Looking for another 90’s sitcom worth binging this summer? Perhaps with the 20th-century NYC charm and young adult friendships of Friends, and the nuanced wit and humor of Schitt’s Creek? If so, Will & Grace is undoubtedly your next watch. It was unearthed to me one evening as I walked into the living room to find my mom watching it, and I ultimately found myself glued to the couch with her for the rest of my summer break nights.
Overview
First airing in 1998 on NBC, Will & Grace follows the lives of interior designer Grace Adler, her gay best friend Will Truman, a corporate lawyer, and their (bougee) best friends, Jack McFarland and Karen Walker. Will & Grace explores the balance of prioritizing and caring for your best friend like you would a romantic partner, the struggles of the LGBTQ+ in personal identity and expression as well as within the workplace, and the ups and downs of the adult dating scene in the city, all while strutting impeccable hair and wardrobe, immaculate chemistry that mirrors real life relationships, and friend group humor that leaves you gagged.
Will & Grace
Will and Grace are best friends from college who share an apartment in NYC, where there is never a dull moment. Their friendship is built on layers of compassion and inside jokes, and is addictive to watch from behind the screen. While both have demanding careers and indefinite dating lives, they still work hard to prioritize each other and keep their own spark alive. We see the triumphs and tribulations of their friendship as they depend on and understand one another as no one else can; they encounter misunderstandings and moments of selfishness, and they ultimately work it out and come back stronger than ever. Jack and Karen are their counterpart duo, bringing in the tough love; neither one is very fond of mushy-gushy expressions. That being said, all of the friends find ways to show each other they care, even through contrasting love languages.
Will and Jack met in college as well, with Jack helping Will come out as gay. Their friendship is special because they are polar opposites in personality and drive, yet they bond over the commonalities of their sexuality and their care for each other. Being such different people, we see the various discriminations that they must face separately in their everyday lives. As with any deep friendship, there are even times in which they judge each other for their very contrasting ways of self-expression and socialization out of annoyance or insecurity, but we are with them the whole way as they work it out and find the best way to truly support and understand each other.
Will, Grace, and Jack are all on the market in the dating scene in New York. Grace’s challenges come from being an intelligent, ambitious, quick-witted woman. She struggles to find romantic relationships as deep and fulfilling as her platonic relationship with her best friend, Will. Both Jack and Will’s experiences dating as gay men are slightly different from Grace’s, and Will is additionally challenged by his ultimate independence and struggle to let romantic love in, while Jack is a textbook flirt, taking a less serious (and much more casual) approach to his dating life, adding the fun to their dating scene. Their love lives are chaotic yet laughably relatable and beg the question of what a fulfilling relationship looks like from person to person.
Ending Notes
Will & Grace is by far my favorite TV show and has become my comfort watch. The characters are endlessly lovable and their friendships unbelievably heartfelt, reminding me of my own. I take inspiration from their communication, ambition, and independence, as well as their unconditional love towards one another, no matter the circumstances. It’s a great example of the importance of prioritizing your support system of friends as you reach adulthood and truly branch out on your own for the first time, because although dates and jobs may come and go, your besties will always be there for better or for worse.