Will and Grace Season 8? (1 Viewer)

[Mike Frezon]

Seven down and one to go.

I know it seems like we just got Season 7 of Will and Grace...but I am already looking around the corner for any sign that we will soon be able to close out this terrific series.

Any thoughts/guesses?

Looking at the last three seasons' release dates:

Season 5: 8-29-06
Season 6: 5-1-07
Season 7: 12-4-07

 

[David*P]

I'm looking forward to this release as well.

Looking at the dates for the past three releases it appears that the gap between them became smaller which means (possibly) that we may get it in June sometime if you average out the previous three releases

I also want to know which version of the two live episodes, "Alive and Schticking" (the season premiere) and "Bathroom Humor", East or West Coast, that will be included. I hope both, but I won't count on it.

I also wonder if the one hour special entitled "Will & Grace: Say Good Night, Gracie" that aird just before the Season Finale will be included?

I've found, especially in Season Seven's release, that all though I wasn't too impressed by that season during the original run it seems to be more entertaining on DVD which is what I hope will happen with Season Eight.

And, of course, the final pondering about this, I wonder if there will be a Complete Series collection released? If there is, I kinda hope it doesn't include anything new because I know I'd buy it and I really don't want to considering I've bought all the individual season releases.

 

[Matt Hough]

I would really be disappointed if both live broadcasts for the two live shows weren't included. The audience reactions alone cause the reactions and timing to be different, and, of course, the gaffe in the West Coast performance of the second show is very memorable.

 

[Mike Frezon]

I am not that familiar with Season 8. Actually, I never watched Will & Grace during it's original run. But, I did see "Von Trapped" one afternoon in a syndicated broadcast and thought it had to be one of their best episodes ever. I found it more-in-line with the lunacy more commonly found during the first few seasons.

I thought things dragged a little bit in Seasons 5 & 6...but also, Dave, thought Season 7 was pretty entertaining.

Matt: you have definitely peaked my interest in what might have happened during that live broadcast!

 

[Matt Hough]

Well, if you recall, someone opens Karen's medicine cabinet and an avalanche of pills and other stuff comes pouring out onto the floor.

On the West Coast broadcast, the cabinet was opened, but the hopper with the stuff got jammed and nothing came out at first, and the actors started trying to ad-lib to cover the foul-up. Finally, the stuff poured out, but everyone had pretty much lost it by that time.

 

[bob kaplan]

thought i would pop this up again...to see if anyone has heard of the release.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Bob: I was thinking of doing the same thing just the other day.

Here's hoping there's some news.

 

[David Rain]

Did anyone else start to lose enthusiasm for picking up these releases once they got into the later seasons of the show ? I'm sorry to say that over the course of this series it went from the sublime to the almost unbearable. A huge drop in quality to say the least. But I'm still hoping for a complete series release at some point.

 

[Mike Frezon]

I never watched the show when it aired on TV. I've only seen the DVD releases and an occasional syndicated episode.

It seemed to me the show "jumped the shark" when it started taking it's success a bit too seriously and started featuring high-profile guest stars just because "they could." But that's not to say there were still some genuinely funny moments during the show's later seasons.

Since I have yet to see Season 8, I am looking forward to completing the show...especially, the "Von Trapped" episode I referenced earlier in this thread.

 

[David*P]

I thought I would start to lose enthusiasm because when the later seasons originally aired I really started not liking them...but I gotta say re-watching them on DVD I found them much funnier...I do agree that the quality dropped but maybe not as much as I thought previously.

 

[David*P]

Looks like it's finally going to happen! According to Will & Grace DVD news: Rumors for Will & Grace - Season 8 | TVShowsOnDVD.com the Eighth Season is going to be released on September 2!

It also looks like there is going to be a complete series set...for my sake, I hope it doesn't have any new things to it because I'll be so tempted to buy it and I don't have the money nor the room!

 

[Mike Frezon]

Woo hoo!

Would have liked to have it for some viewing during the summer doldrums...but September will be upon us before we know it!

Thanks, David*P (and old friend Dave Lambert!)

 

[Matthew_B]

Mid-way through W&G season 7, NBC began changing their high profile shows including W&G by recording and airing them in HD 16:9 widescreen, but the season 7 W&G DVD set was completely 4:3 (pan and scan for those episodes that had been recorded in 16:9).

All of season 8 was therefore recorded in HD 16:9 widescreen, but I suspect once again they will release this set in 4:3, which would be a major let-down :frowning: Apparantly it's NBC's decision, around the time season 7 was released on DVD I contacted Maple Pictures (the Canadian distributor in place of Lionsgate for the US) and they said they have no control over it and it's based upon the source material provided to them.

 

[Mike Frezon]

My ol' buddy Dave Lambert has made good on his pledge to get us definitive info on Season 8 of Will & Grace. The official announcement gives us a new release date of September 16.

 

[David*P]

I was just getting on here to post the news but Mike beat me to it.

I'm dying to know if the Complete Series set is going to have extra stuff to it...I think the only thing that would seal the deal is if it contained the full super-sized episodes that I believe people have said weren't included on these or both the East and West Coast versions of the live episodes.

 

[Mike Frezon]

You get right down to it David and these sets are far from perfect, aren't they? Besides the "super-size" episodes you reference, aren't some of the episodes in these sets syndicated versions (slightly cut down)? And, shouldn't some of the later seasons be presented 16:9?

 

[David*P]

I'm not sure if some of the episodes are syndicated versions...I should hope not. And I have heard that about the 16:9 versions not being on here either, but I'm not much of a techy so I don't really know.

But what I do know is that last week TVShowsonDVD.com posted news Will & Grace DVD news: Box Art & Extras for Will & Grace - Season 8 and Will & Grace - The Complete Series | TVShowsOnDVD.com about the complete series set that sounds like it's going to have a booklet with it as well as commentary tracks! Which means, dammit, I must get it even though I all ready have all seven seasons up to now.

There is also little pics of the packaging too.

 

[Mike Frezon]

I'll get season 8...warts and all...just to see these episodes which don't seem to be running in syndication where I live right now. I was all set to watch them but the local channel showing W&G went to an early season right at the end of Season 7 episodes.

Just further whetting my appetite for September, I guess.

It's really too bad, though, that we're not getting 16:9...

 

[TravisR]

I don't know the specifics for Will & Grace but I know later seasons of Gilmore Girls were broadcast in 16:9 but the show was almost definitely still composed for a 4:3 frame. In 16:9, people would just be standing in the middle of the frame and there was just 'empty space' on the left and right sides of the frame. When those seasons came to DVD, they were 4:3 and the compositions looked much more correct than they did in 16:9.

I'll repeat though that I don't know if that's the case for Will & Grace.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Yeah...I've got no idea either, Travis.

I NEVER watched the show during its run. But I've grown to love it through the DVD releases.