Living with Fran

Well, I saw the pilot episode last night on the WB, and I have to admit, it's not that bad at all. In fact, I got quite a few laughs out of it. I knew I would have to concentrate on the episode itself so that I would not keep comparing it to the Nanny, but I think overall, it can be a good series. The boyfriend's acting does seem to be a little wooden. He seems to be stiff and nervous in front of the camera, but the son, the daughter, and Fran all seem to be at ease and determined to have fun. The bonus episode was really cute as the tension between Fran and Riley's mother builds. I think that if they just give "Riley" some better acting lessons, they might just be able to pull off another hit for Fran Drescher and crew.

Fran Drescher is perhaps the most talented and smartest woman in show business...or maybe one of the smartest PEOPLE in the business, period! On her previous show, "The Nanny", which ran for six years on CBS and is now a smash in syndication, here and abroad, she surrounded herself with the best: superb supporting cast, great writing, top guest stars. She NEVER fell into the trap of making the show all about Fran, but let every cast member have their moment, in every episode. This is a smart performer!

I've watched the first three episodes of her new series. She's just as gifted, just as gorgeous...but it hasn't clicked completely yet. Perhaps she needs a strong co-producer (her ex-husband was that, on "The Nanny"); perhaps it's better writers and a sassy ADULT character to play off of (the daughter is good, but Fran needs an "Ethel"...or a Niles!); perhaps it's just a matter of time. The first season of "Nanny" took awhile to find itself.

The jury is still out on this one, but I'm giving it a chance, watching every episode. Fran is so gifted, she'll always be around, the Lucille Ball of her generation.

I'm hoping this gets better. I started watching because "The Nanny" is my favourite show of all time and I adore Fran.

I used to love the one-liners from Niles and CiCi, and the over eating pushy Sylia.

This show is unfortunately weak and generic, it lacks the edge and wit that the Nanny had and even though it's not a replacement for "The Nanny", I'm a bit disappointed with it.

The daughter has yet to show any real character other than being a stroppy teenager (fair enough the role is realistic, but this is a Sitcom not a drama) and the boyfriend, although very handsome, is very dull and wooden.

I would love to see Fran is something amazing again.

How can you tell when an actress can't act, without even needing to see her perform? When she has to put her own name in the title of her sitcom! Let's face it: Fran Drescher has only ever been able to play Fran Drescher. She's always the nasal, long-nailed, 'white trash with a heart of gold' character that she was on The Nanny, and we are led to believe that her off-screen persona, while possibly slightly less annoying, is in fact pretty close to her on-screen one.

I know some people loved this 'character' on The Nanny, so I suppose it's not all that surprising that Living with Fran is pretty much the same show (only this time she's got 3 of her OWN kids, not babysitting that British guy's - oh wait! The British guy IS the father of these kids!). Fans of The Nanny must be happy.

But as I watched this show for the first time, all I could think was: Isn't Fran Drescher getting bored with herself? I mean, she's been playing the same part, with the same affectations, the same type of clothes, the same exasperating-white-trash-with-a-heart-of-gold character for, like, 20 years now! Isn't she embarrassed to be showing everyone how very little acting talent she has? Couldn't she have gone to acting class during the years after The Nanny when she had nothing to do? It's no surprise this show was canceled. What's disconcerting is that it ever made it past a pilot in the first place.

Every time I get a Friday night chance to watch I keep seeing a repeat of one of the episodes. It appears from the IMDb website that there are about 12 episodes. When were they on? The show isn't always on either, being interrupted by baseball games or other movies.

I think it's a great idea for a show with a good plot. The actors are all enjoyable to watch too. The characters of Fran and Josh are great. I'd like to see more plot behind the daughter and son to make them worth having on the show.

I just love Fran and am glad she is back on TV. I really would just like to see more to form a good opinion.