Back in late September, a 9-minute Will and Grace clip magically appeared on YouTube. In it, cast members Debra Messing, Eric McCormack, Sean Hayes and Megan Mullally, playing their beloved characters from the show, gave us their take on the then upcoming elections. Their influence failed to bring about the best outcome (but let’s not get started on that again) but it did generate some buzz over the prospect of a full-blown Will and Grace revival on the small screen. Back when the clip debuted, Debra mused in an interview “Could we really come back? My response, which I’ve learned in the last five years, is I never say never anymore.”
Well, amongst the hustle and bustle of the holidays, we may have gotten a little something special in our television stockings, if we are to believe another star of the show. In an interview that aired last Thursday on San Diego radio station KPBS actor Leslie Jordan, who played the recurring role of Karen’s nemesis Beverley Leslie on the series, assured fans that the return of W&G was already a done deal. He told the station, “It’s back. Here’s the way it works: [NBC] has ordered 10 [episodes]. It’ll be for next season, so they’ll go in in July.”
Leslie may have been a little over-enthusiastic or misunderstood something, as the other cast members have posted statements to the contrary on social media. On New Year’s Day, Eric McCormack tweeted that as far as a reunion went, there was “nothing official yet.”
Nothing official yet, LB. https://t.co/svX0GRfMVa
— Eric McCormack (@EricMcCormack) January 2, 2017
And, responding to a hopeful fan’s inquiry via Twitter, Debra Messing had to deliver the news that the new series isn’t yet a thing, tweeting “Sadly Leslie was wrong. Nothing beyond talks.”
Sadly Leslie was wrong. Nothing beyond talks. https://t.co/NDmKoH2Iql
— Debra Messing (@DebraMessing) January 2, 2017
Well, at least there are “talks,” right? Fans can still be optimistic, right? But, if you really think about it, would Will and Grace still work in 2017? Things have really changed since the show originally aired and fan feedback amidst the speculation of the show’s return hasn’t been overly positive. This and the fact that reboots and revivals are generally disappointments might point towards the fact that maybe we should just hold on to warm memories of the series as it was.
And it’s not like Debra et al. aren’t keeping themselves busy. Debra (for better or for worse – see above) is appearing in the upcoming reboot of Dirty Dancing, Megan is in the Bryan Cranston/James Franco comedy Why Him?, Eric is on the Netflix series Travelers and Sean, when not accepting awards for his work towards increasing the visibility of LBGTQ portrayals in the media, is serving as executive producer on an upcoming documentary with the promising title The History of Comedy.
If nothing else, maybe the Will and Grace gang can pop up on YouTube periodically for updates… especially when the new election cycle kicks in. I’m sure we will get some other exciting programming news in 2017. Lord knows we are certainly due.
Photo credit: WENN.com, Fame Flynet, Getty Images
I dunno…are they just going to remake everything? Can’t they come up with something new? Can’t we leave these follow-ups to fan fiction?
(Opinion colored by disappointment with the Gilmore Girls reboot – when did Rory become such a jerk? Also…Fuller House?!!?!?)
@Clare I think Rory was always a jerk, just like Lorelai, but it was a different time, now after years, we get to be like “they are so annoying”.
I have always hated (not got) GG. Rory was an idiot, so was Lorelei and what they ate didn’t match what they looked like and the dialogue drove me nuts.
I’m glad the world is catching up to my curmudgeonly ways. Now if only I could convince my best friends.
I liked the Gg reboot, but then again I always saw a bit of jerkiness in Rory. And really, Emily was the best part of the reboot.
Does no one even remember how Will and Grace ended anyhow? They were totally estranged for 18 years. Do we really want that reboot?
Ugh fuller house sucks! I dont get why they had to bring back original nobody’s on the show. The boy twins cannot act, cathy santoni cant act, and gia was just holding a guitar and swinging. Her fingers didnt move! Dj tanner is not fun to watch and neither are their boring storylines. Steph the new jesse? Yawn. My sister made me watch s2 and i wanted to scape my eyes out by the nkotb episode. I cant stand candice Cameron!!! Just no!
It’s always open…..not a cute tag…hope crackheads walk in and gut the cast…it’s too fat…
As for W&G? Nahhhh dont want a reboot, they’re in syndication so why ruin it? What? Grace catch Leo cheating again and have to move in with Will? Will happy he has someone around who will call out his belly bulge from long nights alone with a sheetcake? Jack the pool boy/manny for Chris Pratt? Karen married to a Saude prince and uber rich?
