NEW YORK POST, SUNDAY, AUGUST 20, 2000 ·mariher:~ · :says', actor :eric' '0' , · McConnac\q ;who .plays·-WiU Tru~< '. i .\.',.-~ . .-.. · :JriI~~~~; ~~ ~~~i;:::~~~~~:; ;a;·~~;.~/'·:::z: ··.-:;:~~~ acknowledge' the"S1tcoI!l'S 'arnvaI/f:", . , ...... .• ' Ntei-.·. being-"'oyerlooked ;, by:.tlie ".;. . .', -Ei'nmYS';itS fti-st· season' (Ii'!!. 'most . . :neW ''8ho,w9 ~1Ir:e; :--.~ill <&·,Grlfce" ;;h;.r; ;::, -' rece~Jl11~aHoni, inCIudiDg."· '. , -actiIfg 'pads ·for;:~ll .foui leads and ,-t ',.:",- Bes1';COmedy .. : .• '; .~-' . '~ · .:.T]le ~:fecogriition .~1:otildn'f ' ha~i~ '::; .. j':" .. , comll'lit a: better tUne; NBC is mov-' :." • ·:0'. t· ing "Will'& Grace: tliThiITsdayS a( .',' " .. · 9 p.IIJ..,;th~ 'centerpiece tii'neslot on' .',' ; ,.:; the' netWork's \jlgge-st'night,' .:' "".; ;: ": .-~_W'.& ·Crace ~.~an't'just be-good::,:.:, .It's '.i1i?W-: "exp~ W"·bc-die gold" .' standard 'of-comedy' -ju'st as "Clieers," ~seiilfeld," and ~Frasier~ .'. .' -i;.' _ '. to'reJect "Will and · Wi:~tb~~O~!t ~~:? ;~~ ~';i; i: :~: r::.'··' ~ .~.,. -/~~.~ , It didn't se«:m likely. during th;' :$1 il. behirid-tii' ;;-scenes rilo~e that show's"flrstlseason;.The.outra-·is· ihe;best guarantee for the geous 'suJliloffing piayers ;Jii.ck'and sh~w's ',. future ... , Mutchnick . and · Karen ·threatened _to"oveiwhelm .J(olianjustacknowledged they are ·tlie 'leads "-":-.or .. at. least: 9vers.tay: delaying' the ·launch of Ii new' Bit-. · their welc'ome ;.:~·.",; '-.'. .:.. . . com in order to stay with "W~I! & But tlie:shows creators.-Max "Grace" through' Its .-fnghtemhg .</p><p> MutchnicK .and David Kohan -. move to Thursdays . (Originally, the found their footing 'Iast year.</p><p> They two were' expected to depart day . turned Jack anq,Katen froin'one-to-day dealings 'on "Will & Grace" note scene-stealers into ge\1uinely during the niiddle of this season.) '. ~mpellirig characters . :. .</p><p> Mutchnick arid Kohan met in the They also expaQded the show's. drama department of Beverly Hills universe .with. sharp. new charac,.: High.. .. .' . ters like. ,Karen's. maid Rosario .</p><p> Mutchnick always got supporting . '. (Shelley),fofrison ), Will's new boss roles, but .Kohan snagged the lead -(Gregory ';Hines) ,and recurrinR .of "West,Side Story" over class l!1lest starS like Joan Collins, Deb-mate Nicolas Cage (who they say \::. l>M .. "lA .... "'''·I'll'n,;ov POllACk ·"~...,.._n~ "nnnrlen t·thAt he-Iefl:-the I '~«i~:i:sJry~n~~J;~: ::~~~; " . "CIlUU1!-"'~'y each other's' sen-"Because of last year,"'he says, . to the climax "Wel!Xpej:ted very.little.</p><p> So it was a . very.pleasant :surprise.</p><p> We' didn't . set any discuss it very:otten.</p><p> But wlien we . in ani:l"~ilf~}~ :·g~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~t~~!. .utchnick (the gay one),. did; .. w.e.-eowd:: ctime up 'with a ,. phone' is a little more aggres-.' bunch 'of show.s·· that could have ,says. "But, sive in Conversation. taken up the five nominati ons:" was awake at 4 "I'm the' one that .</p><p> BO.th. he' and ·.Mutchnick beg;in the ceilin~ .... ", 'C" ,V":r,' M like Bell. ·tosslOg. out names:: "MaIcohrt . 10 '. ;"My .</p><p> Wife and I Immedlaf~.v Arthur," he jokes: . . the .Middle,' \;"Sports ,.·Night," . began drinking cha1!1pagn e,:.wljiH\.l .Kohan '(the straight oneHs a lit-"Ev.ei"ybody , Loves Raymond, > turned out to be a bit of a probl"ml tIe more laid-back, tossing in dead-,~e .nds,~ ~..4lly ~.cBeaI,'?c·· ._ since I ha~ to do ~ll the, press th¥! pan one-liners almost as an after-,.1'llOce mostofthese .wery!D.t noml-mornlng .. l m talking to Entertalnr, thought. ". ~~ted .but easlly:could have been, ment Ton ight' ,at noon ~d.f eet~~ And did they mention their Its .not ,hard to beheve Kohan very bubbly. ,:. . .... , . "';" series got 11 Emmy nominations ? when he say!!,"We didn't have high "By CNN at 1 p.m., I was hung' Kohan says no one'on the show expectations .