Oh, honey, it’s happening! NBC has officially confirmed that Will & Grace will be revived on the network for the 2017-2018 television season, Variety reported.
“We’re thrilled that one of the smartest, funniest, and most defining comedies in NBC history is coming back,” NBC Entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt said. “This groundbreaking series for everything from gay rights to social and political commentary — all disguised as a high-speed train of witty pop culture — is coming back where it belongs.”
The show will have Will (Eric McCormack), Grace (Debra Messing), Jack (Sean Hayes) and Karen (Megan Mullally) back on the show, as well as creators Max Mutchnick and David Kohan, who will also serve as executive producers and co-showrunners.
According to Jennifer Salke, NBC Entertainment president, talks about the revival started back in September, when the stars reunited for Hillary Clinton campaign ad. About a month later, NBC announced that they were in talks for revival of the show.
“We started talking with Mutchnick and Kohan about producing new episodes right after they shot the secret reunion show back in September, and the fact that all four of the original stars were excited about getting back into production is a testament to the joyful experience they had doing nearly 200 episodes for eight seasons. Few things cut through the clutter these days, especially in comedy, and Will & Grace is one of the best,” Salke said.
Mutchnick also commented on the revival, saying “Dave and I are absolutely thrilled about the opportunity to write what Will, Grace, Jack and Karen are thinking about in 2017.”
Earlier in January, Leslie Jordan, who played Karen’s frenemy Beverley Leslie, confirmed that NBC had ordered the show for 10 episodes, though Messing later said there were only talks at that time.
James Burrows, the legendary TV director, will be involved in the show and will be directing all 10 episodes of the revival. Burrows directed a lot of the episodes of the show when they first aired on NBC.
The show was revolutionary when it first aired back in 1998, as it was one of the first shows on TV to have a gay character as one of main characters. Overall, the show has won 16 Primetime Emmy Awards, with McCormack, Messing, Hayes and Mullally winning at least one Emmy for their portrayal of their characters.
An official premiere date has yet to be announced and all that is known is that the show will air on NBC for the 2017-2018 season.