Rough Start
When The Nanny had its pilot episode tested remarkably high, CBS had high hopes for the show overall. At the end of the day, television comes down to numbers and profits, just like any other business. After the show struggled with its ratings in the first season, the network seriously considered canceling it. CBS’s president at the time, Jeff Sagansky, still believed in the show, though, and fought for it to stay on the air. “At all those affiliate meetings, [Sagansky] used to say, ‘Stick by The Nanny,’” co-creator Peter Marc Jacobson said, “He knew it was something special.”
Rough Start
A Fake Audience
Lots of sitcoms tend to be taped in front of live studio audiences to get a genuine laugh track. However, Fran Drescher actually had a scary experience with stalkers. So, she was against having the public on set every day. The solution was hiring actors to create an audience and make sure they would get that flawless laugh track that marks a good sitcom. We’re just glad it all worked out in the end.
A Fake Audience
