The show performed poorly in its first year. When it was almost canceled, Sagansky stepped in. According to Jacobson: "At all those affiliate meetings, he used to say, 'Stick by "The Nanny"!' He knew it was something special." The sitcom was the first new show delivered to CBS for the 1993 season. It was the highest-tested pilot at the network in years. The series was also very successful internationally. In Australia, it was one of the highest-rated programs during the mid-to-late 1990s.