History Series / TheNanny

* ChuckCunningHamSyndrome: Fran's sister, Nadine, eventually disappears from the series altogether. While it would be perfectly reasonable to assume the two are just too busy to be present in each other's lives, its strange Nadine would not be included in her sister's wedding as part of the bridal party (or at least being the caterer), or being completely absent for her sister's pregnancy.

* LockedIntoStrangeness: According to Maxwell himself, his SkunkStripe appeared around the same time Fran was hired. Lampshaded in "The Nanny Napper". However, in the Christmas episode where we see a flashback of him as a kid, [[SeriesContinuityError the skunk stripe is already present]].

* SkunkStripe:
** Maxwell's hair
*** {{Lampshade}}d when Fran says it's "too [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Pepe Le Pew]]", though she seems to like it later on.
** In a flashback sequence Sylvia is shown to have had black hair with a white stripe back in the 70s.

* DangerouslyShortSkirt: Fran is known to wear very short skirts, almost as short as Lois Lane in ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries''. She often wears dark tights under them however to avoid any accidental PantyShot.

[[quoteright:258:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_nanny_cast.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:258:From L-R: [[ServileSnarker Niles]], [[CuteButCacophonic Fran]], [[BritishStuffiness Maxwell]], and [[RichBitch C.C.]]]]

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: In one episode, it's mentioned that Maxwell passed on producing ''Theatre/{{Hair}}'', which went on to become a hit musical. However, Max is said to be in his early 40s, meaning he was still a teenager in 1967, when ''Hair'' had its premiere. (Not to mention that back then he was living in England, while ''Hair'' premiered in New York.) But he did say he starting producing plays at age 17.

** In "A Fine Family Feud," Fran has to settle a [[TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivarly long-standing fight]] between her mother Sylvia and Aunt Frieda. When the women get ready to storm out of the house, Fran uses a freshly-baked chocolate cake to lure them back to talk.

* HideYourPregnancy: Both Lauren Lane (C.C.) and Rachel Chagall (Val) became pregnant during the show's run, and ended up getting the typical treatment. Since C.C. was a main character, Lane had it worse: C.C. suddenly started wearing baggy jackets, carrying props everywhere, and generally spent a lot of time sitting down. The show even [[LampshadeHanging hung a lampshade]] on the practice by having C.C. comment on ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'' and how obvious Julia Louis-Dreyfus's pregnancy was...while holding a poster that literally said "Baby" over her stomach. The writers eventually had C.C. suffer a VillainousBSOD over Maxwell and Fran's impending wedding, forcing her to go to a psychiatric hospital (and giving Lane time off to have her child).

* ColdTurkeysAreEverywhere: In one episode, Maxwell allows an actress to recuperate at the house after plastic surgery. Fran can't resist snooping and discovers that it's Creator/{{Cher}}. Though she swears to keep it a secret, her next conversation with Val is loaded with hints ("There's only one soda, we'll have to ''share.''" "It's a bad neighborhood...full of gypsies, tramps and thieves").

*** Whoopi Goldberg: Herself (as [[Series/TheHollywoodSquares center square]]) and as a wedding photographer. To muddle things further, a lookalike also showed up in the second season episode "When you pish upon a star" acting as "Whoopi Goldberg".

* CityPeopleEatSushi: Although Fran is from the city, she's not exactly upperclass. When C.C. takes her out for sushi for the first time she's introduced to wasabi, which C.C. says is like mustard, which Fran loves, so she loads her sushi up with it. It knocks her on the floor, and when she gets back up she praises how it cleared up her sinuses [[AccentSlipUp sans her signature nasal accent]], but the effects don't last.

** Val on most occasions
** Most of the characters at one poin or another
** On several occasions, Niles tries to use an analogy to help advance the relationship between Fran and Maxwell, only of both of them to think he's being literal

* ExplainExplainOhCrap: In "Love is a Many Blundered Thing," Fran believes that an anonymous Valentine from a secret admirer is from Mr. Sheffield. While she waits in the ice cream parlor where they agreed to meet, someone enters...but it's one of Brighton's friends, suffering a PrecociousCrush. Fran remarks that it's very sweet of him to come, "but I'm waiting for Mr. Sheffield, and...he ain't coming because ''you're'' my secret admirer."

