Welcome to a new Wildcard Wednesday! As you know, Sitcom Tuesdays have been looking at the original Will & Grace (1998-2006, NBC), a Must See TV staple from the turn-of-the-century. We’ve been discussing what it means to have been one of the “MSTV” series; among NBC’s frequently employed stunts was the use of “supersized” episodes — extended broadcasts of hit Thursday shows that the Peacock Network deployed during Sweeps, starting in the 2000-’01 TV season, to not only deflate the competition, but also to temporarily remove underperforming hammock shows from the schedule so ad prices could be set with higher-rated efforts.
This would mean, for example, that instead of a two-hour block consisting of half-hour episodes of Friends, Cursed, Will & Grace, and Just Shoot Me!, there’d be a two-hour block featuring 40-minute episodes of Friends, Will & Grace, and Just Shoot Me! That was the most frequent supersized strategy, but sometimes episodes would be extended by just a few minutes — to take away ad time for lesser series — and after this stunt was introduced in February 2001, it became a recurring device during Thursday’s Sweeps periods starting in the 2002-’03 season.
The total number of supersized Will & Grace episodes is in the double digits. Fortunately, I have the majority of these special broadcasts — the only notable one I’m missing and would like to have is the original showing of Season Six’s “Strangers With Candice” (let me know if you have it). So, I want to share a pair of these with you — from May 2003, the last two episodes of Season Five, simply titled “23” and “24,” which initially included approximately five and seven minutes, respectively, of extra footage not seen since in syndication/DVD/streaming.
For subscribers interested in obtaining copies of these episodes — which may be highlighted in next week’s post on the best from Season Five (stay tuned) — as they were first seen in their original supersized broadcasts, please comment below to alert me of your interest!
Come back next week for another Wildcard! And stay tuned Tuesday for more Will & Grace!
I would love to have these! Thanks for all the goodies!
Hi, Charlie! Thanks for reading and commenting.
I have emailed you at your gmail address.
Please link me to the expanded episodes.
Hi, Jon! Thanks for reading and commenting.
Once again, I haven’t seen you on my list of subscribers for the past few months now. If this is an error, please re-confirm your subscription. If not, please re-subscribe!
I’d love this. Thank you!
Hi, Elaine! Thanks for reading and commenting.
I have emailed you at your yahoo address.
OMG this would be amazing! Thank you!!!
Hi, Ian! Thanks for reading and commenting.
I have emailed you at your gmail address.
Hello! I would love these supersized episodes. It stinks that the DVDs are edited. :-(
Hi, nycsmallville! Thanks for reading and commenting.
I have emailed you at your gmail address.
Hey there! I subscribed and definitely would be interested in the supersized episodes!
Hi, Zach! Thanks for reading and commenting — and subscribing!
I have emailed you at your outlook address.
The supersized episodes also served as Zucker’s failed attempt to mask the fact that he had no new comedy hits in the pipeline with FRIENDS ending within the next couple of seasons.
Hi, TV Talking Heads! Thanks for reading and commenting.
Of course; the choice to selectively expand ad space in Sweeps is predicated on the existence of discrepancies within the regular schedule’s profitability.
Hello Jackson,
I just found your blog today, and I have been searching FOR YEARS for copies of the supersized episodes of W&G! I am hoping you can e-mail me to connect me with them.
I have a couple recorded on VHS, and a couple more as digital files. I can check to see if I have Strangers With Candice!
In any case, I’ll wait to hear back from you.
Hi, RJ! Thanks for reading and commenting — and subscribing.
I have emailed you at your hotmail address.