Watch the fan theory on Cracked on youtube. It actually makes the remake make sense:)
The GG reboot was…idiotic. It felt like all Rory worked for was pointless and I say that with a disappointment of an early fan. All her mother did was supposedly to give her the best of the best without the stress of her old life. And what she does?? She tuns in a failure, being the secret lover of e guy who asked her to marry but she refused in order to pursue a carrier she dreamed of. She couldn’t find a job and give a proper job interview even after 10 years of experience in JOURNALISM ?? And to justifie her failure they invented the “30 club” as to say she was not the only one?
She is slow and messy again as she was at 16 and still she has people who adore her?? I have been told to grow up at 35 for just wanting another icecream how come she gets so smoothly through stupid acts in her life? She can’t break up with a guy who adores her for the entire 4 episodes and nobody in her inners circle seems to remember who the guy was even though they had meet him and talked to him many times and he was a perfect gentleman? Or it was because he was a simple Joe and not a super rich guy to give her everything she wants???
I mean it was a mess and I agree Emily was the best part of the show and the actress who played her was perfect, at times it felt like she was real in her sentiments towards Lorelai.
The original series was aaaa…ok, It was entertaining even if weird at times BUT the reboot was unnecessary. It just ruined it for me. Sorry I waited so long for that and in the end it made me hate them. It was my dream series
Do people really want that? Will & Grace isn’t a sitcom I ever hear anyone talking about anymore, not like Friends or Frasier or Seinfeld.
I love Fraiser and Seinfeid. Still watch them and laugh like it’s the first time. But I don’t want them to have a comeback. They were perfect and don’t want that ruined.
Agreed. W and g was a fine show but was a little cloying and meh to me.
I loveddd will and grace but if this goes through im afrsid itll suck like all the other reboots. Where r the original ideas?
This show ended with Will and Grace not speaking and meeting up several years later. Not sure how this would work.
Yeah, it’d have to be a *complete* reboot, after that hideous mess of a series finale.
I hated the finale too. Will and Grace not talking for several years basically goes against what the series led up to all those years.
Exactly!
Leave it in our memories. (I also really dislike Debra Messing, so that’s part of it, too.)
I only liked Sean and Megan – I found Will SO annoying I couldn’t watch it.
I did, however, watch Travelers with Eric McCormack during the holiday, and WOAH was it a great show if you’re into sci-fi. It’s funny, tender and very emotional while maintaining a very strong hold in sci-fi, and Eric is outstanding in it.
I loved every scene with Sean and Megan! Debra was great too, but the character of Will I just could not stand. I found him distracting at times and not at all funny
Sean and Megan MADE the show, god they were just freaking hilarious. Same, Will was a bore, his character was too uptight and he wasn’t funny. At all.
Hope more people pick up Travelers,it is a fantastic show! I’m a sci fi geek but I think it really would appeal to a much wider group if they spent some money on promotion. The whole cast is fabulous and they tackle a lot of issues deftly. I hope it gets renewed, it is my favourite right now (at least until 12 Monkeys and the Expanse come back).
Okay I am a TOTAL sci fi nerd, like total. (well maybe not total because Star Wars and Star Trek and such aren’t my type) but I loved the Expanse for being a one off of Firefly in my mind, and for being such a realistic portrayl of a futuristic society.
I haven’t watched 12 monkeys yet, but I’m thinking I should since I do love a good time travel story.
Agreed, the supporting cast made that show. Only do a spin-off for their characters, please.
Let it go. The first couple of seasons were wonderful, the rest? Not so much. I expect any reboot to just be more excessive celebrity guest spots to cover up weaknesses in the writing.
I never watched one episode of W&G when it was actually ON TV weekly….but the reruns became my favorite pastime…recently….and I can’t believe I never watched it when it was on regularly. I absolutely LOVE IT…and I find each character very funny. Karen and Will have GREAT lines…The writers are very clever. I binge watch them now…and hope they will come back!
Sean also got into producing and has had some success there. Please no re-boot, unless they could do it without Grace
Sean is also one of the creators of NBC’s ‘Grimm’ –
Will & Grace meet 18 years later when their kids are moving into the same dorm at college. If I remember it correctly, it appears to be the youngsters “meet cute” moment.
Is it still Will and Grace if they just don’t bring Grace back? Actually the stars of the show are Sean and Megan, without them the show wouldn’t have made it 2 seasons. They were perfect.
I totally agree, I loved the show but just endured the parts that featured Grace, Not even the late Debbie Reynolds (sob!) as her mom made Grace OK — she was just annoying AF.
All things Karen and Jack were hilarious. And bringing will in as their comedic straight guy with the sardonic lines, and an occasional cameo of Blythe Danner as his mom..and I’m good.