WILL & GRACE

V.S. TOP SITCOMS ON MAJOR NETWORKS – 04/05 SEASON

Reviewing data from the second to last season of Will & Grace, we see that among highest rated sitcoms on broadcast TV of the time, Will & Grace came out on top for average unit costs for a 30 second ad during the Fall 2004 season. Although it had been seeing declining ratings over the previous 3 seasons, it dominated with an average ad cost of $325,619 – with Everybody Loves Raymond taking second place with an average cost of $268,163, and Two and a Half Men following closely behind at $266,167.

Looking at the second half of the season (Winter/Spring 2005), ratings continued to decline but Will & Grace again took first place with an average unit cost of $377,733. Second and third place remained the same, as well – Everybody Loves Raymond had an average unit cost of $298,851 and Two and a Half Men had $234,260.

We compared Will & Grace to the following sitcoms for the 2004-2005 season:

WILL & GRACE

V.S. TOP SITCOMS ON MAJOR NETWORKS – 05/06 SEASON

For Will & Grace’s final season, we compared it against other top sitcoms on broadcast TV and discovered that falling viewership had an impact on its place as top earner for comedies. Will & Grace came in second during the Fall 2005 season with an average unit cost of $186,883, right behind Two and a Half Men ($267,451). That ‘70s Show and The Office were neck and neck after Will & Grace, with average unit costs of $170,919 and $171,773, respectively.

As we transitioned into the back half of the season, average unit costs for Will & Grace jumped nearly 30% from the fall season to $242,500 – keeping it in second place behind Two and a Half Men ($261,927), and fending off challenges from The Office and How I Met Your Mother.

We compared Will & Grace to the following sitcoms for the 2005-2006 season:

WILL & GRACE

TOP SITCOMS TREND REPORT – 04 – 06 SEASON

Pulling back to view the trends over the last two seasons of the show, the year/year comparison trend shows Will & Grace experienced a dip during its last season, 2005-2006, coming in second for average unit costs at $242,500, behind Two & A Half Men ($261,927). Despite the drop, it still topped popular shows of the time like King of Queens ($167,013), That ‘70s Show ($137,331), and According to Jim ($99,919).

We compared Will & Grace to the following sitcoms for the 2004-2006 season:

WILL & GRACE

V.S. TOP SITCOM FINALES

For perspective, we pulled the ad cost numbers for the finale episode of other popular comedies that said goodbye since Will & Grace dropped off the air, and equalized their average :30 costs for inflation. Of these finale broadcasts, Will & Grace saw the highest average unit cost of $574,233. King of Queens (finale May 14th, 2007) came in second at $483,245 and How I Met Your Mother (finale March 31st, 2013) in third with an average cost of $460,557.

We compared the series finale show of Will & Grace to finale shows of other sitcoms on the major broadcasting networks, adjusting all the costs for inflation to reflect 2017 rates:

WILL & GRACE

V.S. CURRENT RUNNING SHOWS – Fall 2016

Fall 2016 NBC Dramas

When considering the motivations for NBC’s resurrection of Will & Grace, it’s interesting to look at the current averages for :30 ads for NBC’s 60 min dramas currently running on the network. When adjusted for inflation, we see that the average :30 ad value of the worst rated season (‘05/’06) of Will & Grace is standing in a commanding position in the field, taking second, right after the juggernaut This Is Us.

While comparing the earning potential of a 30 minute sitcom against NBC’s 60 minute dramas is not a perfect comparison, it illustrates the earning potential NBC may be expecting with this reboot.

We compared Will & Grace to the following NBC dramas running in the Fall 2016 season:

Fall 2016 Comedies

When we look at the data from the top rated broadcast TV comedies airing in the Fall of 2016, we compared average unit costs during Will & Grace’s last season (adjusted for inflation) and found that the adjusted average :30 from their lowest rated season ($227,596) comes in second, right behind Big Bang Theory ($281,225). Seeing that the average :30 for the final season of Will & Grace is beating popular shows like Modern Family ($209,656) and Kevin Can Wait ($143,808), it’s reasonable to surmise that NBC sees the reboot as a strong competitor for ad dollars.

We compared Will & Grace to the following comedies running in the Fall 2016 season:

WILL & GRACE

V.S. CURRENT RUNNING SHOWS – Spring 2017

Spring 2017 NBC Dramas

Looking at the back half of the 16/17 television season, we see that the adjusted average :30 for Will & Grace ($295,329) has taken the leading position among NBC’s most-valuable drama programming, beating out all of the 60 min dramas on the network including the breakout hit, This Is Us ($256,030). Of course, the bump in average :30 unit costs for Will & Grace in 2006, which pushed it over the top, can be attributed to the series ramping towards its finale in 2006.

We compared Will & Grace to the following NBC dramas running in the Spring 2017 season:

Spring 2017 Comedies

Looking at the second half of the 16/17 season, against a heavily packed broadcast TV roster of 30 min comedies, Will & Grace’s adjusted average :30 ad rates from their final (and lowest rated season) puts them at the top of the heap; ahead of the Big Bang Theory ($214,025) and Modern Family ($146,543) with an average (adjusted for inflation) unit cost of $295,329.

Even when comparing the average :30 unit cost of the lowest rated season of Will & Grace, against the top money-maker comedies on TV today, it’s easy to see that NBC had good reason to reboot this series – if only to regain a portion of the earning potential of the original series.

We compared Will & Grace to the following broadcast TV comedies running in the Spring 2017 season: