Ned and Stacey get married after one week of knowing each other -- not because of true love, but because each one has something the other needs. Ned needs to get married to get a promotion at work, while Stacey desperately needs an apartment.
Stacey Colbert (Messing) is desperate to move out of her parents' house and find a place to live in New York City. However, as a freelance journalist, she can hardly make enough money to save for an apartment. One night, Stacey's sister Amandaand brother-in-law Eric set Stacey up with Eric's friend and co-worker Ned Dorsey (Church). Though Stacey is initially repulsed by the idea of dating Ned, she decides to agree to a scheme he's cooked up. In order for him to get a promotion at the ad agency he's employed at, he needs a wife. Stacey reluctantly agrees as she is desperate to move out of her parents' house, and Ned has a very good apartment.
The first season revolved around Ned and Stacey's adjustment to their new situation, while they attempt to make their marriage appear real and date other people. In the second season, Stacey moves out, and the two begin dating other people. Their constant bickering seems to evolve into something resembling a romance, but the series was cancelled before this could be fully developed.