But Drescher knew that integrating her authentic cultural self was essential to the show’s success, which is why the Nanny we know and love makes matzo balls instead of meatballs. As a member of the tribe myself, I often wondered how the show, with at least a third of its scripts utilizing deep-cut Yiddish vocabulary, was able to find such a broad audience. (The entire series is now available to watch on HBO Max.) Premiering in 1993 on CBS, the series stars Drescher as Fran Fine, the nasally nanny herself, and draws upon her real-life Jewish blue-collar upbringing.
The Nanny, created by Fran Drescher and then-husband Peter Marc Jacobson, about a Jewish woman from Queens going to work for an incredibly rich and English widower and his children, is the latest classic ’90s sitcom to experience a renaissance thanks to streaming.
