Will & Grace: Exclusive EW Portraits

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Megan Mullally, Sean Hayes, Eric McCormack, and Debra Messing photographed May 14, 2017 at Jack Studios in NYC

"The strangest thing about this is how comfortable and natural everybody has been with the whole thing,” says executive producer Max Mutchnick. "We did this having not seen each other for 11 years and then decided one day to show up to work and got right back to it. Here we are. That’s a pretty bizarre thing."

02 of 08

Eric McCormack

“With Will, it’s not like his neuroses are going to go away. He’s going to start figuring out how to be happy as a man in his middle age.”

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Debra Messing

“Will & Grace always was about making people laugh first, but being very current in dealing head-on with pop culture and politics and whatever is happening. We’re going to just do what we always did. Given what’s happening in the world, that will obviously flavor a lot of our comedy and interaction.”

04 of 08

Megan Mullally

“They did tell me my first line. My first line is, 'I had the weirdest dream.' I don’t know what that signifies.”

05 of 08

Sean Hayes

“Lightning doesn’t strike once on this show. It looks like it struck twice in terms of creative fulfillment. Because we realized during that time away, we had a lot more to say, that we aren’t finished yet.”

06 of 08

Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, co-creator Max Mutchnick, co-creator David Kohan, Megan Mullally, and Sean Hayes

On how the comedy got its name: "It's very Jewish,” explains executive producer David Kohan. "There's a theologian named Martin Buber who talked about the will to go after and the grace to receive something. It always seemed like two complementary ideas. They happened to be good names, as well."

07 of 08

Sean Hayes and Eric McCormack

"I think the older you get, too, I think the more you want to be closer to your friends, emotionally and physically,” explains Hayes of their characters’ enduring bond. Adds McCormack, "They’ve had heartbreaks and they’re still together. What if our best friends from our youth really become our rocks in our middle age?”

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