Last updated: May 22, 1997.
After Maxwell takes back "The Thing" he said to Fran on the plane when he thought he was dying (see episode #3.26), Fran is more than a little miffed. And things get worse when Fran is convinced that Maxwell doesn't take her seriously because of her looks. So Fran decides to date a blind man named Jack (Jason Alexander) to prove that a man could like her for "her inner self". Meanwhile, Niles tries to find out what "The Thing" is. Gracie has to do a school report on women with careers, so she chooses C.C., a fact that further hurts Fran.
Renee Taylor guest stars as Fran's mother Sylvia, Rachel Chagall guest stars as Fran's best friend Val. Jason Alexander guest-stars as Jack, the blind man. Joey Dente also appears.
[This episode aired at 8:00 pm on September 25, 1996.]
Maggie falls for a 20-something named John (Brian Bloom), causing Maxwell to go through the roof! So it falls to Fran to show Maggie the error of her ways, all the while trying to pick up on John's friend Mike (Sean Kanan)!
Brain Bloom guest-stars as Maggie's 20-something beau, John; Sean Kanan guest-stars as John's friend and Fran's date, Mike.
[This episode aired at 8:30 pm on September 25, 1996.]
Brighton must put together a science project (which involves a bird nest in the yard), or he'll fail science and Maxwell will send him to military school! So Fran must help Brighton out, which includes asking for an extension from Brighton's science teacher Mrs. Richardson (Nora Dunn), who just happens to dislike Fran due to a shopping "incident". Meanwhile, while her place is fumigated, C.C. must stay at the Sheffields, which gives Niles endless opportunities to torture her!
Renee Taylor guest stars as Fran's mother Sylvia. Nora Dunn appears as Brighton's science teacher, Mrs. Richardson. Marcia Shapiro appears as "Francine", a classmate of Brighton's who bears a striking resemblance to Fran as a youngster. Jackie Town also appears.
Fran goes to see "The Rosie O'Donnell Show" and, when Rosie picks her out of the audience, Fran is such a hit that she gets a weekly segment on the show (which leads to C.C. being Fran's agent, which, as Niles says, "is a sure sign of the Apocalypse"!). And soon enough, Fran is neglecting her duties to the Sheffield family which causes Maxwell to go to unusual lengths to remedy the situation.
Renee Taylor guest stars as Fran's mother Sylvia, Ann Guilbert guest stars as Grandma Yetta, and Rachel Chagall guest stars as Fran's best friend Val. Rosie O'Donnell and Donald Trump appear as themselves. John McD & The McDLT's also appear.
When Fran's Aunt Frieda falls on hard times and loses her restaurant, she comes to stay at the Sheffields' and it isn't long before Fran'll do anything to get Frieda back together with her rich boyfriend, Fred (Donald O'Connor).
Renee Taylor guest stars as Fran's mother Sylvia, Lainie Kazan guest stars as Fran's (fraternal) aunt Freta, and Marilyn Cooper guest stars as Fran's (fraternal) Grandma, Nettie. Donald O'Connor guest stars as Fred. George Furth and Neil Zevnik co-star, and Sue Goodman and Michelle Roth are featured.
Fran tries to reunite Maxwell with his estranged father (Robert Vaughn), who Maxwell still resents for having run off on his mother with their maid, Joan (Joan Collins), and who is now officially Maxwell's "stepmother" after all these years. Meanwhile, Brighton takes ballet class to get "close to chicks".
Renee Taylor guest stars as Fran's mother Sylvia, and Ann Guilbert guest stars as Grandma Yetta. Robert Vaughn guest stars as Mr. James Sheffield, and Joan Collins guest stars as Mrs. Joan Sheffield.
Fran tries to employ all her wiles to get the taxman who's doing her audit off her back, but to no avail. Meanwhile, Fran "dogsits" Jay Leno's and C.C.'s dog, and Fran tries to bridge the growing gap between Maxwell and Brighton.
Renee Taylor guest stars as Fran's mother Sylvia. Jay Leno has a cameo as himself. Rich Little has a cameo as the IRS appeals officer who wants to be in show biz as an impersonator!
