SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

In anticipation and celebration of the triumphant Sept. 28 return of Will & Grace on NBC, the network and The Paley Center for Media are collaborating on the hour-long special The Paley Center Salutes the Best of Will & Grace, scheduled to air Tuesday, Sept. 19 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on NBC. Comprised of the best moments from the show's original eight seasons in which it received 16 Emmy Awards from among 83 nominations, The Paley Center Salutes the Best of Will & Grace will also feature new and exclusive interviews with the show's stars - Debra Messing, Eric McCormack, Sean Hayes and Megan Mullally - as well as creators Max Mutchnick and David Kohan, and legendary director James Burrows. Also included is never-seen-before behind-the-scenes footage of the landmark series that altered the television landscape with its brilliant comedy and groundbreaking focus on gay characters and their life experiences. Will & Grace rejoins the NBC lineup Thursday, Sept. 28 at 9 p.m. for a 16-episode run. The network also recently ordered a second 13-episode season.

Freeform, Disney's young adult television and streaming network, has added two series regulars and two recurring characters to grown-ish, a spin-off of ABC's award-winning hit series black-ish, starring breakout star Yara Shahidi as Zoey Johnson, from ABC Signature Studios. The 13-episode, single-camera comedy will start production next week and is set to premiere early 2018 on Freeform and the Freeform App, available on connected TV, mobile devices and online. Francia Raisa (The Secret Life of the American Teenager") and Jordan Buhat (Summer of '84) join the previously announced cast of Yara Shahidi (black-ish), Deon Cole (black-ish), Chris Parnell (Saturday Night Live), Emily Arlook (The Good Place, Hand of God) and Trevor Jackson (Burning Sands, American Crime). Singing duo Chloe x Halle (Chloe Bailey and Halle Bailey), who recently served as one of Beyoncé's opening acts for the European leg of The Formation World Tour, have also joined the cast in recurring roles.

From black-ish executive producer Kenya Barris comes a contemporary take on the current issues facing both students and administrators in the world of higher education. Yara Shahidi portrays Zoey - Dre (Anthony Anderson) and Rainbow's (Tracee Ellis Ross) popular, entitled, stylish and socially active 17-year-old daughter - as she heads off to college and quickly discovers that not everything goes her way once she leaves the nest. Raisa will portray Ana, an outspoken conservative freshman at Southern California University. Buhat will portray Vivek, a first generation Indian-American freshman at Southern California University with an endearing lack of self-awareness. Singing sisters Chloe x Halle will portray twin sisters Sky and Jazz, who are on the track team at the college.