Millennials are binge-watching ‘The Nanny’ on HBO Max and loving it

Millennials love beloved ’90s sitcoms and all the nostalgia that comes with it, and The Nanny is absolutely at the top of that list. And now that it’s streaming for the first time ever courtesy of HBO Max, it seems like every ’90s kid is simultaneously binge-watching it. Social media is flooded with people in their thirties sharing their observations about the hijinks of Fran Fine and the Sheffield family and honestly, it’s delightfully entertaining.

In case you need a quick refresher, The Nanny centers around the former bridal store consultant (and fabulously dressed) Fran Fine (from Flushing, Queens, thankyouverymuch) and how she came to be in charge of three children in a well-to-do family living in a gorgeous home in the Upper East Side. The father, Mr. Sheffield, is a Broadway producer (and arch-nemesis of the Andrew Lloyd Weber), and he and his kids, Maggie, Brighton, and Gracie all end up falling in love with Ms. Fine.

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The show is also full of amazing secondary characters, like Niles the butler and CeCe Babcock, Mr. Sheffield’s business partner. Sylvia Fine, Fran’s mom, is a typical heckling mother and also an absolute legend in her own right. In short, it’s a wonderfully written show that is not at all short on acting talent and comedic chops. Basically, for “older millennials,” the show feels like coming home again.

And now those of us who loved the show as kids can find just as much joy in it now as adults. Many people are hashtagging their re-watch of the series on social media and are sharing their love for all things Fran Fine.

Ugh, #TheNanny is an absolute delight. I loved it as a kid and it’s even funnier now. Fran was THAT GIRL.

— Saeed Jones (@theferocity)
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Fran Drescher truly was the Lucille Ball of the 1990s and continues to be such a creative force—she’s even got a Broadway musical of The Nanny in the works. If the happiness the show is bringing to everyone right now is any indication, people will be flocking to The Great White Way to see it on stage when it’s finally safe for live theater again.

The way I am SCREAMING at these jokes. Fran Drescher is everything. The timing, the delivery. KNOW HER. #TheNanny

— Saeed Jones (@theferocity)
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Aside from her laugh and humor, Fran Fine was known for her impeccable and vibrant fashion sense. As kids, we might not have realized the true gift we were being served week after week via Ms. Fine’s wardrobe, but as adults, we can appreciate it SO much. One Twitter user brought attention to the show’s costume designer, Brenda Cooper, and her brilliant work.

“The looks she created for Fran Drescher on #TheNanny were iconic. She really brought the sauce. Fran Fine will forever be a style icon of the ’90s.”

Brenda Cooper is one of my fave costume designers to date. The looks she created for Fran Drescher on #TheNanny wer… https://t.co/kDgrXjYW6U

— Georgette “GiGi” ♡ (@oidehagigi)
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I watch The Nanny for the plot
The Plot: https://t.co/F9phkvKNQU

— respect the homeless (@omgfrankiejean)
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Watching The Nanny as a child means a lot of the humor likely went over our heads, but we laughed anyway because it was just that good. Now we can all have a hearty chuckle at some of the dry, wry humor of Niles and the delightfully raunchy zingers between Mr. Sheffield and Ms. Fine.

I need to stop watching #TheNanny on @Facebook. It’s just such a cute show and it makes me laugh. @frandrescher https://t.co/xOI7RSYj2L

— Jenny Donadio (@CurlySueChick19)
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In a recent interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Drescher herself offered the perfect commentary on the endurance of The Nanny.

“In a way, I don’t even know if they’re being reintroduced. I think that [our original viewers] grew up as children, and now they’re the millennial generation, some of whom are introducing it to their children,” explains Drescher. “I think that it has endured the test of time. It’s become a classic, and classics don’t get old.”