Nigel Wick - Premise

Premise

Drew Carey is a fictionalized version of himself, a self-proclaimed "everyman". Drew Carey (the actor) has been quoted as saying his character would be what the actor would be if he never became an actor. He has a "gang" of friends who embark with him on his everyday trials and tribulations. Drew's friends include intelligent but unambitious Lewis (Ryan Stiles), excitable idiot Oswald (Diedrich Bader) and his friend (later on-off girlfriend) Kate (Christa Miller). In the final two seasons, Kate gets married and moves to Guam, in the same two-part episode that introduces and develops Drew's relationship with Kellie (Cynthia Watros), which carries on over the final two seasons.

For its first seven seasons, Drew's workplace is the office of fictional Cleveland department store Winfred-Lauder, where he has worked for years and still works as Assistant Director of Personnel. One of his coworkers is Mimi Bobeck (Kathy Kinney), a large woman with a clownish wardrobe, a lot of make-up, and a foul mutual dislike for Drew. The two eventually become closer (although still maintaining a less heated rivalry), primarily because Mimi fell in love with and married Drew's crossdressing heterosexual brother Steve, a frequently recurring character.

In the first season they work for the unseen Mr. Bell (Kevin Pollak), only seen in the season one finale, to which he is greeted with applause; in later seasons, their boss and sometimes-co-worker is Nigel Wick (Craig Ferguson), an eccentric and unlucky Englishman. In the final two seasons, they work for peaceful, hippie-like Evan (Kyle Howard) and the much more professional Scott (Jonathan Mangum), tech-smart but naïve twenty-somethings who own the Neverending Store, an online retailer with offices in the same location.

In addition to his day job, Drew, along with Oswald, Lewis, and Kate (and from around Season 5 onwards, Mimi), runs a small business out of his garage, selling Buzz Beer, a concoction of beer and coffee that becomes extremely popular in the region, and is sold at the group's hangout, The Warsaw Tavern.