* HighSchoolHustler: Brighton shows shades of this once he actually gets to high school

* SlapSlapKiss: [[spoiler:Niles and C.C. They eventually do get married in Fran's DELIVERY ROOM]]

* StalkerWithACrush: C.C. shows shades of this towards Maxwell (as early as Season One, her therapist has diagnosed C.C. with being clinically obsessed with him). It gets much more severe after Fran and Maxwell announce [[spoiler: their engagement.]] Upon hearing the news, C.C. immediately starts twitching, attacks the messengers who brought her the news (she's holding one of their hats, torn to shreds, in the next scene), and actually ends up spending a few episodes in a mental asylum (in RealLife actress Lauren Lane was taking time off because she was about to give birth). She gets better by the end of the series though.

* TeamRocketWins: During the later seasons, C.C. would sometimes beat Niles in their games of wit.

* OnlyOneName: No one knows Niles' last name.
-->'''Fran''': Say, what ''is'' your last name?
-->'''Niles''': It's just Niles. Like Cher.
** Though in the finale, [[spoiler:as Niles marries his nemesis C.C. in Fran's delivery room]], he's referred to as [[spoiler:[[MeaningfulName Niles Butler]]]], and does not deny it.
** In another episode, C.C. introduces Niles as Niles [=DeButler=].

* LameRhymeDodge: Niles does this in "Danny’s Dead, and Who’s Got the Will?", after he finally finds out what “The Thing” is.

** The 2014 Mexican telenovela ''Mi Corazon es Tuyo'' (based on a Spanish novella called ''Ana y Los 7'') also qualifies. The two series' plotlines and some of the characters' personalities are a lot alike; among the main differences include the fact that Isabela (who's a lot like C.C., but a more blatant ChildHater) is part of a full-fledged love triangle with her boss (the series' equivalent to Maxwell), Fernando, who in turn has a WillTheyOrWontThey situation with Ana (who is a pluckier Fran)... oh, and the fact that Ana leads a double life as an exotic dancer for much of the series, something Fran definitely didn't do.

* [[ArtisticLicense Artistic License – Film Distribution]]: The Season 4 premiere, “The Tart with Heart”, includes back-to-back throwaway jokes bridging Fran’s conversations with Sylvia and Maxwell about [[spoiler:Max taking back his turbulence-inspired declaration of love to Fran from the previous episode]], in which she uses her feminine wiles off-screen to convince cable repairmen at their houses to install Creator/{{Cinemax}} (for Sylvia) and Creator/TheMovieChannel (for Maxwell) for free. The joke’s second use has Fran imply she did this to get TMC installed at the Sheffield house when asking Max (who states he didn’t have the premium channel beforehand) to join the rest of the family to watch an airing of ''Film/{{Twister}}''. The episode first aired on September 18, 1996,[[note]](right as the film was transitioning into its secondary [i.e., discount cinema] theatrical run)[[/note]] only '''''four months''''' after ''Twister'' was released in theaters on May 10. (Most theatrical movies typically premiere on premium cable between nine and 12 months after their initial release.) Also, the film’s North American distributor, Creator/WarnerBros, was[=/=]is co-owned with Creator/{{HBO}} and Cinemax (the largest of TMC and parent service Creator/{{Showtime}}’s pay-cable rivals), and has a long-standing deal (signed in 1986, three years before original HBO/Cinemax owner Time Inc.’s merger with Warner Communications) to air all of its recent films exclusively on the two networks during their initial pay-cable telecast window.[[note]]In the U.S., ''Twister'' made its pay-cable debut on HBO in April 1997 [toward the end of Season 4], eleven months after its initial release and just 10 days after it became the first-ever DVD release. Creator/UniversalStudios (which had a pay-cable exhibition deal with Creator/{{Starz}} at the time) held international distribution rights to the film.[[/note]]

* BaitAndSwitch: In the episode when Fran and C.C. are on jury duty, they're listening to Vincenzo's testimony. He talks about how she snuck into his room in the middle of the night and "chopped it all off" (remember this took place not too long after the John Wayne Bobbitt story.) Fran and C.C. are both horrified, but they get a little suspicious when he wonders if it'll ever grow back. At that point, he pulls off his wig and they realize he meant his hair.