~. '. :'., over.".:. ':." wasbankin~ On a.sQ9\y'~r qf l;lqn" ,M.cj::pmn ~\<. c~!MWMY ,tr,i,l!dtp..PFt ·_N.o",on~:!l .. hung-over about, ,th~ i i 1 .. ., ~ ::.: .. f: \ 6l:fi'(Jn1;n~ ,~gl!rlti,ra l£ed by lts,new 'who' tltn\!l; loltf~ljut unlike other sitcom, ,n't a cn"uor,. --"no", 'of whom would cott, And,we'were nh.nf,re,d"'i:or for a chance, to 'aIL"" , ~" ,:, , ' NBC"s Thurs-" "It's so encouragi~g on so many ':lit\etip ~-Mutchnick aild levels'and not justin t'e"rms ofolii', , glad "Will & Grace" had .. 9:to-5' jobs that--we"re: having:a " , , under itS, belt on othe ... blast doing, It'sju's~:a great; :-volt-::'-Chide tbein-,for-tfjing to do two derful optimistic thlng ;'that ,So :'shows' at:~ol1c.For, walking away, ,'many, people across the country ,'from ,tlie~CI1arlce 'to"(iversee a'great,' sc~~~V~v~;h:e:~~~~a~Pt~~~:rmack ' -::.'(}:i:i?;,,<'':: :~:-')1t~~~~~~~::0:dbe~:ci " on Thursday can expect" puts it: "If it was "'There' wasn'ff'K~~hei1:;:':~ilritbiyalence Anything less than an', Just a show w,th ,,',' 'c.-_'~ ",' '-"+-.;0-~ ab.Ru..!' .. ;.,,leavtng ,,'s' instant ,classic -and of, me and a puppet 'bacl<lash ,'there ~$.-', c;l!!at:..r .r~,,'there ,any course' most' or' the shows have -or me and a dog f, , ' ' chance, they'd stay been fa ... from that -'-is pilloried ' -maybe it would-'wasn't a boyco~ "Jo~ ,aU ~'(,or !! years '''rr'Was good for us to sneak on," n't seem so gratify- .. : : ':, -'the ~.f:show ': , might SPXl!~ , ~tclihi~k. ,"We escaped some ing." And we were',:-: .',:~; ~',lasi? :':;;' ::: ;')~~'''L', af'tl!ecsensationahsm and got to Just as gratify- __ : ' ,,; -"',,'--""It's.'l'lOt 'Out of.the ~Y'e Ourselves as a sohd sitcom." ing is the fact that , prepared for It all. ::' , qijestion,~ , ',,;,';;',says 'dtle~; it'~ easy to forget how the creative team " , ',' Koh!pl "quietly ~;,"It's ffi ntfaJly controversial the show is, intact for this ' ' ',~ .. ~ -ri6t:Oilt',ofthe asl-)t'has the gloss and wit of a crucial third sea· , , : '"",,,'-;;;'1'; t1oIj~" :'J::':;;' '_'" , " c ilsSl~ 'sitcom in the veIn of "The son in the ,show's 'most pressure~ AddsM"titchhiCk ;,"It'shatdfor'us' Mat;y '.fyler Moore Show." filled timeslot yet, ,',: ' .to talk, :al?Out ~beC8ii~e it"s"some-' '1:Jili"i\;'als()'features the first lead "To have [director) Jimmy Bur-, thing,we't<!'grappling 'Witli'iit,th\s' miilW1who:is openly gay and racy rows sign on for two,more years," very inoi1'f~i:tt.'We'i'e ,tryUfg ,£i»'ig: ' l(HeMI,th~~ :cap~red. gay.life, (A says McCor1l'!ack, ~iB"happinessure bU,~,!i<io/;t6 ,handle ;~lb~i s.We fltvonte was this, descnptlOn of a' speakInIl' for ,tself.</p><p> And we have feel So conneCted to th'9 shOw ,~"~-'-. r tHerapy group designed to ~cure" ' all the same writers; I don"t think Naturally , the actors are thri])ed li%'ys::"It's for men who turn their we've lost anyone." the creatOrs of-"Will & Grace" will" backs on other men, And not'in a Best of all, Mutchnick · and, be there with them every day dur" good wily.") , Kohan are stoying put for 'now, ing ita m\lBt important season yet.</p><p> I "W~ were fully prepared for it to They were supJ)osed to begin their "BeHev\!, me," laughs Messing, "I \ be rejected by'maInstream Amen- 4-year,-$16 'ffiiiHon d<!vclopr11ent want i\l ti'<!''tIlf!rtI 'r.IJ Slli~l!"17 GIJ,r ca," says actress Debra Messing, deal with Warner Bros, after the Ion" as l"m there,"
