Courtesy: Shout! Factory
It’s been a long time coming but it’s finally to say farewell to Nanny Fine one last time. Shout! Factory releases the sixth and final season of CBS’ modern classic sitcom The Nanny today. It marks the first time that the twenty-two episode run has ever been released in its own standalone DVD set. All twenty-two episodes from the series’ final season are presented here across three discs. And over the course of those twenty-two episodes there is plenty to appreciate beginning with the episodes themselves. The writing within the episodes is just as important as the episodes themselves. There are plenty of laughs once again from the season premiere to the series finale to keep audiences entertained. Last but hardly least of note in this season is the work of the series’ cast. Once more the cast shows perfect timing and great chemistry in every episode, making for even more entertainment from beginning to end. Each element proves important in its own right, as noted. Altogether, they make The Nanny: The Final Season a fun and funny farewell to a great modern classic series.
The Nanny: The Final Season is a fun and funny farewell to CBS’ modern classic sitcom. For five seasons, the series provided audiences with so many laughs and a certain amount of heart, too. Now it does that once again here in this final installment. One of the most important, notable elements of Season Six is its episodes. This season’s release marks the first time that its episodes have ever been released in their own standalone season set. Previously, Season Six had been released as part of the series’ full series run which was released in 2015. All twenty-two episodes that made up Season Six are included here in their entirety. The only “episode” that is not included with the season’s set is the cast’s 2004 “Reunion Special.” Sure, it aired a little more than five years after the series ended its initial run. But considering that this season is the series’ last, it would have been a major plus to have had this as an added bonus to the set, unless of course Shout! Factory has plans to release the reunion special in its own single-disc presentation in the not too distant future. Right now it doesn’t look like that is in the works. So it is a little bit of a letdown that the reunion special wasn’t included at least as a bonus feature to the set. Even with its omission in this last installment of The Nanny it isn’t enough to really detract so much from the set that it becomes unwatchable. Keeping that in mind, the episodes still maintain the center point of the set’s enjoyment. They are collectively just one important part of the set’s presentation. The writing within the episodes is just as important as the episodes themselves.
The episodes that are presented within the final season of The Nanny are in themselves hugely important to the set. That is because their presentation in this set marks the first time that they have been presented together in their own standalone season set. They are presented in whole just as they were in their original broadcasts on CBS. Considering this it makes the set’s roughly thirty-five dollar price tag a largely reasonable price. This is even without the series’ reunion special as a bonus or otherwise. The episodes are collectively just one of the set’s most important elements. The writing within each of the season’s episodes is just as important as the episodes themselves. Over the course of the series’ previous five seasons, the show’s writers had shown real talent with not just the show’s episodes but the content within the episodes. That content included great dialogue between the cast and equally funny one-liners throughout each episode. That is no different in the series’ final season. It is evident right off the top in Season Six’s premiere as Fran and Maxwell get stranded on a deserted island. On the surface, it’s a classic story of two people being stranded by themselves in the wild. On another level though, it is a story that sees the couple facing the first true test as husband and wife. What is really interesting here is that as easy as it would have been to go over the top with this story, the writers opted not to take that route. Instead they made it playful, and even rather edgy considering some of the innuendo thrown into the dialogue. Even with all of the innuendo and jokes infused into the script for this episode, there was at least one tender moment between Fran and Maxwell that will put a smile on any viewer’s face.
“The Hanukkah Story” is another example of the importance of the writers’ work. It is a holiday episode. But unlike so many other holiday episodes out there from other series, it’s not one of those schmaltzy sort of episodes. After all, the writers already did that with the show’s Passover episode. This episode sees Max, C.C., and Gracie getting in a crash during a holiday trip to Boston. Fran crosses religious lines so to speak when a nun happens along as Fran waits for Max to return. The reason for the nun’s appearance is in itself a lighthearted moment that keeps the episode from becoming too emotionally heavy. For the sake of those that haven’t seen this episode it won’t be revealed here. Even when Max reveals the whole story of what happened, the writers keep the tie in to the Hanukkah story from being too emotional thanks to a pair of short jokes about holiday miracles. Being that holiday episodes of TV shows are generally a craps shoot the writers rolled a lucky seven here. Sure, it isn’t the only episode of a sitcom to ever attempt a lighthearted holiday episode. But it is one of the rare lighthearted sitcom holiday episodes out there to date that succeeded. And that is thanks, again, to the writers obviously not taking themselves too seriously in trying to not be serious (if that makes any sort of sense).
