The return of Will & Grace brought with it the highest ratings for an NBC sitcom since The Office series finale in May 2013, and its slot at 9 p.m. on Thursday may also have helped the rest of the evening's line-up including Superstore and The Good Place get a boost, according to Deadline.
The reboot of the beloved series drew 10.2 million viewers and a 3.0 rating among 18-49-year-old Live+Same Day rating. The first episode that brought the Will, Grace, Jack, and Karen back together 12 years after its original run, beat out its eighth season premiere numbers in Sept. 2005, which garnered 9.81 million, according to Deadline.
The ninth series premiere, which brought the quartet back together as they jabbed and jeered at the Trump White House, alienating what was likely not their core audience anyway, aired to a fair amount of critical praise and some criticism, with a few critics asking "why" a reboot was necessary and if it was edgy enough, as if network sitcoms are universally renowned for their edginess.
But the numbers don't lie and time will tell if those millions tuned in for nostalgia, curiosity or a deep love of the magic Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Sean Hayes, and Megan Mullally proved they still had when they made a 10-minute get out the vote mini-episode supporting Hillary Clinton ahead of the election last year.
The Will & Grace reboot was picked up for a second season long before the return episode aired this week.