A glance at Nick Scotti's resumé quickly reveals that he's done it all: He's sung with Madonna (on his debut CD), he's messed around with Kim Cattrall (on Sex and the City), he's been a soap hunk (on The Young and the Restless) and a matinee idol (in the gay farce Kiss Me, Guido). So, really, what was left for him to do but share his accrued wisdom in his own Style Network series, New York Nick (Fridays at 10:30 pm/ET)?

"It's like a three-in-one show," he tells TV Guide Online, summing up the appeal of his goofily engaging half-hour show. "It's part how-to, part reality and part comedy. Originally, it was supposed to be just cooking. Then it kind of mutated — we said, 'You know what? Let's extend these tips to all aspects of life.'"

Why not? We're unlikely to try out any of the kitchen whiz's recipes, no matter how tasty they look — we're still mystified by the toaster — but we'll keep going back to New York, anyway, to visit with good-natured Nick and his endearingly daffy family. "My mom would never do the show," Scotti says. "But I knew my Aunt Irene and my sister Viv's personalities would lend themselves to it.

"It's their first time in front of the camera," he adds, "but I have to say they're extremely professional and natural." Funny, too. In last week's episode, Viv all but turned pink when her younger sib revealed that her dog was gay.

If the realcom catches on, Scotti could well find himself lumped in with other reality-TV "stars" who get no respect (Trishelle, we're talkin' to you, honey). But the triple threat isn't worried in the least that spending time in New York will hurt his career. "If anything, I like the fact that this show humanizes me," he offers. "Acquaintances who've never met my family, when they see the show, they say, 'Ohhh, now I understand why you're crazy!"