For anyone who enjoys television shows created in the nineties, you would’ve heard of Will and Grace. This eight-season length tv drama won multiple awards, as well as its storylines bringing attention to important LGBTQ+ issues of its time. While some of the episodes contain dated jokes and material, overall this show was significant for its time. Also, like many popular tv shows, Will and Grace was recently revived, gaining three new seasons. As someone who is cautiously optimistic about revival shows (let’s just say the Gilmore Girls one was a disappointment), I was pleasantly surprised by just how fabulous the new seasons of Will and Grace were!
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the show, or it’s been a while since you’ve watched the original episodes, Will and Grace are best friends in their 30s living together in New York during the late nineties. Will is gay and out to most people in his life. Grace spends most of the series coping with the fact that even though she and Will are so close, she still wants a romantic relationship with someone else.
While Will and Grace are the names in the title, there is a whole cast of characters worth loving. Jack, Will’s other best friend, at first seems like a selfish, ditzy guy. However, Jack is the one who encouraged Will to come out and live his truth. Karen is another one of the main characters, and it’s difficult to describe her given how iconic she is. I can honestly say Karen Walker is unlike any other fictional character I’ve come across. Will is Karen’s attorney, and that’s how she ends up meeting everyone in the group. At first, Karen seems like the last person you’d expect to become close friends with such a progressive group of people: she’s privileged, wealthy, a Republican, and rude to most of the people she knows. However, the more you get to know her character, the more you grow to love her.
What makes this show memorable is the dynamic, witty banter shared between the four main characters. All the characters are funny and clever in their own ways. Also, this show was so ahead of its time. Will and Jack are cited as one of the first openly gay characters on tv, and how important that was for LGBTQ+ representation. Plus, Grace is a single woman running a successful interior design business all on her own, which was rarely seen on tv at the time too. She is unapologetically crass and lewd at times, and she’s not afraid to be herself. Her solidarity with Will is unarguably one of the best examples of allyship on tv.
The revival seasons are, in my opinion, just as entertaining and wonderful as the original series. About halfway through the first season the revival show really hits its stride. It’s really entertaining to see your favorite characters from an old tv show talking about current issues i.e. politics, immigration, gender equality, and of course issues that are relevant to the LGBTQ+ community today. The episode that I was most impressed by was episode nine of the final season. Will is forced to confront his own biphobia and he is part of a very real conversation with a young male member of the gay community. They talk about how different sexualities exist, and that there is still division and misconceptions within their community. As bisexual characters are slowly being introduced into mainstream television, this episode was timely and groundbreaking.
If you’re pressed for time with finals, or if you just don’t want to binge all eleven seasons of Will and Grace, this an awesome list of the best episodes of the series (including the revival) to watch. Also, Will and Grace is available to stream now on Hulu.
