“Isn’t it great to see the whole cast back together again?” Fran Drescher said
The flashy girl from Flushing is back!
More than 20 years after The Nanny went off the air, the cast reunited via Zoom for a special virtual table read of the beloved CBS sitcom’s pilot episode to help entertain those staying at home amid the ongoing novel coronavirus crisis.
Series regulars Fran Drescher (Fran Fine), Charles Shaughnessy (Maxwell Sheffield), Daniel Davis (Niles), Lauren Lane (C. C. Babcock), Renee Taylor (Sylvia Fine), Nicholle Tom (Maggie Sheffield), Benjamin Salisbury (Brighton Sheffield) and Madeline Zima (Grace Sheffield) all participated in the special, alongside guests Rachel Chagall (Val), Jonathan Penner (Danny), DeeDee Rescher (Dottie) and Alex Sternin (Eddie).
Ann Hampton Callaway was back, too, to sing the iconic theme song she penned for the show.
Sony Pictures posted video of the full reunion its YouTube page on Monday. Peter Marc Jacobson, series co-creator and Drescher’s ex-husband, helped narrate.
“Isn’t it great to see the whole cast back together again?” Drescher said. “I’m just so thrilled that we’re doing this.”
‘Thank you so much for watching,” she added. “We want you to stay healthy, to be healthy, and to live healthy.”
News of The Nanny‘s big reunion was first announced on March 31, when Drescher posted a photo of the cast filming.
“NANNY FANS ALERT,” the 62-year-old actress captioned a pic. “It’s happening!!!! MONDAY 4/6 the original cast of The Nanny together AGAIN in a virtual read of the pilot episode!!!”
“Laughter is the best medicine! So, in these challenging times, Petah and I thought, wouldn’t it be great if we pulled together the original cast of ‘The Nanny’ for a virtual read of the pilot?” she told Variety in a statement. “It’s a once in a lifetime Pandemic Performance for our fans around the world who are currently stressing in isolation and could use a real upper! It sure has given each of us a lift and we hope it does for you as well.”
The Nanny premiered in 1993 and aired a total of six seasons before wrapping in 1999.
In January, PEOPLE confirmed that Drescher and Jacobson are adapting the sitcom for a new Broadway musical.
“Nobody is cast yet — we’re plotting — but we feel confident we will find a fabulous actress who is funny, charming and has a great voice.”
Drescher added, “Of course I would do it myself. But we’d have to change the title to The Granny.“
The show was being written by Crazy Ex-Girlfriend songwriters Rachel Bloom and Adam Schlesinger, who died on April 1 at the age of 52 due to coronavirus complications.
