There was a time, though little remembered now, when Debra Messing wasn't quite the desperately annoying woman-child of Will & Grace, but rather the mildly irritating stereotypical New York neurotic Stacey, who marries pompous ass Ned (Thomas Haden Church) merely to live in his fabulous, rent-controlled apartment overlooking Central Park (he needs a trophy wife to advance his advertising career). This 1995 debut season of the sitcom that's generally considered the predecessor to Will & Grace suffers from the standard problems plaguing American sitcoms—obviousness and crudity, for starters—but it is saved by Church, who maintains a wicked cynicism throughout all 24 episodes here, refusing to bow to the sentimental tendencies of the format. DVD extras are limited to audio commentary on the pilot and a 20-minute featurette that includes interviews with Messing and Church. Optional. (M. Johanson)
Ned and Stacey: The Complete First Season
Sony, 3 discs, 535 min., not rated, DVD: $39.95 Volume 20, Issue 6
Ned and Stacey: The Complete First Season
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