"Will & Grace" Creators To Be Honored At Logo Trailblazer Honors
With Will & Grace returning this fall, we're reminded how much we missed the show: At the 2017 Logo Trailblazer Honors on June 23, W&G stars Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Sean Hayes and Megan Mullally will honor the show's creators, Max Mutchnick and David Kohan.
When Mutchnick and Kohan launched Will & Grace on NBC in 1997, it brought a new level of visibility to the LGBT community. Over the Emmy-winning show’s eight-year run, the show garnered critical praise and a huge (and rabid) fanbase.
That success speaks not only to Kohan and Mutchnick's creative skills, but their ability to bring LGBT representation into the mainstream in a way that was organic, relatable—and hilarious. Even former Vice President Joe Biden claimed the show "did more to educate the American public than almost anything anybody has,” on LGBT issues.
The 12-episode revival will reunite the original cast along Mutchnick and Kohan, who will serve as showrunners. James Burrows, who helmed every episode of the original run, will return to direct. NBC had originally ordered a 10-episode ninth season but added two additional episodes—for an hourlong Christmas episode—and the network hopes to up the number even more.
“It’s possible,” NBC chairman Bob Greenblatt told Deadline. “It’s my hope that we will have more than that.”
The 2017 Trailblazers also pay tribute to Cyndi Lauper, a longtime ally of the LGBT community. Cydi has been outspoken in her support and raised millions of dollars through her True Colors Fund, which benefits queer homeless youth through advocacy, education and collaboration.
Held once again at Cathedral of Saint John in New York, Logo Trailblazer Honors salute individuals and organizations that celebrate and advance the LGBT community. Past honorees include Harvey Fierstein, Edie Windsor, Judy and Dennis Shepard, the Obama Administration, and the cast of Orange is the New Black.
More honorees and attendees will be announced soon.
Logo Trailblazer Honors airs Friday, June 23, at 9pm