Niles from The Nanny reveals the one thing he never understood about the hit show
The Nanny had six wildly successful years between 1993-199 and ended with Fran Fine (who was played by creator Fran Drescher) married to her boss Maxwell Sheffield (Charles Shaughnessy).
Niles settled down with his former arch rival — and Mr Sheffield’s colleague — C.C. Babcock (Lauren Lane.)
The Nanny
However it is the latter love story that Davis couldn’t quite wrap his head around.
“That’s the only part that I never really bought, to tell you the truth,” he admitted to news.com.au.
“C.C. and I had been so oil and water — I didn’t buy that we would end up married. But I had to play it, because that’s what they wrote ... I don’t think I’ve ever expressed that to anyone before!”
The 70-year-old originally thought that the odd pairing may mean an extended future for C.C. and Niles.
“The only reason I thought it could have worked would be if they were planning a spin-off, like The Niles and C.C. Show, which I would have loved — but they didn’t go with that idea.”
He may not have liked it, but Davis can still understand why the writers felt the need to have the butler and C.C. live happily ever after.
“I guess they were just wanting to tie up the loose ends.”
The characters small feuds in the show became a cornerstone of the program - making it the unforgettable classic that it is today.
“The luckiest thing that could have possibly happened was that we knew each other for six years before The Nanny,” Davis said.
“Once I realised she was going to play that part [C.C.], it was just so natural. We had an ease so we just were the perfect fit, right from day one.”
Niles was famous for his quick quips and one-liners, and a lot of that wit was actually inspired by the actor’s true self.
“The writers watched me carefully in the early days of the show,” he explained.
“They started to write in my voice. And because I have a wicked side to my humour, they picked up on it.”
While Davis loved his experience on the show, there was one star who didn’t quite agree.
“It wasn’t a fun experience,” Madeline Zima, who played little Gracie Sheffield, told The TV Page in 2013.
“There was just a kindness and a sensitivity that didn’t exist on the set of The Nanny. They treated me more like a prop than like a human being.”
Davis believes it boiled down to Zima’s attitude.
“There was always the sense with Madeline that she was just an unhappy child — it was her nature. It was noticeable,” he explained.
“I think the writers picked up on her unhappiness, and they wrote it into her character ... It’s why Gracie always seemed unhappy and was in therapy.”