Nearly two decades ago, Will & Grace took television by storm. The premises focuses on two best friends, a gay male and straight female, living together and experiencing daily antics.
At this time, in 1998, LGBT representation on television was scarce. Will became a leading character that was loved not only by the gay community, but by those in the straight community as well. The show was largely relatable because it shed light on the dynamic of their friendship.
Over the 8-year run, Will & Grace would prove to promote tolerance of those in the LGBT community. The audience got to experience life through a perspective that they perhaps did not think about prior. During this time, LGBT rights were slowly coming to the forefront of the society’s political priorities.
This year, fans got some excellent news – Will & Grace are back for a revival of the series.
While the show returns with the same cast and characters, the environment that the audience resides in is different today. Many large strides towards LGBT equality have been taken and even achieved. Will & Grace is no longer one of the only shows to exist that will showcase a gay character.
While it will always be a show that paved the way for the LGBT community in the 90’s and early 2000’s, the coming revival of the series is deemed more of a relic than a savior. The feeling of nostalgia is going to be brought back by witnessing the familiar characters that everyone came to know and love, but it is not expected to prove as large of a point due to the progress that we have made as a whole.
While Will & Grace is no longer deemed the most revolutionary series of the current time, it is still bringing lots of excitement to fans new and old. What did you think of the premiere episode?
