Pilot (Will & Grace)

Pilot (Will & Grace)

"Pilot" (also known as "Love and Marriage") is the first episode of Will & Grace's first season. It was written by David Kohan and Max Mutchnick, and directed by James Burrows. It originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) in the United States on September 21, 1998. In the episode, Grace receives an unexpected marriage proposal from her boyfriend. Her gay best friend Will tries to support her, but finally tells her that she is making a big mistake, even though he risks losing their friendship. The situation gets complicated when Grace's socialite assistant, Karen, and Will's flamboyantly gay friend, Jack, interfere.

Kohan and Mutchnick based the show on their own lives; for example, Mutchnick, who is openly gay, based the relationship between Will and Grace on his real-life relationship with a woman named Janet. When the pilot was pitched to NBC, the network was positive about the project. There was still some concern, however, that the homosexual subject matter would cause alarm, since the sitcom Ellen was canceled because ratings had plummeted after the show became "too gay". Since airing, the pilot episode of Will & Grace has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. It acquired a Nielsen rating of 8.6, equivalent to approximately 8.4 million viewing households.