AaronDog
Very charming and cute show, though it had definitely run its course by the time it was canceled after 54 episodes. I think if it had continued, it would have started to become stale. However, in spite of its short run, I believe it was at least as good as other "magical" shows like "Bewitched", and "I Dream of Jeannie". Better, really, because Phoebe's powers were always downplayed, and there was no annoying sub-plot involving sexual tension between her and "The Professor". Strictly G-rated stuff, though not in a cloying or naive way.I was born the year "Nanny" came out, so I can only remember watching it in syndication. I also remember having a crush on Juliet Mills! She is still a beautiful woman, in her mid-60's. So is her younger sister, Hayley. Juliet was perfectly cast here, in the role of Phoebe, the quintessentially English nanny with a touch of magic. She was basically a down-to-Earth version of Mary Poppins. I also loved her giant pea coat and hat, which were incorporated into the animated opening sequence, a la "The Partridge Family" opening, which involved a partridge and eggs.Richard Long, who played "The Professor", had previously played the character of "Nick" in 'Big Valley'. A few years after "Nanny" was canceled, he died of a heart attack, even though he was only in his 40's.Kim Richards, such a cute kid, went on to co-star with Ike Eisenmann in the "Witch Mountain" movies, ironically, playing a child with psychic powers! She grew up to be a gorgeous woman, too.It is unfortunate that Trent Lehman (Butch) hung himself at the age of 20, in 1982. He had run into some tough times, including having his apartment burglarized, and chose to deal with it by hanging himself from a fence at his old elementary school. A sad ending to a very brief life.On a happier note, David Doremus went on to achieve some success later on with The Waltons, and I believe he has had a fairly active career ever since.Great show, overall. They don't make 'em like this anymore!
Brian Washington
This show was part of ABC's classic Friday night block of sitcoms from the early 1970's. To me Nanny was a more subtle version of "Bewitched". However, whereas "Bewitched" was very much into visual effects, the magic of this show was more subtle and didn't really need the special effects. Also, Juliet Mills was perfectly cast as Phoebe Figalilly (aka Nanny). This could almost have been a foreshadowing as some thirty years later she would play another lady with magical powers in the person of Tabitha Lenox in the daytime soap Passions. However, where Tabitha is pretty much a villain, Phoebe was all sweetness and light.
moonspinner55
Nanny Juliet Mills (with her magical ESP and London-town dark blue cape and hat) is such a lovely presence on the tube that it's rather a shame her TV series "Nanny and The Professor" doesn't utilize her personal magic more and give us less of Richard Long (sort of a Darrin Stephens to Mills' Samantha) and those squawking kids running up and down the stairs. The quaint laughs that come aren't enough to make the search for bootleg episodes worthwhile. It's blandly-nice, a featherweight diversion with its heart in the right place; yet it never found its audience on ABC prime-time, despite an initially plum spot between "The Brady Bunch" and "The Patridge Family". Even compared to those two squeaky-clean family shows, "Nanny" looks resolutely old-fashioned and square, but Mills is still very lovely.
glassman-4
I liked this show as a variation of the popular "magic" sitcoms. Nanny never performed outlandish or obvious feats of prestidigitation, but it was obvious that paranormal things happened around her. The most common was Nanny saying "I'll get it," BEFORE the telephone or doorbell rang. In fact, it was never completely clear to the family that she had any powers, a la Gladys Kravitz on "Bewitched," for lack of a better comparison. As the theme song goes "Since the day that Nanny came to stay with us, fantastic things have been happening. Is there really magic in the things she does, or is love the only magic thing that Nanny brings?"Once it was hinted that although she appeared to be a young woman (20s to 30s) she may have been hundreds of years old. However, this as most things about her background, were never resolved. This was a clear ripoff from the first season of Bewitched. The show had a cute simple animated opening and memorable theme song, as was de rigeur for the decade's magic sitcoms, and of course the 1990s unrelated Fran Drescher vehicle "The Nanny."I also loved the family's big shaggy dog. I haven't seen this since the reruns in the late 1970s, except for the premiere which was shown once on TV Land around 2000, so I won't comment on the overall writing and production quality. I just remember enjoying it as a kid, and was upset that it was only rerun for a short time.