The Return of Will & Grace
If you didn’t already know, Will & Grace is an American sitcom set in New York City which focuses on the relationship between the two best friend William Truman (Eric McCormack), a gay lawyer, and Grace Adler (Debra Messing), a straight interior designer. It also explores issues with the LGBT community as well as their relationships with the two other characters Jack and Karen.
Originally, the show received initial criticism due to its portrayal of the gay community but eventually went on to become one of NBC’s Must See TV Thursday night lineup. The show was the highest-rated sitcom among adults 18-49 from 2001 and 2005 due to its rather scandalous humor and inability to conform to rules. It ran a total of 8 seasons earning 16 Emmy Awards and 83 nominations. In 2014, the Writers Guild of America placed the show number 94 in their list of Best Written TV Series of All Time.
The show has also been credited with helping improve public opinion of the LGBT community. It has been considered the most successful television series with gay main characters. Former Vice president Joe Biden even noted that the show, “Probably did more to educate the public on LGBT issues than anybody has ever done.”
On September 26, 2016, the cast reunited for a ten-minute online special, urging Americans to vote in the 2016 presidential election. Due to the success of the short reunion, NBC announced that the network was discussing putting the show back into production. In January 2017, NBC confirmed the return of the show. Now, after 11 years, Will & Grace is back! That’s right honey!
On September 28, 2017, the show returned back to the air with its original cast, along with director James Burrows who has directed every episode of the show so far. The show was extremely well received by the audience and critics. What is agreed on by most critics was the shows ability to simply come back.
They didn’t try to use any crazy plot explanations or concoct some extensive background story. It simply picked up where it left off, except the characters are older, and they have a whole new batch of material to choose from. It is noted that it came back for the right reasons, which is that NBC wanted it back, not because of some other reason. It’s business as usual with the witty banter, and very obvious jabs at contemporary politics, definitely not a highly-conservatives cup of tea.
So, with episode one done, we can look forward to another 12 episodes to come of one of the most timeless sitcoms ever made. It’s a Will & Grace fanatics dream come true, and I don’t think anyone is complaining about it.
