What I’m Watching: Will and Grace (Series Finale)

Will and Grace: Season 11, Episode 18 “It’s Time”

I remember sitting down to watch the original finale of this show fourteen years ago and thinking that it was really time for it to end, since it had for a while been featuring big-name guest stars to try to attract attention for its lackluster laugh track. I wasn’t sure about it coming back as a result, but these last three years have actually been decent. What I experienced watching the unexpectedly sentimental retrospective special was a yearning to go back and watch some of the early episodes where the cast was so young and this show was truly influential. I think I probably started watching regularly around season four, and so it’s nice to know that I can still go back someday and watch what are widely regarded as the best years (including the second, which won Best Comedy Series). I actually found this farewell episode to be very strong, and I like that it didn’t offer definitive answers on Will’s future with McCoy or feature Grace giving birth. Instead, they took a taxi ride through New York City, which was nice to see, and we only had to endure one high-profile guest spot from Minnie Driver, which wasn’t so bad. I was sort of hoping that we’d get to finally see Stan, but him arriving not like King Kong but in a helicopter to invite Karen back into his life was actually perfectly fitting. My favorite part was not Jack finally getting to be on Broadway without being able to take his big bow but instead his asking himself whether he still had all these different jobs we hadn’t seen him at in a while. It’s a humorous nod to how shows, including this one, tend to forget certain plotlines just because they’re no longer convenient or relevant. This is a great high note to go out on for a show that’s been perfectly fine in its three-season return if not entirely necessary. Since I haven’t seen (and certainly don't remember) every episode, I’m omitting my traditional “best season” and “best episodes” accolades below.

Series finale: B+
Series grade: B+
Season MVP: Sean Hayes as Jack
Season grade: B
Series MVP: Sean Hayes