Will & Grace

Mainstreamed a gay lead on network comedy and made LGBTQ friendship Thursday habit.

Why it matters

Episode guide

246 episodes across 11 seasons — titles, air dates, and synopses.

At a glance

Gay lawyer Will Truman and straight interior designer Grace Adler share a New York apartment, a friendship more binding than most marriages, and two nuclear sidekicks — Jack and Karen — who treat restraint as a personal insult. David Kohan and Max Mutchnick put a gay lead at the center of Must-See TV farce without making the show a PSA. Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Megan Mullally, and Sean Hayes turned door-slam comedy into a culture shift with punchline velocity. The original NBC run (1998–2006) made LGBTQ friendship Thursday habit; a later revival proved the chemistry still paid rent. It was representation that sold out Radio City and still landed the joke.

Network & studio

• NBC — broadcast network
• Universal Television — production studio

Why watch now

For four-hander farce chemistry that still outclasses most modern multi-cams, and for the historical jolt of a gay lead owning primetime comedy. Jack and Karen alone justify the rewatch tax.

Cultural impact

Will & Grace mainstreamed a gay male lead on U.S. network comedy and became a political football and pride milestone at once. Its Emmy wins and catchphrase economy made LGBTQ visibility feel like hit television, not niche programming. The revival years reopened arguments about what "progress" looks like when the farce stays sharp.

Creators

David Kohan · Max Mutchnick

Key cast

• Eric McCormack as Will Truman
• Debra Messing as Grace Adler
• Megan Mullally as Karen Walker
• Sean Hayes as Jack McFarland

Flash facts

• Created by David Kohan and Max Mutchnick; NBC premiere September 21, 1998.
• Original run 1998–2006; revival seasons aired 2017–2020.
• Often cited for normalizing a gay lead character in U.S. primetime sitcom comedy.
• Cast members won multiple Emmys; the ensemble's chemistry was the show's core asset.
• Frequently ranked among the most influential LGBTQ-inclusive series in broadcast history.

FAQ

Back to the decade

More from the 1990s — Must-See & Must-Talk. All shows.