Cue Fran Drescher’s distinctive laugh because our long personal nightmare is finally over.
The Nanny, the beloved CBS ’90s sitcom, is finally coming to a streaming platform. The entire six-season series will hit HBO Max on April 1 bringing our favorite fashionista from Flushing, Queens, back into our homes.
The show, which has previously only been available in syndication or on home video, stars Drescher as the titular nanny. Drescher plays Fran Fine, a cosmetics saleswoman, who turns up on the doorstep of British Broadway producer Maxwell Sheffield (Charles Shaughnessy) after being dumped and fired by her bridal-shop-owner boyfriend. Maxwell, a wealthy widower, hires her to be the nanny to his three children: Maggie, Brighton, and Grace. And Fran’s unconventional methods and lust for life turn out to be just what this grieving family (and Max himself) needs.
The series, which was co-created by Drescher and her then-husband Peter Marc Jacobson, had a cult following while on the air (and earned one Emmy award over its six seasons), but it exploded in popularity through syndication. So much so that a musical is in the works from Drescher and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend co-creator Rachel Bloom.
The cast reunited last year for a virtual table read, and Drescher spoke to EW about the series’ enduring appeal. “I’m constantly experiencing how current it remains, especially with the millennials,” she said. “I’m fluid on social media and I’m very aware of the Fran and The Nanny accounts. We’re doing The Nanny musical on Broadway, it was an amazing thing and it’s the gift that keeps on giving.”
The Nanny cast will reunite for a virtual table read
The Nanny is back!
The beloved 1990s sitcom starring Fran Drescher is coming back for a special reunion to cheer up fans during coronavirus quarantine. On Monday, the original cast will come together via Zoom for a virtual table read of the show’s pilot.
Drescher hinted on Twitter last week that some sort of reunion was in the works. When a fan complaining about The Nanny’s absence on streaming platform, Drescher teased, “Awe hang in! We got a surprise for you! Announcement this week! Stay tuned! Weeeee!!!”
Many hoped the series might be coming to a streaming service, but were instead surprised with this news of the reunion. Drescher shared a hot pink announcement on Tuesday with the caption, “The Nanny reunion June 4.”
The Nanny runs for six seasons on CBS, beginning in 1993. It follows Drescher’s Fran, a cosmetic saleswoman who loses her job at a bridal shop and finds herself becoming the nanny of a widowed Broadway producer’s three children. Over the course of the six seasons, Maxwell Sheffield (Charles Shaughnessy) and Fran fell for each other despite their wildly different backgrounds.
“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?” said Drescher in a statement, referring to the show’s co-creator, Peter Marc Jacobson. “It’s a once in a lifetime Pandemic Performance for our fans around the world who are currently stressed in isolation and can use a real upper! It certainly has given each of us a lift and we hope it does for you as well.”
The table read will be recorded via Zoom and shared on the Sony Pictures YouTube page on Monday morning. News of the reunion was first reported by Variety.
