Ned And Stacey: The Complete Series

DVD Wholesale Quick Overview:

As usual Shout Factory puts out another great set. this time for the series Ned and Stacey. The set features six discs. Three for season one, and three for season two marked as season one disc one through three and then season two disc four through six. I am not sure if this one done on purpose or a misprint in the art work. When we open up the package the case is clear, and an episode guide is listed on the reverse of the artwork. They even make note of which episodes were unaired. This again lists the discs as mentioned above. The disc artwork is nice, colorful, and different for each disc. The only downside is that you have to take the discs out to read the guide.

Putting a disc in we get a Play All as well as an episode list while the theme song plays. Disc one features the extra. There are eight episodes on disc one.

the back of the package mentions all 46 episodes so that includes the 11 unaired ones. The set also includes audio commentary on the pilot and a retrospective.

– TheDailyDriver

Ned & Stacy was a victim of FOX’s “shoot from the hip” fear. (Proved foolish by many other shows.) Though without their premature cancellation Thomas Haden Church’s Oscar Nominated “Sideways” wouldn’t have happened and Debra Messing’s “Will & Grace” wouldn’t have happened.

That said, this is a wonderful collection because it contains eleven episodes, all great, that have never been aired. Creator Michael Weithorn managed to bring beautiful closure to the series despite the elenth hour guillotine. The second season, seen here for the first time, pulls Ned out of the office a bit and focuses scenes at the Muffin Shop that Amanda and Ned bought together. This becomes the Central Perk, Cafe Nervosa, Monks Cafe for Ned & Stacy allowing all four characters to play off each other together (far fewer scenes at the restaurant from season one that Stacy sets on fire after abusing Olivia Newton John.) It also allows the addition of a few semi-regulars as customers and employees. All of whom are stellar.

The cast: Not since “Cheers” has a central cast been so gifted and bonded. Tom Church, Debra Messing, Greg Germann, and Nadia Dajani are as brilliant as Ted Danson, Shelley Long, Rhea Pearlman, and Woody Harrelson. Thomas Haden Church is a mind so BRILLIANT that one can never know what to expect or whether he’s gone off script- even in episodes written by Charlie Kaufman. (Oh, yes. The writing staff is also stellar.) Debra-well, we ALL know her skill though Stacy Colbert is a very different character than Grace Adler. She’s far more ethical, far more strong, far more sloppy, but just as over the top. Greg Germann is funny in a skilled, well timed, hysterical way that balances like a scale against boisterous Church. The gem is Nadia Dajani, who can go from sweet to bitch in 5 seconds, and is the common sense character surrounded by loonies and out of love is often pushed to the brink.

The series could have run another season but the future was predictable given the finale. Where it was left was creatively twenty-five years ahead of it’s time. Not all stories are wrapped up with a bow like Friends, Roseanne, Wings, Cheers, or Frasier. Our imaginations are left on our own for follow through more like “Breaking Bad”.

Weithorn used a brilliant and hysterical tag for each episode in which the envelope is pushed and the fourth wall cracked, always choosing a moment from the episode- a subtle but expandable moment- that’s never been done.

We were sad when Church left “Wings” but this more than makes up for it.

– David Seaman

I remember when Ned and Stacey was on TV. I enjoyed the show and was sad when it was cancelled. When Sony released season 1 on DVD I was anxious to buy it, but hesitant because I have been burned by MANY dvd releases that stop production without completing the series. When Shout Factory released the complete series I was ecstatic. I still enjoy the show, it is more corny than I remember, but still makes me chuckle. The one thing that does bug me though is the video quality…the show is grainy, like watching an old video tape…which I can understand…but the pixelation when watching the video takes away from my enjoyment. I would liken the experience to watching a HIGHLY compressed video on the internet. I am not going to guess on the technical reasons for this. I wouldn’t let the video transfer quality prevent you from purchasing this set if you are a fan of the series, I don’t, but I am disappointed in the quality.

– john

DVD Wholesale Main Features:

Actors: Debra Messing, Thomas Haden Church
Directors: Various
Format: Box set, Color, NTSC, Widescreen
Language: English
Region: Region 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 6
Rated: NR Not Rated
Studio: Shout! Factory
DVD Release Date: September 26, 2017
Run Time: 1035 minutes
ASIN: B072QKGFW9