Fran begins to rue her present (unsatisfactory) relationship with Maxwell, a point that's driven home to her when Maxwell's brother, Nigel (Harry Van Gorkum; also in episode #3.26), visits, and he and Fran have a lot of fun together, so much so that Nigel soon realizes that he's fallen for Fran, and proposes to her on the spot... and she accepts! Is this the end for Fran and Maxwell?...
Renee Taylor guest stars as Fran's mother Sylvia, and Rachel Chagall guest stars as Fran's best friend, Val. Harry Van Gorkum appears as Nigel Sheffield, Maxwell's brother. Christopher Edwards also appears.
Maggie wants to get a tattoo with her friends, so she enlists Fran's help to convince Maxwell to let her, and Fran lets it slip that she got one when she was Maggie's age. The results are two-fold: Maxwell is intrigued by Fran's tattoo (which, according to him, must be on the 10% or so of Fran's body that is actually covered by clothing!), but Sylvia demands that Fran remove it, or she won't let Fran get buried in a Jewish cemetery!
Renee Taylor guest stars as Fran's mother Sylvia, and Rachel Chagall guest stars as Fran's best friend, Val. John Astin guest stars as Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Roberts (see episode #3.19). Sally Kirkland has a cameo as the tattoo artist.
To get Maggie a car, Fran agrees to enter the "Miss Trans Am" contest, but in order to win she has to learn a "stick-shift", so Fran has Maxwell teach her, but an unfortunate accident takes place that traumatizes Fran. Meanwhile, Fran tries to worm her way into a charity event at Barbara Streisand's.
Roslyn Kind (Barbara Streisand's real-life sister) and Miss America Tara Holland appear as themselves. John Glen Bishop is also featured.
Fran is determined to spend Christmas away from the Sheffields (especially Maxwell), so she and Val head off to the Caribbean for a tropical holiday, only to have a hurricane threaten them, which leads Fran, Val, Maxwell and the Sheffields to reminisce out Fran's time with the family. Partly a retrospective episode.
Renee Taylor guest stars as Fran's mother Sylvia, and Rachel Chagall guest stars as Fran's best friend, Val. Les Brandt guest stars as Rico the bellhop. Sandy Hackett also appears.
Fran is horrified to learn that her ex-fiancee, Danny, has died, and this causes her to reevaluate things. Meanwhile, she is forced to console her ex-fiance's grieving widow (and Fran's former nemesis) Heather Biblow Imperiali (Pamela Anderson Lee).
Rachel Chagall guest stars as Fran's best friend, Val, and Ann Guilbert guest stars as Grandma Yetta. Pamela Anderson Lee guest stars as Fran's former nemesis, and Danny's widow, Heather Biblow Imperiali.
Fran thinks that she may have finally found "the one", a handsome, Jewish doctor (Jon Stewart), but this latest "Mr. Right" turns out to be her cousin! which throws Fran in such a tizzy that Maxwell insists that she go to therapy.
Renee Taylor guest stars as Fran's mother Sylvia, and Rachel Chagall guest stars as Fran's best friend, Val. Jon Stewart guest stars as Fran's cousin. Spalding Gray guest stars as Fran's therapist, Dr. Miller.
Fran's therapist convinces her to swear off men, an she, in turn, convinces C.C. and Val to do the same. But things go off track when both Val and C.C. suddenly start dating men, leaving Fran out in the cold as the pitiful "fifth wheel". Meanwhile, Niles spends his time resenting the fact that Maxwell doesn't appreciate and that C.C. has a man in her life.
Renee Taylor guest stars as Fran's mother Sylvia, and Rachel Chagall guest stars as Fran's best friend, Val. Gordon Thompson and Joel Murray guest star as Val's and C.C.'s dates. Spalding Gray guest stars as Fran's therapist, Dr. Miller. Brett Stimely and Steve Posner also appear.
Fran's hero-worship dissolves for her therapist, Dr. Miller, when, out at the movies, she, Val and Yetta catch him in public with a disgusting habit. Meanwhile, C.C. is having fun torturing Niles about the new man in her life.
