Will & Grace

NBC can't exactly claim victory for its first attempt at re-launching Must See TV Thursday nights. Not only did CSI kick the butts of Earl and The Office, but NBC also had fewer viewers than ABC's launch of Dancing with the Stars. The ratings hold good and bad news for NBC. The comedy bloc, which included Will & Grace, Four Kings, My Name is Earl, and The Office, averaged 9.2 million viewers, which is about half of what ABC and CBS each got. NBC not only trailed way behind the other networks in ratings, it also trailed in the coveted 18-49 age group. Earl's ratings weren't as high as they had been when it aired on Tuesday nights, but The Office hit a season high.

I guess I'm part of the minority. I checked out Four Kings and I gave up CSI in favor of Earl and The Office. CSI is getting boring, anyway. What do you choose on Thursday nights?

The nominees for the 12th Annual SAG Awards were announced this morning. Check out the full list for television after the jump below.

Looks like one live episode this season wasn't enough for NBC's Will and Grace. They're going live again on January 12 at 8:30. The plot? Karen throws a party but stays in the bathroom the whole time (which will probably be easier to film since it's a live episode, of course).

Some might say that these live episodes are "stunts" and "ratings ploys." But the show is in its last year anyway, so it's not like they are pulling stunts so they'll be renewed again. I don't know if two lives eps in one season is warranted for any show, but I don't mind them.

While we're on the subject of Jennifer Garner's pregnancy, ABC News has an article about how different TV producers worked their stars' pregnancies into the plot lines. Garner's pregnancy is part of her character in Alias; and Lucille Ball was pregnant in real life and on screen; but Jane Leves went to fat camp on Frasier. Stars who had to hide their pregnancy included Sarah Jessica Parker on Sex and the City; Julia Louis-Dreyfus on Seinfeld; and Reese Witherspoon during the filming of Vanity Fair.

I know they're missing a bunch, most notably Debra Messing on Will & Grace, whose "hiding" of her pregnancy was so imperfect it was laughable. Who else was pregnant while filming TV shows?

Will & Grace used to be a pretty good show. It dealt more honestly with homosexuality than anything that had been on the air at the time (although why they never gave Will a boyfriend up until a year or so ago is beyond me), and the writing was alternately witty and bawdy. But then, sometime around season two, the big guest stars started showing up. Madonna. Cher. Glenn Close. Matt Damon. You get the idea. At first it was fun, especially when said guest star was a big movie star or musician who rarely did interviews, much less sitcoms. The guest shots gave the show an event feel, something that compelled even non-fans to tune in from time-to-time.

Now it's just getting ridiculous. Not only is W&G having guest stars on each and every week, they're now starting to scrape the bottom of the barrel. And, no, I'm not talking about Alec Baldwin, who seems to have become a de facto cast member, considering he's been in almost every episode so far this season. No, I'm talking about Jason Biggs. Yes, that's right: American Pie's Jason Biggs. The same Jason Biggs whose most famous movie scene is still the one where he's caught making love to baked goods. And here's the kicker: NBC's making a big deal out of it! To them, Jason Biggs is just as big a "get" as Michael Douglas was. Well, I've had it. If I wanted to watch a show that had second-rate guest stars on it every week, I'd watch Las Vegas.

Because I want to make things as difficult in my life as possible, I have decided to live blog the live Will and Grace tonight (wow, that's so meta I think the universe is going to collapse on itself), starting at 8:30 Eastern. To do so, I'll have to completely skip Survivor tonight, tape Alias to watch at 10 (and skip watching ER), and tape Night Stalker at 9 to watch at 11. Or something like that.

Wish me luck. And come back at 8:30 to watch the live blogging action...

Lifetime will be airing a Will and Grace special next Monday at 8 p.m. (7C). Will and Grace: Backstage Pass will feature "revealing" cast interviews, a look behind the scenes, probably a lot of clips, and of course, the obligatory bloopers. That sounds just fine and dandy for Will and Grace fans, but I must say I stopped getting excited about "bloopers" a long time ago, even for shows I like. If the producers of this show define "blooper" as someone flubbing their line fifty times in a row, or someone who can't stop laughing, then they need to scrap them and find some real bloopers, like someone accidentally catching on fire or something.

I'm not going to lie to you: I'm one of the critics that has said that Will and Grace isn't half as good today as it was its first 4 seasons. I don't even think that's a matter of opinion anymore. If you've watched the show in the past two years or so you know it's true too. But star McCormack disagrees, and tells the AP why everyone is wrong.

