When Will & Grace first strutted onto the NBC lineup in the fall of 1998, nobody—not even the network brass—really knew if a sitcom centered on a gay man and his straight best friend would survive past the first commercial break. It wasn’t just a show. It was a gamble.
Honestly, looking back from 2026, it’s hard to remember how high the stakes were.
You’ve probably heard the trivia about Joe Biden crediting the show for shifting the American needle on LGBTQ+ rights. That's a heavy legacy for a show that spent half its time making jokes about Karen Walker’s liver or Jack McFarland’s latest failed "Just Jack" cabaret. But there is so much more to the story than just "groundbreaking representation."
The Secret Origin Nobody Talks About
Most fans think the show was some carefully engineered social project. It wasn't. It actually started with a breakup.
Co-creator Max Mutchnick based the central dynamic on his real-life relationship with Janet Eisenberg, a casting director. They dated in their younger years before Max came out, and their transition from romantic partners to platonic soulmates became the blueprint for Will Truman and Grace Adler.
📖 Related: Perfect State: Why This Sanderson Novella Still Messes With My Head
Here is the kicker: the show was originally pitched as an ensemble piece featuring three couples. The gay-man/straight-woman dynamic was just one of the three. It was NBC executive Warren Littlefield who looked at the script and basically said, "This is the only part I care about."
He was right.
The title itself isn't even just names. It’s a deep-cut reference to the Jewish philosopher Martin Buber. In his book I and Thou, Buber argues that one needs the "will" to pursue the Eternal and the "grace" to receive it.
Pretty heavy stuff for a sitcom where Debra Messing once had to wear a water-filled bra that eventually exploded on camera.
Why the "Perfect" Ending Was Deleted
If you watched the original series finale in 2006, you probably remember that bittersweet flash-forward. It showed Will and Grace drifting apart for twenty years, only to reunite when their kids (Ben and Laila) met in college.
It was a definitive, emotional full stop.
Then 2017 happened.
When the revival was announced, the creators had a massive problem. If they kept the original ending, the new show would have to be about Will and Grace as middle-aged parents who hadn't spoken in two decades. That’s not a comedy; that’s a tragedy.
So, they just... ignored it.
They literally had Karen wake up from a dream in the first episode of the revival, dismissing the entire finale as a booze-fueled hallucination. It was a bold move. It also meant that in the world of the show, Will and Grace were still living in that same Upper West Side apartment (155 Riverside Drive, for the superfans), still single, and still codependent.
The Casting That Almost Didn't Happen
Can you imagine anyone else as Karen Walker? You shouldn't. But Megan Mullally almost didn't take the job.
🔗 Read more: Guns and Roses Guitar Tabs: Why They Are Harder to Play Than You Think
She actually auditioned for the role of Grace first. When she didn't get it, she was offered Karen, but she initially passed because the character felt too similar to what Christine Baranski was doing on Cybill. Thankfully, she changed her mind, dialed the voice up a few octaves, and created a legend.
Meanwhile, Sean Hayes was so uninterested in the pilot that he literally threw the script in the trash. He was at the Sundance Film Festival and didn't want to pay for his own plane ticket to L.A. to audition for another "gay best friend" role.
The producers had to beg him to come in.
And then there’s the John Barrowman situation. Barrowman, who is actually gay, was told he was "too straight" to play Will. The role eventually went to Eric McCormack, who is straight. It’s one of those Hollywood ironies that people still debate today.
Behind the Scenes: The $600,000 Question
By the final season of the original run, the core four were making roughly $600,000 per episode.
That is a lot of martinis.
But it wasn't always smooth sailing. There were legendary rumors about tensions on set, particularly during the revival years. Fans noticed that in the final season of the reboot, Megan Mullally was mysteriously absent for several episodes.
While the official word was "personal leave," the internet was convinced there was a rift between her and Debra Messing. They even unfollowed each other on Instagram, which, in the 21st century, is basically the equivalent of a duel at dawn.
The Real Impact (By the Numbers)
- 18 Primetime Emmy Awards: Every single lead actor won at least one.
- 96 Nominations: It was an awards season juggernaut for nearly a decade.
- 246 Episodes: Across the original run and the three-season revival.
- 0 Golden Globes: Despite 30 nominations, they never won a single one. Life is unfair.
Why It Still Matters (and What to Watch Next)
Will & Grace wasn't perfect. Critics often point out that the show relied heavily on stereotypes—Jack was the "flamboyant" one, Will was the "straight-acting" one. It was also criticized for its lack of racial diversity, especially for a show set in New York City.
But it did something vital. It put gay lives in the living rooms of people who had never met a gay person. It used the "Trojan Horse" of a traditional multi-cam sitcom—complete with a live studio audience and a laugh track—to deliver social change.
If you’re looking to revisit the show or dive deeper into its history, here are a few things you should actually do:
📖 Related: Paul Johansson in The Notebook: Why You Might’ve Missed His Role
- Listen to the "Just Jack & Will" Podcast: Sean Hayes and Eric McCormack do a deep dive into every episode. It’s where most of the "real" behind-the-scenes tea is spilled these days.
- Watch the "Lows in the Mid-Eighties" Episode: If you want to see the show at its peak, this Season 3 flashback episode is a masterclass in sitcom writing.
- Track the Guest Stars: From Cher and Madonna to Britney Spears and Michael Douglas, the show had arguably the greatest guest-star roster in TV history. Check out the episode with Leslie Jordan as Beverley Leslie for pure comedic gold.
The show eventually ended for a second time in 2020. This time, they stayed away from the "twenty-year rift" ending and went for something a bit more hopeful. It felt right. In a world that keeps changing, there was something comforting about knowing that somewhere in Manhattan, Will and Grace were still arguing about décor while Karen insulted a maid.