‘The Nanny’: The Main Characters, Ranked By Likability
The Nanny is one of the most iconic sitcoms with several likable characters.
The Nanny is among the most beloved and acclaimed sitcoms from the 90s. Fran Drescher starred as Fran Fine, a Jewish woman working in a bridal shop in Flushing, Queens, ’til she kicked her boyfriend out in one of those crushing scenes. Seeking employment, she ends up working as a nanny for the three children of a wealthy Broadway producer.
Campy and hilarious, The Nanny had a cast of memorable and hysterical characters. Each was unique and entertaining, although some were far funnier than others. And while Fran was the show’s beating heart, every other main character played a big role in The Nanny’s success.
10. Brighton Sheffield
Mr. Sheffield’s middle child, Brighton, is twelve in the show’s first seasons and attends a prestigious private school. He has a complicated relationship with his sisters, often mocking and engaging in petty pranks against them. Brighton quickly warms up to Fran and develops a close relationship with her, despite not being as overt in his feeling for her as his sisters.
9. Maggie Sheffield
Maggie is Mr. Sheffield’s oldest child, fifteen at the show’s start. A teenager in need of female guidance, Maggie instantly bonds with Fran, admiring her beauty and fashion sense and appreciating the support she receives from her. Maggie is also notably one of the few characters who also instantly bonds with Fran’s mother, Sylvia, and grandmother, Yetta.
8. C. C. Babcock
Lauren Lane plays C. C. Babcock in The Nanny. She is Maxwell’s business partner, harboring an intense and not-so-subtle crush on him that’s obvious to everyone, but him. C. C. also shares a passionate rivalry with Niles, mercilessly teasing each other to hide their mutual attraction.
7. Grace Sheffield
Gracie is the youngest child in the Sheffield house, only six in season one. Because of her young age, she doesn’t remember her mother much; thus, she is the first to see Fran as a substitute maternal figure, even asking her to participate in her school’s mother-daughter festival.
6. Val Toriello
Fran’s closest friend is Val Toriello, played by Rachel Chagall. They’ve been friends since elementary school and worked together at the bridal shop in Flushing, Queens before Fran got fired. Val is a loyal and supportive friend; she’s also very dim-witted, which annoys and entertains Fran.
5. Maxwell Sheffield
Charles Shaughnessy plays Maxwell Sheffield in The Nanny. The show’s de-facto male protagonist, Mr. Sheffield is a wealthy English Broadway producer living in a fancy townhouse in the Upper East Side. He lost his wife, Sarah, before the show’s start and is reluctant to date again for the sake of his children. Mr. Sheffield is oblivious to C. C.’s interest in him and plays dumb regarding his own interest in his new nanny.
4. Yetta Rosenberg
Fran’s grandmother, Yerra Rosenberg, is a chain-smoking Romanian immigrant with a remarkable life. She is quite old, although her age is never stated; however, she experienced several crucial events in World War II, once claimed she “fled Poland” on her wedding anniversary.
3. Sylvia Fine
Academy Award nominee Renée Taylor plays Fran’s mother, Sylvia Fine, in The Nanny. Sylvia is a loving, supportive, but overbearing mother, constantly insisting that Fran get married. She loved to eat and often raided the Sheffields’ well-stocked refrigerator while offering her unique brand of witty but puzzling advice.
2. Niles
Niles is one of the sitcom supporting characters who stole the show. Played by Daniel Davis, Niles is the extremely British buttler of the Sheffield household. He has known Maxwell since childhood, as his father was Maxwell’s father’s butler.
1. Fran Fine
Fran Fine is among the most iconic sitcom protagonists of the 90s. A Jewish woman with a heart of gold and an overflow of enthusiasm, Fran is the nanny to Maxwell’s three children, earning their love with her kindness and loyalty. Despite her lack of formal education, Fran is sassy, witty, and street-smart.
