Fran Drescher is reflecting on why she believed her sitcom The Nanny was successful. She said it transcended culture and religion.
Speaking via Page Six, Drescher said that the sitcom has plenty of universal themes. Ultimately, it was something that people from all walks of life could connect to. “I think everyone identified with that show,” she said.
To prove her point, Drescher pointed out that the show became popular in Muslim countries. Despite starring a Jewish character, The Nanny ended up being a hit in Muslim territories.
“It was huge throughout the Middle East,” she added. “All through Arab nations, Jordan, Egypt and the Emirates.” She said ultimately the show managed to accomplish this because it “transcended religion.” It became something anyone could identify with.
“The global message of the series was it doesn’t matter what you look like and what you sound like, it’s what in your heart that counts and I think that’s a message that works in any decade,” she told us.
However, Drescher said that she had a tough time getting the show to air. At the time, there was a reluctance to make the show.
She said, “I was the first Jewish actress to star in a primetime series where I played an overtly Jewish character since 1948 (Gertrude Berg starred in The Goldbergs). With The Nanny, they said they could sell the show to Procter & Gamble if The Nanny was Italian and not Jewish.”
Fran Drescher Talks Difficulty Getting Show To The Air
Drescher pushed back against changing the character’s background. “I do not like living with regret,” she said. “and I don’t want to rush into doing something to get the job and then when it doesn’t go right or it fails, I kick myself because I thought, ‘Why didn’t we follow our instincts? Why did we listen to them?’”
She said she couldn’t live in regret. She said, “I know this character needs to be written very close to me and all the rich and wonderful characters that I grew up with.’” Her then-husband Peter Marc Jacobson ultimately agreed with her.
That’s not the only thing that Drescher overcame. She also proved that her trademark voice also works as well.
“In high school, a teacher said, ‘You will never work with that voice. You’ll have to learn how to speak like a normal person,’” Drescher told Review Journal. “My Mom, who sounds just like me said, ‘Honey, you don’t have a funny voice. What are they tawking about, Fran?’
“I always managed to get a boyfriend, so it must have not been that bad!”