# The Nanny, One of the Great Sitcoms? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 19, 2006, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nanny-one-of-the-great-sitcoms/357369 "2006-05-19T04:07:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nanny-one-of-the-great-sitcoms/357369/21 "2006-05-19T12:28:34Z")
Wow Paul, what a great whoosh of a practical joke. I took your post seriously until you said: [QUOTE=Paul in Saudi] Honestly, I think it is fully the equal of I Love Lucy. [/QUOTE] šŸ˜ƒ Good one. Jim šŸ˜‰ ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nanny-one-of-the-great-sitcoms/357369/22 "2006-05-19T12:37:57Z")
_Lucy_ was groundbreaking, but darn near everything shot in that era was groundbreaking. The supporting cast of _Nanny_ was much stronger than that of _Lucy_, who used the neighbors (and even the husband as props for Lucille Ball. In _The Nanny_ the entire cast was allowed to develop into real characters. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nanny-one-of-the-great-sitcoms/357369/23 "2006-05-19T12:59:16Z")
Great show. It ran almost as long as The Golden Girls, that should tell you something. One of the best things was how strong almost all of the supporting roles were. No single performer was dwarfed by another. I agree with the Lucy parallel. Niles & Cece did a fine Fred & Ethel. Sylvia was my favorite character. Most incredibly, the three kids managed not to make the show suck. One of my biggest turn-offs in sitcoms is when they try to bring in a kid for the cuteness aspect but almost always the kid ends up over-acting and trying to steal the scene. WKRP, eh. I watched it from time to time but I canā€™t recall a single episode off the top of my head. I canā€™t fathom how it lasted 10 (?) seasons. Maybe because I was only in my teens in the late 70ā€™s and early 80ā€™s so I didnā€™t get a lot of the humor. Loni Anderson was clearly hired for no other reason than to hook the male audience using the same formula as ā€œStackedā€ - a show centered around (and named after) Pamela Andersons breasts. Iā€™d place WKRP in the same category as Barney Miller - good for a chuckle or two but neither or them really grabbed me. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nanny-one-of-the-great-sitcoms/357369/24 "2006-05-19T14:01:45Z")
Oh, and regarding Lucy, Iā€™m know Iā€™m in the minority here, but FRED MERTZ made that show. Now that I think about it, heā€™s kind of the 50ā€™s version of Red Foreman (That 70ā€™s Show). ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nanny-one-of-the-great-sitcoms/357369/25 "2006-05-19T14:53:46Z")
Letā€™s try putting these in order: _WKRP_ _The Nanny_ A test pattern _I Love Lucy_ Yepā€¦looks right to me. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nanny-one-of-the-great-sitcoms/357369/26 "2006-05-19T15:09:01Z")
Those great legs in those super-short dressesā€¦ still couldnā€™t make up for the bad plots and that grating voice. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nanny-one-of-the-great-sitcoms/357369/27 "2006-05-19T15:29:17Z")
[QUOTE=Rodgers01] Though, for my money, the 90s sitcom that most reminded me of Lucy was ā€œDharma and Gregā€ ā€“ Jenna Elfman as the wacky wife who got involved in lots of slapstick comedy. Very Lucy-like. [/QUOTE] And the late 90s/early 00s version was ā€œWill & Graceā€, even down to the red hair. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nanny-one-of-the-great-sitcoms/357369/28 "2006-05-19T15:34:00Z")
Iā€™ve been watching a lot of _The Nanny_ lately. It is NOT one of the best sitcoms ever. The plots are recycled from _Laverne and Shirley_. The dialog is cheap punch lines. The two younger kids are straight out of the eye-rolling, wisecracking school of juvenile acting. I could go on, but there is one area where I have to give the show its propers. In the category of ā€œtheme songs that recapitulate the premise every week for viewers who are too dumb to remember,ā€ _The Nanny_ wins hands down. The music is great, the lyrics are clever and witty. If it were an advertising jingle, Iā€™d run out and buy a nanny right now. The only other theme song in the category that comes close is Flatt and Scruggsā€™ _Ballad of Jed Clampett._ ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nanny-one-of-the-great-sitcoms/357369/29 "2006-05-19T15:47:44Z")
I never once wanted to watch the show, based on the ads. And never did. Although I did (and maybe still do) find Fran Drescher very sexy. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2006, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nanny-one-of-the-great-sitcoms/357369/30 "2006-05-20T03:27:04Z")
[QUOTE=Paul in Saudi] _Lucy_ was groundbreaking, but darn near everything shot in that era was groundbreaking. The supporting cast of _Nanny_ was much stronger than that of _Lucy_, who used the neighbors (and even the husband as props for Lucille Ball. In _The Nanny_ the entire cast was allowed to develop into real characters. [/QUOTE] Wow. It was the supporting cast that made _I Love Lucy_. As she lost strong support with each new series, the series got worse & worse. I find _The Nanny_ pretty unwatchable. Way worse that _WKRP_ (which was worse than _Barney Miller_). ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2006, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nanny-one-of-the-great-sitcoms/357369/31 "2006-05-20T05:29:04Z")
[QUOTE=Tinkertoy] Franā€™s voice was like nails on a chaulkboard. I could never make it through a whole episode. [/QUOTE] Itā€™s a ā€œbutter voiceā€. Nice face, great body, ā€œbut her voiceā€. ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2006, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nanny-one-of-the-great-sitcoms/357369/32 "2006-05-20T05:46:32Z")
