The Simple Life (1998)

Striving to get back to the basics, Sara Campbell, a leading authority on homespun country living, decides to abandon her posh Manhattan digs to tape her do-it-yourself home show from a rustic, centuries-old farm in upstate New York. The idea doesn't sit well with her pompous, citified producer, Greg, or her Queens-bred mother, but that doesn't quell Sara's determination to make it work. Upon arriving at the farm, Greg takes an immediate dislike to the grange's handsome foreman; and Sara's rebellious daughter shows up after being kicked out of yet another school.

Sara's manic desire to return the farm to its authentic 18th-century charm hits a snag when her remodeling efforts put Luke and his charges out of a home. Meanwhile, the gang makes a gruesome discovery about the homestead's original owner.

In an attempt to fit into her new hometown, Sara agrees to go to the church supper with Luke. Greg sees it as an opportunity to tape an episode of the show with real-small-town-folks, in hopes that the hicks will make the network move the show back to their Manhattan studio.

When Muriel refuses to participate in a TV segment about Sara's childhood for Mother's Day, Sara is forced to hire an actress to pretend to be her mother.

Sara's ex-husband, Joel, drops in to tell her that he's writing a tell-all about her. This news doesn't sit well with Luke, who keeps provoking the obnoxious ex.

Sara takes off on a fishing trip with Luke and the kids. For the first time in her life, she's ""unreachable"" in the wilderness, and doesn't realize that the plug's about to be pulled on her show. Meanwhile, Muriel babysits Charlotte's pig.

With Sara's show on the verge of cancellation, she's dumbfounded when the network suggests a minor change. In a last-ditch effort to gain ratings, the company's president informs Sara that they want Luke to join her on-camera. Is this a ratings blockbuster, or a disaster in the making?