* BigWhat: Niles has this reaction in “Danny’s Dead and Who’s Got the Will?” after finally discovering what "The Thing" is.

* BornInAnElevator: Subverted. Fran’s water broke when she and C.C. were trapped in one, but they managed to get out and get her to the hospital in time.

* BrickJoke: In 'My Fair Nanny', at the start Fran tells Maggie to wrap the best grab bag present in aluminium foil so she knows which one it is. At the end, Maggie tells Fran to take the first grab bag present - guess which one she gets.

* CargoShip: Unique in that it's the cargo initiating, in this case [[Series/LambChopsPlayAlong Lamb Chop]] in "[[Recap/TheNannyS2E20LambChopsOnTheMenu Lamb Chop's On The Menu]]" - to the point that when she insists on a "private meeting" with Max, even ''Shari Lewis'' isn't invited.

* {{Commune}}: Fran's descriptions of her exciting adventures on a kibbutz in Israel as a teen - which she's looking at through a NostalgiaFilter - makes older daughter Maggie to want to go, despite the fact that she isn't Jewish.

* {{Corpsing}}: Reaches ''Series/TheCarolBurnettShow'' levels at times. Most notably during the gential shaving scene in "A Close Shave".

* CrossThrough: "Where's the Pearls?" was the first part of an ongoing plot across four different shows - the other three were ''Can't Hurry Love'' (episode: "The Elizabeth Taylor Episode" / "Liz Taylor Show"), ''Series/MurphyBrown'' (episode: "Trick or Retreat") and ''High Society'' (episode: "The Family Jewels") - that all aired the night of February 26, 1996, involving Fran losing Elizabeth Taylor's pearls and the search lasting through the other shows until they were recovered in the fourth and final episode of the event.

* DaytimeDramaQueen: In one episode Niles and C.C. become addicted to a Spanish soap opera. Even if you don't speak Spanish you can probably hazard a guess that it's SoapWithinAShow variety.
-->'''Man on TV''': ¡Carmencita, [[BigNo No!]] (Musical Sting) **Gunshot**

* EvilLaugh: C.C. has one that's actually fairly impressive - usually happens when she's sneering over someone or during those brief moments where she gets one over on Niles. It often seamlessly devolves into tears as C.C.'s plans go awry.

* GradeSkipper: When Niles learned Valerie's age, Fran tried to prevent him from using this to figure out hers by claiming she had skipped a few grades. When it didn't work, Fran said Valerie was HeldBackInSchool. That Niles could believe.

** Also, Maxwell writes a novel in which every character is a slightly-changed version of a character from the show (The hero is a single father with a sexy governess for his three children).

* HonorableMarriageProposal: Played with - there isn't an actual proposal, but due to a MissConception Grace (who is about 7 years old) thinks she's pregnant, and her friend Willy who allegedly impregnated her makes plans to quit grade school and get a job to support them.

-->'''Maxwell:''' Just think of it as driving down a country lane, with a few potholes-- (THUMP!) What the ''bloody hell was that?!!''

** In later seasons these imagine spots appear more frequently, often as tributes to particular genres (e.g. FilmNoir) or other shows (e.g. Series/Dynasty1981)

** In an earlier episode, Sylvia is berating Fran for letting her work interfere too much with her private time (which, to Sylvia, is "find a man and get married" time.) Frustrated, Fran then says that she did meet someone: an investment banker work zillions. She then mentioned that the one condition was that she had to sign a pre-nup. As Sylvia collapses in a faint, Fran then retorts, [[CoolAndUnusualPunishment "See Ma, I could kill you if I want."]]

* RichInDollarsPoorInSense: The Sheffields, or any of the {{Blue Blood}}s for that matter, often lack common sense and need to be schooled by Fran. The kids have an excuse, they are growing up and need parental guidance, the adults . . . not so much.

