Will & Grace: Season 4

2001 · 27 episodes · ★ 7.6

What Season 4 of Will & Grace

Jack reconnects with his teenage son, Karen faces upheaval in her extravagant lifestyle, and Will and Grace navigate their evolving friendship amid career and dating mishaps. Guest stars like Cher, Sandra Bernhard, and Woody Harrelson bring standout moments in this sharp and heartfelt season.

27episodes

Sep 27, 2001premiered

May 16, 2002latest episode

9.9 hrtotal runtime

Season 4 Episodes

4x01 The Third Wheel Gets the Grace
Sep 27, 2001 · 22 min
Will returns from vacation to discover that Grace's romantic relationship with neighbor Nathan is humming along. Nathan feels neglected when Will and Grace resume their chummy friendship, complete with their own private language and code. Meanwhile, Jack proudly takes his new-found son Elliot shopping for school at Barney's while Rosario and Karen each cruise the merchandise looking for the perfect "anniversary gift".
Directed by: James Burrows · Written by: David Kohan, Max Mutchnick · Starring: Michael Angarano, Shelley Morrison, Woody Harrelson, Jacqueline Beatty
4x02 Past and Presents
Oct 4, 2001 · 22 min
The new lawyer in Will's firm is the same lout who bullied him as a child; Nathan's birthday flusters Grace, who's outdone in the gift department by Karen.
Directed by: James Burrows · Written by: Jon Kinnally, Tracy Poust · Starring: Adam Goldberg, Woody Harrelson, Walter Addison
4x03 Crouching Father, Hidden Husband
Oct 11, 2001 · 22 min
Jack is puffed up with paternal pride as he escorts his long-lost teenaged son Elliot to a junior high school dance but not before he coerces Grace into posing as Elliot's date â€" which only revives her own tortured memories of rejection from school dances many years before. Elsewhere, Karen has great fun at her lawyer Will's expense when she continues to capriciously summon him for bogus ""emergencies"" â€" that is, until she really needs him.
Directed by: James Burrows · Written by: Adam Barr · Starring: Kari Lizer, Michael Angarano, Landry Allbright, Sydney Berry
4x04 Prison Blues
Oct 18, 2001 · 22 min
After Stan is arrested for tax evasion, Grace and Karen timidly visit him in prison. Grace is so moved to help her worried friend that she moves right into Karen's deluxe apartment-in-the-sky, where she becomes a demanding guest who's soon hooked on servants, bubble baths and an extravagant lifestyle. Meanwhile, as Stan's attorney, Will struggles with stage-fright when he babbles on during a TV news interview, so Jack convinces him to polish his communication skills by attending an acting class ruled by an imperious teacher.
Directing: James Burrows · Writing: Alex Herschlag · Starring: Brent Sexton, Shelley Morrison, Eileen Brennan, James Black
4x05 Loose Lips Sink Relationships
Oct 25, 2001 · 22 min
In a sneaky ploy to bum a night off from work at Barney's department store, a conniving Jack plays matchmaker and takes advantage of his geeky female supervisor's interest in Will, while mindful of Will's fantasy of modeling in the store's catalogue. Jack parlays their mutual desires into a "date", even though his unsuspecting friend doesn't have a clue of her intentions. Elsewhere, Grace goes where no woman should when she compares her previous sexual experience with her boyfriend Nathan's.
Directing: James Burrows · Writing: Kari Lizer · Starring: Parker Posey, Woody Harrelson, Andrew Rosenbach
4x06 Rules of Engagement
Nov 1, 2001 · 22 min
During an intimate moment, Nathan pops the question of marriage to Grace but she recoils simply because the situation didn't fit her childhood fantasy of a proposal. When she realizes her mistake, she returns the favor, but doesn't get the response she hoped she'd get.
Directed by: James Burrows · Written by: Jeff Greenstein · Starring: Dean Cameron, Woody Harrelson, Sam Pancake, Jordan Feldman
4x07 Bed, Bath & Beyond
Nov 8, 2001 · 22 min
