Will & Grace Revival

[KMan101]

Yeah, it was still funny in parts. But easily the worst so far. Oh well. The worst is still better than some.

 

I think this week Larry and Val (Molly Shannon) are back. Should be a better episode.

 

Next week Vince is back.

Edited January 8, 2018 by KMan101

[ChitHappens]

Molly Shannon!!!!!  Trying to figure out who's my fav guest star between Shannon and Driver!  Both are so wonderful.  Remember the old eppy when Shannon's character was obsessed with Jack?  One of the funniest things I had ever seen on tv!  

 

I forgot the show was back and didn't DVR. Will have to catch it on Demand.  I also have to set the DVR for the series.  

[KMan101]

 

I adore Molly Shannon and Val. I hate admitting I didn't even think of her when the show was announced to come back but when I read Val was back I was thrilled. I agree with you it's between her and Driver for my favorite guest star. Well, Beverly Leslie (Leslie Jordan) will always be #1 for me but Shannon and Driver are

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[ChitHappens]

Beverly Leslie goes without saying.  I excluded that elf intentionally!  He's amazing and the soulmate of Megan Mullaly!  

[Faulkner]

LMAO!

 

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[Soapsuds]

http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Grace-Season-9/23989

 

I was hoping we'd get a blu ray release too.

[Faulkner]

This show has dropped TWO full points in the demo since its season premiere and is now getting the same ratings as Superstore (a 1.0). Scandal is now  outrating it in the time slot.

 

Way not to capitalize on buzz and renewed interest through wonky scheduling, NBC.

Edited March 9, 2018 by Faulkner

[BetterForgotten]

I feel like it was inevitable once the luster of the revival diminished. I'm willing to bet the same thing happens to ABC's revival of Roseanne. 

 

Even the original run of W&G was not the sustainable ratings hit it's now somehow now perceived to be (and the show didn't fare that well in local syndication, and floated around for years on cable). 

 

Tt has a passionate/loyal audience, and that's enough to keep shows on the air in this present broadcast climate. 

 

 

Edited March 9, 2018 by BetterForgotten

[Faulkner]

And apparently they all took steep pay cuts to do the show. Hey, it’s not like they were setting Hollywood on fire. But I thought the show might settle in the mid-1s in the demo, but it’s poised to go fractional. I know The Good Place had a lot of buzz this season, but for a show like that to settle at a number better than old-school comfort food like W&G sort of surprises me.

[DRW50]

 

The Good Place has a following among some prominent conservatives, which probably helps their numbers along with the other fans (of Kristen Bell, of NBC sitcoms, what have you). W&G was a show of 15-20 years ago, and focusing so much on Trump early on likely didn't help matters either. 

[Faulkner]

Yeah, having the premiere so focused on Trump was ill-advised IMO. The episode with Will and Jack feeling old and out of place at the gay bar was much funnier, but I understand that they wanted an episode with the four of them together.

[KMan101]

They started with politics because the political video they did is what got them back on the air. There's been a joke here and there. I know people are sick of politics but why can't we laugh about it? I have a lot more issues with Roseanne Conner as a Trump supporter than I do with the first episode of Will and Grace featuring jokes about the current White House resident. I'm not quite sure it's as easy as blaming that for the decreasing ratings (but, no, it probably didn't help and likely turned off the fanbase of Trump who can't seem to laugh at how ridiculous their president is). Even though it's multi-cam and lasted as long as it did, it's really no different at this point than NBC's other niche sitcoms with limited ratings. Niche shows that belong on streaming or cable. It's already guaranteed another season. I imagine considering the alternatives (AP Bio and Champions, which kind of looks interesting, barely pull 3 million and let's not pretend Superstore is some mega hit, it's not), NBC is probably still happy. I do think it was a mistake to have as many episodes as they are.

 

While the episodes have been funny, I can see why there was probably a drop off in the audience. I agree it will happen to Roseanne too, but Roseanne has the ability to appeal to middle America (and I doubt the other side of the audience will be that turned off to tune out in droves, but it could be interesting to see what happens), which likely isn't going to turn out in droves for Will & Grace. Will & Grace ultimately lacks the broad appeal, it's not the generic CBS sitcoms.

Edited March 10, 2018 by KMan101

[Faulkner]

For me, personally, as someone repulsed and disgusted by Trump, I’m sick of hearing about him. I have fortunately kicked a longtime cable news addiction because the networks no longer cover news that isn’t connected to Trump and his latest distraction. I don’t want to see it in the pop culture I consume either, even if it’s part of “The Resistance.” Especially if it’s done as poorly as W&G did it in the premiere. 

 

I do think the show has suffered creatively this season. There was really nothing to sustain the early momentum. The odd scheduling didn’t help. 

[KMan101]

Very much agreed it's suffered creatively, a shorter season would have been better. The break didn't help and even I've struggled a bit to get back into watching it. The momentum gets lost in all these breaks and half of the time you'd never know a new episode was on if the DVR didn't record it.

 

For me and the Trump thing I couldn't agree more. I stopped watching a lot of news, I'm so sick of hearing about him. But I found the episode where they joked about him hilarious. Believe me, I'm sick of Trump TV 24/7 too, but I still thought it was funny and they kind of needed to deal with it, IMHO. But I can also see why it may have turned some people off.

Edited March 10, 2018 by KMan101

[cct]

I'll agree that the on again/off again scheduling did not sustain any momentum. And the nadir of the season was the first two episodes back. The show worked best in the first few seasons before the guest star parade and before the characters had become cartoon-y. The last installment, with Jack guesting on Shades of Blue, felt more like classic W&G to me, and has been one of my favorite episodes of the season.