The only thing better than hearing Will & Grace was being picked up for a revival series was the later news that said revival series would be ignoring the depressing finale from the original run.
When the show originally ended in 2006, Will (Eric McCormack) and Grace (Debra Messing) had drifted apart as friends and were living separate lives — Will with baby Ben, and Grace with her partner Leo (Harry Connick Jr) and their daughter Lila.
But that's not the kind of grounding to build a sitcom on, so last night's premiere quickly swept all that under the rug by using one of the oldest tricks in the book: "I had the craziest dream."
The premiere opened with Will and Grace playing a game in the living room, with Jack (Sean Hayes) watching on and Karen (Megan Mullally) staring off into space before being snapped back to attention by Jack rattling her pill bottle.
"I had the craziest dream," Karen then says, describing the finale scenes. "Will was living with a swarthy man in uniform and Grace was married to a Jew doctor."
"Well, we were, but we're single now," Will replies.
"What happened to the children that you had that grew up and got married to each other?" Karen then asks, to which Will replies that it "never happened".
"Oh, what a relief," she replied, speaking for fans everywhere. "Nobody wants to see you two raise kids."
Soon after, it's established that Will and Grace are living together again while Grace regroups from her divorce from Leo, they're both single with no kids and Karen is still rich and her husband Stan is still alive.
"Got it?" Jack says to the camera.
Got it.
Speaking earlier this year of the decision to ignore the series finale, co-creator David Kohan revealed they didn't want parenthood to be a priority in Will and Grace's lives.
"When the decision was made to bring the series back, we were like, well, we left them with kids, right?" he said. "And if they have children, then it has to be about them being parents, 'cause presumably it would be a priority in their lives.
"And if it wasn't a priority in their lives, then they're still parents, they're just bad parents, right? We frankly did not want to see them being either good parents or bad parents. We wanted them to be Will and Grace."
Will & Grace airs on Thursdays on NBC in the US.
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Megan Davies
Megan Davies is a freelance sub-editor and news writer at Digital Spy, and is a lover of good TV, good coffee and any story with a solid twist.
FAQs
Their mile high tryst leads to Grace getting pregnant, but she doesn't tell Leo because he is engaged to another woman. However, in the series finale, she and Leo remarry and raise the baby, a girl named Laila, together.
What happened in the final episode of Will and Grace? ›
Will feels betrayed, and stops speaking to her. Two years later, Grace moves with Leo to Rome and lives there for a year. They then move back to New York City, where they raise their daughter, Laila. Will and Vince D'Angelo (Bobby Cannavale) have since reconciled, and are raising a son, Ben.
What happened to Grace's daughter in Will and Grace? ›
In a flash-forward scene in the series finale, she is shown as a college freshman who meets Ben, Will and Vince's son to whom she later becomes engaged. Their meeting parallels the relationship between Will and Grace, who also had dorms across the hall from each other.
Why did Grace divorce Leo? ›
[1] The marriage failed less than two years in, when Leo revealed that he had a one-night stand while working in Cambodia for Doctors Without Borders. After Leo came clean about his affair, Grace briefly considers continuing their marriage but quickly decides she wants a divorce.
Was Grace really pregnant on Will and Grace? ›
Messing got pregnant during Will & Grace's sixth season in 2003. Though the show tried to hide her baby bump with towels and bags, the New York native skipped the final four episodes at 8-months pregnant. She welcomed son Roman with Daniel Zelman in 2004.
Did Grace ever tell Leo she is pregnant? ›
She meets with Leo at a cafe to tell him about her pregnancy but ultimately decides not to after learning from Leo that he has been engaged to another woman named Kate. Will and Grace then decide to raise the baby together.
Who does Karen end up with on Will and Grace? ›
Ultimately in the season 10 finale, she announces herself as straight and breaks things off with Nikki, after realizing how lost she has become since her divorce from Stan. In the series finale, Stan asks her to take him back, and she realizes that she still loves him.
How did Grace get pregnant in Will and Grace? ›
The day after her green-card wedding to James, Grace comes back from the doctor to check up on her nausea and finds out that she is pregnant with her ex-husband Leo's baby from their brief encounter on an airplane a while back.
Who does Will end up with in Will and Grace season 11? ›
Will ended up back with McCoy (Matt Bomer), Karen (Megan Mullally) ended up back together with Stan (who fans still did not get to see), and Jack (Sean Hayes) got to make his Broadway debut. Begin your day with a curated outlook of top news around the world and why it matters.
Who is the father of Grace's baby? ›
Leo. Given the trajectory of this last season was the same as the last season of the original run, it's almost guaranteed Leo is the father. In the original series, Grace and Leo join the mile high club, which results in her first pregnancy story.
Due to Debra Messing's pregnancy - which is visible in multiple episodes late in the season - Grace did not appear in five episodes; "Heart Like a Wheelchair" (episode 6), "I Never Cheered for My Father" (episode 21), "Speechless" (episode 22) and "I Do. Oh, No, You Didn't" (episode 23/24).
Do Will and McCoy end up together? ›
This prompts Will to break up with him so he can continue with his adoption plans. In the series finale, however, Will and McCoy get back together.
Whose baby does Grace have? ›
However, Grace eventually starts to experience Callings, which to the Stones, means the baby is Ben's and not Danny's. However, they never complete an official paternity test. Grace eventually gives birth to a baby girl, Eden Stone, and stops receiving Callings after the baby is born.
Was Grace in love with Will? ›
Grace was in love with Will, and it wasn't until they tried to have sex as college kids that he came out for the first time. It's interesting and sad, watching that scene again, how much it really was all about Grace's hurt and pain, with no support for Will.
Was Grace pregnant in season 6? ›
The sixth season of Will & Grace originally aired from September 25, 2003 to April 29, 2004. It consists of 24 episodes. Due to Debra Messing's pregnancy during the season, Grace does not appear in five episodes: "Heart Like a Wheelchair", "I Never Cheered for my Father", "Speechless", "I Do.
What happened to Grace's baby in season 8? ›
After hooking up earlier in Season 8 with ex-husband Leo (Harry Connick Jr.), Grace gets pregnant, and she and Leo ultimately reunite, raising baby Lila together. So does Will (Eric McCormack)! In the series finale, we see him and partner Vince D'Angelo (Bobby Cannavale) raising a baby boy named Ben.
What season is Grace pregnant with Leo's baby? ›
S8 E16 | Grace Expectations
Nervous but optimistic Grace decides it is time to tell Leo (Harry Connick Jr.) she is pregnant with his child.
Is Grace actually pregnant in Season 8? ›
she is pregnant with his child, but when she finally works up enough courage to actually meet with him, she decides not to when she discovers that he's engaged. Meanwhile, Will is settling in comfortably with James (Taye Diggs) until he reveals a side of himself unknown to Will.
