Grace Under Fire (1993–1998) User Reviews

self destruction

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 2 May 2017]

Grace Kelly (Brett Butler) is divorced from her abusive loser husband Jimmy (Geoff Pierson) and raising her three kids, Libby, Quentin, and Patrick, by herself in Missouri. She starts her job at the oil refinery working with lovable co-workers Dougie and Vic among others. Her neighbor friend Nadine (Julie White) sets her up with pharmacist Russell Norton (Dave Thomas). They become best friends connecting over their bad former marriages and lack of sexual chemistry. Nadine is happily married to Wade Swoboda (Casey Sander). There are Grace's sisters Faith and Evie, and her intrusive mother-in-law Jean Kelly. There is Russell's father Floyd (Tom Poston). Grace is a recovering alcoholic since giving birth to Quentin and had given up Matthew (Tom Everett Scott) for adoption.

This Chuck Lorre show is similar to Roseanne if Roseanne got beaten by her drunken husband and left him. I can do without the abuse background which is hard for any comedy. There is good irreverent sarcasm from Butler. Thomas is a veteran who delivers. The cast sometimes barely hold back laughing at their own jokes. Libby and Quentin #2 are great. They're allowed to be little angels and devils. It's a good white trash sitcom. However, Butler's personal addiction demons slowly destroyed the show.

The decline started in the third season and the slide picked up steam in the fourth until its end after a shortened fifth season. I'm not sure how much Emmet's Secret bothered the blue collar fans. A new Quentin #3 was needed to start season four. The new much-older Quentin is an annoying whiny delinquent teen. The fifth season sees the departure of Julie White and some wholesale changes. It's the beginning of the end as Butler fell apart behind the scenes.

Seemed to live and die with her own demons

[ddariced1958 · 6/10 · 22 July 2018]

1st: Whenever I see someone say that something is "politically correct" I get a bit annoyed. LAFF had Grace on before July when Roseanne disappeared (her latest rant on YouTube is, frankly, very sad). No one knows if there was another reason (like ratings maybe?) I told Comcast to jump in the lake so I watched antenna TV for awhile. I really like the show and I remember it from the 1st time around. Most people say that it went downhill and I agree. I wondered if she was able to express her addiction problems so well because she was still having trouble. Her best friend was the best and she left. Her son grew to about 7 ft tall over a break. It was weird. I'd like to check out something more recent & see what's up with her.

My Favorite Sitcom

[connel · 13 October 2000]

"Grace Under Fire" was a great sitcom. It had unique characters and a wonderful story line. Brett Butler was able to use some of her own life experiences to make the show realistic, yet funny. She did an excellent job of portraying Grace Kelly. Brett is the only comedian that I think fitted the role of Grace perfectly. The other cast members of the show were just as perfect for their roles. This show had a lot of talented people on it, and I wish the show was still on. This is, and always will be my favorite sitcom.

One of Chuck Lorre's poorer achievements

[putnamassistant · 3/10 · 12 July 2018]

I watch it now and then on LAFF-TV since they politically axed Roseanne. It was an absurd situation comedy and made worse by Grace allowing so much interaction with her ex-husband Jimmie's mother. A relationship no real life person would ever tolerate. That's where it ceased to be funny. There were many episodes that left that relationship out but far too few of those. I thought Alan Autry was a great addition to the cast & should have remained. But then to have her ex return to try and make amends for his previous bad choices and become "good" friends was the final push of this series over the cliff.

I loved this show!

[kurtka69 · 10/10 · 31 July 2006]

It ran during a time when I wasn't watching much TV, but I really enjoyed it. I just caught a rerun on the Oxygen Network, and it was nice to see it again.

Brett Butler is one of the most talented actors ever. Her show was clever, smart, and free of the saccharine that plagues a lot of sitcoms. The supporting cast—Dave Thomas, Paul Dooley, Tom Poston and others—fleshed out a genuine portrait of America with believable, sympathetic characters. I'd love to see Ms. Butler do another TV show. I know I'd watch it.