Renee Taylor guest stars as Fran's mother Sylvia, Ann Guilbert guest stars as Grandma Yetta, and Rachel Chagall guest stars as Fran's best friend, Val. Spalding Gray guest stars as Fran's therapist, Dr. Miller. Brenda [Epperson] Doumani guest stars as Danielle, the model. Merrick Deamon and James Edson are featured.
Yetta has a new boyfriend, and Sylvia think he's after Yetta's money, so she goes to the bank to make sure he can't get a hold of it, and Fran (who's mad at Maxwell for a Valentine's Day faux pas) goes with her. But the bank is soon taken over by bumbling bank robber Leslie Tilbett (Peter Scolari), which causes Maxwell to regret what he said to Fran.
Renee Taylor guest stars as Fran's mother Sylvia, Ann Guilbert guest stars as Grandma Yetta, and Rachel Chagall guest stars as Fran's best friend, Val. Peter Scolari guest stars as the bank robber, Leslie Tilbett. Al Rodrigo and Louise Middleton guest star as two of the hostages. Chris Devlin and Jean Ford are also featured.
C.C. gets called for jury duty, and Fran is so mad at Maxwell that she tags along. Soon enough, both are put on the jury of the trial of the housekeeper of romance novel cover-hunk Vinchenzo, who's plight bares a strinking similarity to Fran's. Meanwhile, Sylvia becomes the "nanny" in Fran's absence, and the Sheffield clan is in for a shock!
Renee Taylor guest stars as Fran's mother Sylvia, and Ann Guilbert guest stars as Grandma Yetta. Robert Urich guest stars as Judge Jerry Moran. Robert Costanzo guest stars as "Vincenzo" Bernie Schwatzberg. Laura Knightlinger guest stars as Kiki Hanson, Vinchenzo's housekeeper. Gloria Gifford and Barry Livingston guest star as the lawyers. Luigi Amodeo, Jane Cecil and Lawrence A. Mandley guest star as jurors, and Dee Dee Resche guest stars as the bailiff.
First Gracie, then Fran, Brighton and Maggie come down with a case of lice, but when Maxwell doesn't, it prompts Fran to scold Maxwell for "not spending enough time with his own children." Meanwhile, Niles' bad mood causes Fran to become convinced that Niles is homicidal toward Maxwell, and that Niles might even be a serial killer!
Renee Taylor guest stars as Fran's mother Sylvia, Ann Guilbert guest stars as Grandma Yetta, and Rachel Chagall guest stars as Fran's best friend, Val. Fred Stoller guest stars.
Fran's entire life could be turned upside down if what a woman claims is true: that Fran was switched at birth with another baby, and Sylvia is not her real mother. Meanwhile, C.C. is in L.A. selling series idea, and Niles hopes she doesn't return.
Renee Taylor guest stars as Fran's mother Sylvia, in the present; Fran Drescher appears as Sylvia, about 25 years ago. Telma Hopkins guest stars as the woman claiming to be Fran's birth mother. Sara Alexis Weiss appears as Fran, at age 8, or so. Jason Andrews and James Renee Smith also guest star. Benjamin Brown, Donald Willis, Will Potter and also appear.
Maxwell's play, "The Widower", which is about a widower forever faithful to his late wife, is actually up for some Tony Awards. But as soon as he wins, a tabloid newspaper prints a story implying that Maxwell and Fran have been having an affair for years, which causes Maggie to go ballistic.
Renee Taylor guest stars as Fran's mother, Sylvia. Spalding Gray guest stars as Fran's therapist, Dr. Miller. Michael Brandon guest stars as Stan (the reporter?). Sean Lesure and Michele Roth were featured. Marian Green has a bit as "Liza Minelli", and Ken Danziger is heard as the voice of "Andrew Lloyd Webber".
Flush with the success of his 3 Tony Awards, Maxwell starts bringing in better talent. His most recent hire is "Morgan Faulkner" (Jane Sibbett), who was Fran's high-school rival back when she was Marcy Feldman, and who takes an immediate liking to Maggie, and hires Maggie as her assistant. But Maxwell loses his cool when Maggie decides to forgo college to continue the job with "Morgan".
Renee Taylor guest stars as Fran's mother, Sylvia. Jane Sibbett guest stars as Marcy Feldman (a.k.a. Morgan Faulkner).