For the record, I'm really looking forward to the season opener. Not only is Stan still alive, but they are airing the show live. Should be an interesting last season.

[via TV Tattle]

The fictional New York, of course, since the show is filmed in California. The season premiere of Will and Grace will be broadcast live. They will do different versions of the show for different time zones (like ER did several years ago for their live broadcast). Looks like it's the last season for Will and Grace, and the plot twist from last season (SPOILER AHEAD!) that Karen's husband Stan is really alive should make for some lively episodes this year.

[via TV Tattle]

I have to admit that I haven't watched Will and Grace regularly in over a year. The first three or four seasons of the show are good (the first three are terrific), but ever since that whole mess with John Cleese and Minnie Driver...ugh. If certain shows jump the shark, then Will and Grace has sailed far beyond, and is drowning. 

It doesn't even seem like these are the same characters anymore. Every trait each character had is now either gone or exaggerated beyond all belief. Will, who used to be the responsible, cool one, is now completely lost and silly (becoming a writer?); Grace, or Debra Messing, just seems to be going through the motions; and Jack and Karen don't even seem human anymore. There was always some humanity about them, but now they are like cartoon characters. In truth, they act sorta mentally unbalanced. You don't laugh at Karen's booze 'n pills act anymore, because there's nothing else that balances it out. She's always a nutcase. That's how the writers are writing her and that's how Megan Mullally is playing her, to the tilt. And if you worked with Jack or met him at a party, you'd punch him within 8 minutes. A talk show host? This is a show jumping the shark within a show jumping the shark. Are there still funny lines? Yes. But it's all so forced now that I really don't see any point in watching the show anymore. 

Holy crap. I typed the above just before the very final scene of the show. And I have to tell you - and I swear on everything that's holy - I predicted that it was going to happen! About 10 minutes before the show started I actually said to myself, "wouldn't it be cool if..."  

• Out: Law and Order: Trial By Jury, American Dreams, Medical Investigation, Committed, The Contender, Third Watch.
  
• New: The Apprentice: Martha Stuart, Three Wishes, E-Ring, Fathom, Inconceivable, My Name Is Earl, Thick and Thin, Four Kings.
• Returning: Scrubs, Fear Factor, Las Vegas, The Biggest Loser, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Law & Order, Joey, Will & Grace, The Apprentice, ER, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Crossing Jordan, Medium.
  
• Moving: The West Wing (Sundays, 8-9 p.m. EST), The Office (Tuesdays, 9:30-10 p.m. EST), Dateline NBC (Fridays 9-10 p.m. EST).

Read on for show descriptions.

Will and Grace star Megan Mullally has signed with NBC Universal to host a syndicated talk show starting in 2006. I know what you're thinking: but what about Will and Grace? Well, there's a good chance that this fall will be the last season of the show, but if it isn't, she'll do both shows. I think that Mullally should do the show in her Karen Walker character. Wouldn't that be great? Drinking martinis and popping pills while dumping on celebrities for their lack of taste in clothing? I'd watch that! 

When President Bush held his press conference on the first night of sweeps (and a Thursday to boot), many shows were knocked off the air for the night. CBS decided to go with pushing back Survivor: Palau and CSI (which meant Without A Trace didn't air), and NBC skipped Joey and Will and Grace and went right to The Apprentice at 9. So, the shows that got pre-empted will now air as follows: Without A Trace will air the episode tomorrow night (Weds) at 9, right after that you've-got-to-be-kidding-me Dr. Phil special with Pat O'Brien (hey, is it really a good thing to air that in the 8 pm hour?). At NBC, they'll air the Joey and Will and Grace eps this Thursday, and the episode of Joey that was supposed to air this Thursday will air after another new episode on May 12. The Will and Grace episode that was supposed to air this Thursday will now air on Tuesday, May 10, at 9:30? Got that? I don't think Joey would have all that straight. How you doin?  

That's right Will & Grace fans, your best friends are returning for an eight season. The cast and producers have all signed on and the actors actually got salary bumps after earlier reports said there might be paycuts ahead. NBC must be so intent on keeping a critical and often watched sitcom in the line-up they're willing to do anything. Attention Scrubs actors, ask for a raise now!

Photo: Eric McCormack can't believe he's getting paid more to make the same silly faces.

Despite some feelings the show has passed its prime, Will & Grace is still far superior to any new sitcom NBC has tried since Scrubs and NBC is looking to renew it. The agreement would be for a full season but NBC is looking to lower its licensing fees. This would reflect our stance that Will & Grace isn't as hot a property as it once was. Either way NBC could do much worse.