[QUOTE=gigi] And the late 90s/early 00s version was ā€œWill & Graceā€, even down to the red hair. [/QUOTE] Maybe thatā€™s what they intended, but thatā€™s one mean, mean Lucy. I canā€™t stand ā€œWill and Graceā€ because of how vicious the chracters are. When I first saw this thread I thought it was meant as a joke. But now Iā€™m starting to believe that some of you actually think The Nanny was one of the best sitcoms of all times. Huh. Iā€™m half-tempted to give it another look butā€¦nah. In all honestly from what I remember it was pretty run of the mill, but no where near classic status. Not even really worthy of being released on DVD. Itā€™s the kind of show Iā€™ll watch if Iā€™m unable to sleep late at night and every other channel has infomercials. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2006, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nanny-one-of-the-great-sitcoms/357369/33 "2006-05-20T13:15:53Z")
I liked _The Nanny_ very much, though I donā€™t think itā€™s in the list of great television comedies. Iā€™ll always have a soft spot for this line (paraphrased): Fran (trying to pronounce it correctly): ā€œIā€™m going to pick up some _croissants_ at the bakery.ā€ Niles: ā€œI never thought Iā€™d say this, but you have to speak more nasally.ā€ ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2006, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nanny-one-of-the-great-sitcoms/357369/34 "2006-05-20T13:53:27Z")
I was going to stay out of this thread as it seemed to be mercifully sinking beneath the waves yesterday but seeing how it has come up for air I must weigh in. The Nanny falls far, far short of being a great or even a good sitcom. **kunilou** ā€™s post above best sums it up. I would also add flat, two dimensional characters to the criticism. My wife would occaisionally watch the show and one thing the bugged the living %$\*! out of me was the predictable rhythm of the ā€œdialogā€. ( **kunilou** alluded to this as well): Straight line. Straight line. Straight line. _Punch line!_ (Audience, er, laughtrack laughs). Straight line. Straight line. Straight line. _Punch line!_ (Laughtrack again). Repeat for 22 minutes. Sometimes when the writers really extended themselves they might vary it with: Straight line. Straight line. _Punch line!_ The next time you watch the show youā€™ll see what I mean. The Nanny might be fondly recalled for camp value, say, 20 years from now but that is about it. (I agree Fran Drescher is quite hot BTW. The shows only redeeming value). ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2006, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nanny-one-of-the-great-sitcoms/357369/35 "2006-05-20T16:16:12Z")
I used to watch it pretty regularly. Donā€™t think it was one of the best sitcoms ever, but it was often extremely funny. Niles and Cece? Great stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2006, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nanny-one-of-the-great-sitcoms/357369/36 "2006-05-20T16:56:16Z")
[QUOTE=Annie-Xmas] > [@Paul in Saudi](#): > > Of course (and mercifully) that was not her real voice. > > How could such a pretty girl wear such costumes and still be more funny than sexy? Please! As Fran herself says ā€œWho would make this up?ā€ That was her real voice. [/QUOTE] Itā€™s her real voice in that itā€™s really her speaking but itā€™s not her normal speaking voiceā€“Franā€™s a female version of Gilbert Gottfried. Her normal speaking voice is heard in the episode with the sushi bar, she uses it after eating wasabi. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2006, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nanny-one-of-the-great-sitcoms/357369/37 "2006-05-20T17:11:49Z")
In other words, what we hear on ā€œThe Nannyā€ is an exaggeration of her normal voice. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2006, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nanny-one-of-the-great-sitcoms/357369/38 "2006-05-20T17:49:08Z")
[QUOTE=Lute Skywatcher] Itā€™s her real voice in that itā€™s really her speaking but itā€™s not her normal speaking voiceā€“Franā€™s a female version of Gilbert Gottfried. Her normal speaking voice is heard in the episode with the sushi bar, she uses it after eating wasabi. [/QUOTE] Not according to her book ā€œEnter Whining.ā€ She took lessons to get rid of that distinct voice, but as her ex-husband once said ā€œYouā€™ve got a body out of Vogue and a voice like Selma Diamond.ā€ They created The Nanny to take advantage of her natural abilities. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2006, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nanny-one-of-the-great-sitcoms/357369/39 "2006-05-20T18:39:27Z")
ā€œGreatā€ may be a stretch, but I thoroughly enjoyed ā€œThe Nannyā€: it was pleasant, consistent, unpretentious. Although a lot of the humor seemed more aimed at women, I couldnā€™t get tired of looking at Fran in a million years. When it debuted, the Washington Post reviewed it and said something like: ā€œItā€™s mostly old hat, but those snap brim numbers can be damn stylishā€. [QUOTE=Lute Skywatcher] In other words, what we hear on ā€œThe Nannyā€ is an exaggeration of her normal voice. [/QUOTE] I met her a book signing, and itā€™s actually just the opposite: her normal voice (which I heard when she spoke with her handlers ā€“ I was at the front of the line) has even more nasally high overtones than what you hear on the relatively low-fi TV audio. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2006, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nanny-one-of-the-great-sitcoms/357369/40 "2006-05-20T19:14:32Z")
[QUOTE=Laughing Lagomorph] Straight line. Straight line. Straight line. _Punch line!_ [/quote] Yeah, no other sitcoms _ever_ to that! > [@](#): > > (Laughtrack again). The Nanny was filmed before a live studio audience. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nanny-one-of-the-great-sitcoms/357369.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nanny-one-of-the-great-sitcoms/357369.md?page=3)