TV Shows

‘Will and Grace’ to End Revival With Season 3 on NBC

NBC’s revival of Will and Grace is saying goodbye after its upcoming third season. The NBC comedy […]

NBC’s revival of Will and Grace is saying goodbye after its upcoming third season. The NBC comedy will be coming to an end for a second time after its culminated 11th season, which will consist of 18 episodes set to premiere in 2020.

The creators of the series revealed in a statement the decision to end the revival was a creative one between themselves and the show’s beloved cast.

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“We think of the Will and Grace reboot episodes the way Karen Walker thinks of martinis โ€“ 51 is not enough, 53 is too many. That is why, after consulting with the cast, we all have decided this will be the final season of Will and Grace,” creators Max Mutchnick, David Kohan and exec producer/director Jimmy Burrows said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “In 2016, Bob Greenblatt came to us with the idea of doing a 10-episode reboot of Will and Grace. They say you can’t go home again, but we did. And now, three seasons and 52 episodes later, we’re even more proud of something we never thought we’d get a chance to do again. We have had a once-in-a-lifetime experience twice. And for that, we owe a double debt of gratitude to NBC, this show’s supportive and caring home since day one.”

News of the show’s conclusion comes as the sitcom lost almost half of its viewers in the 18-49 demo in Season 2. The cast also got sizable pay raises โ€” from $250,000 per episode for Season 1 to $350,000 per episode.

THR reports the network is paying $2 million dollars for every installment of the revival.

“When NBC had the opportunity to reconnect this amazing cast and creative team, we jumped at the chance. The impact and legacy of Will and Grace simply can’t be overstated, both as a true game-changer in the portrayal of the LGBTQ community and as one of the finest comedies in television history,” NBC Entertainment co-chairmen George Cheeks and Paul Telegdy said in a statement. “A huge thank you to [creators] Max [Mutchnick], David [Kohan], Jimmy [Burrows] and a cast that is second to none for their brilliance over an incredible run.”

The series starred Debra Messing, Eric McCormack, Sean Hayes and Megan Mullally reprising their roles as the four best friends. The first season of the revival scored McCormack some awards nominations.

The idea to reunite the cast and writing team for the series began when the fur stars reunited for a parody revival in support of Hillary Clinton’s campaign during the 2016 presidential election, which quickly went viral.

The show is the latest broadcast series to announce its end for the upcoming 2019-2020 television season. It joins NBC’s The Good Place and Blindspot, ABC’s Agents of SHIELD, Modern Family and How to Get Away With Murder, CBS’ Criminal Minds and Madam Secretary, The CW’s Arrow and Supernatural and Fox’s Empire.

Will and Grace is expected to return for its final season in 2020.