Today’s dose (okay, actually, second dose) of “does this thing that had its moment and it was a very specific moment and now it’s not that moment and if we return to that moment it’ll potentially be for empty nostalgia’s sake” comes in the form of a (very potential) revival of the NBC comedy Will and Grace. According to the Hollywood Reporter, following the 10 minute election-oriented reunion of the series, the network seemed to think there was more to be explored through Will, Grace, Karen, and Jack a decade following the series finale.
Even I, a major revival skeptic, will say that there was something intriguingly anachronistic and bizarre about the series in all its late 90s/early 00s sitcom stylings suddenly being applied to an election that feels so terrifyingly of this very particular moment in American history; Will and Grace began pre 9/11 and then plowed through the Bush era, but, as was the case with Sex and the City, conversations about class, sexuality, race, and so much more have evolved greatly on television, while in many ways politically — as seen through Trump — there’s been a reactionary devolution accompanying it. So there was certainly a disorienting fascination in seeing these characters address the era of Trump, like people who’ve time travelled to the future and are trying to act normal there.
As of now, according to THR, none of the stars have made any official deals, nor have the creators of the show (all of which would be necessary for this thing to work), but the network is supposedly hoping to turn this into a 10-episode limited series. (As the publication mentions, it’s also not know whether it’d actually air on NBC or end up getting bought by a streaming platform.) This is all apparently still in very early talks, and could totally not happen at all, though both Debra Messing and Eric McCormack didn’t seem averse to the idea of further revisiting these characters in some capacity in interviews surrounding that brief election reunion.