-Fran Drescher concieved the idea for the Nanny while taking a vacation in England to visit her friend and former Princess co-star Twiggy. Fran felt out of place hanging out with Twiggy's daughter and thought it would be funny to have a show that was like "The Sound Of Music" but Maria would be from Queens.
-Coincidentally, Fran happened to be on a plane in first class when she was seated next to Jeff Sagansky, the then President of CBS. Fran felt it was her opportunity to pitch him her idea for The Nanny. As Fran said, "Where was he going to go, coach?"
Fran told Sagansky that although CBS liked her as an actress, they only saw her as the sidedish, "I am the main course", she said. Sagansky was impressed and promised to call Fran. He did.
-The Nanny incorperated a lot of people from Fran Drescher's real life.
Morty and Sylvia were the names of Fran's real parents. In fact Morty and Sylvia Drescher made several appearances as Fran's Uncle Stanley and Aunt.
Fran's real life sister was named Nadine and so was Fran Fine's.
Grandma Yetta was based on Fran's real Grandmother Yetta. Although her Grandmother was offended that the television Yetta was forgetful and lived in a nursing home. Fran had to convince her that it would be funnier for the show.
In the episode "The Chatterbox", the beauty salon Fran visited was run by a man named Anthony. In real life, Fran used to visit a salon called "Anthony's".
-There were many references to The Dick Van Dyke show used on The Nanny, including a sketch performed on the show. Grandma Yetta portrayer Ann Guilbert starred as Millie Helper on the show.
-When Charles Shaughnessy auditioned for the role of Mr. Sheffield, he wore a pair of funny yellow rain boots. Fran thought they were so hysterical, she wrote them into the show. Max wears a pair of yellow rain boots and Fran comments, "You're always so GQ, when did you become the Gorton's Fisherman?" Fran has vowed never to let Charles forget about those boots.
-Charles won Fran over during the audition when Fran mentioned she should lose a few pounds and Charles replied that American women were too fascinated with their weight and that Fran could stand to gain a few pounds..
-Charles Shaughnessy has said that Donald O'Connor was his favorite Nanny guest.
-Fran & Lauren Lane (C.C.) would develop tricks & techiques to make Fran's dog Chester snap at Lauren.
-Scheduling conflicts kept Ray Charles from appearing as Sammy in the last few Nanny episodes.
-Both Charles Shaughnessy and Maxwell Sheffield appeared on Hollywood Squares.
-Rosie O'Donnel made two appearances on The Nanny. Once as a cab driver named "Cosette" in the episode "Where Are The Pearls?" and secondly in "The Rosie Show". Fran appeared on the cover of Rosie's first magazine Rosie. The two are close friends.
-Daniel Davis played the very British Niles on the show, but in real life, the actor was from Arkansas!
-Fran's real life Grandma Yetta was unhappy that the television Yetta was living in a nursing home. "Why'd ya have to put her in a home? I don't live in a home, I got my own apartment", she said to Fran (from Enter Whining). But later, as Grandma Yetta's character on the show became more well known, so did the real Yetta. Soon, she began to have a change of heart when she started recieving the benefits of being a celebrity, such as being able to get a seat in her favorite restaurants.
-Actor Joseph Bolonga appeared twice on The Nanny, once as the bully producer Alan Beck in "The Gym Teacher", and as Dr. Joe Razzo", the man who steals Sylvia's heart in the episode "Ma'ternal Affairs". He is also the real life husband of Renee Taylor (Sylvia Fine).
-Many other actors made different appearances on The Nanny.
Steve Lawrence made two appearances. One as himself, along with his wife Edie Gorme' in the episode "Canasta Masta's" and as Fran Fine's father Morty in two episodes, "Ma'ternal Affairs" and "The Finale Pt. 1".
Whoopi Goldberg made two appearances on The Nanny, one as Edna, a doggie photographer Fran hired as her wedding photographer in "The Pre-Nup", and one as herself in "Making Whoopi".
Nora Dunn made several appearances on the show. The first one as Brighton's teacher in "The Birds Nest" and then as Fran's gynecologist in the episodes, "I'm Pregnant", "Making Whoopi", "Oh Say Can You Ski?", "The Yummi Mummy" and "The Finale Pts. 1 & 2".
Roger Clinton made two appearances as himself and Rita Rudner made two appearances. First as Dr. Margot, Fran's temporary OBGYN in "The Dummy Twins" and then as herself in "Making Whoopi".
Peter Marc Jacobsen not only worked as writer and producer of The Nanny, but he also took time to make several appearances in the episodes "A Star Is Unborn", playing Romeo to Fran's Juliet and as a drunk at a bar, trying to hit on Fran in "The Pen Pal" and then as a man exiting the mens room with his fly open in "Ma'ternal Affairs".
-Rachel Chagall was Fran Drescher's real life gal pal long before she became known on the Nanny as Fran Fine's best friend, Valleri Toriello.
-Rachel Chagall is a distant relative to the famous artist Marc Chagall.
-Fran was concerned about her mother's reaction to Renee Taylor's portrayal as Sylvia. Her fears were put at ease when her mothers only complaint was that the hair was not big enough.
-Many pieces of the original Nanny set were borrowed from other sets, and when CBS executives were considering whether or not to chose the Nanny pilot for the coming season, the demanded that both the sets and the opening be changed.
-Fran hired her costumer from her previous show "Princesses" to become her costumer for the show.
-The silver gown Fran wore in "An Ode To Barbara Joan", was the most expensive gown ever worn on The Nanny. It was a Bob Mackie gown that cost more than $15,000 to rent. It was also worn by Madonna when she attended the Oscar ceremony with Michael Jackson.
-Many of the fancy gowns worn by Fran on the show were mainly donated by designers like Tod Oldham and Gianfranco Ferre'.
