During Monday’s network upfronts in New York, NBC debuted a five minute trailer for the upcoming Will & Grace revival, and it’s a doozy. The clip opens with Grace, played by Debra Messing, having second thoughts about the revival. Co-star Eric McCormack (Will) magically transports Debra to the show’s set, where they find Karen (Megan Mullally – in character) asleep on the sofa and Jack (Sean Hayes – also in character) showing the apartment to a potential hook-up. Grace opens the refrigerator and bursts into song and, for a moment, it made me miss Smash. RIP.
The rest of the gang join Debra for the show-stopping number, which adds some W&G-centric lyrics to “As If We Never Said Goodbye” from the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Sunset Boulevard (you can’t stump this musical theater nerd!) Debra sings, “Yes, a world to rediscover, in our sitcom-sized apartment we could never afford.” Karen sings about her still boozy ways and Jack promises the new season will deliver more “anonymous liaisons with tall guys and with shorties.”
The cast made an appearance at Monday’s upfronts (and sang the number live), where Eric told PEOPLE, “We had always wanted to do a musical episode on the show and we finally got to do it. It was such a hopeful song and funny and light.” Eric also feels that we need Will & Grace now more than ever, adding:
When we did the show, we had 9/11, we had the Iraq war, there was a Republican government for six of those eight years. We didn’t address it, we didn’t do an AIDS episode. We were an escape, we were an antidote to all of that. So if there’s anything we need, especially this week, it’s an antidote.
The new season of Will & Grace is a limited, 12-episode run, and will premiere on NBC this fall, as the network attempts to bring “Must See TV” back to Thursday nights. The show will kickoff the night, followed by Great News (which you really should check out, especially if you’re a fan of Tina Fey), This is Us (which is moving from its Tuesday night slot) and the premiere of Dick Wolf’s Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders. Along with Eric, Debra, Sean and Megan, series creators and director James Burrows are all on board for the revival. But, is Rosario coming back? I NEED TO KNOW.
Photos: Getty Images, NBC, WENN.com
I’m totally here for Messing’s activisim and voice, but really not looking forward to this reboot.
We totally need diverse representations on tv, but something new, please. These reboots are almost always a disappointment. Do not want.
I’m there for Jack and Karen and that is all. I still want them to have their own spinoff show
They made the show! I didn’t mind Grace, but the character of Will just annoyed me. Just found him BORING
Totally, W&G has always been about Jack & Karen for me. I wish someone would do an edit of the show featuring their scenes only. Karen is so iconic, I was obsessed with her as a teen and still try to channel her haughty spirit.
I really hope Rosario is back! Her commentary was hilarious.
Totally agree! I never liked Grace and Will was just whatever.
No. I never got the hype around Will&Grace.
I liked him in Perception, though.
They all look really great. That’s my takeaway.
I remember loving Will & Grace, but I’m not sure it needs to come back.
Yes!!!!!
Did Megan’s Karen voice sound off to anyone else? Like more babyish and whispery than normal?
Here for Jack and Karen. The other two can stay home.
And it’s funny (if that’s the word) that the antidote to our current calamities (much-needed) includes a depressing show about family life and a show about real-life murders. That’s us in a nutshell.
I loved this show in the 90s as part of the whole Friends-Seinfeld-ER lineup on Thursdays. But that’s the problem: it’s just so 90s. (We’re subversive! We treat one gay man as a punchline and the other as a … person! How avant-garde!) It pains me to say it but I just don’t see how it’s going to translate to 2017-era woke-ness. (You bet I’ll be watching the first episode just in case I’m wrong, though!)
That draped white coat looks like Megan is trying to protect her frock from baby spit-up.
Very excited and will definitely watch. Love all of them and when I watch the re-re-runs, it is still hilarious.