Grace Under Fire

Grace Under Fire is a Sit Comic starring Brett Butler as the eponymous Grace Kelly with content finding humor in Working Class life, Single Motherhood and a somewhat Redneck feel.

Famously hit the skids in its fourth season due to its pill-popping star's on-set antics. Surprisingly, the show limped its way to a fifth season, but was abruptly canceled when Butler's rehab stumbled.


 * Actor Allusion: When some black friends of Grace are offended by her and her boyfriend Rick, they accuse Rick of being like "one of those racist cops from In the Heat of the Night". The actor who played Rick, Alan Autry, was indeed one on that show.
 * Epunymous Title
 * Kissing Cousins; mentioned several times as being common Jimmy's family
 * Coming Out Story: With
 * Crossover: In 1997, ABC forced a crossover stunt on Grace and the other Wednesday night sitcoms - Coach, Ellen and The Drew Carey Show. Titled "Viva Las Vegas," the idea was that characters from the four shows would be in Las Vegas for different reasons and encounter each other. Only a couple characters from each series did this, however, and they amounted to cameos at best. This series' contribution was "Vega$."
 * Disappeared Dad: Grace's ex Jimmy at times although he would turn up sporadically.
 * Domestic Abuse: Grace and her ex-husband Jimmy.
 * Happily Married: Wade and Nadine
 * Informed Flaw: Jimmy was always described as an abusive alcoholic but he was never seen either being abusive or heavily drunk.
 * Off the Wagon: Grace would have occasional episodes of this and Butler's would later effect the show. Her stay in rehab resulted in the final season being moved to mid-season replacement.
 * Real Song Theme Tune: Lady Madonna sung by Aretha Franklin, a well known cover of the Beatles song.
 * Reality Subtext: Grace like Brett was a recovering alcoholic.
 * Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome: Quentin went from eleven to fifteen between seasons.
 * Spiritual Successor: to Roseanne which dealt with many of the same issues and themes. Not surprising since series creator and executive producer Chuck Lorre was a former Roseanne writer.
 * Stay in the Kitchen: discussed frequently and believed fervently by Grace's mother in-law.