* SheIsAllGrownUp: Creator/MadelineZima (Gracie)....certainly...[[https://web.archive.org/web/20140923175426/http://www.fhm.com/imgs/307/409/0/original/Main200901301156071208153_Madelinezimaprofilepic.jpgx grew up]]...

** The 2014 Mexican telenovela ''Mi Corazon es Tuyo'' (based on a Spanish novela called ''Ana y Los 7'') also qualifies. The two series' plotlines and some of the characters' personalities are a lot alike; among the main differences include the fact that Isabela (who's a lot like C.C., but a more blatant ChildHater) is part of a full-fledged love triangle with her boss (the series' equivalent to Maxwell), Fernando, who in turn has a WillTheyOrWontThey situation with Ana (who is a pluckier Fran)... oh, and the fact that Ana leads a double life as an exotic dancer for much of the series, something Fran definitely didn't do.
** ABC's 2010 sitcom ''Melissa & Joey'' shares the same premise but inverts the roles, with the female part of the main couple being a rich and successful professional who hires the male as a nanny after he's fired from his job and publically disgraced.

* WhyWasteAWedding: Jocelyn is set to marry Nigel...but is really in love with Lester, her chauffeur. The two of them figure this out on time- and get married on the day that was supposed to be her wedding to Nigel!

* [[ArtisticLicense Artistic License – Film Distribution]]: The Season 4 premiere, “The Tart with Heart”, includes back-to-back throwaway jokes bridging Fran’s conversations with Sylvia and Maxwell about [[spoiler:Max taking back his turbulence-inspired declaration of love to Fran from the previous episode]], in which she uses her feminine wiles off-screen to convince cable repairmen at their houses to install Creator/{{Cinemax}} (for Sylvia) and Creator/TheMovieChannel (for Maxwell) for free. The joke’s second use has Fran imply she did this to get TMC installed at the Sheffield house when asking Max (who states he didn’t have the premium channel beforehand) to join the rest of the family to watch an airing of ''Film/{{Twister}}''. The episode first aired on September 18, 1996,[[note]](right as the film was transitioning into its secondary [i.e., discount cinema] theatrical run)[[/note]] whereas ''Twister'' had only been released theatrically '''''four months earlier''''' on May 10. (Most theatrical movies typically premiere on premium cable between nine and 12 months after their initial release.) Also, the film’s North American distributor, Creator/WarnerBros, was[=/=]is co-owned with Creator/{{HBO}} and Cinemax (the largest of TMC and parent service Creator/{{Showtime}}’s pay-cable rivals), and has a long-standing deal (signed in 1986, three years before original HBO/Cinemax owner Time Inc.’s merger with Warner Communications) to air all of its recent films exclusively on the two networks during their initial pay-cable telecast window.[[note]]In the U.S., ''Twister'' made its pay-cable debut on HBO in April 1997 [toward the end of Season 4], eleven months after its initial release and just 10 days after it became the first-ever DVD release. Creator/UniversalStudios (which had a pay-cable exhibition deal with Creator/{{Starz}} at the time) held international distribution rights to the film.[[/note]]

* [[ArtisticLicense Artistic License – Film Distribution]]: The Season 4 premiere, “The Tart with Heart”, includes back-to-back throwaway jokes bridging Fran’s conversations with Sylvia and Maxwell about [[spoiler:Max taking back his turbulence-inspired declaration of love to Fran from the previous episode]], in which she uses her feminine wiles off-screen to convince cable repairmen at their houses to install Creator/{{Cinemax}} (for Sylvia) and Creator/TheMovieChannel (for Maxwell) for free. The joke’s second use has Fran imply she did this to get TMC installed at the Sheffield house when asking Max (who states he didn’t have the premium channel beforehand) to join the rest of the family to watch an airing of ''Film/{{Twister}}''. The episode first aired on September 18, 1996[[note]](right as the film was transitioning into its secondary [i.e., discount cinema] theatrical run)[[/note]], whereas ''Twister'' had only been released theatrically '''''four months earlier''''' on May 10. (Most theatrical movies typically premiere on premium cable between nine and 12 months after their initial release.) Also, the film’s North American distributor, Creator/WarnerBros, was[=/=]is co-owned with Creator/{{HBO}} and Cinemax (the largest of TMC and parent service Creator/{{Showtime}}’s pay-cable rivals), and has a long-standing deal (signed in 1986, three years before original HBO/Cinemax owner Time Inc.’s merger with Warner Communications) to air all of its recent films exclusively on the two networks during their initial pay-cable telecast window.[[note]]In the U.S., ''Twister'' made its pay-cable debut on HBO in April 1997 [toward the end of Season 4], eleven months after its initial release and just 10 days after it became the first-ever DVD release. Creator/UniversalStudios (which had a pay-cable exhibition deal with Creator/{{Starz}} at the time) held international distribution rights to the film.[[/note]]

