“The Nanny” - Virtual Table Read with original cast

[UmbrellaFish]

https://youtu.be/C3a6KuP1X14

Loved this! I grew up watching reruns of “The Golden Girls” followed by “The Nanny” on Lifetime. When this is over, I’d love them to film an actual reunion special with a new storyline, picking up where the original left off.

[Farerb]

I loved The Nanny when I grew up. It's so nice to see this.

[Disney's Divinity]

I read recently about The Nanny that they’re making some kind of remake of the show with Cardi B? Is that true? I was really disappointed, because I wanted a straight-up revival like with Will & Grace. I tried to watch the Roseanne revival, but it didn’t have much of the same feel as the original. I’ll have to catch up on The Connors in reruns or something.

I guess a revival wouldn't come without some sadness because Yetta wouldn't be there (similar to Rosie's actor on W&G passing midway through the revival's first season). Still, I'd much prefer that to a remake, personally.

[UmbrellaFish]

I read recently about The Nanny that they’re making some kind of remake of the show with Cardi B? Is that true?

I know Fran Drescher has talked about this, but I’m not sure that it was anywhere close to being filmed— I doubt there’s even a script. What was more concrete, because there were actual press releases, is The Nanny: The Musical which was supposed to be worked on by the people behind “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.” Although one of the names attached to the project, Adam Schlesinger, has very recently passed away due to complications from Covid-19. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytime ... r.amp.html

I was really disappointed, because I wanted a straight-up revival like with Will & Grace.

Me, too. My suspicion for why they keep looking for an alternative route to update The Nanny is that whenever they talk about the show, Fran and Peter Marc Jacobson always talk about the key ingredient of the show’s dynamic being the “will they/won’t they” storyline. Of course they made several seasons with Fran and Maxwell as a married couple so I have to speculate that perhaps they were not as happy with those.

The problem is, to reproduce that dynamic for a revival, you’d have to break up Fran and Maxwell— maybe Fran and Maxwell are separated but she moves back in to raise the grandkids and they fall in love again. Maybe Drescher and Jacobson don’t want to ruin the original series’ happy ending. That’s my theory, anyway, since that’s why they seem so set on doing new adaptations of The Nanny (Cardi B afterall would be the new Fran Fine so there’d be a new Maxwell etc. even if the original cast cameo’d) instead of a continuation of the old show.

[Disney's Divinity]

Me, too. My suspicion for why they keep looking for an alternative route to update The Nanny is that whenever they talk about the show, Fran and Peter Marc Jacobson always talk about the key ingredient of the show’s dynamic being the “will they/won’t they” storyline. Of course they made several seasons with Fran and Maxwell as a married couple so I have to speculate that perhaps they were not as happy with those.

Oh, well, I can understand that thought process. For me, the highlight of the show was really Niles and Cece's dynamic along with the Fine relatives. And how would you re-create those things successfully in a remake? It's like catching lightning in a bottle. I personally enjoyed Fran and Maxwell as much when they were married as the earlier tension myself, because they still fought I Love Lucy-style. Maybe they could be separated / not speaking at the start without being outright divorced, and they rekindle the flame before its over? Even the best marriages go through hard times.

[Disney's Divinity]

I thought I'd ask you, UmbrellaFish, since I assumed it's likely you own the Complete Series DVD that came out some years ago--what exactly is on the bonus disc and is it worth buying the "complete" set rather than getting the seasons individually? I only ask because the newer DVDs that came out (finally completing the series on DVD) are high. I bought this pack of the first two seasons years back for probably $12, which is partly why seeing the individual seasons 3 through 6 each priced at $25+ took me aback. Still, I do want to get them over time, and I realize the only thing about the "Complete" set I might miss out on if I simply get 3-6 separately is that bonus disc / booklet. Just wondering what it's like, if it's worth it?

Designing Women is another show that I always thought was high. I guess it's because The Golden Girls was simply $10 each to me and I always considered that show much bigger and more popular than these other shows, great as they are.

[UmbrellaFish]

Yes, I do own the Complete Series set. The booklet is just a thin guide with episode descriptions— nothing important there. The bonus disc has a series of “new” interviews with Fran Drescher and Peter Marc Jacobson which are nice but don’t contain anything revelatory. I like the disc because it has “The Nanny Reunion: A Nosh to Remember” which was a special that aired on Lifetime in 2004 (I remember watching it when it aired back then). Everyone from the original cast apart from Niles get together at Fran Drescher’s house and it’s nice to see them again. But that special is also available on YouTube.

[Disney's Divinity]

^ Thank you! I had decided to pass on the Box Set after reading that yesterday, but wouldn't you know the Complete Box had a Prime Day deal this morning. It was much cheaper than buying the four separately. So it was like I only spent $13 for each of those four seasons and got the bonus disc / nice box, too. It is a great show, so I'm glad to have it where I can watch it any time I want now.

[Redadoodles]

Me, too. My suspicion for why they keep looking for an alternative route to update The Nanny is that whenever they talk about the show, Fran and Peter Marc Jacobson always talk about the key ingredient of the show’s dynamic being the “will they/won’t they” storyline. Of course they made several seasons with Fran and Maxwell as a married couple so I have to speculate that perhaps they were not as happy with those.

Oh, well, I can understand that thought process. For me, the highlight of the show was really Niles and Cece's dynamic along with the Fine relatives. And how would you re-create those things successfully in a remake? It's like catching lightning in a bottle. I personally enjoyed Fran and Maxwell as much when they were married as the earlier tension myself, because they still fought I Love Lucy-style. Maybe they could be separated / not speaking at the start without being outright divorced, and they rekindle the flame before its over? Even the best marriages go through hard times.

God knows I adore this show but a remake is NOT a good idea mainly because of the new woke movement. The jokes would suffer majorly as a lot of them were about gays, weight or religion.. That's why the original is still hilarious because it was making fun of literally everyone but these days the twitter mob is way too sensitive.

[Disney's Divinity]

Not to mention how the main romance is between employer and employee. Oh, the horror!

[Redadoodles]

Haha yes.. I completely forgot about that .. We can't forget that the whole show was about Fran's obsession to find a husband which is a deadly sin these days.

[Disney's Divinity]

Wanting a husband doesn't bother me. After all, the whole series shows Fran working a job, so it's not like she doesn't support herself.

[Redadoodles]

I didn't say it was a bad thing for her to want a husband but her obsession over it is...But then again, that's what made the show hilarious..