NEED TO KNOW
Fran Drescher is opening up about the project she wishes had gone the distance.
The actress, 68, who was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Sept. 30, has enjoyed great success in several roles, but tells PEOPLE there is one character she wishes she could have done more with.
“It’s too bad that TV Land took Happily Divorced off after only 36 episodes,” she shares, blaming a “poor business model” for the show’s slow start.
“I did point it out to them, but they didn’t want to hear it. But ultimately, I was proved correct,” Drescher shares.
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“Two years later, I ran into one of the executives, and they said, ‘If it’s any consolation, that’s like the big regret at TV Land. That shouldn’t have been canceled. That shouldn’t have gone away. It was so good.’ ”
Drescher says she felt like the show was “finding its own” and knew it would take sponsors a little longer to latch on than they might with a show centering around a more traditional cast of characters.
“If you have limited money, you can’t pay for a series with the hopes that you’ll be able to syndicate it or advance sell it before you start running out of money,” she notes.
The series followed a florist named Fran, played by Drescher, after her marriage of 18 years ended when her husband revealed he was gay. However, due to finances, the former couple continues living together.
“This was a couple that still loved each other, but he’s gay. It was going to take a little bit longer than 36 episodes to sell. Not to find the audience, because everybody loved it,” she adds.
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Drescher shares that some fans have come to appreciate the show’s short run as much, if not more, than her breakout series, The Nanny.
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“People, to this day, say, ‘I liked it better than The Nanny. Why did they take that off?'” she says.
“It’s unfortunate that we didn’t get an opportunity to do that longer because it had something to say. The global message was: Everyone has a right to live an authentic life and love is love.”
Happily Divorced aired in 2011 and ended just two years later. Along with Drescher, the show featured John Michael Higgins, Valente Rodriguez, Tichina Arnold, Rita Moreno and more.
The series is available to stream on Paramount+.
