The Nanny - The Complete Series

The true connoisseur of '90s era sitcoms turns up her nose at the mention of "The Nanny" -- the stock characters, the simple plots and the running gags. But this is a show created by a husband and wife team who simply loved the sitcom form, and they created an ode to the great television of yesteryear, made for the mainstream and shot before a live studio audience.

The concept is simple, as executive producer Fran Drescher pitched it to her then-husband Peter Marc Jacobson over the phone one evening. It's the "Sound of Music," but "instead of Julie Andrews, I come to the door!"

Jewish-American Fran Fine (Drescher) is no shiksa like Maria von Trapp. She has loud outfits, big hair and an even bigger personality -- and there's no mistaking her nasal voice and her distinctive laugh. After being dumped by her boss and her boyfriend (who are one and the same), she makes her way into the home of a rich and hansom British Broadway producer Maxwell Sheffield (Charles Shaughnessy), who has three children he can't handle.

In addition to an awkward teenager Maggie (Nicholle Tom), destructive tween Brighton Sheffield (Benjamin Salisbury) and neurotic little Grace (Madeline Zima) -- who models herself on women like Bette Davis -- Fran has her hands full with the wisecracking butler Niles (Daniel Davis) and Sheffield's snide, self-interested business partner C.C. Babcock (Lauren Lane). But with her no-nonsense honesty and "Queens logic," Fran is able to shape the household into a happy, loving family.

Viewers For Quality Television called "The Nanny" the "'90s version of 'I Love Lucy,'" so the show is in good company. And even cynical viewers appreciate the series' nods to great shows like "I Dream of Jeannie" and "Bewitched," its rich topical humor and its slew of guest stars (Bob Barker, Chevy Chase, Billy Ray Cyrus, Lesley-Anne Down, Erik Estrada, Dan Aykroyd, Bette Midler, Eydie Gorm�, Jane Seymour, Cloris Leachman, Elizabeth Taylor, Elton John, Jason Alexander, Carol Channing, Hugh Grant, Margaret Cho, Jon Stewart, Rita Moreno, Whoopi Goldberg, Steve Lawrence, Rosie O'Donnell and so many more.)

Though you never see it on the surface, when you examine it closely "The Nanny" is bursting with a gay sensibility. Let's face it, that's what you've got when you have a rags-to-riches story of a flamboyantly dressed girl, obsessed with Streisand, who hooks up with a prosperous and sexy Broadway producer. It's little wonder the executive production team Drescher and Jacobson ended up getting a divorce and Jacobson came out of the closet.

Shout Factory has release the complete series on DVD for the first time, 146 episodes on 19 discs, including three seasons that have never been on DVD until now. In addition to all the shows originally aired on CBS from 1993 to 1999, there are six unaired episodes and the completely animated episode in season three. Also, three selected episodes come with thorough audio commentaries from Fran Drescher.

On top of this, there is a bonus disc with over an hour and a half of behind-the-scenes information. Get the low-down on how "The Nanny" was pitched to studio executives and eventually got made, with new interviews from the remarkable husband and wife team that brought this show to life.

"The Nanny"
DVD
Not Rated: For All Audiences / + 55 hours
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