‘Will & Grace’ stars’ new podcast will revisit series
There are a ton of podcasts about TV shows right now, and many of them are hosted by cast members and producers. Some, such as the official “The Crown” podcast, revolve around shows still being released. Others, including a few about “The Sopranos” and “Office Ladies” with Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey, tackle past legends.
Add to the latter list “Just Jack & Will,” a newcomer due June 22. It will be a rewatch podcast hosted by Sean Hayes, already hosting the podcasts “SmartLess” and “HypochondriActor,” and his former “Will & Grace” costar Eric McCormack. The pair will look back at episodes, discuss what they were thinking and the minutiae they remember, and host other cast members and guest stars (of which there were very many). Will they talk about the rumored behind-the-scene friction on the reboot? I tend to doubt it. They will likely focus on the positive.
For Hayes, by the way, it will just be a watch podcast, not a rewatch podcast: He didn’t see most of the completed episodes when they first aired. The show is being produced by SmartLess media, created by Hayes, Jason Bateman, and Will Arnett after the great success of their interview podcast.
During its first run, beginning in 1998, “Will & Grace” was one of my favorites, as it made light of gender and sexual orientation for a large mainstream audience. It was witty and fresh. By the first finale in 2006, though, it had run out of gas, with plot absurdities and too many guest stars. Nonetheless, NBC brought the show back in 2017, and after three seasons the revival was not only merely dead,but really most sincerelydead. Here’s hoping the pair will focus on more worthy half-hours.