Grace Under Fire - wikipedia Grace Under Fire This article is about the American sitcom. For the Hong Kong martial arts drama, see Grace Under Fire ( 2011 TV series ). This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( October 2008 ) Grace Under Fire The season 4 characters of Grace Under Fire ( from left to right ), Floyd, Nadine, Wade, Libby, Grace, Patrick, Quentin, Jean, and Russell. Created by Chuck Lorre Starring Brett Butler Dave Thomas Julie White Casey Sander Jon Paul Steuer Sam Horrigan Kaitlin Cullum Dylan and Cole Sprouse Peggy Rea Charles Hallahan Don `` D.C. '' Curry Lauren Tom Theme music composer Michael O'Brien Opening theme `` Lady Madonna '' by Aretha Franklin, first run episodes 1993 - 1996 ; `` Perfect World '' by Michael O'Brien, first run episodes 1996 - 1998 and all episodes in syndication Composer ( s ) Dennis C. Brown Mark Hayes Country of origin United States Original language ( s ) English No. of seasons 5 No. of episodes 112 ( list of episodes ) Production Running time 30 minutes Production company ( s ) Carsey - Werner Productions Release Original network ABC Original release September 29, 1993 ( 1993 - 09 - 29 ) -- February 17, 1998 ( 1998 - 02 - 17 ) Grace Under Fire is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from September 29, 1993, to February 17, 1998. The show starred Brett Butler as a single mother learning how to cope with raising her three children alone after finally divorcing her abusive husband. The series was created by Chuck Lorre and produced by Carsey - Werner Productions. Grace Under Fire was the highest rated new comedy of the 1993 -- 94 season. Contents 1 Premise of show 2 Cast 3 Episodes 3.1 Viva Las Vegas 4 Ratings 5 Awards and nominations 6 Controversy and cancellation 7 Syndication 8 Home video release 9 International remakes 10 References 11 External links Premise of show Grace Under Fire, produced by Carsey - Werner International, was part of a wave of shows in the late 1980s and 1990s that were built around a comedian ( and in some cases, closely based on his or her comedy routine ). As for Carsey - Werner, many of their shows were based on non-traditional, non-nuclear families. Grace Under Fire followed a similar formula ; set in a small Missouri town, Butler starred as Grace Kelly, a divorced single mother and recovering alcoholic. 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 children, mischievous Quentin ( Noah Segan, pilot ; Jon Paul Steuer, seasons 1 - 3 ; Sam Horrigan, seasons 4 - 5 ), happy - go - lucky Libby ( Kaitlin Cullum ), and infant Patrick ( Dylan and Cole Sprouse ) ; her happily married best friends and neighbors, Nadine and Wade Swoboda ( Julie White and Casey Sander ) ; and the town 's bachelor pharmacist, Russell Norton ( Dave Thomas ). All of them helped Grace keep whatever shreds of sanity she had left. In the first three seasons, the show had a very blue - collar appeal due to Grace 's chosen line of work, post-divorce ; she operated pipelines at the local oil refinery, and had a second family of fellow crew workers down at the plant. Among them were heavy - set Dougie Boudreau ( Walter Olkewicz ), friendly Vic ( Dave Florek ), and Carl ( Louis Mandylor ). Their gruff boss was Bill Davis ( Charles Hallahan ). Both Bill and Carl were dropped after the first season ; while Carl had n't a permanent on - screen replacement, the crew 's new boss was John Shirley ( Paul Dooley ) starting in the second season. Russell 's friendship with Grace, and their on - and - off dating rituals, became a running theme in the series. Throughout their friendship they often dated other people ; for a time in 1994, Grace dated Ryan Sparks ( William Fichtner ), a quirky chemist who worked in the oil refinery 's labs. In season three, Grace entered into a relationship with suave plant executive Rick Bradshaw ( Alan Autry ). As with Ryan, the affair between Grace and Rick occurred despite their radically different places in the company ladder. When the fourth season opened, Grace moved on from the oil refinery