With the trend of nostalgia proving both profitable and popular, just about any beloved property could return. One of the most high profile of these revivals is NBC's new season of Will & Grace. The acclaimed sitcom was brought back for a ten episode run, and ended up being renewed before the premiere even aired. While tons of original cast members have returned for guest spots, there are a few noticeable absences. Shelley Morrison has retired from acting and therefore won't be playing Rosario, and Debbie Reynolds' sudden death in December of 2016 occured before she would have had a chance to play Bobbi Adler again. Everyone at Will & Grace seems to be feeling the absence of Reynolds' on set, and the official twitter account of the show just recognized the anniversary of her first appearance. Check it out.
It was on this date back in 1999 when Debbie Reynolds made her debut as Bobbi Adler on Will & Grace. The Season 1 episode "The Unsinkable Mommy Adler", featured Bobbi arriving for a visit with Grace in the city, and driving her daughter bonkers. Eventually Grace would realize that she's got more in common with her mother than she thought, and things get warm and fuzzy.
Debbie Reynolds appeared in a total of twelve episodes across the original eight season run. And while Reynolds would have no doubt been on the short list of potential guest stars with the new season, she unfortunately passed away directly after losing her daughter Carrie Fisher. The character Bobbi has since been mentioned in passing to have also died on the show, allowing the cast and crew to channel some of their real feelings into Will & Grace.
While Bobbi Adler hasn't been physically present in the new season of Will & Grace, you can actually spot a photo of Debbie Reynolds in the title characters' famous apartment. This photo of Bobbi is no doubt the show's way of honoring Debbie Reynolds; something that the above Twitter post does as well. In the show's recent holiday flashback episode, there is even an oil painting of Bobbi in Grace's New York apartment. So while the series hasn't really delved into Grace's grieving process, it's nice to know the late Debbie Reynolds is given some love.
It should be interesting to see if Will & Grace decides to really focus on Bobbi Adler's death during this season or next. The series always has emotional and dramatic moments, especially toward the end of each episode. This current season had a big death when they killed of Rosario and gave her a touching funeral, so it would make more sense fpr Bobbi's big episode to occur during the revival's second season. We'll just have to wait and see.
While it happened well over a year ago, the loss of Debbie Reynolds and her daughter Carrie Fisher is still very much felt for their generations of fans. Luckily, we can all check out their many onscreen appearances, keeping them just as legendary.
Will & Grace will return from hiatus on March 1, 2018. In the meantime, check out our midseason premiere list to plan your next binge watch.
