Ned and Stacey

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Ned and Stacey
Main cast
Created byMichael J. Weithorn
StarringThomas Haden Church
Debra Messing
Greg Germann
Nadia Dajani
ComposerKurt Farquhar
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes46 (11 unaired) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producerMichael J. Weithorn
ProducersW.E. Baker
Del Shores (season 1)
Rob Schiller (season 2)
Charlie Kaufman (season 2)
CinematographyKenneth Peach Jr.
EditorsJohn Neal (season 1)
John Doutt (season 2)
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time30 minutes
Production companiesHanley Productions
TriStar Television
Original release
NetworkFox
ReleaseSeptember 11, 1995 (1995-09-11) –
January 27, 1997 (1997-01-27)

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 lasted two seasons, airing on Fox
from September 11, 1995, to January 27, 1997.

Eleven episodes remained unaired during the series' original run.

Premise

For Ned Dorsey (Church) to get a promotion at the ad agency where he works, he needs a wife. Stacey Colbert (Messing) is desperate to move out of her parents' house and find a place to live in New York City but cannot afford an apartment as a freelance journalist. So Stacey reluctantly agrees to pretend to be Ned's wife.

The first season revolved around Ned and Stacey's adjustment to their new situation, while they attempt to make their marriage appear real while dating 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 introduction does not appear in the first few episodes.

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

Thomas Haden Church as Ned Dorsey
An uptight advertising executive, he marries Stacey to get a promotion. Ned is initially portrayed as a self-absorbed egomaniac who uses anyone to get ahead, but he 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.
Debra Messing as Stacey Colbert Dorsey
A beautiful, red-haired
freelance
journalist, but eventually lands a job writing for an airline magazine, Skyward. Messy and neurotic, she often plays as a counterbalance for Ned's more uptight nature. Eventually, Stacey falls in love with Ned, but the series was cancelled before this was further developed.
Greg Germann as Eric "Rico" Moyer
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 does not 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.
Nadia Dajani as Amanda Moyer (née Colbert)
Stacey's sister, and Eric's wife, she is openly critical of the fake marriage in general and Ned in particular. During season one, 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 two. Eric and she 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 Nielsen 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.
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 cancelled. In 2014, Mill Creek Entertainment acquired the rights to the series, and released two compilation discs of the show.

On June 7, 2017,

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

DVD Name Ep # Release Date
The Complete First Season 24 September 20, 2005
The Complete Series 46[2] September 26, 2017

References

  1. ^ 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
  2. ^ "Ned and Stacey: The Complete Series". Amazon. 26 September 2017.

Notes

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

External links