and took an entry - level position with an ad agency, working her way up to being a white - collar professional. That job only lasted a month, but she then took on similar business work for a construction company owned by D.C. ( Don `` D.C. '' Curry ). In the final season, Russell found some romantic interest in Dottie ( Lauren Tom ), a gossiping makeup artist. Throughout the entire five - year run, Grace 's ex-husband Jimmy Kelly ( Geoff Pierson ) showed up, sometimes causing problems and at others miraculously clean and sober, trying to win Grace back. A reconciliation never quite happened, but the two did settle on a good friendship for the sake of the kids. In the midst of Jimmy 's attempts to get straight, his father Emmett ( guest star Matt Clark ) died. In the aftermath of his death, it was revealed that Emmett was gay. At this time, Jimmy 's mother Jean ( Peggy Rea ), Grace 's disapproving and moralizing former mother - in - law, offered to move in and help Grace raise the kids ( Rea had previously guest starred as Jean a few times since the series premiered ). Russell eventually reconciled with his estranged dad, Floyd ( Tom Poston ), who ended up moving in with him and working with him in the pharmacy. As far as Grace 's own kin and past life went, she had a regular source of support from her sister Faith ( Valri Bromfield ) in the first two seasons. Another development came when Grace was contacted by her first child, Matthew ( guest star Tom Everett Scott ), whom she gave up for adoption before meeting Jimmy. Matthew had questions about his ancestry and ended up meeting his biological father. In early 1998, Grace 's old friend Bev Henderson ( Julia Duffy ) came back to town and ended up moving in with the Kellys. In the intervening years, Bev had become quite successful and wealthy. She briefly moved in with Grace to get in touch with her working - class roots. Grace and Bev 's personal reunion was unexpectedly the last major storyline of the series. Although she was joining the cast full - time, Duffy only appeared in two network - aired episodes of Grace Under Fire before the series was abruptly canceled in mid-February. Cast Brett Butler as Grace Kelly Dave Thomas as Russell Norton Julie White as Nadine Swoboda ( 1993 -- 1997 ) Casey Sander as Wade Swoboda Jon Paul Steuer as Quentin Kelly ( 1993 -- 1996 ) Sam Horrigan as Quentin Kelly ( 1996 - 1998 ) Kaitlin Cullum as Elizabeth Louise `` Libby '' Kelly Dylan and Cole Sprouse as Patrick Kelly Walter Olkewicz as Dougie Boudreau ( 1993 -- 1996 ) Dave Florek as Vic ( 1993 -- 1996 ) Louis Mandylor as Carl ( 1993 -- 1994 ) Charles Hallahan as Bill Davis ( 1993 -- 1994 ) Valri Bromfield as Faith Burdette ( 1993 -- 1995 ) William Fichtner as Ryan Sparks ( 1994 ) Paul Dooley as John Shirley ( 1994 -- 1996 ) Peggy Rea as Jean Kelly ( 1995 -- 1998 ) Tom Poston as Floyd Norton ( 1995 -- 1998 ) Alan Autry as Rick Bradshaw ( 1995 -- 1996 ) Don `` D.C. '' Curry as D.C. ( 1997 -- 1998 ) Lauren Tom as Dot ( 1997 -- 1998 ) Julia Duffy as Bev Henderson ( 1998 ) Episodes Main article : List of Grace Under Fire episodes Viva Las Vegas See also : Coach ( TV series ) § Viva Las Vegas, The Drew Carey Show § Viva Las Vegas, and Ellen ( TV series ) § Viva Las Vegas The episode `` Vega $ '' is part of a crossover with Coach, The Drew Carey Show and Ellen set in Las Vegas. It features Drew Carey as Drew Carey, Joely Fisher as Paige Clark, Jeremy Piven as Spence Kovak and Jerry Van Dyke as Luther Van Damme. Ratings 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. 