The Nanny Named Fran!

The Nanny titlecard

She had style, she had flair, she was there, that’s how she became the Nanny!

“Miss Fine!” Mr. Sheffield yells from somewhere in their New York home. Fran is in trouble again and has to find a way to fix it. She asks Niles, the Butler for help, and he gives some advice, all while trying to avoid Max’s business partner, CC Babcock. Fran fixes whatever she did, if she can, and all is well again in the Sheffield home, until the next day, when it repeats all over again.

This is a day in the life for Fran Fine, the nanny from Flushing Queens, who was hired off the street, after trying to unsuccessfully sell makeup door to door, by Maxwell Sheffield, the Broadway producer. The Nanny was a series that aired on CBS from 1993-1999.

It tells the story of Max, who is a recent widower and was having trouble juggling raising his family and his job as a Broadway producer. He was desperate and decided to hire Fran, even though her resume was written in lipstick. He, and many others he knew, were skeptical of her abilities as a nanny, even his kids were unsure, but as the series went on, she proved herself to be the perfect fit for their family, and even eventually fell in love, and got married to Max, after years of hinting at it, and years of sexual tension between the two.

The show has characters get into different antics, where they usually get fixed by the end. Max’s three kids, Maggie, Brighton and Gracie, all have problems of their own, but at the end of the show, have the confidence they need, thanks to Fran. Niles the Butler and CC Babcock eventually fall in love and get married, after years of dissing each other daily. Sylvia, her mother, and Yetta, her grandma, also make appearances in many of the episodes, and they are always funny to watch. There are also guest stars throughout the series (Trump is even one-yuck). Each episode is something new that shows a bit more into the life of the Broadway producer and the nanny (He even has a rivalry with Andrew Lloyd Weber!).

Fran Fine is known for her wild outfits, no matter how small the skirt may be. Other characters comment throughout the show on her outfits, especially after she and Max start dating because she’s not conventional. Fran is confident for who she is. She’s a loud, confident Jewish woman who doesn’t hide any part of herself, not even her mom, Sylvia, who is even wilder than she is. When Fran is faced with an adversary, she stands tall or faces the issue head-on, and when she isn’t sure of what to do, she asks for help, or help comes to her from her friends or the family around her. She starts as a nanny who wasn’t sure of her skills after being dumped by her fiance and is flung into a new, rich family, where she eventually changes the lives of everyone around her. Even as she and Max become friends, and eventually more, he’s always been accepting of her mother, and grandma being in his home, and eating everything in their fridge. The family dynamic works well and grows into a loving home, where Fran becomes a stepmother to the kids she loves.

While I wasn’t alive when the show first premiered, I did catch reruns as a kid on Nick at Nite (where the reruns of all good shows are caught). I remember watching it as a kid every night it was on and always enjoying it. I definitely didn’t get some of the jokes that were made until I rewatched it recently with the DVDs I got for Christmas. It’s still a great show, and one of my favorites.

So basically, if you haven’t watched The Nanny, one of the best sitcoms of the ‘90s, then do yourself a favor and check it out, or if you’re still unsure, look up the funny moments on YouTube, because those will definitely persuade you to watch it. It’s a great, feel-good show, that will make you laugh, and cry for many different reasons.

Rating: 9/10

It’s still a show from the 90s so it does have some problems with it, but other than that, it’s near perfection.

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