Fran decides that she's on the same wavelength as rock star "Tasha", whose angry lyrics are a favorite of Maggie's, so she tries to get a song she's written to Tasha. Before long, Tasha is using Fran's "pathetic" life as the basis for her next songs, but Maxwell thinks their "friendship" is a bad idea. Meanwhile, Niles listens to self-help tapes.
Rachel Chagall guest stars as Fran's best friend, Val. Ivana Milicevic guest stars as rock star "Tasha", and Lois Chils appears as Tasha's manager Elaine. Jayne Meadows has a cameo as herself.
Maxwell is producing a charity auction, in which Bette Midler is the M.C. (because it's for one of her charities), and Fran offers her services as a Nanny for a day. She ends up getting bid upon by Keith Rosenstein, the young, piano prodigy son of Maxwell's big investor, Tom Rosenstein. But when Fran gets Keith to play the piano at Yetta's nursing home, and one of the residents dies while he's playing, the boy can't play the piano anymore, causing both Maxwell and Bette Midler to lose their temper. Meanwhile, C.C. wins Niles' services for a day at the auction.
Renee Taylor guest stars as Fran's mother Sylvia, Ann Guilbert guest stars as Grandma Yetta, and Rachel Chagall guest stars as Fran's best friend, Val. Ed Begley, Jr. guest stars as Tom Rosenstein, and Danny Dayton guest stars as his son Keith. Don Siess guest stars as the unfortunate nursing home resident. Mort Drescher(!) also appears.
Fran's nemesis, Heather Biblow (Pamela Anderson Lee), has landed a role of Fran's favorite daytime soap opera, "The Young & The Restless". But when Fran and Val head out to Malibu to visit Heather (which means Frans is passing up a trip to Hawaii with the Sheffields), it's Fran who ends up getting the role on the soap, and it's Heather who ends up as the Sheffield's new nanny! Meanwhile, C.C is overjoyed at the prospect of Nanny Fine "never coming back", until she sees "Nanny Biblow"!
Ann Guilbert guest stars as Grandma Yetta, and Rachel Chagall guest stars as Fran's best friend, Val. Pamela Anderson Lee guest stars as Heather Biblow. Peter Bergman guest stars as himself (playing Jack Abbott). Richard Kline guest stars. Roslyn Kern and Steve Posner also appear.
Special cameos: CBS President Les Moonves has a cameo as himself. The following "The Young & The Restless" stars have cameos: Jeanne Cooper, Shemar Moore, Joshua Morrow and Melody Scott Thomas; the following stars from "The Bold & The Beautiful" have cameos: Barbara Crampton and Hunter Tylo.
Fran appears to be ecstatic when it looks like Sylvia (and Mort) are going to take a deal for a place in Boca Raton, FL. But her true feelings are exposed when she accompanies Maxwell down to Florida (where Maxwell is a judge in the "Miss Universe Pageant"), and Fran realizes that (gasp!) she'll miss her mother. Meanwhile, Niles is out of sorts because his last single friend is getting married, and Gracie begins to "stuff" herself with tissues to make herself better "endowed".
Renee Taylor guest stars as Fran's mother Sylvia, Ann Guilbert guest stars as Grandma Yetta, and Rachel Chagall guest stars as Fran's best friend, Val. Stanel Kamel guest stars as the representative of the Condo deal. Spalding Gray appears as Fran's therapist, Dr. Miller. Kristin Birch and Bobby Ramsen also appear. 1996 Miss Universe Alicia Machado and 1997 Miss USA/1997 Miss Universe Brook Lee appear in cameos.
When Maxwell goes to London (to sign Celine Dion to a Broadway show), Fran takes a cue from Val and follows him there, hoping that a romantic London interlude will prompt Maxwell to commit. But just as the two of them begin hashing out their feelings for each other, both are called back to New York when Niles has a heart attack.
Ann Guilbert guest stars as Grandma Yetta, and Rachel Chagall guest stars as Fran's best friend, Val. Celine Dion has a cameo as herself. Darryl Hickman guest stars as Niles' doctor. Andrew Steel and Mary Bogue also appear.
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