Will & Grace - Season 4 - DVD

Movie: It all could have been so beautiful. Grace (Debra Messing) is really happy in her relationship with Nathan (Woody Harrelson), Will (Eric McCormack) didn't find the love of his life on his vacation, but he did find the seemingly perfect pair of jeans, and Jack (Sean Hayes) is getting closer and closer to his son Elliot (Michael Angarano). So it's all sunshine and roses? Of course not: Grace is soon single again, Will's jeans turn out to be women's pants and Elliot's mother doesn't like the fact that Jack has more and more influence on her son. But things get really bad for Karen (Megan Mullally), whose wealthy husband Stan is sent to prison. But of course the friends from New York don't let all these setbacks get them down. There continue to be many new loves, a tumultuous Thanksgiving, a new apartment for Will and Grace, a celebrity star guest in the gay men's choir, and much more. And there's also a previously unfulfilled baby wish at the end, which could put Will and Grace's friendship to the test...

Long have fans had to wait for this. But now, nearly eight years after the initial release of Season 3 in 2007, the fourth season of Will & Grace is finally coming. And it's been well worth the wait. Because even though the episodes included in this fourth box set have 14 years under their belt, they still work really well. True, there are a few moments when the series shows its age, such as when it deals with technical things like cell phones or cameras, but also when allusions are made to cultural phenomena of the early 2000s, many of which have since been forgotten. But this actually hardly weighs negatively and actually adds to the charm of the series. Most of the stories and gags, however, are simply timelessly good and funny - both in the original English and in the thoroughly successful dubbing.

The exaggerated play with clichés, the dialogues enriched with lots of delightful wordplay and a pinch of slapstick are an important ingredient for the success of the series. But in the end, what has made it so successful are the endearingly drawn characters. Actually, they're all incredibly self-centered, which isn't necessarily a likable quality. But behind all the selfishness and character flaws, there are very charming characters who harmonize perfectly with each other, and as a viewer, you just love spending time with them.

Season 4 once again has some very prominent guest stars on board, with the appearances of Matt Damon as a supposedly gay chorus singer, Glenn Close as an extremely eccentric photographer and Michael Douglas as a police officer with an aversion to food scraps between his teeth being particularly amusing to watch. Among the highlights of the season are the two-part Thanksgiving episode, Will and Grace's search for a new apartment, and Jack and Karen's attempt to prove to Rosario that they could stand to be in prison. Besides that, there are also some weaker episodes, but overall this fourth season is again a lot of fun. Granted, the series is perhaps not revolutionary. For that it follows far too often the clear patterns of common sitcoms. Nevertheless, Will & Grace is still, almost a decade after the end of the series, one of the best things to be seen in the field of TV comedy in the last twenty years. Now all that remains is to hope that the remaining seasons will also be released in Germany! Absolutely worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: Here and there the picture seems a little washed out and with some faster camera pans a slight dragging effect is noticeable. Overall, however, the picture is very clean, the overall sharpness is at a good level for a TV sitcom that is over ten years old, and the coloration is also absolutely convincing, especially in the brighter moments. The Dolby Digital 2.0 mix is also decently mixed, with the very directional mixed dialogue predominating the proceedings. The final episode of the season was apparently cut for German broadcast and never fully dubbed. So do not be surprised if suddenly individual sentences (and a longer scene) are heard in the English original.

Extras: As a bonus, there are some very amusing outtakes (about 6:23 min.) to see on the third DVD. DVD 4 then offers 11 mini-featurettes (approx. 21 min.) to offer, which present thematically summarized some of the most amusing clips of the season. But if you've seen the season, you can safely do without this clip show.

Conclusion: The long wait for the DVD release of the fourth season of the cult sitcom Will & Grace was worth it. Because the sitcom works really well even after all these years, and this season also has some quite wonderful episodes and high-profile guest stars like Matt Damon and Michael Douglas to offer. Picture and sound quality are very good for a comedy series that is almost 14 years old, and the funny outtakes in the extras ensure a good mood. Therefore: For all fans and lovers of classic sitcom fare this box is absolutely recommendable! Hopefully the remaining seasons will come soon!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp