6. Will & Grace (NBC)
British TV often would do the whole thing of additional seasons years after the original runs of shows had ended, and it went well, but usually, when an old show comes back… it doesn’t feel the same. Even something that I love like Fuller House isn’t really the same show it was before.
Will & Grace is an exception. All four of the actors from the original show are back and they fell right back in, after a great political short “episode” that was released in 2016. It might be exaggerating a little bit to say that it’s the same show, as the world has changed: When Will & Grace premiered nearly two decades ago, gay characters on TV were an anomaly; now, the series can’t rely so much on that for humor or as a gimmick, but instead they lean on the notion that the combo of Will, Grace, Jack, and Karen is just plain funny. Karen’s putdowns of the help may seem a lot more politically incorrect and offensive, too, but somehow we give it a pass because it’s Karen. Unlike Supergirl, whose politics got on my nerves, Will & Grace at its core is about a political situation, so I’m not so bothered by some of the often hilarious political commentary, such as a Cheeto being used to match the color of Donald Trump’s skin.
Episodes like “Grandpa Jack” and “Who’s Your Daddy?” show what a Will & Grace in 2017 would look like, and I love the show for it. Please, though, never give us an episode like that Christmas special again.
5. Fuller House (Netflix)
Sorry-not-sorry: Fuller House has made my list again. There is something to be said for the “comfort food” of TV, and clearly a lot of Netflix subscribers must agree, because the show is doing really well. There is an appeal to a show that will make me feel 12 again, and just the notion that we’d be seeing D.J, Stephanie, and Kimmy 30 years later with frequent appearances by the original cast brings a smile to my face. Whenever Netflix wants to give us new episodes, I’m there, and I’m anxiously awaiting the second half of Season 3.
P.S.: Team Steve. Put the poor guy in the opening credits already!
P.P.S.: Season 4, maybe it’s time to address the [pink] elephants in the [fuller] house?