While a baleful Grace wallows in bed as she grieves over losing her boyfriend Nathan, an enterprising Will tries all his old tricks to spring her from her mattress and back into the real world's whirl. But when Jack and Karen arrive, Will fears that their bizarre efforts to help might actually drive Grace futher into her shell -- not to mention therapy.
Directed by: James Burrows · Written by: Jhoni Marchinko · Starring: Shelley Morrison
4x08 Star-Spangled Banter
Nov 15, 2001 · 22 min
Will and Grace elect to disagree when it comes to choosing sides during a mayoral election; she supports the female Jewish candidate and he's voting for the gay nominee. To settle matters, the roomies host fund-raisers attended simultaneously by both aspirants.
Directed by: James Burrows · Written by: Cynthia Mort · Starring: Anne Meara, Michael Angarano, Shelley Morrison, Douglas Sills
4x09 Moveable Feast (1)
Nov 22, 2001 · 22 min
Rather than be apart on Thanksgiving Day, Will and Grace join Jack and Karen for a festive holiday motor tour of their respective dysfunctional families, including Grace's domineering mother as well as Will's willful mom and Jack's stepdad -- with unsettling results. Meanwhile, back home, a waiting Rosario bastes and tastes their juicy turkey.
Directing: James Burrows · Writing: Kari Lizer · Starring: Michael Angarano, Shelley Morrison, Kenneth Mars, Neil Vipond
4x10 Moveable Feast (2)
Nov 22, 2001 · 22 min
This episode is also known as "Thanksgiving." Will and Grace join Jack and Karen in a motor tour of their respective families. (Double-length Episode)
Directed by: James Burrows · Written by: Kari Lizer · Starring: Jon Tenney, Helen Slater, Michael Angarano, Shelley Morrison
4x11 Stakin' Care of Business
Dec 6, 2001 · 22 min
At the gym, Will spies another guy who looks maddeningly familiar, while Jack gets a workout as he keeps repeating one of his nonsensical catchphrases in hopes of seeing it become popular among the sweat set. Meanwhile, Grace gets some bad advice from Karen when she seeks a loan to expand her company so she stoops to asking her wealthy employee herself for the moneyâ€"even if she has to resort to drastic measures to get the point across.
Directing: James Burrows · Writing: Bill Wrubel · Starring: Patrick Breen, Dan Gauthier, Bess Meyer
4x12 Jingle Balls Mid-Season Finale
Dec 13, 2001 · 22 min
Grace is hired as seasonal help to decorate the Christmas display windows of fashionable Barney's; Will meets a ballet dancer but is too embarrassed to introduce his friends.
Directed by: James Burrows · Written by: Laura Kightlinger · Starring: Parker Posey, Larry Sullivan, Paul Keith
4x13 Whoa, Nelly
Jan 10, 2002 · 22 min
Will & Grace try to lure Tina, Will's dad's mistress, away from Will's father by setting her up with another man. Unfortunately the only man available is Will's gay friend, Larry. Also, Karen buys a horse for breeding, but the stud is more interested in stallions.
Directing: James Burrows · Writing: Adam Barr · Starring: Tim Bagley, Lesley Ann Warren, Morgan Nagler, Cal Bartlett
4x14 Grace in the Hole
Jan 17, 2002 · 22 min
While visiting Karen's incarcerated husband, Grace re-discovers a handsome high school friend who's also doing time in prison, and despite Will's advice, she's soon dressing up and visiting the inmate while dreaming of a life together outside the Big House. Conversely, a sympathetic Rosario chides Karen for not standing by her man â€" and bets her boozy boss that she and pal Jack cannot stay penned-up together in the same room for three days without harming each other.
Directed by: James Burrows · Written by: Bill Wrubel · Starring: Brent Sexton, Shelley Morrison, Kirk Baltz, Cheryl Bricker
4x15 Dyeing Is Easy, Comedy Is Hard
Jan 31, 2002 · 22 min