I caught her once on "Celebrity Jeopardy," and she showed that she's as smart as she seems. I don't mean to ignore the rest of the cast, but hell, Butler is one of the greatest talents out there, and I miss her show.

How did this show make it past 1 season?

[padawanmovies · 3/10 · 30 May 2019]

I've happened upon a few episodes recently on LAFF TV late at night before bed. This show makes King of Queens look like Shakespeare. I guess in the 90's, literally ANY, stand up comedian could get a sitcom. I hardly laughed at any of the jokes; the only character I found funny was the pharmacist.

It was interesting seeing actors I had originally only seen on Disney channel original programming. Quentin who was in the TV movie BRINK (which I loved growing up) and the Sprouse boys yet again; they were busy babies in the decade. Must've been how they got "Suite life of Zack & Cody"

Brett, You Are Still # One With Me!!!!!

[hwm_cam · 10/10 · 2 September 2006]

"Grace Under Fire" was a show that I could understand and identify with, it was very realistic, it was entertaining, and at the same time, it touched on a lot of subjects in a short period of time. I am very sure that she touched a lot of other lives as she has touched mine. I continue to watch, and tape her reruns, and when I need a laugh or a pick-me-up, I put one of my many tapes in and watch them. (they are 8 hr tapes so I get a lot of joy from them) I have just discovered that her shows are out on DVD, That is good news to me, I am checking into that. I wish that there was a way that someday she would make a comeback or something similar, I miss her wit and brass charm. A True Fan Forever. Cyndy

Grace Under The Influence

[flackjacket · 1/10 · 24 April 2015]

The other night the TV was on in the next room, loud enough that I could hear it. At first I thought it was an episode of Mama's Family with a special guest appearance by Carol Burnett as Eunice. Although, it sounded like she had a severely bad sinus infection.

But when I went in the room, I saw it was not Eunice with a sinus infection, or Mama's Family, but a show I had never seen before called "Grace Under Fire". So I watched it, even though I found Grace to be highly irritating and unbearable.

The only one redeeming factor to this show is Dave Thomas. However, the rest of it is a steaming pile of obnoxious crap. I asked myself, how could anyone stand more than 30 seconds of Brett Butler's congested sinus voice? And for that matter, who the Hell is Bret Butler and who in their right mind would give her a sitcom?

I guess somebody at a network board meeting said, "Wouldn't it be hysterical if we took an unknown drug addicted alcoholic 'comedienne' with severe congestion and wrote a sitcom around her?" To which someone unfortunately replied, "I love it!" Hence this "show".

Turns out that what's even sadder than this show is the reality behind it, why it was canceled and why Brett Butler never was able to land a role anywhere afterwords. From what I've read, apparently this drug addicted alcoholic exposed her sagging breasts to the little boy who had the role of her son, forcing his parents to pull him from the show, and more than likely scarring him for life.

Sick, no? This, along with her continued drug abuse and alcoholism, was why the show was canceled. This untalented annoying "comedienne" had the ultimate gig, but was so blurred, high, sick and perverted that she blew it all. Therefore, I find this show not only unwatchable, but offensive.

A Fire that needed stoking by the end

[Flippitygibbit · 16 August 2001]

I loved this series, starring Brett Butler as a strong, yet fallible, recovering alcoholic with three children and a history suitable for talk shows. Or I loved the first few seasons, anyway - my local station messed the show around so much that, when I finally got to see it again, the characters had changed, and most of the humour had gone. With the initial seasons of 'Grace Under Fire', I found it hard to believe the rumours about Butler's personal life intruding onto the set. In fact, I found it hard to believe that Grace Kelly (with a mother-in-law called 'Jean' Kelly - I loved those subtle references, and contradictions - how different could Grace have been from her film star namesake?) wasn't a real person. Everyone on the show in the early years were very believable and very, very funny, Butler and Dave Thomas (Russell, the pharmacist) especially. And far from being another cliched show about 'survivor'-type women, I admired the character of Grace in a way that I didn't with 'Roseanne', a show with a similar premise of a woman (and mother) battling against life. But, as with anything, I think Grace finally ran out of steam, and introducing an older, illegitimate son tipped the balance, in my opinion.

