ENTERTAINMENT | 'Will & Grace' Reboot Success Leads to More Episodes & An Additional Season

The revival of Will & Grace is getting extended with a 13-episode second season, the Emmy-winning series’ 10th. Additionally, the current ninth season has been expanded for a second time and will consist of 16 episodes. NBC chairman Bob Greenblatt made the announcement at the top of the show’s TCA session.

“There’s been such an outpouring of love from the fans,” Greenblatt said in making the announcement. “We had the first table reading yesterday of the first episode, and it was extraordinary. We are a very grateful network, and we’re more than thrilled to have this show on the air for a minimum of two seasons.”

The renewal continues the revival’s Cinderella run.Will & Grace‘s unexpected return started with a surprise 10-minute election mini-episode that translated into a 10-episode series order for a new season of the Emmy-winning comedy on NBC. That order was increased to 12 episodes last spring and now to 16, with the Will & Grace reboot anchoring a new Must See TV NBC Thursday lineup this fall.

The new installments of Will & Grace reunite original stars Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Megan Mullally and Sean Hayes. Also back are creators/executive producer Max Mutchnick and David Kohan, joined by a number of the original series’ writers.

Will & Grace, which aired from 1998-2006 as one of the last tentpoles of NBC’s once-venerable Must See TV comedy lineup, has a great legacy: In addition to winning 16 Emmys, including Outstanding Comedy Series in 2000, it is credited with paving the way for LGBT characters on TV, featuring the first openly gay lead characters on a primetime network series.

CLICK HERE