* [[ArtisticLicense Artistic License – Film Distribution]]: The Season 4 premiere, “The Tart with Heart”, includes back-to-back throwaway jokes bridging Fran’s conversations with Sylvia and Maxwell about [[spoiler:Max taking back his turbulence-inspired declaration of love to Fran from the previous episode]], in which she uses her feminine wiles off-screen to convince cable repairmen at their houses to install Creator/{{Cinemax}} (for Sylvia) and Creator/TheMovieChannel (for Maxwell) for free. The joke’s second use has Fran imply she did this to get TMC installed at the Sheffield house when asking Max (who states he didn’t have the premium channel beforehand) to join the rest of the family to watch an airing of ''Film/{{Twister}}''. The episode first aired on September 18, 1996 (right as the film was transitioning into its secondary [i.e., discount cinema] theatrical run), whereas ''Twister'' had only been released theatrically '''''four months earlier''''' on May 10. (Most theatrical movies typically premiere on premium cable between nine and 12 months after their initial release.) Also, the film’s North American distributor, Creator/WarnerBros, was[=/=]is co-owned with Creator/{{HBO}} and Cinemax (the largest of TMC and parent service Creator/{{Showtime}}’s pay-cable rivals), and has a long-standing deal (signed in 1986, three years before original HBO/Cinemax owner Time Inc.’s merger with Warner Communications) to air all of its recent films exclusively on the two networks during their initial pay-cable telecast window.[[note]]In the U.S., ''Twister'' made its pay-cable debut on HBO in April 1997 [toward the end of Season 4], eleven months after its initial release and just 10 days after it became the first-ever DVD release. Creator/UniversalStudios (which had a pay-cable exhibition deal with Creator/{{Starz}} at the time) held international distribution rights to the film.[[/note]]

* [[ArtisticLicense Artistic License – Film Distribution]]: The Season 4 premiere, “The Tart with Heart”, includes back-to-back throwaway jokes bridging Fran’s conversations with Sylvia and Maxwell about [[spoiler:Max taking back his turbulence-inspired declaration of love to Fran from the previous episode]], in which she uses her feminine wiles off-screen to convince cable repairmen at their houses to install Creator/{{Cinemax}} (for Sylvia) and Creator/TheMovieChannel (for Maxwell) for free. The joke’s second use has Fran imply she did this to get TMC installed at the Sheffield house when asking Max (who states he didn’t have TMC beforehand) to join the rest of the family to watch an airing of ''Film/{{Twister}}''. The episode first aired on September 18, 1996 (right as the film was transitioning into its secondary [i.e., discount cinema] theatrical run), whereas ''Twister'' had only been released theatrically '''''four months earlier''''' on May 10. (Most theatrical movies typically premiere on premium cable between nine and 12 months after their initial release.) Also, the film’s North American distributor, Creator/WarnerBros, was[=/=]is co-owned with Creator/{{HBO}} and Cinemax (the largest of TMC and parent service Creator/{{Showtime}}’s pay-cable rivals), and has a long-standing deal (signed in 1986, three years before original HBO/Cinemax owner Time Inc.’s merger with Warner Communications) to air all of its recent films exclusively on the two networks during their initial pay-cable telecast window.[[note]]In the U.S., ''Twister'' made its pay-cable debut on HBO in April 1997 [toward the end of Season 4], eleven months after its initial release and just 10 days after it became the first-ever DVD release. Creator/UniversalStudios (which had a pay-cable exhibition deal with Creator/{{Starz}} at the time) held international distribution rights to the film.[[/note]]