Terribly unfunny.

[13Funbags · 1/10 · 11 April 2020]

I don't understand how anyone could ever watch this show, it's never funny. It's also impossible to believe that every man in town is interested in this giant manly woman.

Watching the demise of a good comedy

[mathmaniac · 10/10 · 6 May 2018]

I remember thinking that 'Grace Under Fire' was a very funny show when I saw it on television years ago. Now, amazon prime has it for viewing free to Prime members, so I watched it again.

Today, with streaming and seasons on DVD, it's easy to binge-watch a series (watch all the episodes in chronological order). I did this, and enjoyed 'Grace' almost as much the second-time around. However, there is a tragic subtext to the episodes now. I knew that Brett Butler had some addiction issues but now it is evident how powerfully those problems can change a person's life - no matter what they have, or are given, or do.

Brett Butler is very, very funny. Once the writing comes together and you have watched several episodes, you will want to stick it out for the season and move on to the next. Mid-series, the writing starts to falter, the plots struggle, and Brett's problems in her real life start to intrude. By the end of the series, which was canceled mid-season (season 5), you feel like you are watching a horse about to be put down or sent to the glue factory. She's still got the lines, still makes you smile (sometimes) but she's deteriorating as a performer. She's forcing lines that shouldn't be forced. She's making you think of Judy Garland.

Other actors are jumping ship. The writers are throwing together notecards with key events summarized in one line and thrown away in the dialogue. Brett even has a bad haircut! A cardinal sin for an actress - have I said enough? The only thing missing is weight gain. I would feel sorry for this talented comedienne if it weren't for the waste of her gifts. Such a waste.

Behind all this lurked the producers and writers who suffered while this very good series took a dramatic senseless dive. I have little sympathy for them. There were very big names attached to this project and they failed. Distracted, no doubt, by other shows they were producing that were easier to manage. But this: a perfect example of how anyone can make a show work if you throw enough money at it but real skill is needed when the signs are all there that this is not going to be a walk in the park.

All the actors were fine (even Brett, when she was functioning well). Dave Thomas will always be a gold-star actor in any ensemble, and the same can be said of Tom Poston. Even the saccharine Libby (the character who was Grace's daughter) delivered reliably good performances. What happened to the writers that they wove plot lines into tangled messes and ignored some very strong themes that could have strengthened the show? As the team and the production of 'Grace Under Fire' got increasingly sloppy, the worst happened: Brett Butler became even more the center of every story and every scene. Which, as a person in the throes of addiction, she may have wanted desperately. So she got that - much to the detriment of the series. It ended, mercifully, before she had total meltdown on camera, as producers and writers stood by and watched (expressionless, I would imagine).

I hope to see Brett in a series as funny as this started out to be - someday - with truly talented support behind her. Because she will need it!

Good 90's Comedy Series

[gregberne11 · 8/10 · 6 April 2019]

I'm the 2900th voter and I'm honestly surprised this is only rated as 6.3. It was a very good show for the first 2 years. Still OK after that. I'd say 7-8 would be fair. But it gets less funny and a bit stale near the end, probably because it was so famously plagued with behind the scenes drama related to Brett Butler's drug addiction and erratic and diva-like behaviour.

Grace is my co-pilot.

[Jenny Nemesis · 23 September 2001]

I don't understand these complaints about "cliched strong women" and "yet another brassy know-it-all female"-- all TV ever gives us is bimbos as role-models, and you complain about a rare jewel like Grace? Just goes to show how fragile men and their little egos can be. This show was the best of the best. I'm sad the Big Recession had to end and all these Strong Women shows are over, and the Man Shows are back... because we NEED more brassy know-it-all women like Grace. We need an alternative to show our daughters on TV, to keep them from developing bulimia and learning phrases like "Math is hard! Let's go shopping!"

If you had a hideous screeching racist mother-in-law, delinquent kids, a retarded deadbeat ex-husband, and a bunch of goober co-workers at the oil refinery, what would stop YOU from getting loaded? The fact that Grace stays sober under all this is as perfect a role model as you could wish for. The character doesn't (because she's a TV character), and I frankly don't care what the actress does. Grace is brilliant, incisive, witty, vulnerable, and after all, human.

