Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica

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Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica

Newlyweds Titlecard
Format Reality television
Starring Nick Lachey
Jessica Simpson
Country of origin Flag of the United States United States
No. of episodes 41
Production
Running time approx. 23 minutes (per episode)
Broadcast
Original channel MTV
Original run August 19, 2003March 30, 2005
External links
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica (often written Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica) was a reality television show that was produced and aired by MTV. It followed the lives of then husband and wife Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson. The show first aired in August 2003 and ran for several seasons, with 41 episodes in total. The last season started on January 26, 2005, and the last episode aired on March 30, 2005.

Simpson and Lachey were married on October 26, 2002 and filed for divorce on December 16, 2005. On June 30, 2006 Jessica and Nick's divorce was finalized.

Part of the show's gimmick involved displaying Simpson's stupidity and ignorance, playing on the popular stereotype of "dumb blondes." Perhaps the most famous example comes from the first episode, in which Simpson, confronted with a can of Chicken of the Sea tuna, asked Lachey "Is this chicken, what I have, or is this fish? I know it's tuna, but it says [sic] 'Chicken... by the Sea'."[1]

Contents

[edit] Origin and effects

Jessica Simpson's infamous "Chicken or fish?" moment in the first episode of Newlyweds.
Jessica Simpson's infamous "Chicken or fish?" moment in the first episode of Newlyweds.

The show was originally intended for Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley, but the couple decided not to continue with the project after the start of pre-production. It was shelved until 2002, when Jessica's father and manager, Joe Simpson, contacted MTV about producing a show starring "his daughter" and her new husband.

When Simpson was originally asked why she chose to do such a show for MTV, she replied that it was good promotion for her new album In This Skin. The reality show, which coincided with the release of the album, at first did not help Jessica's album sales, as it debuted at #10 on the Billboard Charts and quickly fell down.

However, over the span of the first season, Jessica's popularity began growing, as many of her 'dumb blonde' antics gave her much publicity. By the close of 2003, Simpson and Lachey had both become household names. Jessica's label decided to release the second single "With You" to see how it would do on radio now that Simpson had become an A Lister.

The single began climbing steadly up the charts, and Columbia Records took note of Jessica Simpson's sky rocketing popularity and decided to re-release In This Skin in early 2004. In This Skin reached #2 on the Billboard Charts, due in part to her show. "With You" had a Newlyweds themed video, which helped the single become one of the biggest hits of her career.

However, the couple experienced disadvantages as a result of their participation on the show. Because cameramen were constantly following the couple, there were several incidents during the production of the show that caused tension between the couple.[citation needed] According to interviews with Nick and Jessica, the largest of these was the inability to be intimate with each other at certain times, or to have private conversations when they wanted to. It is also said that the reality show was partly responsible for the later divorce of the couple.[citation needed]

[edit] Cast

[edit] Episodes

[edit] Season 1

Season 1 DVD cover
Season 1 DVD cover

The inaugural season aired from August 19, 2003 to October 14, 2003.

  • Chicken of the Sea
  • The Dancers
  • Newlyweds Go Camping
  • Newlyweds Go Golfing
  • The Platypus
  • Buffalo Wings
  • Newlyweds Decorate
  • The Video Shoot
  • Newlyweds Birthday
  • Jessica Cooks Dinner

[edit] Season 2

Season 2 aired from January 21, 2004 to March 24, 2004.

  • The Anniversary
  • Nick's 30th B-Day
  • The Newlyweds Shop
  • The French Language
  • The Duet
  • A Newlyweds Christmas
  • Jessica's 'Dessert'
  • Puppy Maddness
  • The Newlyweds Vacation
  • Valentine's Day

[edit] Season 3

Season 3 aired from June 16, 2004 to August 11, 2004.

  • CaCee Moves In
  • Mismatched Threesome
  • Celebrity Issues
  • Eye Surgery
  • Newlyweds Baby
  • The Kentucky Derby
  • Nick and Joe
  • The Traveling Newlyweds
  • Nick's Lawn
  • The Newlyweds

[edit] Specials

  • Happy Birthday Jessica, Love Nick

[edit] Season 4

Season 4 aired from January 26, 2005 to March 30, 2005.

  • Newlyweds Two Year Anniversary
  • Jess Gets a Root Canal
  • Training Daisy
  • The Dukes of Hazzard
  • New Year's Eve
  • The Orange Bowl
  • Boys Weekend in Cabo
  • Newlyweds Together Again
  • The Valentine's Day Budget
  • Newlyweds Series Finale

[edit] Legacy

The popular canadian teen drama Instant Star will feature a stoyline in its fourth season in which two main characters (Karma and Vincent Spiderman) get married and have their own reality show on MTV following their lives as a newlywed couple.

[edit] External links

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