It wasn't the second coming of Nanny & The Professor, only because 1) there was no magic involved, and 2) The Nanny lasted three times as long as the Juliet Mills-Richard Long entry that ran from 1970-2 on ABC.
The plot is laid out rather quickly. Bridal consultant Fran Fine (Fran Drescher, who also served as a producer) gets a double shock when she learns that her prospective fiance, who's also her boss, has been cheating on her, and decides to end their personal and professional relationships at the same time, firing her so that his new squeeze can take Fran's job. Well, he did look like a punk, anyway.
However, the theme song plays before the first commercial break and spoils the rest of the plot. Not a good move, but somehow, they got around it. Anyway, Fran winds up at the home of British millionaire Maxwell Sheffield (Charles Shaughnessy) and is hired on as a housekeeper, tasked to mind her new boss' 3 children.
While Fran Drescher might've had an annoying, nasal voice, it was offset by her hourglass figure. However, it was Daniel Davis (Niles) who stole the show with some of the funnier putdowns. It's too bad he didn't land another series gig after The Nanny ended a six year run in 1999. Drescher has had two series since, neither of which lasted very long, and reruns are airing in a block on weekends on TV Land.
Here's the intro:
Rating: B+.
I never minded "plot spoiling" because the theme song fit so well! Many shows these days (sitcoms in particular) don't have theme songs anymore, much less ones as memorable as "The Nanny"'s It was old school in a good way!
ReplyDeleteFran Drescher was hilarious but she was also a one note - which is probably why her getting another long term gig has been such a problem.
You're right in that "Niles" the butler had some of the best zingers in the show. In many ways he reminded me of Benson DuBois from "Soap" and "Benson".
2nd coming of Benson, if ya will, but Niles wasn't given a spinoff. Go figure.
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