1993 -- 1994 : # 5 ( 17.9 rating ) 1994 -- 1995 : # 4 ( 18.8 rating ) 1995 -- 1996 : # 13 ( 13.2 rating ) 1996 -- 1997 : # 45 ( tie ) ( 9.1 rating ) 1997 -- 1998 : # 68 ( tie ) Awards and nominations This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( May 2016 ) 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 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 '' written by Brett Butler and Wayne Lemon. Controversy and cancellation As the third season concluded in the spring of 1996, Jon Paul Steuer left the series. Sources have speculated that Steuer 's mother pulled him out of the show after an incident with Butler, who allegedly flashed her breasts at the 12 - year - old actor. At the start of Season 4, Sam Horrigan became the third actor to play Quentin Kelly, and with him in the role, the character 's age advanced to 16. In the fourth and fifth seasons of the show, Butler was fighting a painkiller addiction, for which she eventually sought medical help. Cast member Julie White left the show after Season 4, also citing Butler 's behavior as the reason. The show, which had been a Top 20 series for its first three seasons, began to take a significant drop in the ratings during season four, from 13th place to 45th. Butler 's first round of treatment and rehab delayed the start of the 1997 -- 98 season until November. After Grace Under Fire resumed production on season five, a newly clean Butler struggled to stay that way ; the morale on the set was little better than in the previous season, due to the star 's erratic behavior. Around the holidays, Butler relapsed again, and although the producers were as committed as ever to continuing the show, ABC was becoming concerned about Butler 's overall health, and was less patient with her accelerated amount of missed tapings. The show 's ratings continued to fall dramatically, which may have well been attributed to Butler 's reputation in the press, the longer - than - usual hiatus the series took between seasons four and five, and the fact that the character of Grace Kelly no longer went through the kinds of struggles that had made the show successful earlier on. The addition of Julia Duffy several episodes into the fifth season was a last - ditch attempt to improve the ratings, but with Butler in her current state, the network was not inspired to continue on. Rather abruptly, with the February 17, 1998 telecast, ABC canceled the series. The three - month - long final season averaged at # 68 in the 1997 - 98 Nielsen ratings. Syndication The series aired in syndication on the Oxygen Network in the United States, and TVtropolis in Canada. In the United Kingdom, the series was picked up by BBC2 where it aired from 1994 to 1999. The show was added to Hulu on March 1, 2014. The series is currently running on the Laff digital broadcast network that went on the air on April 15, 2015. Home video release On May 4, 2015, it was announced that Visual Entertainment ( VEI ) had acquired the rights to the series in Region 1. It was subsequently announced that they will release Grace Under Fire : Complete Collection on DVD on October 6, 2015. International remakes The show was remade in Russia as Lyuba, Children and the Factory in 2005. A Polish adaptation, Hela w opałach ( Hela Under Fire ; Hela is short form from Helen ), aired on TVN in September 2006. Also there is another Russian adaptation as Ольга ( Olga ). The show premiered on TNT on September 5, 2016. References Jump up ^ De Vries, Hilary ( September 18, 1994 ). `` Funny Lady, Tv Diva ''. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 3, 2010. Jump up ^ `` Carsey, Marcy ''. Museum.tv. Archived from the original on December 4, 2002. Retrieved 2013 - 09 - 04. Jump up ^ Watson, Bret ( June 30, 1995 ). `` Nyet - Work Television ''. Entertainment Weekly. Jump up ^ Schwarzbaum, Lisa ( October 7, 1994 ). `` Brett Butler : More Power To Her ''. Entertainment Weekly. Jump up ^ Diane K. Shah ( 1 October 1995 ). `` Grace under pressure. ( Brett Butler, star of the hit TV sitcom ' Grace Under Fire ' ) ''. Playboy via Highbeam. Retrieved 23 December 2013. In chronicling the life of Grace Kelly, a divorced mother of three living in a small Missouri town, it has given sitcom humor a new twist. Jump up ^ Flint, Joe ( 1997 - 09 - 12 ). `` Sad Fall From ' Grace ' ''. EW.com. Retrieved 2013 - 09 - 04. Jump up ^ `` Grace Under Fire A Television Heaven Review ''. Televisionheaven.co.uk. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved September 4, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Brett Butler 's Problems Halt ` Grace Under Fire ' ''. Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved November 9, 2011. Jump up ^ Lowry, Brian ( February 17, 1998 ). `` Why ' Grace ' Tumbled Under Fire ''. The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 3, 2010. Jump up ^ `` BBC - Comedy Guide - Grace Under Fire ''. Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on 2005 - 01 - 28. Retrieved 2013 - 09 - 04. Jump up ^ `` Grace Under Fire DVD news : DVD Plans for Grace Under Fire ''. TVShowsOnDVD.com. April 5, 2015. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved February 23, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Grace Under Fire DVD news : Box Art for Grace Under Fire - The Complete Collection ''. TVShowsOnDVD.com. July 27, 2015. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 23, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Grace Under Fire DVD news : Release Date and Price for Grace Under Fire - The Complete Collection ''. TVShowsOnDVD.com. August 31, 2015. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 23, 2016. Jump up ^ Москва Нью - Йорк Лондон. `` Кинокомпания Амедиа ''. Amediafilm.com. Archived from the original on October 3, 2012. Retrieved September 4, 2013. Jump up ^ ОЛЬГА. Премьера ТНТ 2016 !. `` GoodStoryMedia ''. goodstorymedia.com. Retrieved 14 July 2016. Jump up ^ ОЛЬГА. `` Official page on website TNT ''. olga.tnt-online.ru. Retrieved 5 September 2016. External links Carsey / Werner.net Grace Under Fire on IMDb Grace Under Fire at TV.com Polish version official website Fame, Fire and Surrender : Interview with Brett Butler Television series produced or created by Chuck Lorre Frannie 's Turn ( 1992 ) Grace Under Fire ( 1993 -- 98 ) Cybill ( 1995 -- 98 ) Dharma & Greg ( 1997 -- 2002 ) Two and a Half Men ( 2003 -- 15 ) The Big Bang Theory ( 2007 -- present ) Mike & Molly ( 2010 -- 16 ) Mom ( 2013 -- present ) Disjointed ( 2017 -- 18 ) Young Sheldon ( 2017 -- present ) The Kominsky Method ( TBA ) People 's Choice Awards for Favorite New TV Comedy The Love Boat ( 1978 ) Mork & Mindy ( 1979 ) Too Close for Comfort ( 1981 ) Private Benjamin ( 1982 ) Cheers ( 1983 ) Webster ( 1984 ) The Cosby Show ( 1985 ) The Golden Girls ( 1986 ) ALF ( 1987 ) A Different World / My Two Dads ( 1988 ) Roseanne ( 1989 ) Doogie Howser, M.D. ( 1990 ) In Living Color / The Simpsons ( 1991 ) Home Improvement ( 1992 ) Martin ( 1993 ) Frasier / Grace Under Fire ( 1994 ) Ellen / Friends ( 1995 ) Caroline in the City ( 1996 ) Cosby ( 1997 ) Veronica 's Closet / Dharma & Greg ( 1998 ) Jesse / Will & Grace ( 1999 ) Stark Raving Mad ( 2000 ) Ed ( 2001 ) My Wife and Kids ( 2002 ) 8 Simple Rules ( 2003 ) Two and a Half Men ( 2004 ) Joey ( 2005 ) My Name Is Earl ( 2006 ) The Class ( 2007 ) Samantha Who ? ( 2008 ) Gary Unmarried ( 2009 ) Glee ( 2010 ) $ h * ! My Dad Says ( 2011 ) 2 Broke Girls ( 2012 ) The New Normal ( 2013 ) Super Fun Night ( 2014 ) Jane the Virgin ( 2015 ) Scream Queens ( 2016 ) Man with a Plan ( 2017 ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Grace_Under_Fire&oldid=843151110 '' Categories : 1990s American sitcoms 1993 American television series debuts 1998 American television series endings American Broadcasting Company network shows English - language television programs Television series by Carsey - Werner Productions Television shows set in Missouri Television series created by Chuck Lorre Hidden categories : Use mdy dates from June 2013 Articles needing additional references from October 2008 All articles needing additional references Articles needing additional references from May 2016 All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from May 2016 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Español Français Italiano Nederlands Polski Português Русский Simple English Svenska 4 more Edit links This page was last edited on 27 May 2018, at 06 : 53. 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Question: who played rick bradshaw on grace under fire
Answer: Alan Autry