After ten years off the air, iconic TV series Will and Grace is set to return to screens this September with the original cast—Debra Messing, Eric McCormack, Sean Hayes and Megan Mullally—all signed on to reprise their roles.
But according to , it looks like the reunion series will pretend that the 2006 finale never happened—conveniently ignoring that both Will and Grace were in committed relationships and raising children.
“When the decision was made to bring the series back, we were like, well, we left them with kids, right?” executive producer/creator David Kohan tells EW.
“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.”
So instead of focusing on Will and Grace as parents—the show will centre on the single friends living together in the same New York apartment.
“We spent most of our time trying to figure out what would be the way to make the show the best version of itself coming back after 11 years,” says executive producer/creator Max Mutchnick.
“That finale really caused us a lot of grief. You write a finale because a show is over. You never think that it’s coming back again.”
While the ninth season hasn’t even aired yet, NBC this week that it's already been renewed for another season—each to consist of 13 episodes.
"There's been such an outpouring of love from the fans," NBC Entertainment Chairman Bob Greenblatt said.
"We're a very grateful network and we're more than thrilled to have this show for a minimum of two seasons."
The groundbreaking show's return has been highly anticipated by fans—this week Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti even August 3 to be 'Will and Grace day' in the city.
"It's so important to bring back the characters represented on this show - now more than ever," said Garcetti.
"No one makes change by yelling at the news coming through their Facebook feed. They make it by embracing and celebrating the diverse faces of America."
The Mayor joined the cast and creators at a celebration at the Universal Studios backlot this week.
Executive producer Mutchnick told the crowd: "Wherever there are two men married who can't get a cake with two grooms on top, we'll be there. Whenever there's a transgender person who is not able to pee where they want or serve in the military, we'll be there. And wherever there's a straight guy who doesn't know how to cuff his pants, we'll be there," said Mutchnick.
"Whenever there's a transgender person who is not able to pee where they want or serve in the military, we'll be there. And wherever there's a straight guy who doesn't know how to cuff his pants, we'll be there," said Mutchnick.
You can watch a teaser for the new series of Will and Grace below:
