Growing up, I was obsessed with Fran Fine. I’d watch The Nanny on weeknights in elementary school, and it was the first sitcom that felt realistic to me. That was, in part, because Fran Fine hailed from my native Flushing, New York. This story truly felt as if it were unfolding in my backyard — and it had it all.
Mostly, it had laughs. I remember loving how the family had so much fun together, even when they weren’t meaning to. But really, the focus was always on Fran. Her fashion was everything a little girl with an affinity for animal prints could ever dream of. She had this romantic thing going with her boss, a tall, brooding millionaire from the "right" side of the tracks.
Then, of course, there was her relationship with the kids. Fran was a friend to the kids, even though she was the one in charge. She wasn’t afraid to mess up or be honest, a lot like the adults in my life as I was growing up.
Many fans forget that the last season sees the Sheffields through married life. As Maxwell’s wife, Fran faces new pressures. Boundaries were tested as she settled into stepparenting, something anyone who has experienced it themselves can attest to. Yet, she never changed from the honest, friendly, compassionate figure she’d always been in the kids' lives.
I never knew then that Fran would influence the way I parent, but when I was asked who my favorite TV mom was for the America’s Moms podcast, Fran was one of the first who came to mind. The podcast celebrates all the moms we adored watching and the lessons we learned from them. Sure, "stepmom" isn’t the first thing that comes to many people’s minds when they think of Fran, but that’s kind of the point. She was a well-rounded person who loved her family and was dedicated to them, but still had a rich life that was all her own.
On the podcast, I got to chat with The Nanny co-creators Peter Marc Jacobson and Fran Drescher. They revealed the real-life incident with Fran and fashion icon Twiggy’s daughter that inspired the series, which captivated viewers around the globe.
