“Donald & Hilary”

In May of 2006, the popular television show Will & Grace wrapped up its 8 season run that only made people want the show to never end. After ten long years, the cast of Will & Grace came back together on their New York City based set. But the reunion only lasted for a 10 minute sequence that challenged one of the toughest decisions the American people will encounter this coming November. The 10 minute mini-episode covered a huge base using comedic appeal to tackle the 2016 presidential election. Only being released a few days before it foreshadowed the presidential debate between Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton with the hopes to spread voting awareness to people. And I believe they got the job done perfectly.

Ever since the announcement of the 2016 presidential candidates, the American people have been stuck with an important decision. Most people have jumped to the conclusion that they aren’t going to vote simply because “they just have no idea who to choose.” But according to the writers of the once hit television sitcom, voting is “the greatest privilege that Americans have and every vote is equally considered, regardless of skin color, wealth, and religious belief.”[1] With that said the writers and cast members took the challenge at hand and created a debate-like plot line with the 4 main characters.

The characters used a comedic approach referencing to current pop culture familiarities such as Bradgalina, Fifty Shades of Grey, and so on, with a main focus on the presidential candidates and their political interests. And they got the job done. With the help of comedic relief and popular culture, Americans were able to watch the sequence and understand exactly what they were saying. We were able to be educated about the upcoming election on a level the common person will understand. So instead of being titled “Will & Grace” should’ve rather been called “Donald & Hilary.”

Although this may come across as a critique of the Will & Grace mini episode, it only proves how much influence pop culture has on the common American to make decisions. The show did not persuade the audience in to who they want to be president, rather giving insight in to a topic that people don’t readily understand for this November. And this only gives more proof in to the troubling problem that we rely on our modern culture to get informed about important events. But if the job can be done, and efficiently to spread awareness about the upcoming election then it’s no longer a problem but a solution.

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[1] http://www.ibtimes.com.au/will-grace-reunion-special-gets-political-official-revival-likely-amazon-or-netflix-watch-1530309