* [[ArtisticLicense Artistic License – Film Distribution]]: “The Tart with Heart” features back-to-back throwaway jokes bridging Fran’s conversations with Sylvia and Maxwell about [[spoiler:Max taking back his turbulence-inspired declaration of love to Fran from the previous episode]], in which she uses her feminine wiles off-screen to convince cable repairmen at their houses to install Creator/{{Cinemax}} (for Sylvia) and Creator/TheMovieChannel (for Maxwell) for free. The second use of the joke has Fran infer to Max she did this to get TMC (which Max states he didn’t have beforehand) installed at the Sheffield house when asking him to join the rest of the family to watch an airing of ''Film/{{Twister}}''. The episode first aired as the Season 4 premiere on September 18, 1996, only four months after ''Twister'' was released theatrically on May 10 of that year (and right as the film was transitioning into its secondary [i.e., discount cinema] theatrical run). Also, the film’s North American distributor, Creator/WarnerBros, was[=/=]is co-owned with Creator/{{HBO}} and Cinemax (the largest of TMC and parent service Creator/{{Showtime}}’s pay-cable rivals), and has a long-standing deal (signed in 1986, three years before original HBO/Cinemax owner Time Inc.’s merger with Warner Communications) to air all of its recent films exclusively on the two networks during their initial pay-cable telecast window. (Most theatrical movies are released on premium cable between nine and 12 months after their initial release.)[[note]]In the U.S., ''Twister'' made its pay-cable debut on HBO in April 1997 [toward the end of Season 4], eleven months after its initial release and just 10 days after it became the first-ever DVD release. Creator/UniversalStudios (which had a pay-cable exhibition deal with Creator/{{Starz}} at the time) held international distribution rights to the film.[[/note]]

* [[ArtisticLicense Artistic License – Film Distribution]]: “The Tart with Heart” features back-to-back throwaway jokes bridging Fran’s conversations with Sylvia and Maxwell about [[spoiler:Max taking back his turbulence-inspired declaration of love to Fran from the previous episode]], in which she uses her feminine wiles off-screen to convince cable repairmen at their houses to install Creator/{{Cinemax}} (for Sylvia) and Creator/TheMovieChannel (for Maxwell) for free. The second use of the joke has Fran infer to Max she did this to get TMC (which Max states he didn’t have beforehand) installed at the Sheffield house when asking him to join the rest of the family to watch an airing of ''Film/{{Twister}}''. The episode first aired as the Season 4 premiere on September 18, 1996, only four months after ''Twister'' was released theatrically on May 10 of that year (and right as the film was transitioning into its secondary [i.e., discount cinema] theatrical run). Also, the film’s North American distributor, Creator/WarnerBros, was[=/=]is co-owned with Creator/{{HBO}} and Cinemax (the largest of TMC and parent service Creator/{{Showtime}}’s pay-cable rivals), and has a long-standing deal (signed in 1986, three years before original HBO/Cinemax owner Time Inc.’s merger with Warner Communications) to air all of its recent films exclusively on the two networks during their initial pay-cable telecast window.[[note]]In the U.S., ''Twister'' made its pay-cable debut on HBO in April 1997 [toward the end of Season 4], eleven months after its initial release and just 10 days after it became the first-ever DVD release. (Most theatrical movies are released on premium cable between nine and 12 months after their initial release.) Creator/UniversalStudios (which had a pay-cable exhibition deal with Creator/{{Starz}} at the time) held international distribution rights to the film.[[/note]]

