“She was working in a bridal shop in Flushing, Queens ‘Til her boyfriend kicked her out in one of those crushing scenes. What was she to do? Where was she to go? She was out on her fanny… So over the bridge from Flushing to the Sheffield’s door. She was there to sell makeup, but father saw more. She had style! She had flair! She was there. That’s how she became the Nanny! Who would have guessed that the girl we’ve described Was just exactly what the doctor prescribed? Now the father finds her beguiling. And the kids are actually smiling. She’s the lady in red when everybody else is wearing tan… The flashy girl from Flushing, the Nanny named Fran!”
Not exactly Mary Poppins.
Fran Drescher was Fran Fine. She was once a hairdresser but had a falling out with her boyfriend/business partner. One day while selling cosmetics, she rang the bell of a Park Avenue home, where Maxwell Sheffield (Shaughnessy) was in desperate need of a nanny for his three children. The rest is television history. Fran was the stereotypical Jewish Princess. She was besieged with life and love advice from her meddling mother (Chagall). She was attracted to Maxwell much to the frustration of his assistant CC (Lane) who had a huge crush on him. Many of the best laughs were supplied by Niles, the know it all butler played remarkably well by Daniel Davis. He was always quick with the sarcastic quip. The three children, Maggie (Tom), Brighton (Salisbury), and Grace (Zima) loved their nanny. Most of the episodes dealt with Fran’s love life or some scheme she was involved with.
This third season collection arrives on three discs, using that horrid single spindle concept that makes the discs extremely susceptible to damage. The season’s highlight is the animated episode Oy To The World. In this Christmas special the characters find themselves at The North Pole to help Santa get ready for the holidays. CC is the evil Ice Princess, and Fran with Brighton’s help must stop her evil plans. It’s a refreshing episode and worth the price of the collection.
Video
Each episode of The Nanny is presented in its original full frame broadcast format. The show is solid. Colors are pretty much right on target. Flesh tones are a little soft, but that is more likely the lighting. Black levels are pretty good, as are sharpness and detail. These presentations are likely very comparable if not a little better than their broadcast versions.
Audio
The Dolby Digital 2.0 track is your typical dialog driven sit-com presentation.
Special Features
None
Final Thoughts:
The series rises and falls on how you feel about Drescher. She’s kind of cute for a while, but I must admit the character does get old after a time. There’s no question that she has good timing and a firm grasp on the character, but after a time you begin to see her and The Nanny as a one trick pony. The collection is strictly for fans of the show. It’s not going to bring in any new viewers. This was my first exposure to the show, so I’m not exactly sure how I feel about it yet. “It takes a while to form a relationship. I don’t even know if we’re compatible.”
