Will and Grace divides viewers with Donald Trump jokes as it makes TV return

Some viewers complained it was too political
Back together: Megan Mullally, Sean Hayes, Eric McCormack and Debra Messing
NBC
Miranda Bryant29 September 2017

Cult television sitcom Will and Grace returned to American screens for the first time in over a decade – dividing viewers with a string of jokes targeted at Donald Trump.

While many praised the politically-charged episode – which included a gag comparing the President’s colouring to Cheetos and a call to “make America gay again” - it also split viewers between Republicans and Democrats, while some complained it was simply too political.

In the first episode of the new series, aired in the US for the first time last night [Thurs] on NBC, Debra Messing’s character Grace Adler, an interior designer, goes against her political beliefs to accept an invitation to redecorate the White House.

In a scene set in the Oval office, Grace and her assistant Karen, played by Megan Mullally, are shown in by a White House employee who says: “The owner would like you to know it’s the best Oval Office you’ll ever see.”

Divisive: The new show split viewers between Republicans and Democrats
NBC

Inside, she finds a Russian-English dictionary and a fidget spinner at the President’s desk, while Karen imitates the infamous photograph of Mr Trump’s counsellor Kellyanne Conway’s pose texting on the Oval Office sofa.

Grace is removed by the Secret Service after having a pillow fight with Eric McCormack’s character Will Truman who also happens to be at the White House at a press conference.

The show, which had what was thought to be its finale in 2006, swiftly became a trending topic on Twitter as fans reacted to the divisive episode.

While many loved the revival – tweeting their support with the hashtag “MakeAmericaGayAgain,” referencing a shot of a mock red Trump cap with the altered slogan that featured in the show – some complained that it was too political, while others threatened to boycott it.

Twitter user Marcy McGowan wrote: “Thank you Will and Grace – missed you so much and we need this now more than ever.”

In contrast, GaysForTrumpFL wrote: “Will and Grace was our favorite show. New show is pathetic and should be called Will And Disgrace.”

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Many speculated whether the President would be able to resist commenting on the show.

“How long until @realDonaldTrump unleashes his infantile rage on the Twitterverse because Will and Grace is brilliantly mocking him?” wrote Twitter user W Fisher.

The show’s co-creator David Kohan said the new series was intended to be an “antidote” to current tensions.

“I actually think that is what the appeal of what the show is right now, this whole sense of I want to be back on comfortable solid ground with characters that I’m familiar with, that I know, that I want to laugh with,” he told Variety. “Because I’m anxious right now. This is an anxious time. And this is an antidote to that.”

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