* ArtisticLicense: “The Tart with Heart” features back-to-back throwaway jokes bridging Fran’s conversations with Sylvia and Maxwell about [[spoiler:Max taking back his turbulence-inspired declaration of love to Fran from the previous episode]], in which she uses her feminine wiles off-screen to convince cable repairmen at their houses to install Creator/{{Cinemax}} (for Sylvia) and Creator/TheMovieChannel (for Maxwell) for free. The second use of the joke has Fran infer to Max she did this to get TMC (which Max states he didn’t have beforehand) installed at the Sheffield house when asking him to join the rest of the family to watch an airing of ''Film/{{Twister}}''. The episode first aired as the Season 4 premiere on September 18, 1996, only four months after ''Twister'' was released theatrically on May 10 of that year (and right as the film was transitioning into its secondary [i.e., discount cinema] theatrical run). Also, the film’s North American distributor, Creator/WarnerBros, was[=/=]is co-owned with Creator/{{HBO}} and Cinemax (the largest of TMC and parent service Creator/{{Showtime}}’s pay-cable rivals), and has a long-standing deal (signed in 1986, three years before original HBO/Cinemax owner Time Inc.’s merger with Warner Communications) to air all of its recent films exclusively on the two networks during their initial pay-cable telecast window.[[note]]In the U.S., ''Twister'' made its pay-cable debut on HBO in April 1997 [toward the end of Season 4], eleven months after its initial release and just 10 days after it became the first-ever DVD release. (Most theatrical movies are released on premium cable between nine and 12 months after their initial release.) Creator/UniversalStudios (which had a pay-cable exhibition deal with Creator/{{Starz}} at the time) held international distribution rights to the film.[[/note]]

* ArtisticLicense: “The Tart with Heart” features back-to-back throwaway jokes bridging Fran’s conversations with Sylvia and Maxwell about [[spoiler:Max taking back his turbulence-inspired declaration of love to Fran from the previous episode]], in which she uses her feminine wiles off-screen to convince cable repairmen at their houses to install Creator/{{Cinemax}} (for Sylvia) and Creator/TheMovieChannel (for Maxwell) for free. The second use of the joke has Fran infer to Max she did this to get TMC (which Max states he didn’t have beforehand) installed at the Sheffield house when asking him to join the rest of the family to watch an airing of ''Film/{{Twister}}''. The episode first aired as the Season 4 premiere on September 18, 1996, only four months after ''Twister'' was released theatrically on May 10 of that year (and right as the film was transitioning into its secondary [i.e., discount cinema] theatrical run). Also, the film’s North American distributor, Creator/WarnerBros, was[=/=]is co-owned with Creator/{{HBO}} and Cinemax (the largest of TMC and parent service Creator/{{Showtime}}’s pay-cable rivals), and has a long-standing deal (signed in 1986, three years before original HBO/Cinemax owner Time Inc.’s merger with Warner Communications) to release all of its newer theatrical films exclusively on the two networks during their pay-cable telecast window.[[note]]In the U.S., ''Twister'' made its pay-cable debut on HBO in April 1997 [toward the end of Season 4], eleven months after its initial release and just 10 days after it became the first-ever DVD release. (Most theatrical movies are released on premium cable between nine and 12 months after their initial release.) Creator/UniversalStudios (which had a pay-cable exhibition deal with Creator/{{Starz}} at the time) held international distribution rights to the film.[[/note]]

* ArtisticLicense: “The Tart with Heart” features back-to-back throwaway jokes bridging Fran’s conversations with Sylvia and Maxwell about [[spoiler:Max taking back his turbulence-inspired declaration of love to Fran from the previous episode]], in which she uses her feminine wiles off-screen to convince cable repairmen at their houses to install Creator/{{Cinemax}} (for Sylvia) and Creator/TheMovieChannel (for Maxwell) for free. The second use of the joke has Fran infer to Max she did this to get TMC (which Max states he didn’t have beforehand) installed at the Sheffield house when asking him to join the rest of the family to watch an airing of ''Film/{{Twister}}''. The episode first aired as the Season 4 premiere on September 18, 1996, only four months after ''Twister'' was released theatrically on May 10 of that year (and right as the film was transitioning into its secondary [i.e., discount cinema] theatrical run). Also, the film’s North American distributor, Creator/WarnerBros, was[=/=]is co-owned with Creator/{{HBO}} and Cinemax (the largest of TMC and parent service Creator/{{Showtime}}’s pay-cable rivals), and has a long-standing deal (signed in 1986, three years before original HBO/Cinemax owner Time Inc.’s merger with Warner Communications) to release all of its newer theatrical films exclusively on the two networks once they reach their pay-cable telecast window.[[note]]In the U.S., ''Twister'' made its pay-cable debut on HBO in April 1997 [toward the end of Season 4], eleven months after its initial release and just 10 days after it became the first-ever DVD release. (Most theatrical movies are released on premium cable between nine and 12 months after their initial release.) Creator/UniversalStudios (which had a pay-cable exhibition deal with Creator/{{Starz}} at the time) held international distribution rights to the film.[[/note]]

