Charles Shaughnessy on тАШThe NannyтАЩs тАШDeath KnellтАЩ And Fran DrescherтАЩs тАШGeniusтАЩ Idea For A Reboot (Exclusive)
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Whether you knew him as Shane Donovan on тАЬDays of Our LivesтАЭ or Max Sheffield on┬атАЬThe NannyтАЭ, if you were watching TV in the тАЩ90s, you knew Charles Shaughnessy. The British actor is one of ETтАЩs┬аIconic Leading Men of тАЩ90s TV┬аalongside┬аMark Curry,┬аPatrick Duffy,┬аJimmy Smits┬аand┬аGrant Show┬атАФ but as he sees it, a lot of his success came from his talented female co-stars.
тАЬYou know, chemistry is a mystery,тАЭ he tells┬аETтАЩs Nischelle Turner. тАЬItтАЩs like jazz.тАЭ
The son of a television writer and an actress, it was seemingly just a matter of time before Shaughnessy would enter the family business himself. It didnтАЩt take long for his career to take off, as in his late 20s, he landed a role opposite Patsy Pease on тАЬDays of Our LivesтАЭ┬аin 1984.
тАЬThey were trying to find a pair for her,тАЭ he says┬аof Pease. тАЬThey were like, тАШWell, letтАЩs try this guy.тАЩтАж They wrote a scene for us, and it just happened. It was that chemistry thing, and it just worked.тАЭ
ShaughnessyтАЩs character, Shane, entered a romance with PeaseтАЩs character, Kimberly Brady, and turned them into a super couple. The fans went wild over the pairтАЩs chemistry тАФ but lightning would soon strike twice.
With eight years on the soap under his belt and a handful of other guest roles in shows and TV movies, Shaughnessy came across a script for тАЬThe NannyтАЭ in the early тАЩ90s.
тАЬI was a little hesitant about doing a dad in a sitcom, like all the sitcom dads, youтАЩre stuck for the rest of your life,тАЭ he explains. But after his first time reading a scene with Fran Drescher, he knew тАЬthere was something going on.тАЭ
тАЬLike, those two accents,тАЭ he remembers. тАЬYou could tell just then that the sort of differences between us worked.тАЭ
The writers tweaked the pilot to better fit Shaughnessy and Drescher, and the result was тАЬthe best pilot I had ever seen,тАЭ the actor recalls. Network politics had the cast and crew crossing their fingers, but after a solid three episodes, they received an order for three more. They were the little engine that could during their first season, тАЬand then we went back the second year and it just sort of took off,тАЭ Shaughnessy says.
тАЬThe NannyтАЭ┬аstarred Drescher as Fran Fine, a Jewish fashionista from Flushing, Queens, who shows up at the doorstep of British Broadway producer Max Sheffield (Shaughnessy) trying to sell cosmetics. Max hires her to be the nanny of his three kids тАФ and the rest is history.
тАЬI think we just knew how to play off each other,тАЭ Shaughnessy says┬аof what made the show work. тАЬWe trusted each other, we enjoyed each otherтАж and it took off like a rocket.тАЭ
The show ran for six seasons from 1993 to 1999, featuring┬аA-list guest stars such as┬аElizabeth Taylor, Elton John, Coolio and Billy Ray Cyrus.
тАЬI mean, everyone you could imagine came through,тАЭ Shaughnessy notes.
In 1998, viewers saw Fran and Max tie the knot тАФ an episode that was a тАЬblurтАЭ to him, Shaughnessy says┬атАФ and as he claims, served as the тАЬdeath knellтАЭ for the showтАЩs longevity.
тАЬThe fans wanted us to get together. The network definitely wanted us to get married, [but] we knew that that was kind of a death knell. When youтАЩve got a relationship built on this sexual tension, getting married is like the last thing you want to do,тАЭ he shares. тАЬSo, I think we kind of we did it but were like, тАШOh well.’тАЭ
тАЬThe NannyтАЭ was cancelled the following year, but Drescher тАФ who co-created the show with then-husband Peter Marc Jacobson тАФ has hopes to bring it back. SheтАЩs working on adapting the show into a Broadway musical, while thereтАЩs also been talk about┬аa┬аTV reboot.┬а
тАЬWeтАЩve talked about it, and┬аshe actually had a really, really, I thought, genius idea. I just thought, тАШThis was very smart.тАЩ ThatтАЩs all IтАЩll say,тАЭ he teases┬аwith a laugh.
тАЬI was very hesitant about anything,тАЭ he confesses. тАЬ[But] I heard that and went, тАШOh, thatтАЩll work.’тАЭ
In the meantime, the cast of тАЬThe NannyтАЭ reunited for a table read┬аlast year. See what Drescher told ET about their virtual get-together in the video below.
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Patrick Duffy Reflects on Becoming тАШBest FriendsтАЩ With Suzanne Somers
Mark Curry Talks тАШHanginтАЩ With Mr. CooperтАЩ and a Possible Revival
Grant Show Remembers тАШScary, But AmazingтАЩ Time on тАШMelrose PlaceтАЩ
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