NBC’s ‘Will & Grace’ Reboot to End With Upcoming 2020 Season

Elaine Low

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“Will & Grace” executive producers Max Mutchnick, David Kohan and James Burrows, in conjunction with the cast, have decided to end the “Will & Grace” reboot on NBC with the 2020 season, its third season that follows an original eight-season run.

“We think of the ‘Will & Grace’ reboot episodes the way Karen Walker thinks of martinis – 51 is not enough, 53 is too many,” they said in a joint statement. “That is why, after consulting with the cast, we all have decided this will be the final season of ‘Will & Grace.’”

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The comedy, starring Debra Messing, Eric McCormack, Sean Hayes and Megan Mullaly, initially aired for eight seasons on NBC from 1998 to 2006, before being rebooted 11 years later in 2017.

“In 2016, Bob Greenblatt came to us with the idea of doing a 10-episode reboot of ‘Will & Grace,’” said Mutchnick, Kohan and Burrows. “They say you can’t go home again, but we did. And now, three seasons and 52 episodes later, we’re even more proud of something we never thought we’d get a chance to do again. We have had a once-in-a-lifetime experience twice. And for that, we owe a double debt of gratitude to NBC, this show’s supportive and caring home since day one.”

The team also heaped praise on the “Will & Grace” acting foursome, adding that it has been “the highlight of our careers to write for and direct four incredible artists who we consider to be the finest and funniest ensemble sitcom cast of all time.”

A premiere date for the third and final season of the reboot, produced by Universal Television, has not yet been announced. The original eight seasons are currently streaming on Hulu, which nabbed the rights in 2017, as well as through NBC’s app. New episodes are also available on those platforms for a certain window.

It is not yet clear whether the series, old and new, will wind up exclusively on the forthcoming NBCUniversal streaming platform once the Hulu deal expires, though it would not be surprising.

NBCU CEO Steve Burke said early Thursday that it would launch in April 2020 with library and acquired content, and “would expect the vast majority of consumption in the beginning would be (of) acquired programs.” The company recently acquired the exclusive streaming rights to “The Office,” yanking the property off Netflix after 2020.

NBC Entertainment co-chairmen George Cheeks and Paul Telegdy said that NBC had “jumped at the chance” to revive the series.

“The impact and legacy of ‘Will & Grace’ simply can’t be overstated, both as a true game-changer in the portrayal of the LGBTQ community and as one of the finest comedies in television history,” they said. “A huge thank you to Max, David, Jimmy and a cast that is second to none for their brilliance over an incredible run.”

“Will & Grace” is hardly the only series to have been revived in recent years, with “Dynasty,” “Charmed” and “Queer Eye” among the series that have been revived in some fashion or another.

The NBC series racked up 91 Emmy nominations, 18 Emmy wins, 30 Golden Globe nominations, seven GLAAD awards for outstanding TV comedy series, plus seven DGA nominations and one win for Burrows. “

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