Ned and Stacey

Ned & Stacey (or Ned and Stacey) is an American sitcom created by Michael J. Weithorn, and starring Thomas Haden Church and Debra Messing as the titular couple. The series aired on Fox from September 11, 1995, to January 27, 1997, and lasted for two seasons before being cancelled.

Ned & Stacey
Main cast of Ned and Stacey
Created byMichael J. Weithorn
StarringThomas Haden Church
Debra Messing
Greg Germann
Nadia Dajani
Composer(s)Kurt Farquhar
Country of originUnited States
Original language(s)English
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes46 (11 unaired)[1] (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)Michael J. Weithorn
Producer(s)W.E. Baker
Del Shores (season 1)
Rob Schiller (season 2)
Charlie Kaufman (season 2)
CinematographyKenneth Peach Jr.
Editor(s)John Neal (season 1)
John Doutt (season 2)
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time30 minutes
Production company(s)Hanley Productions
TriStar Television
DistributorSony Pictures Television
Release
Original networkFox
Audio formatStereo
Original releaseSeptember 11, 1995 (1995-09-11) –
January 27, 1997 (1997-01-27)

Premise

Stacey Colbert (Messing) is desperate to move out of her parents house and find a place to live in New York City. However, as a freelance journalist, she can hardly make enough money to save for an apartment. One night, Stacey's sister Amanda (Nadia Dajani) and brother-in-law Eric (Greg Germann) set Stacey up with Eric's friend and co-worker Ned Dorsey (Church). Though Stacey is initially repulsed by the idea of dating Ned, she decides to agree to a scheme he's cooked up. In order for him to get a promotion at the ad agency he's employed at, he needs a wife. Stacey reluctantly agrees as she is desperate to move out of her parents' house, and Ned has a very good apartment.

The first season revolved around Ned and Stacey's adjustment to their new situation, while they attempt to make their marriage appear real and date other people. In the second season, Stacey moves out, and the two begin dating other people. Their constant bickering seems to evolve into something resembling a romance, but the series was cancelled before this could be fully developed.

Intro dialogue

(Spoken during the opening theme)
Ned: Why Stacey?
Stacey: Why Ned?
Ned: It was business.
Stacey: Strictly business.
Ned: Here's the deal – to get a promotion, I needed a wife.
Stacey: To get a life, I needed his apartment.
Ned: So what the hell, we up and got married.
Stacey: The only thing we have in common? We irritate each other.
Ned: Right! Enjoy the show.

This intro did not appear for the first episodes.

Episodes
Main article: List of Ned & Stacey episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
124September 11, 1995 (1995-09-11)April 1, 1996 (1996-04-01)
222[note 1]November 17, 1996 (1996-11-17)January 27, 1997 (1997-01-27)

Cast

Main
An uptight advertising executive. He marries Stacey in order to get a promotion. Ned is initially portrayed as a self-absorbed egomaniac who uses anyone to get ahead. However, Ned starts developing compassion and empathy for his friends, especially Stacey. Eventually, Ned falls in love with Stacey, but the series was cancelled before this was further developed.
A beautiful, red-haired journalist with a degree from Brandeis University. She marries Ned to get out of her parents' house and live in his apartment, which has a nice view of Central Park. She begins the show as a freelance journalist, but eventually lands a job writing for an airline magazine, Skyward. Messy and neurotic, she often plays as a counter-balance for Ned's more uptight nature. Eventually, Stacey falls in love with Ned, but the series was cancelled before this was further developed.
Stacey's brother-in-law, Amanda's husband, and Ned's best friend. He is an accountant at Ned's advertising firm. Called Rico by Ned, he is slightly nerdy in a good natured way, and his straight down-the-middle persona is often used to counter Ned's antics. Eric is a mellow person, who is always being used by Ned in his personal schemes. He doesn't mind it since he idolizes his friend. He seldom stands up for himself, and Amanda often steps in when things threaten to get out of hand. Ned is the only person to call him Rico.
Stacey's sister, and Eric's wife. She is openly critical of the fake marriage in general and Ned in particular. During Season 1, Amanda was working as a high-end real estate agent. After a property investment with Ned goes wrong, she finds herself running a muffin store, "Amanda's Amuffins," during Season 2. She and Eric have one son, named Howard. As opposed to Stacey, Amanda is strong, well-organized, and cynical. She loves Eric, and often pushes him around, but most often she does this to make him stand up for himself or act on otherwise lost opportunities.

Recurring

Notable guest stars

Note: relevant episode given in parentheses.

Ratings
Season Timeslot (EDT) Season Premiere Season Finale Season Rank Neilsen rating Ref
1 Monday 9:30 pm (1-12)
Monday 9:00 pm (13-24)		 September 11, 1995 (1995-09-11) April 1, 1996 (1996-04-01) 1995–96 121 6.0
2 Sunday 8:30 pm (1-7)
Monday 9:00 pm (8-11)		 November 17, 1996 (1996-11-17) January 27, 1997 (1997-01-27) 1996–97 108 6.1

Syndication

The series has been aired in the United Kingdom on channel Sony TV, which began airing the show on April 7, 2011, the day of the channel's launch. After its cancellation the show reran on the USA Network from 1999 to 2001. The show later reran on WE: Women's Entertainment from 2003 to 2005. TV Guide Network began airing reruns of the show on September 12, 2011. Oxygen also occasionally airs the show, usually on Thursday at 6am EST. In Australia, digital channel 7mate has been showing reruns of the series in 2011. In the United States, Rural TV began airing reruns on occasion. The show was last seen in 2015 on FamilyNet.

Home media

In September 2005, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released the first season of Ned and Stacey on DVD in Region 1. Due to low sales, season two's DVD release was canceled. In 2014, Mill Creek Entertainment acquired the rights to the series, and released two compilation discs of the show.

On June 7, 2017, it was announced that Shout! Factory had acquired the rights to the series. They subsequently released Ned and Stacey – The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1 on September 26, 2017.[2]

DVD Name Ep # Release Date
The Complete First Season 24 September 20, 2005
The Complete Series 46[1] September 26, 2017
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References
  1. https://www.amazon.com/Ned-Stacey-Complete-Debra-Messing/dp/B072QKGFW9/
  2. Ned and Stacey – The Complete Series on DVD...Including Unaired Episodes! Thomas Hayden Church and Debra Messing star in Shout! Factory's 6-disc set! Archived 2017-06-11 at the Wayback Machine TVShowsonDVD.com

Notes
  1. Eleven episodes remained unaired during the series' original run.
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