Oh my, you say this is on HBO Max? I am running, not walking, to start watching.

My late Jewish partner Lenny absolutely adored The Nanny, and never missed an episode. I’m not much of a television consumer, but his enthusiasm infected me, and I ended up loving it in the 1990s almost as much as I loved Absolutely Fabulous.

Lenny was a New York Jew deeply entranced with the Broadway musical scene. He became an usher at 15 just to watch the shows, and swore to anyone who would listen that he never missed a Broadway musical after that, not even the flops.

I’m sure that was part of why he loved The Nanny, but another big part, which you’ve alluded to, is that he and his friends were average working class people with strong Jewish cultural traditions. When he saw Fran’s family on the small screen, he saw his family and his friend’s families lovingly portrayed. Has any other TV series done that? I don’t think so.

Sadly, Lenny passed away before the sixth season ended, but at least he got to see Fran and Maxwell together and happy.

And seriously, what gay man wouldn’t fantasize about Maxwell Sheffield?

I think you’re right, his hypothetical inattainability for Fran mirrored something many of us feel too often.