OK, I feel like a bit of a traitor not totally gushing over every aspect of the show, as it has brought me a LOT of laughs over the years, but something seems to have gone amiss, but it's not too late to turn around.
When the show started, I was still upset about the cancellation of "Ellen" and didn't watch, but when I did I was HOOKED IMMEDIATELY! It was fresh, well-acted and written. Due to work commitments, I have to rely on syndication to watch it and it wasn't until recently that I got to see more recent episodes.
Probably the best episode of the first season was "Will Works Out" where Will is terrified that one of his clients would find out he was gay, and his own internal homophobia shone through when he called Jack a "fag." Jack's line "I'd rather be a fag than afraid." was amazing.
One of the show's strengths was that the cattiness was only on the surface and it really showed that these characters were vulnerable and loved each other. But, lately, the comedy has just become, well, mean.
This show is still great and has a lot of potential, I just wish the characters would be allowed to be human again. The episode where Karen gets rejected by that player restaurant manager (Andy Garcia, I think, but don't quote me on that), was a turning point for her character. We really saw that all Karen's mean-spirited barbs were just bravura to cover her insecurity. She and the recently-married Grace had a great moment at the end. Classic.
Lately, the characters have become somewhat one-note, but this can change. If this show is going to survive (which I REALLY hope it does) the lovability of these characters needs resurrection.
Kudos to the amazing cast, brilliant writers and directors. Also, Shelley Morrison (I hope I spelled that right) deserves note, she is very funny as Karen's somewhat frightening maid/henchwoman Rosario.
To all concerned, please bring "Will and Grace" back to it's former glory. You've created a gem...it just needs a bit of polishing.
