Top 10 Best Will & Grace Episodes

Rather than taking a typical “a-story, b-story” approach, this episode plays out like a drama that slowly burns to its explosive climax. Grace continues to see Leo behind Will’s back, despite promising not to date because they’re planning on having a baby together. When, despite having the best intentions, the secret unravels, the final act plays out as an intense argument that brings up both superficial and deep issues within their relationship. It’s one of the series’ best moments, despite its lack of comedy, with both actors at the top of their game. In fact, this is one of the episodes that won Debra Messing an Emmy.

Back in 2000, same-sex kisses were not only few and far between on television, but often controversial. This episode focuses on Will and Jack’s outrage at the lack of a supposed gay kiss on a network sitcom. The episode is mostly notable for its climax, in which Will and Jack themselves share network TV’s first gay male kiss by crashing “The Today Show”. Besides being a groundbreaking moment, it’s a downright funny episode, and we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the subplot of Karen giving Grace breakup advice. What’s more, the scenes shot on location in New York prove that the show’s comedy doesn’t need to rely on a live audience to nab laughs.

When Will is convinced that a psychic he sees is legitimate, she offers him a look into his future love life: and apparently, he’s meant to spend the rest of his life with Jack. Jack himself is at his silliest, obsessing over his Cher doll, while Grace accidentally hires a drug dealer. Playing with Will and Jack’s horror of being romantically involved plays out ingeniously, as they realize that they were always going to spend the rest of their lives together...just not romantically. The episode is most well-known for Cher’s cameo towards the end. The idea is admittedly a bit of a gimmick, but she’s used perfectly by contrasting her with Jack’s awful impression.

The first, and certainly not the last Thanksgiving episode on this list, this one sees the group trying to avoid drama by speed running through each family. This, of course, doesn’t work, as each character has to deal with their own family drama and leave just as it comes to a head. The unique format manages to pack a ton of hilarious family moments and character development in the two-part episode, from Jack’s “horrible” stepfather to Grace’s dramatic mother, played perfectly by Debbie Reynolds. Even better, the episode features a cameo from Nick Offerman, who would later marry Megan Mullally.

“Will and Grace” opened the final season of its original run with an impeccable live episode. The episode serves to resolve the cliffhanger that Karen’s husband Stan is alive after faking his death. By tackling a high drama plot, the show allows itself to reach a level of comedy that’s equally elevated. A live broadcast reminds us how professional the cast really is, and adding the always-funny Alec Baldwin to the mix only makes it better. Even the few times when someone breaks character only make the moments more enjoyable. The episode even managed to work around Megan Mullally’s foot injury, to hilarious effect.

When “Will and Grace” returned in 2017, it had a lot of questions to answer about what had happened in the eleven-year gap. In this episode, Will attends the wedding of his ex-boyfriend, Vince, which leads to some trademark neuroticism. Every character is used to perfection here, from Will’s meltdown to Jack’s awkward hookup to Karen’s scavenger hunt with Ivanka Drumpf. It also proved that the revival isn’t afraid to rewrite what happened in the original run, since that ended with Will marrying Vince. Most importantly, its emotional weight reminds us how much we really care about these characters, and how much we missed them when they were gone.

Holiday episodes are a sitcom staple, but “Will and Grace” is always able to hit them out of the park in creative ways. When Will and Grace discover that Jack hasn’t come out to his mother, they convince him to do it at Thanksgiving. Sean Hayes plays up Jack’s reluctance to comic and dramatic effect, earning himself an Emmy for the episode. Equally magnificent is Karen’s insistence that she is Jack’s fake ex-girlfriend rather than Grace. It allows Jack to have a rare moment of vulnerability and humanity, while also setting in motion the storyline of Jack trying to find his real father.

The size of Grace’s breasts has always been a running gag on the show, and this episode puts her boobs front and center. After being profiled in a newspaper, she gets a call from her high school crush, though everyone thinks this is because of the flattering photo in the profile. Playing off of her insecurities, she wears a water-filled bra to make her breasts look bigger, but it goes horribly wrong at the worst possible moment. Just try to think about water squirting from Grace’s bust without laughing-it’s impossible. The episode squeezes every last laugh out of the physical comedy, playing to everyone’s strengths in the climactic scene.

Grace, recovering from a particularly painful breakup with Nathan, retreats to her room in a funk. Though this doesn’t sound like a funny premise, the comedy comes from the rest of the cast naively trying to cheer her up. Jack’s narcissism doesn’t help, nor does Karen’s misguided advice or Will’s micromanaging. Though it’s centered around Grace, the episode gives us a great moment for each character. The conclusion of the episode is one of the series’ sweetest moments, proving that nothing brings these four together like a friend in need. And what is it about Karen and Grace kissing that is so crowd-pleasing?





Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honourable mentions



“The Unsinkable Mommy Adler”





“A New Lease on Life”





“A Chorus Lie”

The 2-part Thanksgiving episode of season three provided us with the origin story of our beloved characters. The story is quintessential “Will and Grace,” telling the tale of how Jack helped Will come out while he was in a relationship with Grace in the ‘80s. It brilliantly walks the fine line of poignancy and comedy, serving as a coming-of-age story of sorts for our protagonists. Horrible hairdos and ‘80s references abound, featuring an appropriately weird subplot about Karen’s multiple affairs that led her to meeting Rosario. It’s a standout showcase for the entire cast, winning Eric McCormack an Emmy for his performance, and showing us how strong the bond between Will and Grace really is.