USA
/ CBS / x30m-e / June 3, 1998 -
July 15, 1998
BROADCAST Wed 8:30-9:00
Sara Campbell had built a
financial empire around her
reputation as America's foremost
authority on living a relaxed
country lifestyle—this despite
growing up in Queens and living
most of her adult life in a
fancy Manhattan townhouse. Now
she had decided to take her own
advice, and moved her family and
TV show, The Simple Life, to a
small farm in upstate New York.
With her were her acerbic
mother, Muriel, who didn't
believe Sara could survive in
the country, and her slacker
daughter, Freddi, who hated
being away from the big city.
She turned the farm's barn into
a TV studio, to the
consternation of Luke, the
farm's hunky foreman, who was
raising his late sister's two
kids, Will and Charlotte.
He was
bemused by how ignorant Sara was
about real country living and
found her alternately irritating
and appealingly vulnerable. Greg
was Sara's obnoxious British
producer, and Melanie, Jeff, and
Nick worked on the TV show. This
was CBS' second attempt to
parody Martha Stewart (whose own
series Martha Stewart Living was
distributed by CBS) during the
1997-1998 season. The first,
Style 0' Substance, had aired
briefly early in 1998 and
returned in the time period
vacated by The Simple Life after
its cancellation.
Cast
Sara Campbell (nee Lipschitz)........ Judith Light
Muriel Lipschitz
............................
Florence Stanley
Luke Barton
.................................
Brett Cullen
Greg Champlain
...........................
James Patrick Stuart
Frederica "Freddi"
Campbell........... Ashlee
Levitch
Will..............................................
Ross Malinger
Charlotte......................................
Eliza Dean
Melanie........................................
Sara Rue
Jeff...............................................
Jeff Blumenkrantz
Nick, the Stage Manager
.............. Vasili Bogazianos
