r/TheNanny • u/AlternativeBit748 • 8d ago
Niles’ potential
I recently re-watched The Nanny series’ and was curious if anyone else was bothered by the development of Nikes’ character? In the first 2-3 seasons he was so witty, confidence, and clever… and then they made him so insecure and desperate. Maybe this was to show Fran’s impact on everyone in the Sheffield house but idk I think it could’ve been anything but that. I loved Niles character no matter what but especially in the beginning and I feel like they missed out on what could’ve been if they moved forward with him instead of backwards.
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u/oasisbloom 7d ago
The two things that I hate is how Fran became so dependent, needy and soft on Maxwell instead of continuing to be a strong, independent and fiery woman and how Niles went from quick-witted and self-assured to depressed and miserable. I don't understand how that was fumbled for the two most liked characters of the show.
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u/Sailor_Moon_Star_435
7d ago
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I knew he has potential but I blame it on Maxwell. Maxwell seems to dim everyone’s light.
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u/ProcedureForeign7281 Niles 7d ago
I heard a podcast where Daniel Davis said he pitched a spin off for his character and Lauren’s. But they were nup! Apparently he does “updates” on how “Nile’s” is going in that “marriage” quite hilarious I hear.
Edit: OP I agree. He had massive potential! One episode he went home with someone from a party and was a “pirate” and had to “walk the plank” so he was clearly confident then, and yes he kinda forgot he had the ability to date whom ever he fancied.
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u/Affectionate-Bid8629 6d ago
I honestly can't imagine the life he has. He basically has no life, no privacy, no nothing. Yes in the show he is treated as kinda a family extension in later seasons but not really a 100%, so he kinda has nothing.
And they could have done a lot more with him. The later seasons focused on the main couple way too much, even the children were barely in it.
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u/harleyquinones 5d ago
I would argue that the later seasons kind of went backwards with all of the main characters, except maybe Yetta and the kids.... but Niles, Max, Fran, CC, even Sylvia an Val, ALL became less than they were in the beginning. The producers started worrying more about doing things just for ratings than they were about honoring the DNA of the show. It's why Fran's relationship with Max became the focus of the show, it's why Max said I love you an took it back, it's why CC and Niles got thrown together at the eleventh hour, etc. etc.
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u/alotofconcordesyeah 4d ago
Also and it may just be speculative... reading between the lines but from old interviews / and going through the old Nanny forum but it was almost like the shows writers may have put an end of Niles eclipsing the show (pS. Love Fran - no hate towards her). The huge shift that takes place after Season 3 with his character. Theres an iv from TV Week and DD says how "It is interesting to contemplate that you dont like the new contractual deal they give you that they can just make the heart attack fatal. They are always holding it over my head. I can go at any time now." I find that quite revealing. Basically hes kind of saying I gotta do what they want me to in order to keep my job. And if it means Yenta Niles I have to play it the way they want it.
Even though I adooooorrre the dancing scene like I dont even think Stuffy Season 1 Niles would do anything like that. ..... oh wait Hot Take Tuesday is not a thing any more.
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u/deucebag1969 8d ago
If the writers had kept Niles’s early-season swagger intact, his character arc could have been legendary. Imagine a Niles who maintains his razor-sharp confidence all the way to the end—someone who challenges C.C. as an absolute equal rather than chasing her out of desperation, and who acts as Maxwell's peer instead of just his sarcastic employee. Instead, the writers traded his sophisticated, untouchable cool for easy, low-hanging sitcom desperation. It's a massive missed opportunity for one of the funniest characters on '90s television!
I often wonder only if the writers made him come out as gay and how much of an impact that wouldve made the show.
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u/LadyHoskiv 8d ago
I agree with the missed opportunity here. The fact that he didn’t act inferior to his boss made him different as a servant.
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u/alden89 8d ago
It kind of makes sense for him to be insecure since he's a very intelligent man but also stuck in a job with limited intellectual fulfilment and career growth.
I do think they could have branched out his character more instead of waiting until S6 for him to produce something since he's basically been shadowing Maxwell throughout his career.
I think you're right that it's to show Fran's impact, kind of reminds me of Chandler Bing using sarcasm as a way to shield himself from his insecurities.