Will and Grace

[vaDisneyGuy]

I had lunch with some friends today. I had said I was going to buy the complete series of Will & Grace on dvd. A few friends said they hated that show because it just showed all the gay sterotypes so straight people would watch. I didn't think so I love it. what do you guys think?

 

[Timon-n-Pumbaa Fan]

You can't please all of the people all of the time. Honestly, when you get down to it, is there any perfect tv show that makes everyone happy and entertained?

I have a love-hate relationship with the show. I loved that the show was not so freakin' politically correct, but at the same time, there was a lot of stuff there that could have and I am quite sure did offend a lot of people. You could write a book on the culturally insensitive stuff said by Karen's character about and directly to the face of Rosario, the character who was Karen's Hispanic/Latino maid.

I do feel that the show's existence was more or less a blessing to the gay community. If nothing else, you will see that Will Truman was the most boring character of the entire show. The character had no personal life for years. Once he got a personal life, it was still a rather boring and seemingly sexless one. The show did have stereotypes to an extent. I felt that for the most part, they were handled well enough. I do feel that the morally upstanding gay man that was the Will character did a lot of good in advancing gay acceptance. Ellen may have brought America out of the closet with her on tv, but Will was their day to day gay touchstone.

If not for the characters of Karen and Jack, that show would have tanked before the pilot's test audiences got 5 minutes into it. But, there was a Karen and there was a Jack. Grace was the most annoying character to me. She had so much potential for having a real life, yet the writers had her wasting so much of her personal life on the obviously totally wrong for her men. It was so boring watching them drag us through all of those relationships.

I own a few seasons of Will & Grace on dvd myself. I would love to own the whole series.

 

[kingLouiethe1]

Sitcoms in general are filled with stereotypes. The sassy black neighbor, the loudmouth hispanic housekeeper, the nerdy fat guy. I don't see why it should be different with the gays. I think it's silly when we have to defend our tastes against political correctness, they may have been stereotypes, but no that they are off the air we have none.

 

[unfreshdiva1]

I loved Will & Grace and have all the seasons on DVD. The earlier years were the best (the last two seasons kind of blew). Karen Walker is my idol! LOL My ex and I used to quote her lines all the time.

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

I only seen a portion of one show. It bored me senseless.

 

[OrlandoMike]

Not so much Will and Grace...

But Karen and Jack!

They were hysterical!

 

[swtnikki]

I love Will & Grace. I have almost all the seasons on DVD.

 

[PghLybrt]

Not so much Will and Grace...

But Karen and Jack!

They were hysterical!

uh huh , uh huh , uh huh yeah!

 

[tig82174]

I agree with what lots of others have posted here about the show.

Early in its first season I actually was really bothered by the Jack character----not by the fact that he was such a "stereotype"...but more by the fact that his stereotypeness (I think I just invented a word!! ) was going to be used as comic relief and that he was going to be a side-kick to the more "upstanding" Will. I was really afraid that the show was going to set up a heirarchy of "good gay" vs. "bad gay" that juxtaposed masculine (well, by comparison at least! ), educated, professional, wealthy, asexual Will as somewhat better than effeminate, flighty, promiscuous, artsy Jack. That's a dynamic I really LOATHE. I mean I get that not every gay man fits into certain stereotypes of gay men that are out there...but the reality is that there are some (or many) of us who do. And the inevitable backlash of downplaying those stereotypes has often been the de-valuing (even by other LGBT folk) of men who might fit certain stereotypes of femininity, etc.

I was relieved as I kept up with the show, however, to find that, as many others have noted here, Jack was actually NOT just a silly sidekick....he was one of the more compelling characters---almost a backbone of the show....and that without him, the show would have been a total snooze-fest. I think that was a very affirming thing for all the "Jack MacFarlands" in the world to see on national TV!!

 

[wallyb]

I was totally fine with it.
Yeah there were stereotypes - but hey -
sometimes the stereotypes have some truth to them.

I mean there's all types of gay and I think more than any other show W&G tried to show all facets as much as they could and with some respect.

Hey the movie Bird Cage - ugh- that thing was rife with cliché gay

 

[zeitzeuge]

I for one, loved the show and still watch reruns on Lifetime every night at 10:30. I've seen each episode so many times, I've lost count.

I think that anymore, we all spend so much time trying to be politically correct that it becomes a beating. We're worried about what we say, what we do, how we say it, to make sure we're inclusive, etc. We've forgotten how to just enjoy one another, enjoy life and spend our time worrying too much about being PC. I guess it's a topic that "gets" to me sometimes. I'm the first person to admit I'm not always PC. But my friends also know (they're the same way as me) that we mean no harm. We do watch what we say, how we say it and to whom we're saying it to.

Basically there's a time and place for everything.

There are all different types of people out there. Some fit a stereotype and others break it. If a TV show leans towards some stereotypes, then so be it. I'm not going to get my panties in a wad because of it. At least we're getting some air time on TV. I remember a time when the only gay character was Billy on the sitcom Soap.

Again, change takes time. Acceptance takes time. We're getting there. At least we're moving forward and not backwards. Baby steps.

 

[OrlandoMike]

Gotta ask.....

How many of you know a "Beverly Leslie" in real life?


I know quite a few!

 

[wallyb]

Gotta ask.....

How many of you know a "Beverly Leslie" in real life?


I know quite a few!

Well you mean other than... YOU!

 

[OrlandoMike]

This is a gay bar?! Why, I had no idea! I'm-a half a mind to storm out of here right this minute. But my other half wants to stay and finish my refreshing lemon drop.

 

[wallyb]

Honey ... What is this?
What are you going on about?
What this all about?

 

[OrlandoMike]

You're asking me about the voices in my head? Honey, even I cant figure that one out!

Peace out! Gotta go to work!


Psssst It was a Beverly Leslie quote!

 

[wallyb]

Psssst It was a Beverly Leslie quote!

I know - I was doing karen

 

[OrlandoMike]

I need coffee!

 

[TuckandStuiesMom]

Honey ... What is this?
What are you going on about?
What this all about?

Yeah me too -- Who's Beverly Leslie? (only caught the show intermittently)

 

[wallyb]

Yeah me too -- Who's Beverly Leslie? (only caught the show intermittently)

Karren's "Might be gay" - richer than her - nemesis.