Ned (Thomas Haden Church) has a terrific job as an ad executive in Manhattan. But, alas, the big boss tells him that he can't promote him further up the ladder until he's a stable family man, with a wife. This is not what Ned wants to hear. Also working at the agency is accountant Eric (Greg Germann) who is married to the lovely but catty Amanda (Nadia Dajani). The two wedded folks decide to fix Ned up with Amanda's sister, Stacey (Debra Messing), a writer for a newspaper called the Soho News. The blind date, dinner for both couples, doesn't go well, as the ad man and the journalist are polar opposites. Not long after, Stacy sees one of Ned's ads and realizes he "stole" an idea she had thrown out in casual conversation. Miffed, Stacey heads to Ned's apartment, to tell him off. But, wait, Ned's digs, which he inherited from an alzheimers stricken aunt, is gorgeous and Stacey longs to get away from bunking with her parents. What if, she proposes, ha ha, to Ned, we get married, in name only? Neddie could get his promotion and Stacey could get her own room in a beautiful, well-situated apartment? It's a go! But, from day one, bickering goes back and forth, making everyone, including Eric and Amanda, wonder if the marriage will last. Then, too, just what are the ground rules about the twosome's romantic life? This series, which I probably missed from working two nights a week for years, is a delight. Church was fresh off his stint on Wings and Messing hadn't found stardom as part of Will and Grace but the duo works beautifully together. Church's dry wit and Messing's zaniness make for a very nice romantic comedy show. German and Dajani are also very funny and deft, as are the other supporting actors. In addition, Ned's apartment is quite glamorous, as are the costumes and alternate sets. Nice, too, is the script and timely direction. All fans of mixed-matched romantic love tales should try to add this one to their collections.

Church was supremely funny in this twisted comedy. The show was cancelled way before the story line was expended - a great disappointment. I have just discovered the reruns on cable and STILL enjoy them as much as I did the original run 6 years ago! You have to have a dark sense of humor to appreciate this comedy. Things between Ned and Stacey sometimes get vicious! The premise itself (Ned & Stacy marry so that he can obtain a promotion)just begins to touch upon how self involved and materialistic Ned is. With Messing's Stacy being sometimes ditzy, overreactive and overly sensitive, she becomes the perfect catalyst to put Ned completely over the edge. The situation itself is absurd, but if you accept that you can begin to imagine the many possible hilarious scenarios!!SPOILER: In one episode Stacy finds a bed that is perfect for her only to find out it's sold. Ned, for his own personal reasons, bribes the salesman. Stacy gets the bed, finds out about the bribe, HAS to return the bed because she feels she stole it from someone else. The store won't accept returns. Ned bribes the salesperson to take the bed back and now Stacy won't return the bed because of THAT bribe.

Ned and Stacey is the hetero version of "Will and Grace". Except it's actually funny. The premise is virtually identical, platonic co-habitation, the roles are virtually the same. Everything is played for laughs, no serious undercurrents, no position to take; just go for the joke. Neds self-absorption, Stacey's contempt for Ned, Amanda's contempt for humanity, Eric's sad-sack befuddlement, it all just works. They did an entire show about the down-on-his-luck Mr. Beveldere, for God's sake! Any real TV fan has to admire that. I can only imagine that the show was killed only because Thomas Hayden Church was just too far over the top for most people. I thought he was great but everyone I talk to absolutely *hated* him. But slap in Eric McCormack (who is undoubtedly a better actor, just too understated to really be funny), slap on a gay aspect to get some press and make it look like a different show, and problem solved.

I enjoy(ed) the show, both when it was on the air and in the reruns, but I must admit I get a little tired of Thomas Hayden Church's over-the-top performance sometimes. Debra Messing is, as always, a beautiful and refreshing presence on the screen, but you can at times sense that she is uncomfortable with the idea of the show. It is a decent destination for laughs, but it would have been very difficult to sustain the premise for much longer.Nadia Dajani and Greg Germann are a good supporting cast, as the sort of "Ralph and Alice" of the Gen-X crowd.