Ned and Stacey: The Complete Series - DVD Review

[Michael Scott]

Ned and Stacey: The Complete Series

Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score: ​

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Movie
I’ve almost become more excited for Shout Factory’s announcement of TV releases than I am of their horror films and new releases as of late. It seems that they’re on a roll rescuing sitcoms that just won’t come out from the major studios, or had a single first season released, and then ditched as fans beg for the remaining volumes to hit DVD (or Blu-ray if we’re really lucky). With The Nanny, Just Shoot me and now Ned and Stacey being completed after a decade + of languishing in limbo, I’m more ecstatic than before (if they somehow can get the rights for Dharma and Greg, or Yes Dear I could die a happy man). For those of you who recognize the title Ned and Stacey I commend you. It was a middling little comedy that ran for two seasons on Fox before the show runners called it quits and Debra Messing went on to blow up big time with Will and Grace, and Thomas Haden Church went on to bigger and greener pastures. It was a cute little comedy with a lot of spunk and fire, with some rough edges, but an enjoyable series nonetheless. It was largely ignored for its two season run by the general populace, but most people who remember the show will remember it fondly. Columbia Pictures released the first season back in 2005 (8 years after the show ended), but sadly ditched the 2nd season like they did with so many other TV projects back in the day. Luckily Shout Factory rescued the obscure little comedy and has put it on a six disc slim pack set that is well worth the $25 asking price for the complete series.

The basic premise of the show is kind of a strange mixture of what would become Will and Grace, The Odd Couple and the old radio broadcasts of The Bickersons. Ned (Thomas Haden Church) is an ego maniacal narcissist executive who has just gotten a promotion based upon the fact that he is getting married and is a “family man” in their eyes. The only problem is, he hasn’t got a bride yet. Stacey (Debra Messing) is a textbook liberal ideologue working for the Village Voice, and also living at home with her VERY judgmental Jewish parents. She’s desperate to find a nice apartment in New York City, but nothing is available in her price range. That is until she meets Ned, who has a brilliant plan. The two of them get married so that HE can get his promotion, and Stacey gets a rent controlled penthouse suite in the ritzy part of town. A match made in heaven, right?

Well, This is the case of a bad idea gone terribly right, as the odd couple fights and tries to adjust to their sham marriage the best way they know how. By beating the other person over the head in order to get their way. The only thing is, it doesn’t work out. While they may not love each other, they do like each other, and when you have to learn how to compromise, and communicate, and work together, it’s not long before their unstable marriage may actually show some signs of stability (in a bizarre journey).

Debra Messing was really made famous due to her chemistry with co-star Eric McCormack in Will and Grace (a show she directly segued into after Ned and Stacey ended), and you can tell that the “roomates” persona for Grace was kind of created here. Stacey is a bit of an over dramatic queen with a cute personality, and while her chemistry with Thomas Haden Church is not as good as it is with Eric McCormack, it’s still fun to watch the pair spat and snarl at each other. The show is one long fight with her and her newfound “husband” trying to come to terms with COMPLETELY opposite personalities. Ned is incredibly unlikable, and yet strangely likable, as the business executive who will stop at nothing to enhance his career, while Stacey is the wildcard that is thrown into his life that strangely grounds him a bit.

The supporting cast does a solid job at portraying Ned’s snooty friends and colleagues, while Stacey’s sister acts as the voice of semi-reason in her mixed up world. The show itself doesn’t have a lot of innovation or “schtick” that makes it unique among the 90s sitcoms, but it was an enjoyable show that had a lot going for with some good laughs. I had completely forgotten that this existed until Shout Factory announced the acquisition several months back, and it makes a good walk down memory lane for a very reasonable price.




Rating:

Not Rated by the MPAA




Video:

Sadly the video tape masters used for the show were not in the greatest of shape. I can’t really blame Shout Factory though, as it looks like they’re using the identical masters and elements for this release as the Columbia Tristar release back in 2005. The show is plagued by low resolution tape elements that looks a bit compressed and smeary. Details are ok, but nothing stellar, and colors look a bit washed out. Digital noise is present in just about every scene, and black levels are a bit murky. While I’m being a bit critical, I also understand from sources that the tape backups used for the show were only filmed for early 4x3 TVs and so they weren’t shot with HD TVs in mind back then, so I’m willing to give them some leeway as this is the best and ONLY way we’ll be able to see the show.






Audio:

Even sadder yet is the fact that the audio mixes for 2.0 stereo track show even more problems. The vocal driven show is OK sonic wise, but they sound overly harsh and there’s a scratchy quality to any raised voices. The show is mainly a laugh track with some dialog, so it’s not overly spacious to begin with, but with the compressed vocals and harsh high end it sounds a bit musty and boxy in comparison to shows about the same time frame (like Just Shoot Me). Again, it is what it is, and is also a direct replica of the Columbia Tristar release of Season 1, so we have to deal with what we were given.








Extras:

• 20-Minute Retrospective including All-New Interviews with Debra Messing and Thomas Hayden Church
• Audio Commentary for the Pilot Episode with the Show's Creator

Final Score: ​

Ned and Stacey is one of those early forgotten 90s shows that had a nice little run, but never really got a whole lot of recognition. The series isn’t overly exciting, but it IS a fun little watch and Shout Factory’s little complete series set allows fans to FINALLY own the 2nd season. Extras wise it looks like they just ported over the Columbia release’s extras for season 1 and then put season 2 in the set without any extra additions. Sadly the audio and video elements weren’t that great to begin with, and the issues and flaws that showed up in the season 1 release back in 2005 are present again for this set, but it IS the only way to ever get ahold of a 90s show that probably will never see the light of day again on home video, so grab it while you can.



Technical Specifications:

Starring: Thomas Haden Church, Debra Messing, Greg Germann
Created by: Michael J. Weithorn
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 MPEG 2
Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0
Studio: Shout Factory
Rated: NR
Runtime: 1035 Minutes
DVD Release Date: September 26th, 2017

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• Michael Scott
• May 11, 2017

Recommendation: Solid Watch​

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. Yes, this is a great show. Will catch it..