TCA 2017 Winter Press Tour: NBC, Includes Will & Grace Revival

Thursday, January 19, 2017

TCA 2017 Winter Press Tour: NBC, Includes Will & Grace Revival

NBC is rounding out the TCA 2017 Winter Press Tour. The biggest news was a classic sitcom that is indeed coming back. "Honey ... What is this? What's going on? What's happening?" NBC is officially bringing back television's favorite foursome with a 10-episode limited run of Will & Grace during the 2017-18 season. Stars Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Sean Hayes and Megan Mullally - each of whom received at least one Emmy Award for their respective performances throughout the series - will be back, and original series creators Max Mutchnick and David Kohan will act as showrunners and executive producers. Legendary director James Burrows, who directed every episode of the show during its initial eight-year run, is on board to direct and executive produce. Debuting in 1998, the show's popularity climbed steadily, ultimately becoming the highest-rated sitcom in the adults 18-49 demo from 2001-05, and garnering an audience of more than 18 million for its series finale in 2006. In addition to taking its place in the cultural zeitgeist as a critic and fan favorite, Will & Grace was nominated for 83 Emmy Awards, winning 16 of them including Outstanding Comedy Series. Universal Television will produce and distribute the 10 all-new episodes.

Other NBC TCA updates include: To the delight of a massive and passionate fan base, NBC has ordered two minimum 18-episode seasons of its Tuesday night drama sensation This Is Us. The Pearson family will be spending a few more birthdays with NBC. Next, NBC will offer audiences a preview of Chicago Justice, the newest installment of superproducer Dick Wolf's highly successful Chicago franchise, on Wednesday, March 1 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The preview will immediately follow a crossover event between Chicago Fire at 8 p.m. and Chicago P.D. at 9 p.m. that is set to introduce a storyline which seamlessly flows into Chicago Justice. The premiere of Chicago Justice will air in its normal 9 p.m. Sunday timeslot beginning March 5. Finally, NBC has ordered 20 more episodes of its edge-of-your-seat new alternative hit The Wall, executive produced by NBA superstar LeBron James and Maverick Carter and hosted by Chris Hardwick.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Sunday, September 15

The Great North - "You've Got Sail Adventure" (Fox, 7:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Wanting a chance at casually making out, Judy suddenly finds herself with three separate dates to handle simultaneously; Beef goes to meet a friend he met online, only to find out that he's a cruise ship captain, and therefore a dire enemy.

The Simpsons - "Cremains of the Day" (Fox, 7:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When someone in Homer's life passes away, he and some guys from Moe's go on a road trip to scatter the ashes.

Universal Basic Guys - "Sunset Cruise" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT)
When David, Andrea, Mark, and Tammy go on a cruise together, David and Andrea unexpectedly rekindle their romance; Mark's preoccupation with reeling in a big fish leads to him catching a whale that jeopardizes the safety of the entire cruise.

Bob's Burgers - "The Right Tough Stuff" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT)
When Gayle tells the family she's sending in an audition tape to be on Tough Stuff Island, Linda is determined to make her tape boring to save her from being humiliated on a rejection reel; Bob struggles with his new electric grinder.

The Great North - "Look Who's Squawking Adventure" / "Am I The Ice Hole? Adventure" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
When the eagle Moon is pet sitting escapes, he enlists Beef and Wolf to go searching for it; Honeybee and Beef bond on an ice fishing trip and try to find a compromise between quiet fishing and fun games.

The Conners - "Sober Sex, Plastic Silverware, and Losing My Religion" (The CW, 7:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Part of Becky's recovery program mandates she make amends with people she has lied to over the years, leading her to meet up again with a former high school friend; Darlene visits with Pastor Phil; Louise continues planning her wedding.

The Conners - "The Wedding of Dan and Louise" (The CW, 7:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
A weather report forecasting that a tornado is headed for Lanford creates chaos and surprises on Dan and Louise's wedding day.

The Conners - "Peter Pan, The Backup Plan, Adventures in Babysitting, and a River Runs Through It" (The CW, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
The Conner home is decked out for Halloween, despite the leak in the roof that forces Dan and Louise to cancel their honeymoon; Becky surprises the newlyweds and takes them on a virtual adventure around the world.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of September 9)

Friday, September 13

Brian Tyree Henry (HouseBroken/Atlanta) - Watch Brian on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Dax Shepard (Bless This Mess) - Dax appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Al Franken (LateLine) - Al is a guest on Real Time with Bill Maher at 10pm on HBO.
Kelsey Grammer (Frasier/Partners/Hank/Back to You/Cheers) - Kelsey will be on CBS Mornings some time between 7-9am.
Sanaa Lathan (Family Guy/The Cleveland Show/LateLine) - Sanaa and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor talk about the enduring power of friendship in their new Hulu film The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
Dana Delany (The Comedians) - Dana discusses her television series Tulsa King on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
Josie Davis (Charles in Charge) - Josie will be on Good Day LA on FOX 11 in Los Angeles at 11:30am.