Ned and Stacey was a US television sitcom that aired on the FOX network from 1995 to 1997. It starred Thomas Haden Church and Debra Messing. The major thread of the series was that the two were brought together in a marriage of convenience—Ned Dorsey (Church) needed to be married to get a promotion at work, while Stacey Colbert (Messing) desperately needed a place to live and Ned had a very good apartment.
| Ned and Stacey | |
|---|---|
 Main cast of Ned and Stacey. | |
| Created by | Michael J. Weithorn |
| Starring | Thomas Haden Church Debra Messing Greg Germann Nadia Dajani |
| Country of origin | USA |
| No. of episodes | 46 |
| Production | |
| Running time | approx. 0:23 (per episode) |
| Original release | |
| Network | FOX |
| Release | September 11, 1995 – January 27, 1997 |
Ned and Stacey often socialized with Stacey's sister, Amanda (Nadia Dajani) and her husband, Eric (Greg Germann). Other recurring characters included Stacey's parents and Ned's boss.
Main cast
- Ned Dorsey, played by Thomas Haden Church
- Stacey Colbert, played by Debra Messing
- Eric "Rico" Moyer, played by Greg Germann
- Amanda Colbert, played by Nadia Dajani
Characters
Ned Dorsey
An obsessive-compulsive advertising executive, he marries Stacey in order to get a promotion. On the surface Ned is a self-absorbed egomaniac who uses anything and anyone to get ahead. However Ned also showed 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.
According to Stacey, Ned achieved a rapid rise to the top by breaking in and writing complimentary reports on his performance at work. He is normally well dressed and has an almost obsessive love for the TV series Mr. Belvedere.
Stacey Colbert Dorsey
A beautiful red-haired journalist who in the pilot is living at home. To get away from her parents she "marries" the cynical, cantankerous Ned - she wants to live in his apartment, he needs a wife in order to get a promotion. Eventually, Stacey falls in love with Ned, but the series was cancelled before this was further developed.
Stacey has a degree from Brandeis University but constantly struggles to land a decent job in journalism. During the series she works freelance before landing a job writing for a freebie airline journal Skyward.
Stacey's parents are Ellen and Saul. She has one sister, Amanda. During the series she is variously referred to (including by herself) as Stacey Colbert and Stacey Dorsey.
Stacey is later kicked out of the apartment by Ned after she is found completely naked with her school teacher lover in front of a group of clients, leading to the memorable explanation by Ned: "they're fraternal twins and... they frequently get together to re-enact their birth".
Amanda Moyer
Stacey's sister and Ned's sister-in-law. Amanda is openly critical of the fake marriage and of Ned in particular, especially as her husband is Ned's best friend. During the first season Amanda was working as a real estate agent. After a property investment with Ned goes wrong, she finds herself running a muffin store during the second season. She has one son, called Howard.
Eric Moyer
Called Rico by Ned. He is Ned's best friend and works as an accountant at Ned's advertising firm. He is slightly nerdy but in a good natured way. Eric's straight down the middle persona was often used as a counter balance to Ned's over-the-top antics. Eric is sometimes troubled by Ned's close relationship with their shared parents-in-law. Whereas Ned is an instant hit, Eric feels unable to really connect with them.
DVD Release
On September 20, 2005, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released Season 1 of Ned and Stacy on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time. It is unknown if Season 2 will be released at some point.
| Cover Art | DVD Name | Ep # | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| File:Ned and Stacy S1.jpg | Season 1 | 24 | September 20 2005 |
| Season 2 | 22 | TBA |
Trivia
The show was unusual for being largely recorded progressively at a frame rate of 30 frames per second. Most of the show's contemporaries were filmed at 24 frame/s (or used television hardware emulating film), or they were recorded at an interlaced 60 fields per second.