Legendary TV Director James Burrows Looks Back on "Will & Grace"

[JamesG]

Legendary TV Director James Burrows Reveals Secrets Behind "Will & Grace"
by Kate Stanhope
February 18, 2016


What was it like filming the first same-sex kissing scene on "Will & Grace"?

We never set out to proselytize. We knew that if we could get the audience to watch it, somehow they wouldn't leave it because it was so funny. You'll notice at the end of the pilot, there's a kiss between Will and Grace. And at the end of the first year, there's a kiss between Will and Grace.

In the back of my mind, I wanted audiences to think that somehow Will will take magic pills and become straight. He would never do that. We would never do that. But I wanted people to at least tune in to see how funny it was.

I'm sure there's a sector of the population that would never watch because it had gay people all the time. But I always say "Ellen" kicked the door open, and we broke it down.







Why were you successful where "Ellen" struggled?

I think maybe Ellen [DeGeneres]' coming out [on her show] was thrust upon the audience because they started with a different show. It was kind of this thing at the end that they were not, in essence, ready for, but we were balls-out from the beginning.

It broke down barriers because it was really funny. And since it was somewhat cartoonish, it wasn't really threatening.





What were those conversations with the network like?

I'll never forget on the pilot, one of the NBC executives came over to me and said, "Too many gay jokes." I said, "If not here, then where?"

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