* ArtisticLicense: “The Tart with Heart” features back-to-back throwaway jokes bridging Fran’s conversations with Sylvia and Maxwell about [[spoiler:Max taking back his turbulence-inspired declaration of love to Fran from the previous episode]], in which she uses her feminine wiles off-screen to convince cable repairmen at their houses to install Creator/{{Cinemax}} (for Sylvia) and Creator/TheMovieChannel (for Maxwell) for free. The second use of the joke has Fran infer to Max she did this to get TMC (which Max states he didn’t have beforehand) installed at the Sheffield house when asking him to join the rest of the family to watch an airing of ''Film/{{Twister}}''. The episode first aired as the Season 4 premiere on September 18, 1996, only four months after ''Twister'' was released theatrically on May 10 of that year (and right as the film was transitioning into its secondary [i.e., discount cinema] theatrical run). Also, the film’s North American distributor, Creator/WarnerBros, was[=/=]is co-owned with Creator/{{HBO}} and Cinemax (the largest of TMC and parent service Creator/{{Showtime}}’s pay-cable rivals), and has a long-standing exclusive deal (signed in 1986, three years before original HBO/Cinemax owner Time Inc.’s merger with Warner Communications) to release all of its newer theatrical films on the two networks once they reach their pay-cable telecast window.[[note]]In the U.S., ''Twister'' made its pay-cable debut on HBO in April 1997 [toward the end of Season 4], eleven months after its initial release and just 10 days after it became the first-ever DVD release. (Most theatrical movies are released on premium cable between nine and 12 months after their initial release.) Creator/UniversalStudios (which had a pay-cable exhibition deal with Creator/{{Starz}} at the time) held international distribution rights to the film.[[/note]]

* ArtisticLicense: “The Tart with Heart” features back-to-back throwaway jokes bridging Fran’s conversations with Sylvia and Maxwell about [[spoiler:Max taking back his turbulence-inspired declaration of love to Fran from the previous episode]], in which she uses her feminine wiles off-screen to convince cable repairmen at their houses to install Creator/{{Cinemax}} (for Sylvia) and Creator/TheMovieChannel (for Maxwell) for free. The second use of the joke has Fran infer to Max she did this to get TMC (which Max states he didn’t have beforehand) installed at the Sheffield house when asking him to join the rest of the family to watch an airing of ''Film/{{Twister}}''. The episode first aired as the Season 4 premiere on September 18, 1996, only four months after ''Twister'' was released theatrically on May 10 of that year (and right as the film was transitioning into its secondary [i.e., discount cinema] theatrical run). Also, the film’s North American distributor, Creator/WarnerBros, was[=/=]is co-owned with Creator/{{HBO}} and Cinemax (the largest of TMC and parent service Creator/{{Showtime}}’s pay-cable rivals), and has an exclusive deal (signed in 1986, three years before original HBO/Cinemax owner Time Inc.’s merger with Warner Communications) to release all of its newer theatrical films on the two networks once they reach their pay-cable telecast window.[[note]]In the U.S., ''Twister'' made its pay-cable debut on HBO in April 1997 [toward the end of Season 4], eleven months after its initial release and just 10 days after it became the first-ever DVD release. (Most theatrical movies are released on premium cable between nine and 12 months after their initial release.) Creator/UniversalStudios (which had a pay-cable exhibition deal with Creator/{{Starz}} at the time) held international distribution rights to the film.[[/note]]