Will & Grace gets renewed for a third season: ‘Will & Grace will always be relevant’

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The Will and Grace reboot has been a ratings success for NBC from its debut, and it seems the gang will be sticking around for a while. The show was picked up for a second season before the first episode aired, and this past weekend, it was announced that it will be back for a third season.

At a panel at PaleyFest in LA on Saturday, the cast – Debra Messing, Eric McCormack, Sean Hayes and Megan Mullally, as well as writers Max Mutchnick and David Kohanand director James Burrows, shared the good news. A statement released by NBC Entertainment Chairman Robert Greenblatt asserted:

As far as I’m concerned, we can’t get enough of Will & Grace and 23 more episodes is music to my ears. We’re eternally grateful that Debra, Eric, Sean, and Megan feel the same way and wanted to keep this good thing going. I’m overwhelmed by the euphoric response the new show has received from the press and the audience, and my hat is off to the unrivaled writing team of Max Mutchnick and David Kohan, as well as the brilliant directing of Jimmy Burrows, for consistently delivering one of the best shows on television.

As for what fans can expect in the upcoming seasons, the current administration will continue to be under fire. During the panel Max said that “Dave would love to do a story about citizen Trump. That’s the story he wants to tell next year, but we’re not going to tell that story until we get to that point [in reality].” He added that, “The world is very political right now, so those are the stories we’re telling because it’s what’s going on in the world.”

The success of the reboot of W&G has a lot to do with it maintaining its relevance, picking up where it left off when it first wrapped in 2006. Sean pointed out “Sitcoms have always reflected the times we live in — always, always, always. That’s one of the great things that means ‘Will & Grace’ is relevant and will always be relevant. Under that umbrella of relevancy is pop culture, sex, politics. This is one of the few shows that the characters in it are living the same lives as the audience, and that adds to the relevance.” Sean also commemorated the 20 year anniversary of the show’s first episode on Instagram on Saturday. Who else feels old?

I’ve really been loving the revival, and I’m excited to hear this news. There are only two more episodes for the current season, one featuring the return of Alec Baldwin as Karen’s former lover Malcolm Widmark and the season finale, which will honor the late, great Debbie Reynolds, who played Grace’s mother. I’m looking forward to spending another two seasons with these folks.

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22 Responses to “Will & Grace gets renewed for a third season: ‘Will & Grace will always be relevant’”

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  1. Darla says:

    I think it’s true that this is one of the few shows where the characters are living in our reality. Obviously, Blackish. I’m sure there are one or two more. I’m a big fan of the Big Bang Theory, and lately I have been thinking about this. They do NOT live in our current reality. They are supposed to be brilliant scientists, they would definitely be sitting around talking about Trump, they would be at the very least making fun of him and his voters, and they would at times be angry.

    But I don’t know, OTOH, it gives me an escape to a place where Trump doesn’t exist.

    I do love Will and Grace though.

    • Alix says:

      Some sitcoms entertain us by making us laugh about current events; others, by helping us forget about them for a bit.

    • Jillybean says:

      I am an engineer and a scientist and will confirm that the characters of Big Bang theory are alive and kicking in our current existence and they are rampant in my field of work….

      And most do not care to talk too much about politics….. when there are greater debates to have about Star Wars vs Trek.. or marvel vs DC…!

  2. Carol says:

    Debra Messing needs to lay off the Botox for season 2. Her forehead literally doesnt move. Makes her unfunny IMO

  3. mellie says:

    I loved this show when it first ran and I love it now…so glad it’s back. Looking forward to the Debbie Reynolds tribute for sure.

    • Pix says:

      I agree. I get such an odd sense of comfort from watching this show. It’s like going back in time.

  4. Dorothy#1 says:

    Yup loving it! Happy it’s returning!!

  5. LORENA says:

    I love it! It is SO funnyyyyyy!

    • Milla says:

      The last episode was gold. It was very Blackish, both shows are much more important than most things we see on tv.

      I didn’t watch it before, but after reading comments here I started. So i am on season 4 and on the reboot…

  6. Pia says:

    The writing is sharp….and has some new show runners as well like Nina Pedrad. This helps the show still be relevant and new. Unlike the Gilmore Girls reboot which was really the showrunners recycling their original storyline rather than thinking critically of where the characters should end up.

  7. Dot says:

    Love it!! Smart witty comedy

  8. browniecakes says:

    Love the show more now than ever. The MAGA cake episode was hysterical.

    • sa says:

      I couldn’t disagree more. Overall I think this reboot has been great, but the MAGA cake episode was terrible.

      I have no more patience for false equivalencies and we don’t need to start creating new ones. If they were going to do a whole episode comparing a baker’s refusal to make a MAGA cake to other bakers’ refusals to make a gay wedding cake, they should have done the basic research to find out why the latter wasn’t okay, which is because there are laws in many states that say you can’t refuse to serve someone based on sexual orientation (unfortunately, I don’t believe it’s a federally protected class). Rich racist and political affiliation are not protected classes. (there might be a few spots that treat political affiliation as a protected class, but they are the exception not the rule).

  9. littlemissnaughty says:

    I was so worried because this was one of my favorite shows and I used to re-watch it frequently. I was worried it would feel stale. But it’s still SO good, so quick and sharp. I hope they tackle their diversity issue but one show can’t be all things. I love that they take on current and serious issues and manage to make me laugh.

  10. Maum says:

    I agree. I think the reboot has worked really well.

  11. CrazyCatLady says:

    Guess I need to give the reboot a retry. I loved the original so much. I watched 2-3 of the reboot and I felt it was…….exhausting. Everyone seemed to be trying to too hard to be relevant to the point the characters were just caricatures of the originals….with little growth / change with the passage of time, From the other comments I’m likely in a small minority on this, Maybe I need to watch a few more.

    • AnneC says:

      I also really enjoyed the original shows and follow Debra Messing on twitter. I started watching the first episode of the new season and was shocked they had a laugh track. Felt very intrusive and very old school. I turned it off and haven’t watched another minute of it. Just breezed through almost 2 seasons of Great News and really enjoyed! Very 30 Rock quirky humor.

      • lucy2 says:

        I like Great News a lot – took me a few episodes but it definitely developed a 30 Rock-ish feel.

        I’m enjoying the W&G reboot – I like Superstore, Great News, and the Good Place (LOVE!) a lot more, but it’s a solid companion to those Thursday night shows.

  12. Regina Falangie says:

    I looooooooove W&G and have since the beginning. Seeing them again is like seeing your best friend and even though it’s been ages it feels like a day never passed. I hope it goes for another 10 years! Keep them all single and we’ll be fine.

  13. DiegoInSF says:

    I was too young to watch the original one outside of some reruns here and there but I’ve been watching the revival after seeing one episode because I wanted to see my queen JLO, and it’s so funny, I started from episode 1. Sean Hayes is such a national treasure, I find myself replaying his scenes as I laugh so much. So glad there’ll be TWO more seasons at least!

  14. Jag says:

    Haven’t seen it, but am glad that people are enjoying it.

    I want to know what color and which brand their red hair is. Love it!