“Maggie’s Wedding” is one more example of what makes the show’s writing important once again in this season. Right from the episode’s opening moments, Fran and Max just happen to be right in the room when Maggie’s boyfriend proposes to her. The couple’s immediate and split reaction to the moment is a direct homage to I Love Lucy. Fran’s response to Max constantly forbidding the wedding is just as funny. She tells him, “Keep talking. We’re listening” as she and the rest of the ladies head out the door, wedding plans stirring in their minds. This is all within the first few minutes of the episode. Even with all of the comedy tied into the episode, there are also some tender moments that will move viewers just as much. One of the most memorable of those moments is Max’s talk with Maggie. He has to finally come to terms that Maggie is grown up and she has to live her life. It’s a moment through which every father with a daughter/daughters goes through. So, even fathers will find this moment special. It’s just one of the episode’s more emotional moments. And together with the more lighthearted moments, the episode in whole will both entertain and move audiences male and female alike. It’s one more example of what makes the show’s writing so important this season. Set against the episodes themselves both elements strengthen even more the reason for fans of The Nanny to pick up this final installment of the modern classic sitcom. And they still are not the only reasons that audiences and fans alike will enjoy this season of The Nanny. Once again the cast’s work on camera shines through, making the show that much more enjoyable in its final season.
The episodes that make up the body of The Nanny’s sixth season and their sharp writing (both in terms of stories and smaller details) are both of equal importance to the set’s overall presentation. While they are obviously quite important to the set they are hardly the show’s (and set’s) important elements. The cast’s work in front of the cameras is just as important this time out as the episodes and their writing. This is no different from the series’ previous seasons. The chemistry that built between Shaughnessy and Drescher was more on display than ever this season as Fran and Max navigate the waters of married life. One of the best moments between the pair comes early in the season in “Once A Secretary, Always A Secretary.” Max comes to realize in this episode that he hasn’t yet adjusted to being married again, much less to the woman that was his children’s nanny. When he slips up early on, saying that Fran was the nanny, the look on his face is priceless. It is that look that lets viewers know he realizes he has really messed up. It would have been easy for Shaughnessy to ham it up in the moment. But he didn’t. He just stood there and let his face do the talking. It is a great moment. Drescher’s reaction as Max slips up is just as funny. The two reactions together will leave viewers in stitches. This is especially the case considering that other newlyweds will be able to relate to the situation. Going from being boyfriend and girlfriend to fiancée to husband and wife is more of a whirlwind, mentally and emotionally than people realize. So waking up and realizing that one is married takes some time in terms of adjustment. Calling someone one’s husband or wife is actually strange to most couples at first. It takes time adjusting to the new titles. Any married couple will agree with that sentiment. It’s just one of the moments when the cast’s work shines in this season. Daniel Davis is just as entertaining from one episode to the next. While he is still considered supporting cast, his interactions with his cast mates is yet again a laugh riot. From trying to hide his new relationship with C.C. to sharing barbs with Drescher to so many other moments Davis proves time and again to be just as entertaining as his co-stars if not more so. Lauren Lane’s work can’t be denied either. Watching her reaction at Maggie’s wedding as Yetta tells her about Fran and Max walking in on her and Niles is worth just as many laughs. Again, it’s one of those moments that shows the cast’s expertise. Much as with Max’s reaction when he realizes he called Fran the Nanny early on in the season, C.C.’s look of total shock at being found out and following reaction will generate just as many laughs. The blissful ignorance and innocence on Yetta’s part set against C.C.’s shock and embarrassment makes the moment even funnier and makes both actresses even funnier together. It is yet one more example of what makes the cast’s work just as important to this season’s presentation as that of the writers. There are plenty of other moments that could be cited to prove just how enjoyable the cast’s work was this season. But that would take far too long. That being the case viewers can find those moments for themselves. The same can be said of the great moments in the episodes’ scripts that are just as enjoyable. Speaking of the writing, that and the acting come together with the episode selection to make the whole of The Nanny: The Final Season a fond, fun, and funny farewell for one of the last great sitcoms of the twentieth century.
The Nanny: The Final Season is a fond, fun, and funny farewell for a show that is one of the last great sitcoms of the twentieth century. That is saying quite a bit considering that the Big 4 (CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX) started moving more towards serials and all of the cookie cutter dramas not too long after it ended its run. That is not to say that there is a correlation between the two events. There were other sitcoms that ended around that time. It just so happened that that was also the same time that the major broadcast networks were beginning to move more towards serials and cookie cutter crime and medical dramas. Now getting back on the topic at hand, the fact that this season is the last of one of the last real worthwhile sitcoms on television it makes it that much more worth the addition to any viewer’s home DVD library. That is evident through the episodes presented in this season and their writing. The stories created for this season and their more minute details make for plenty of entertainment for audiences. The same can be said of the cast’s work in front of the cameras. Every member of the show’s cast shines in his and her own way from one episode to the next. Their work and that of the writers comes together to make The Nanny: The Final Season, once more, a fond, fun, and funny farewell for a series that is one of the last great sitcoms of the twentieth century. It is available now in stores and online and can be ordered direct online via Shout! Factory’s online store at https://www.shoutfactory.com/tv/comedy/the-nanny-the-final-season. More information on this and other titles from Shout! Factory is available online now at:
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