8 /10 1 Votes8
Composer(s) Brad Hatfield Final episode date 2 September 1998 | 8/10 IMDb Country of origin United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Directed by Jay SandrichIris DugowBrian K. RobertsPeter Tolan Starring Jean SmartNancy McKeonHeath HycheLinda KashJoseph MaherAlan Autry Cast | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Style & Substance is an American sitcom starring Jean Smart and Nancy McKeon that aired on CBS from January 5 to September 2, 1998.
Contents
Premise
Jean Smart is Chelsea Stevens, a Martha Stewart-like star of a how-to home show, and Nancy McKeon as her producer, Jane Sokol, a small-town girl new to New York City. Chelsea Stevens was an expert cook, decorator, and party planner who knew much more about thread-count than she did relationships. She was well-meaning at times, but her narcissism usually got in the way of actually understanding anyone else's problems.
Jean Smart's official website describes Stevens as a "neurotic control freak" and a "one-woman cooking, decorating, and entertaining machine who thinks every crisis can be solved by a decorative centerpiece".
It was rumored that Martha Stewart had complained to CBS about the similarities between her and the Chelsea Stevens character, even though on more than one episode Chelsea was referred to as Stewart's rival. Whether Stewart's complaint was true or not, the series was cancelled after five episodes were aired, and the remaining episodes were shown during the summer months, with one episode remaining unaired.
CBS tried another show similar in content in 1998, The Simple Life starring Judith Light as a lifestyle expert, which did not fare any better.