The Nanny

TV review by Emily Ashby, Common Sense Media
The Nanny Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 9+

Blue collar meets blue blood in this funny sitcom.

Syndicated Comedy 1993
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Parents say

age 11+

Based on 10 reviews

Kids say

age 9+

Based on 52 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that much of this show's humor derives from sexual banter and playful flirtation between a father and the provocatively clad nanny of his three kids. While none of the discourse is sexually graphic (in fact the word "sex" is almost never heard), astute tween and teen viewers won't miss the suggestive comments and glances. The show also draws comedy from the kids' various woes. Adolescent issues like dating, peer pressure, and self-image are played for laughs, but the adult influence is good, and the overall message is a positive one.

Community Reviews

KristyC
KristyC Adult
May 29, 2012
age 18+

Sad Stereotype!

The Nanny has to be one of the funniest sitcoms I've seen over the years. However, despite the widely positive reviews given by other reviewers, I believe it to be inappropriate for children and teens. While there's no violent or sexually blatant material (the innuendos will fly over most kids' heads), I will never allow my children to watch shows that depict this desperate single woman stereotype. Fran (along with her mother) is overly age-conscious and seems less concerned about who'll she'll marry as when she'll marry. She constantly tries to manipulate Maxwell to gain his affections, and continues to wait for him for years, even after he takes back his 'I love you'. In fact, the character reminds me a lot of Charlotte from 'Sex and the City'. It's shows like this that reinforce to impressionable young women that they have to be partnered/married to feel good about themselves, and that they should remain in relationships in which they are not being appreciated rather than risk being single.
1 person found this helpful.
itrustmykid
itrustmykid Adult
March 1, 2010
age 2+

The Nannys a show i prefer

Kids will learn from the many mistakes made in the show and The Nanny is a show i prefer more than most TV shows on in todays TV world its SEX SEX SEX. To be exact theres a show name Sex In The City

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
1 person found this helpful.
See all 10 parent reviews

What's the Story?

THE NANNY is a classic '90s sitcom about the unlikely pairing of a proper Englishman-turned-New Yorker and his hastily hired nanny from Flushing. Desperately seeking a caregiver for his three children, widower Maxwell Sheffield (Charles Shaughnessy) opens his door one day to find Fran Fine (Fran Drescher), who's selling cosmetics in the affluent neighborhood after being dumped by her fiancé and losing her job in a bridal shop. He hires her on the spot and the two form a quintessential odd couple: He's a successful, buttoned-down Broadway producer, and she's a dramatic single gal with an eye for flashy fashion and ticking biological clock. But bubbly, nasally Fran immediately wins the hearts of the Sheffield children -- Maggie (Nicholle Tom), Brighton (Benjamin Salisbury), and Grace (Madeline Zima). Fran is likewise adored by Niles (Daniel Davis), the Sheffields' buttinsky butler, with whom she enjoys exchanging jabs at the expense of Maxwell's fawning female associate, C.C. Babcock (Lauren Lane).

Is It Any Good?

Playful banter and mild sexual innuendoes are the heart of the show's humor, and little of it is cause for concern. But parents may find the constancy of both Fran's and C.C.'s blatant attempts to catch Maxwell's eye questionable subject matter for their teen or tween daughters. C.C. in particular practically throws herself into Maxwell's arms at every opportunity and looks down her high-society nose at Fran, seeing her as an unworthy adversary for the affections of an eligible bachelor.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about family dynamics and communication between kids and parents. How do families establish and maintain good communication? Who do you go to for advice? Parents also can talk about what defines a family. Who do you consider to be part of your family?

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