Watch any comedy film or TV show older than about five years, and it becomes abundantly clear just how hard it is to make comedy that lasts. With tastes in humor changing so rapidly, it’s a miracle that any comedy can be made and not be out of style at the time of release. Everyone has a story of revisiting comedies they loved when they were younger, only to wince and cringe at a lot of the jokes in hindsight. Dramas are much more safe in that regard. Going back to classics like The Godfather, or even something more modern like Moonlight, and they still hold up. Sitcoms though, are a much tighter balancing act. This is why it is so impressive that when revisiting the Fran Drescher-led TV show The Nanny, it still plays just as well as it did 30 years ago. Binging the show, currently available to stream on HBO Max, will slowly unravel just how Fran was able to wield humor like a weapon.
At first, the rivalry between C.C. and Niles seems to be the basis of a lot of comedians’ jokes: insult comedy. The two are constantly making jabs at each other that only get harsher each time. It even effects their personal lives, Niles constant jokes at C.C.’s expense seem to be a contributing factor on why the character is depressed. C.C. makes comments often about her lonely life and how much she spends on therapy, which serves as a great foil to Fran. Niles, meanwhile, gets sadistically gleeful when messing with her. But what becomes clear very early on, is that everyone is in on the joke. The only reason C.C. rolls with the punches, and dishes out insults herself, is because she genuinely finds it funny. It’s sort of her darkly humorous love language. Her steely demeanor breaks several times throughout the show, slowly revealing that she is actually in love with Niles and they (again, spoilers) end up getting married. Outside of her odd romance with Niles, she even drops the insult act very early on in episodes where she admits that Fran is one of her closest friends, even if they remain rivals. While Fran is less successful monetarily, C.C. is at a very similar place in life. Both of them are not in the place of life they want to be in, both are very passionate about their work but make mistakes constantly, and both deeply care about others. Even if they don’t always have the best way of showing it. That’s why the comedy works so well, these co-workers are a legitimate family. None of the insults or crass humor ever feels cringey or malicious, because it’s so clear that everyone is in on the joke.
Much like Lucille Ball, Fran Drescher was never shy about making herself look silly either. So much of the show can be traced back to classic slapstick gags akin to The Three Stooges. So many actors at the time, particularly female leads in sitcoms were always meant to be eye candy in some way or another, they were very rarely allowed to get down and dirty in the muck of slapstick. Yet Fran did it, and did it better than anyone else. Whether it’s the classic Valentine’s Day episode when she gets stuck on a billboard, or getting into a food fight during Maggie’s (Nicholle Tom) sweet 16, her comedic timing was always so on point that it felt more than just a visual gag to entertain any younger viewers.
Fran Drescher was able to create a show that not only holds up to this day, but takes influences from all eras of comedy. In a weird way, the show is like a prototype for more modern pastiches of sitcoms like WandaVision. Whether you remember this show back fondly, are just discovering it now, or find the show to not be your cup of tea, it is abundantly clear why people still watch it. It’s endearing, wholesome, and way more funny than it has any right to be. The Nanny will always have its place in the sitcom hall of fame.