Washington Post'', Tom Shales wrote an especially scathing review of the pilot episode. “I wish I could sue NBC for the grievous consternation, intestinal distress and aggravated low moaning I have suffered as a result of ‘Gimme a Break,’” Shales wrote, going on to criticize the show’s sex jokes and what he found to be the racial stereotypes embodied by Carter’s character. “If I thought television could get substantially worse than this, I am not sure I would have the courage or desire ever to turn the set on again,” Shales concluded.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Shales|first=Tom|date=October 29, 1981|title=Please! 'Gimme A Break'!And Get This Travesty off the Tube. What Are They Thinking of at NBC?|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1981/10/29/please-gimme-a-breakand-get-this-travesty-off-the-tube-what-are-they-thinking-of-at-nbc/9b191815-49de-486f-a175-139d3c4d951b/|access-date=November 5, 2021}}</ref>

By contrast, the ''New York Times'' found the show promising, praising the performances of Carter and Sweet and the way the show balanced wisecracks with bits of seriousness.  “The abrupt changes in tone are handled adroitly,” John J. O’Connor wrote. “Given some supportive scripts, Miss Carter and Mr. Sweet could insure a good run for this series.”<ref>{{Cite news|last=O'Connor|first=John J.|date=1981-10-29|title=TV: 2 NBC COMEDIES HAVE PREMIERES|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/10/29/arts/tv-2-nbc-comedies-have-premieres.html|access-date=2021-11-06|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>