Pilot (Will & Grace)
Pilot episode of Will & Grace / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Pilot" (also known as "Love and Marriage") is the pilot episode, as well as first episode of the first season, of the American television sitcom Will & Grace. It was written by David Kohan and Max Mutchnick, and directed by James Burrows. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on September 21, 1998. In the episode, Grace Adler receives an unexpected marriage proposal from her boyfriend. Her gay best friend Will Truman tries to support her, but finally tells her that she is making a big mistake, even though he risks losing their friendship. The situation gets complicated when Grace's socialite assistant, Karen Walker, and Will's flamboyantly gay friend, Jack McFarland, interfere.
"Pilot" | |||
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Will & Grace episode | |||
![]() Scene where Will (Eric McCormack) and Grace (Debra Messing) went out drinking to celebrate their friendship. | |||
Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 1 | ||
Directed by | James Burrows | ||
Written by | David Kohan Max Mutchnick | ||
Original air date | September 21, 1998 (1998-09-21) | ||
Episode chronology | |||
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Will & Grace (season 1) | |||
List of episodes |
Kohan and Mutchnick based the show on their own lives; for example, Mutchnick, who is openly gay, based the relationship between Will and Grace on his real-life relationship with a woman named Janet. When the pilot was pitched to NBC, the network was positive about the project. There was still some concern, however, that the homosexual subject matter would cause alarm, since the sitcom Ellen was canceled because ratings had plummeted after the show became "too gay". Since airing, the pilot episode of Will & Grace has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. It acquired a Nielsen rating of 8.6, equivalent to approximately 8.4 million viewing households.