David Schwimmer spent a decade as a key part of NBC's primetime lineup, and now he's headed back to join another show from the same Must See TV era. Schwimmer has signed onto the Will & Grace revival, and while this sadly doesn't appear to be a way of introducing a Friends crossover into the universe, fans of the classic series will get to see a fair bit of the actor. David Schwimmer will enter the series in a recurring role and will be playing the new boyfriend of Debra Messing's Grace.
The announcement of David Schwimmer's casting comes just a week after the revelation that Grace would get a boyfriend in the upcoming season of Will & Grace. Episodes are still being written for the new season, so it's currently up in the air how many episodes Schwimmer will appear in. That said, Deadline reported his story arc was planned to be five episodes, so that may be the magic number. That could always change if fans respond to Schwimmer's performance in a big way, although one would imagine the actor's presence is also dictated by his willingness to appear and his schedule.
David Schwimmer's appearance in Will & Grace marks his first television appearance since his Emmy nominated performance of Robert Kardashian in The People Vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, as well as his role the AMC drama Feed The Beast. The move is a return to live-action comedy, which is something Schwimmer hasn't done much of since Friends ended in 2004. Both Friends and Will & Grace were part of NBC's "Must See TV" lineup for quite a few years, and the shows even aired back-to-back during Friends' final season.
David Schwimmer's casting and the overall storyline of Grace getting a boyfriend are big steps forward for Will & Grace, who will now see if it can have a sophomore season that was as successful as the show's triumphant 2017 return. Co-creator Max Mutchnick said recently a big part of last season involved re-introducing the characters and bringing everyone up to speed. Now that all that is out of the way, the new goal is to move the characters forward with engaging storylines to keep the fans that have returned to the show after its long absence engaged. Even if ratings aren't as stunning for the show the second time around, NBC has already greenlighted the revival for Season 3, so it's not like there's a ton of pressure for the new season to be a raging success in the moment.
Will & Grace will premiere Season 9 on NBC Thursday, October 4 at 9:00 p.m. ET. Those curious about what else is coming to television in the meantime can visit our summer premiere guide, or jump ahead further to our fall premiere guide and see what else will be on television around the same time.