Where else can you hear lines like: "When we're married, we treat our men like vegetables; when we're divorced, we treat our vegetables like men"? All hail.

Underrated

[madams2010 · 9/10 · 9 January 2018]

I think that Grace Under Fire was an underrated gem of a situational comedy series. Maybe it is because it was always pretty much overshadowed by the much more successful (and just as good) series Roseanne, which also featured a lower middle class struggling/working mom in middle America played by a quality standup comedienne. Roseanne Barr/Arnold's show actually probably was better but it got all the accolades and Grace Under Fire got none. I guess it's kind of like playing in the NBA when Michael Jordan's Bulls were dominating the sport. Brett Butler was great though, the story lines were realistic and meaningful, the jokes were very funny, the supporting cast was great. It's too bad the show completely fell apart in the end, I guess due to some personal problems of its star, because it was a great sitcom.

WAY too many changes in season 4

[selfdestructo · 8/10 · 5 May 2023]

One thing I liked so much about this show, was that the "human" side was equally (if not more) important as the comedy. It really made this show what it is, at least for the first 3 seasons. I also loved how the cast can't keep a straight face around Dave Thomas.

Season 4 reeked of network meddling. Let me be the first to say, New Quentin sucks (technically Brett Butler's fault for flashing Original Quentin). This season's changes are too numerous to go into, but they seemingly wrote out all the funny characters (how do you get rid of Dave Thomas and Tom Poston?!), plus 2/3 of her kids, and it seemed like every episode revolved around New Quentin. Honestly, was there a clamoring for New Quentin? Moving her abusive ex-husband in seemed like a desperation move.

Season 5 rights a lot of wrongs, at least in terms of focus, and incorporating the entire cast (though Nadine is absent). Grace has a steady job, and they bring back the pharmacy with Russell and Floyd! Although if you liked the human drama element, it's gone here, in favor of a more traditional sitcom. Still, a funny season.

Butler seems particularly messed up in the season finales for both seasons 4 and 5. I would actually consider this to be one of (baby crazy) Chuck Lorre's weaker shows, but there is still plenty to enjoy here. Well worth the low asking price for 5 full seasons on DVD.

A great start, a tragic end

[Op_Prime · 9 January 2000]

Grace Under Fire was a great show that was very funny. The series was clever and witty and very humorous. But Butler's apparent (and might I add obvious) problems hurt the show. At the start, the show's quality didn't suffer, but the final season took a massive blow. Bretler's problems had finally really hurt the show in the ratings and caused it's cancellation. A shame.

Great

[hlawona · 9/10 · 10 May 2019]

I found Grace Under Fire on Tubi and absolutely fell in love. I've seen some reviews saying that it took a fall in quality in the 5th season. I would of loved if it lasted longer.

Wow this show is funny

[of-24271 · 10/10 · 5 February 2019]

I don't think I've seen any sitcom with as many jokes, wisecracks and impressions as Grace Under Fire. Brett Butler (Grace) is the king of wisecracks. All the other characters add a bit of spice to the show as well. My favorites are Nadine for her obliviousness and Jimmy for his stupidity. If you are a lover of sitcoms like me, you would love this. Similar to Cybill, the Honeymooners and Marlon imo.

Good stuff.

[NiaRhiannon · 10 January 2002]

I'd just like to combat the last viewer comment I saw up here, which was slightly sexist and rather negative about the show. 'Grace Under Fire' did slip in its later seasons, but originally it was a clever, well-written show with a tight, vibrant cast and some great lines. I'm glad to see it airing in syndication now.

Grace Under Fire

[Coxer99 · 21 September 1999]

One of the great mysteries in the history of television: How did this show last? So-called comic Butler broke into prime-time television with yet another sitcom about a brassy, know it all female who tells it like it is. When Butler wasn't drunk or busy on drugs, the show was occasionally humorous. Frankly, the fact that the show lasted as long as it did shows ABC's "eye" for talent.