NANNY, THE: THE TART WITH HEART {FOURTH SEASON PREMIERE} (TV)
Summary
The fourth-season premiere in this clash-of-cultures comedy series about Fran Fine, a flamboyant, wisecracking Jewish woman from Queens employed as a nanny by the upper-crust widower Maxwell Sheffield of Park Avenue. In this episode, as Maxwell and Fran return from their trip to Paris, the plane experiences strong turbulence and Maxwell blurts out that he loves Fran, leading to a kiss. When they land, however, he tries to take it back, saying that he spoke impulsively, believing he was facing death. Grace attempts to write a school essay about "career woman" C.C., and C.C. tells Fran that she is "just a pretty face." A guilty Maxwell attempts to make amends with Fran as Niles attempts to discover the nature of his gaffe, but Fran is further insulted when Maxwell more or less confirms that he hired her solely for her beauty. She goes out to a bar with Val, upset that she has wasted so much time on Maxwell, and she is intrigued when a charming blind man, Jack, offers to buy her a drink.
Niles continues trying to find out what happened between Fran and Maxwell, and Grace begins to regret writing her essay on the self-involved C.C. Jack arrives for a date with Fran and Maxwell sourly notes that she "bounced back" quickly, and the two squabble again. Fran is pleased as her relationship with Jack blossoms, glad that he does not care about her looks, but he points out that she is still hung up on Maxwell and is only dating him to prove a point, and ends things with her. Fran explains the situation to her mother, who says that Maxwell is "a basket case" and feels guilty about his feelings for Fran, and Fran is relieved to realize how "tortured and unhappy" he is. She talks with Maxwell and he admits that he is indeed afraid of his feelings for her, worried what would happen to the family if things did not work out between them, and they agree to stay merely friends, though they are clearly both still desirous of more. The episode concludes with outtakes from the scene with Fran and her mother. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: September 18, 1996 8:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:30:00
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:82463
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1993-1999
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Robert Sternin … Executive Producer, Developed by
- Prudence Fraser … Executive Producer, Developed by
- Peter Marc Jacobson … Executive Producer, Created by
- Diane Wilk … Co-Executive Producer
- Caryn Lucas … Supervising Producer
- Frank Lombardi … Supervising Producer, Writer
- Kathy Landsberg … Producer
- Jeffrey B. Hodes … Producer
- Nastaran Dibai … Producer
- Fran Drescher … Producer, Created by
- Robbie Schwartz … Co-Producer
- Janice Minsberg … Associate Producer
- Dorothy Lyman … Director
- Timothy Thompson … Music by
- Ann Hampton Callaway … Theme Music by
- Fran Drescher … Cast, Fran Fine
- Charles Shaughnessy … Cast, Maxwell Sheffield
- Daniel Davis … Cast, Niles
- Lauren Lane … Cast, C.C. Babcock
- Nicholle Tom … Cast, Margaret 'Maggie' Sheffield
- Benjamin Salisbury … Cast, Brighton Sheffield
- Madeline Zima … Cast, Grace Sheffield
- Renee Taylor … Cast, Sylvia
- Jason Alexander … Cast, Jack
- Rachel Chagall … Cast, Val
- Joey Dente … Cast, Pauly