I've been a fan of Will & Grace for a while, but the show definitely seems to have gone downhill after the whole "Will and Grace try to have a baby" story line and now the utterly lame marrying off of Grace (to Harry Connick Jr., who hasn't actually appeared in several recent episodes -- the phantom husband?).

And now I just saw this on the AP wire:

"LOS ANGELES (AP) — Madonna will make her episodic TV series debut in May on NBC’s “Will & Grace.”
She’s just one of the big names being called on by the sitcom to help juice up ratings during upcoming “sweeps” months, which are used to help set local advertising rates.
Demi Moore and Minnie Driver also will guest star on “Will & Grace,” NBC said Friday. In February, Moore will play a former baby sitter to Jack (Sean Hayes) who meets up with him again.
In another February episode, Driver plays a woman who romances Karen’s former husband and then really makes Karen (Megan Mullally) angry by befriending pal Jack.
Details of Madonna’s appearance and specific episode dates weren’t announced. The series airs 9 p.m. EST Thursday."

....Ye Gods, hasn't the show had ENOUGH guest stars? I mean, some are quite funny -- Michael Douglas and Matt Damon were hiliarious -- but is this a sitcom version of "The Love Boat" lately or what? I'd rather see more of the characters I enjoy than the "celebrity of the week" nonsense the show seems to be becoming.

THoughts?

I voted It has ups and downs!
I look forward to Madonna be on there. My favorites this season have been the 2 shows with Rosanna Arquette & Kevin Bacon.

Will and Grace? Do you mean The Jack and Karen Show?

I liked the first season of it, but after that the two side characters (plus the endless line of special guests) seemed to take over the show- so I don't watch it anymore. So, yes it jumped the shark a long time ago.

i watch this show occasionally, but i would say it has its good and bad moments. I think i've watched about 5 episodes this year, and 3 of them were really bad. The one with Kevin Bacon was awesome though as bigjim stated earlier.

The "Gay It Forward" motif was pretty funny (last this week's episode.

I too enjoyed the first season, but like every recent s*itcom on NBC that has a great first season, they just phoned it in from that point on and milked the prior success. Having a lot of guest stars is the NBC way, but even Will & Grace has pushed the limits. In fact it wouldn't surprise me if Messing and McCormack left the show and it kept going. Hell, Mullaly and Hayes could leave too, and they'd keep churning out 22 minute excuses to get celebs on Thursday night.

das

I picked "has ups and downs". Still watch it regularly, but the whole baby plot and Leo were a mistake. Grace often gets on my nerves, anyway, as she's so extremely self-centered, always making Will give in and/or apologize.

A baby OR a marriage is enough to cause almost any sitcom to jump shark.

The problem is, sitcoms operate on a fixed dynamic. They aren't supposed to change, and the characters all have fixed characteristics and relationships. And anytime that dynamic is altered -- by a marriage, a baby, new people joining the cast, someone leaving -- it changes the dynamic of the show.

Sometimes they can recover, sometimes it even improves the show, but usually, it's a disaster.

"Friends" can sort of get away with this, because it has six leads and the dynamic is spread around and divided equally. So it's okay for Rachel and Ross to have a baby, or Chandler and Monica to get married. But even then, Joey and Phoebe are sort of starting to feel like extra wheels and don't really have a lot to do.

In the earlier seasons, had any of the actors left, the show probably would've collapsed. Now, either Joey or Phoebe could leave tomorrow, and you probably wouldn't even know they were gone.

You could tell Rosanna Arquette has no Q-factor at all, no audience applause or anything when she showed up at Grace's doorsteps in this past episode. For some reason Rosanna reminded me of a slightly bigger version of Sarah Michelle Geller.

Well, Dan Futterman plays the "mentee", so there's a guest spot that may not be utterly pointless, assuming the storyline actually develops a bit longer, but I remember such useless cameos, like the one with Elton John.

And one thing I hate is how much Will is a loser. I've already caught up with many of the earlier episodes thanks to syndication, and Will relationship's are always shortlived and very rare, and he keeps putting himself down. It's almost depressing that the guy is alone, relationship-wise, 75% of the time (or more.)

They brought back Elliot too. I had assumed he left the show last year, but then he pops back up again. It's the "baby" storyline, just done differently. He's not the most rewarding character to watch, either.

The show is nothing without Jack and Karen. Will and Grace have to be the most boring two people on sitcoms. I use to watch but I find myself watching Scrubs, then going on the computer, then back for Good Morning Miami.

Ups and downs. On a bad night, W&G is better than most of the sitcoms on the tube. Oh, we could use another Cher cameo.

I think the problem with Will & Grace is that it is filled with particularly one dimensional, extreme characters and plots that are purposely over-the-top. Sitcoms containing such characters and plots usually burst onto the scene, have moments of pure hilarity and genius, and quickly fizzle out. Another prime example is Third Rock from the Sun: one-dimensional, extreme, over-the-top comedic explosion and quick fizzle.

I said "ups and downs". Some times it's MEH, but it still makes me laugh at least once an episode. And that's all I really want.

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