NBC announced Saturday evening it was had ordered an 18-episode third season of its reboot of “Will & Grace” even before the first season was completed.
The network also announced it has increased the order for the reboot’s second season to 18 episodes from the previously announced 13.
“As far as I’m concerned, we can’t get enough of `Will & Grace’ and 23 more episodes is music to my ears,” NBC Entertainment Chairman Robert Greenblatt said.
“I’m overwhelmed by the euphoric response the new show has received from the press and the audience, and my hat is off to the unrivaled writing team of Max Mutchnick and David Kohan, as well as the brilliant directing of Jimmy Burrows, for consistently delivering one of the best shows on television.”
“Will & Grace” is NBC’s most-watched comedy this season and fourth overall, averaging 9.248 million viewers.
Co-star Eric McCormack received a Golden Globe nomination for best performance by an actor in a musical or comedy television series while castmate Sean Hayes received a Screen Actors Guild Awards nomination for outstanding male actor in a comedy series.
The writing team of Tracy Poust and Jon Kinnally won a Writers Guild Award for best episodic comedy for “Rosario’s Quinceanera.”
NBC announced in January 2017 that it had given “Will & Grace,” which originally ran from 1998 to 2006, a 10-episode order for the 2017-18 season. The episode order would be increased twice to 16.
NBC announced on Aug. 3 it had ordered a second season of the reboot more than a month before it premiered.
The announcement of the third season was made in connection with a PaleyFest LA 2018 program with the cast and creators of the series at the Dolby Theatre.
–City News Service