'Will & Grace' Revival Has Strong Debut

NBC was very, very excited about bringing Will & Grace back to TV. The network was so eager to get a revival of the series on its schedule, it signed up for two seasons of the sitcom before the first season even began to air. It wasn't as clear, however, that audiences were as excited about the return of a comedy that ended 11 years ago. We got a first look at audience enthusiasm when the revival debuted this Thursday, and so far, it looks good for NBC.

However, it's clear that Will & Grace is never again going to reach the heights it reached in the 90s and early 2000s. Thursday's debut of the revival was the top-rated scripted series of the night (NFL Thursday Night Football drew a bigger audience), but its ratings were well below those delivered during the sitcom's final season in 2006. The ratings for that 2006 season, in turn, were half those of the series' first season.

Overall, it looks like Will & Grace still has some fans, but at this point, it's not must-see TV. Read on for the actual numbers.

Via Variety.

The revival of the classic sitcom scored a 3.0 rating in adults 18-49 and 10.2 million viewers, making it the most-watched and highest-rated non-sports broadcast of the night. That also makes it one of the top premieres of the season thus far, behind only the Season 2 premiere of “This Is Us” (3.9, 12.9 million), the Season 11 premiere of “The Big Bang Theory” (4.1, 17.7 million) and the series premiere of “Young Sheldon” (3.8, 17.2 million).

On CBS, “NFL Thursday Night Kickoff” drew a 2.3 and 9.3 million viewers, while the Thursday Night Football matchup between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears is currently averaging a 3.2 and 10.7 million viewers. However, the game ran late due to a weather delay, so those numbers will likely adjust more than usual later today. Thursday night’s game was also streamed on Amazon and the NFL Network.

On ABC, the two-hour Season 14 premiere of “Grey’s Anatomy” drew a 2.3 and 7.9 million viewers, down less than 10 percent in both measures from the Season 13 premiere. The Season 4 premiere of “How To Get Away With Murder” averaged a 1.1  and 4 million viewers, down just over 10 percent in both measures from the Season 3 premiere.

For Fox, the Season 4 premiere of “Gotham” drew a 0.8 and 2.8 million viewers, down 20 percent in the demo and just over 10 percent in total viewers from the Season 3 premiere.

Get the rest of the story at Variety.

Did you watch the Will & Grace premiere? What did you think? Let us know in the comment section below.