Will & Grace - Season One
Will & Gracedebuted with a controversial splash because one of its  two lead characters is gay--but smart writing and topnotch performances,  not politics, have made the show a hit. Two neurotic and sharp-tongued  urbanites--gay lawyer Will (Eric McCormack) and straight interior designer  Grace (Debra Messing)--delight in their volatile but enduring friendship  as they share a sumptuous New York apartment. Sweeping into the mix are  Will's unapologetically queeny friend Jack (Sean Hayes) and Grace's wildly  eccentric assistant Karen (Megan Mullally). Much likeSeinfeld, the  humor onWill & Gracesprings from self-obsession, petty jealousy,  and compulsive interfering in each other's lives--basically, the building  blocks of human nature. The show's writers apparently feel compelled to  keep the lead characters warm and likeable in the usual sitcom mode (which  hardly seems necessary, as McCormack and Messing are naturally engaging).  As a result, it's Jack and Karen who get free reign to be truly obnoxious  and ridiculous--which, of course, makes them incredibly funny and  charismatic. Hayes and Mullally rise to the occasion, ripping through  absurd situations and arias of narcissistic wit with dazzling panache.Will & Grace's plots routinely center around scenarios that could  feature a married couple or two same-sex roommates: Will and Grace bicker  over buying a dog, find their relationship tested by apartment  renovations, or discover they're both pursuing the same guy--standard  sitcom material that the gay factor gives a clever spin. Though their  relationship gets in the way of their sex lives, the two take so much  pleasure in each other's company that they can't help but stick  together--a surprisingly chaste theme for such a culturally groundbreaking  show, but one thatWill & Grace's addicted audience undoubtedly  appreciates.--Bret Fetzer