The storyline that killed off “The Nanny”
In a recent interview with Studio 10, former star of The Nanny, Fran Drescher, has dished on all the secrets from the set of this hit '90s sitcom, including the storyline she believes led to the show’s demise.
The now 59-year-old appeared on Ten’s morning show on Wednesday with her ex-husband (and close friend) Peter Marc Jacobson, reminiscing about her time on the program. According to Drescher, the romance between protagonists Fran Fine and Maxwell Sheffield was ultimately what killed the show.
“When a show is built around a love that can't happen, sexual tension, you have to keep it that way,” Jacobson, co-creator of The Nanny with Drescher, explained. “As much as you want the people to get together, as soon as they do, people start tuning out.”
And, if you look at the ratings, it’s hard to argue with her. The show, which ran from 1993 to 1999, experienced a sharp decline in ratings after the storyline was introduced. Ironically, the drop came right after the producers succumbed to the network’s threats of cancellation after experiencing a small dip in ratings.
As for the possibility of a Nanny comeback? Drescher hasn’t ruled it out. “We wouldn’t do it for the money,” she said. “We would do it because we cracked the code on how to tell the story 20 years later.”
“And make it interesting. I set a very high standard. At this stage of my life, it has to make my heart sing. As Peter said, once the sexual tension is gone, now she is the wife, there went the series. So, to go back... We would have to figure out where we are starting from and what it is.”
If you're wondering what the cast got up to after the show finished and what they look like today, click here.
Were you a fan of The Nanny? Would you like to see it return to our screens? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.