Before Debra Messing was Grace in Will & Grace, she was Stacey in the short-lived comedy Ned and Stacey; before Thomas Haden Church was nominated for an Oscar for his performance in Sideways, he played the leading male character, Ned, in the same series. The show ran in 1995 on the FOX Network, but sadly only lasted two seasons. Now with 24 episodes on three discs, fans can watch the full first season of the canceled television show and see Messing and Church’s earlier beginnings in Ned and Stacey—The Complete First Season.

THE SHOW
The narrated intro at the beginning of each episode explains the show’s basic premise. He needed a wife to get a promotion; she needed an apartment to get a life and move out of her parents home. So, what the heck? They up and got married. But in name only. The intro also warns viewers, “the only thing we have in common is that we irritate each other, right, enjoy the show.”

Although the plot seems implausible, their marriage of conveyance works and it’s pretty amusing seeing two people forced together under such circumstances. Set in New York City, the show is at times like a male/female version of The Odd Couple, Stacey being the messy free spirit and Ned the insensitive, anal-retentive roommate. Yet, opposites attract and they begrudgingly develop feelings for one another as the series progresses.

Ned Dorsey works as an advertising executive and is often shown coming up with slogans for different products, even unmarketable items like sponges where he desperately says, “Sponges: taste damn spongy.” Stacey Colbert, meanwhile, is a journalist for an in-flight magazine, who hopes to write for more accomplished publications. Messing’s character is very similar to her role as Grace, but Stacey is a bit more of a ditzy screw up, yet endearing. At the same time, Church does a ‘180’ from his sweet, dimwitted role as Lowell on Wings and, instead, plays a selfish, manipulative, egomaniac that is still somehow able to be an oddly charming and funny character, despite his obvious faults.

The cast also includes Greg Germann (Ally McBeal) as Ned’s lovable but nerdy friend, Eric a.k.a. Rico, who is married to Stacey’s older sister Amanda, played by Nadia Dajani.

Guest appearances by Olivia Newton-John, Jason Bateman, Kathy Griffin, John O’Hurley and model Paulina Porizkova are in the first season. FYI: Megan Mullally, who now plays Karen on Will & Grace with Messing, appears in the second season.

THE EPISODES
Standout episodes include: “Saul and Ellen and Ned and Stacey,” where Ned and Stacey have to do some quick shuffling when Stacey's parents, Saul and Ellen, who believe their daughter is happily married, drop by while the “newlyweds” each have a date over. Of course their dates end up hitting it off and leaving with one another instead. Ned, however, is more excited about spending time with his in-laws than with his date.

In “Friends and Lovers,” Ned is forced to cancel a date with a sure thing when Stacey asks him to act like the perfect husband for her visiting high school archrival. Her friend, however, has not lost her competitive nature and tries seducing Ned in the cab ride home.

A gay client of Ned's accidentally discovers that the couple has separate bedrooms and becomes convinced that Ned is not out of the closet in "The Gay Caballeros." The client threatens to not do business with Ned anymore if he continues to live a lie. So, in order to keep the account Ned pretends that Eric is his life partner and attends an all male Mardi Gras party, where the couple dances to “It’s Raining Men” and a slow love song.

One of the unique parts about the series is that most episodes end with an earlier scene that is reenacted differently, with something crazy happening instead while the end credits roll by. The new version of a previous scene is often bizarre and usually includes a cast member dying in some wacky way related to what happened earlier in the episode.

AUDIO AND VISUALS
The episodes in the set have been re-mastered in high definition Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Sound and are presented in televised Full Screen (1.33:1) format. Audio is available in English only. Run time is approximately 535 minutes for the set.

PACKAGING AND LAYOUT
Two slim plastic cases, containing 3 discs, come in a cardboard case. Titles and descriptions are printed on the back of each case. Also inside is a sheet that lists each episode and who is in it.

Menu navigation is easy to use but rather plain looking.

SPECIAL FEATURES
Fortunately the season one set does come with a few bonus features to commemorate the show and give an inside look. Sadly, there are not many:

• Featurette – This is a 20-minute retrospective that features interviews with Thomas Haden Church and Debra Messing, as well as responses from the rest of the cast and its writers and producers. It’s nice to hear how well everyone seemed to have gotten along and how they admire one another’s skills. Stories include how the cast was selected and how they would break out of character from time to time, causing bloopers – a couple of which are shown in this featurette.
• Audio commentary for the pilot episode with the show's director 10 years later. More insight into the show’s development and creation can be found in this commentary. Unfortunately neither star is part of the audio commentary. There are a few ah and ums, but overall, the commentary is interesting; there aren’t many silences either. According to the director, they re-shot the pilot after the cast had dinner and a few beers so that it felt more relaxed than its original run through in front of the audience. He adds that all the recorded laughs are in fact genuine and not manufactured. It’s also revealed that the actors who played Stacey’s mom and dad are both deceased now.
• Previews are included under the Special Features menu and include trailers for Creature Comforts: The Complete First Season, King of Queens, NewsRadio and The Partridge Family on DVD.

TO SUM UP
Ned and Stacey is an edgy and enjoyable comedy, one that should have been on the air much longer than it was. I only hope that this DVD release is successful and prompts more canceled shows being released on DVD in the future, especially the even funnier second season of Ned and Stacey.

DVD Show Season Score: B
DVD Sound & Vision: A
DVD Packaging/Layout: B+
DVD Special Features Score: B
DVD Show Collection Overall Score: B+