pilot known love marriage episode season written directed originally aired national_broadcasting_company nbc united_states september episode receives unexpected marriage proposal boyfriend gay best friend tries support finally tells making big mistake risks losing friendship situation gets complicated grace assistant gay friend interfere based lives example openly gay based relationship grace real life relationship woman named pilot pitched nbc network positive project concern homosexual subject matter cause alarm sitcom ellen canceled ratings gay airing pilot episode received positive reviews television critics acquired nielsen rating equivalent approximately million viewing households plot episode begins gay lawyer talking phone best friend jewish interior designer lives following day hosts poker game apartment friends grace arrives informs argument long term boyfriend game insists grace spend night displeasure gay friend planning temporarily later office grace tells assistant argument karen tells grace explaining grace good catch staying night grace decides end relationship tries end things receives unexpected marriage proposal accepts proposal grace goes apartment asks blessing attempts supportive decision finally tells right grace informs need blessing going marry regardless shows following day apologize karen reveals grace gone city hall married grace shows office informs left altar takes grace drink find eventually production conception creators based lives openly gay based relationship grace real life relationship woman named originally went national_broadcasting_company nbc told create television series new young love story mad going air character sitcom pitched nbc executives original concept ensemble comedy featuring couples gay man living straight woman executive vice president nbc time excited couples wanted learn gay straight couple sent create pilot script characters nbc went sitcom director thought homosexual subject matter audience interested liked idea read script november decided wanted direct said knew boys captured genre group characters read filming pilot began march actors played grace positive series thought potential television said shooting finished night sitting couch looking said gon set sort hands didn want nbc positive project concern homosexual subject matter cause alarm sitcom ellen aired abc canceled year premiered ratings gay despite criticism abc received degeneres coming episode episode question easier air said added better shot succeeding ellen failed known homosexuality years exploring awkward territory time ellen process self discovery pain gay men fascinating average american commented concentrating sexuality device like line says man woman friends sex gets way want explore happens man woman sex doesn way cast characters said originally going named man staff wanted use names speak exactly essence characters changed true man thought accurate lives life honest way final candidates role rejected wasn gay instead went revealed taking role difficult liked concept gay issues gay having played gay characters times career problem thought character poster boy gay movement like degeneres spokesperson character explained read script hit immediately mean sexual orientation aside like great host relatively funny great friends good friend gay issue wasn big thing actor cast response relationship grace said gay men straight women fun anybody relationships straight guys like jealous fun audience regards character said grace doesn fall categories jewish women strong pretty proud jewish woman revealed originally brought read grace great job performance desperate decided cast role instead time starring abc drama prey meeting convinced wanted role revealed showed home bottle poured shots spoke hours pitched lightweight didn need little end evening said said let talk tomorrow called day inform loved asked mind mind following day called accepted role discussion character said lot confidence relaxed feel comfortable grace character enjoy long time later admitted director reason actor cast cast role jack nbc casting executive saw role indie gay romance film billy hollywood screen kiss sent script attending film festival utah enjoyed script read threw away want spend money plane ticket los_angeles audition weeks later los_angeles sent script decided try audition asked regrets accepting role said truly actor long run don know think things want don know admits love idea people assume gay straight interview entertainment_weekly admitted people believe jack hours day given role karen previously cast series regular ellen life times guest starred shows including worked informed agent want auditions time came feeling like look agent arguing point right thing hadn come initially auditioned role grace admitted want audition karen asked karen voice revealed voice thing said think feeling better pace funnier way didn know karen lot joy bad mood pretty happy think great thing play character karen think joy reception episode broadcast united_states nbc monday september timeslot original american broadcast pilot tied working place ratings week september nielsen rating equivalent approximately million viewing households fifteenth highest rated nbc week aired airing episode received positive reviews television critics said episode class jokes relatively sophisticated san_francisco_chronicle commented direction sharp usual writing average said pilot nicely staged veteran director coming couple producers assisted dream pilot episode hell week best verbal season new thought episode wonderful representation gay man life regardless relationship moment think important american audiences realize gay men simply sexual situations chicago_tribune positive believe hollywood engaging conspiracy sexual orientation americans find look like candy coated poison think hollywood isn moving fast offering sexual look like poison large audience middle audience ready embrace actors performances praised critics thought worked nicely called supporting cast asset praised supporting cast funny wrote play wonderfully lines forth years making relationship believable gay jack adds mix jack good highly likable reviewer usa_today said thought nice life serve love life adviser grace jack know won happen soon nbc called ellen gay stigma gone lengths avoid mentioning sexuality grace period long episode received positive reviews popmatters wrote pilot lays usual showing characters lives demonstrates immediately sitcom major stereotypical gay character stand comic figure reviewer los_angeles_times said right approach homosexuality attitude approaches appearing exist solely device moral authority repeatedly ridicule manner wearing homosexual friend jack labeled thought pilot jokes revolved solely gay stereotypes sexual reviewers skeptical future review said survive brutal time period opposite football grow reasonably entertaining little series man woman sexual interest don bet doomed relationships 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Pilot (Will & Grace)