'Will & Grace' Revival: NBC Announces Premiere Date
More than 11 years after "Will & Grace" signed off from NBC, the popular sitcom is finally making its comeback this fall.
"Will & Grace" originally had eight seasons, which ran from 1998 to 2006. According to Screen Rant, the show contributed to the network's success as it garnered almost 13 million viewers per episode. It even won 16 Emmys, with the four lead actors winning at least one award for their respective performances.
In November last year, the cast reunited for a short TV special encouraging Americans to actively participate in the 2016 presidential election. It created a buzz among long-time fans, which may have urged the network to order a brand new season of "Will & Grace" back in April this year.
NBC has also recently announced that the revival of the long-running sitcom will come with 12 episodes. It will be joining the list of shows that have recently been revived, like "Heroes," "Twin Peaks," and "Arrested Development."
According to Deadline, the sitcom will be returning to the same time slot it held for most of its initial run on NBC, joining Thursday's comedy block, alongside "Superstore," "The Good Place," and "Great News."
Its soon-to-be time slot is also known as the network's Must-See TV spot, which aired popular comedy shows in the past like "Friends," "The Office," and "Seinfeld."
The revival of "Will & Grace" will still star original cast members Eric McCormack as Will, Debra Messing as Grace, Sean Hayes as Jack, and Megan Mullally as Karen.
Last month, Messing appeared on "The Bill Carter Interview" on Sirius XM. When asked what the revival is going to be like, considering that when "Will & Grace" ended 11 years ago, Will and Grace became estranged from each other for almost two decades and only reunited when their children were already in college.
"All I know is that I was told that they've come up with a very creative way of dealing with how the show ended, and that it will be in real time," Messing reportedly said, as per New Now Next. "So it will be 11 years after."
Speculations say that another season could be possible if the revival is received well by the viewers as with the show's original run.
"Will & Grace" premieres Thursday, Sept. 28 at 9 p.m. EST on NBC.