Rosie O'Donnell plays Bonnie, a no-nonsense single mom who clashes with Jack over the raising of their son, Elliot, fathered from Jack's sperm-bank donation. Bonnie's enraged because Jack had 12-year-old Elliot's hair bleached blond, so she lays down the law. ""From now on,"" she tells him, ""stay out of my kid's life. I don't want you to see him again."" A parallel storyline unfolds at a wedding gala, where Will poses as a tennis pro (because nobody likes lawyers); and Grace caustically toasts the bridegroom, her ex-fiancÃ©. ""I've always thought about having a child,"" she says. ""But not as a husband.""
Directing: James Burrows · Writing: Darlene Hunt · Starring: Jennifer Aspen, Jim Hanna, Michael Angarano, Tom Verica
4x16 A Chorus Lie
Feb 7, 2002 · 22 min
Matt Damon makes a guest appearance as a clever charmer named Owen, who's competing against Jack for a spot in New York's Gay Men's Chorus. Truth be told, however, Owen is totally straight and is really after the group's big perk: a summer trip to Europe, all-expenses paid. Jack suspects Owen's ruse but needs proof. How about the hug test? Now a flustered Jack reluctantly turns to Grace to ""in"" Owen. Meanwhile, a scheming Karen tries to pass off an unwitting Will as her lover and not her lawyer when she discovers that she's the object of pity for being single at her own Valentine's Day party
Directing: James Burrows · Writing: Jon Kinnally, Tracy Poust · Starring: Matt Damon, Patrick Kerr, Leslie Jordan, Amanda Carlin
4x17 Someone Old, Someplace New (1)
Feb 28, 2002 · 22 min
Will and Grace feel they need more elbow room, so they search for larger digs and find an exquisite placeâ€"despite the efforts of Sandra Bernhardâ€"but to finance the move, they illegally sub-let their old apartment. Meanwhile, a well-intentioned Jack begins filming a documentary of Karen's colorful life to celebrate her birthday but accidentally stumbles upon her estranged, lowlife mom.
Directed by: James Burrows · Written by: Jhoni Marchinko, Alex Herschlag · Starring: Sandra Bernhard, Leigh-Allyn Baker, Shelley Morrison, Suzanne Pleshette
4x18 Something Borrowed, Someone's Due (2)
Mar 7, 2002 · 22 min
After Will and Grace move into their expansive new dream apartment, they discover the awful pangs of separation anxiety as they pine for their smaller old digs now happily occupied by their friends who sub-let the place. Elsewhere, Jack tries to reconcile Karen with her estranged grifter of a mom, who wants to recruit her daughter for her next caper.
Directing: James Burrows · Writing: Adam Barr, Bill Wrubel · Starring: Leigh-Allyn Baker, Shelley Morrison, Suzanne Pleshette, Joseph Will
4x19 Cheatin' Trouble Blues
Mar 28, 2002 · 22 min
Will presents his newly reconciled parents with a cruise for their anniversary, but their individual secrets ruin his hopes.
Directing: James Burrows · Writing: Alex Herschlag · Starring: Sydney Pollack, Blythe Danner
4x20 Went to a Garden Potty
Apr 4, 2002 · 22 min
In the aftermath of his parents' divorce, Will salvages a beloved garden gnome â€" nicknamed ""Squatsie"" â€" and proudly plants the childhood relic in his apartment's community area until Grace accidentally delivers a coup de grace on the gnome's dome with a shovel. Elsewhere, Jack consults his acting coach when he fears that his heterosexual role in a mattress commercial produced by Karen will stereotype him for more meaningful gay acting gigs in the future.
Directed by: James Burrows · Written by: Tracy Poust, Jon Kinnally · Starring: Peter MacKenzie, Tom Poston, Eileen Brennan, Melissa Russell
4x21 He Shoots, They Snore
Apr 11, 2002 · 22 min
Teaching a design seminar challenges Grace; chaperoning Jack's son occupies Will at the youth's basketball tourney.
Directing: James Burrows · Writing: Sally Bradford McKenna · Starring: Brian Howe, Michael Angarano, Landry Allbright, Paul Parducci
4x22 Wedding Balls
Apr 18, 2002 · 22 min
Will expects two friends to arrive in New York to plan a wedding, but when the bride-to-be falls ill, he asks a willing Grace to work with the clueless groom to work out the details â€" but she gets a little too involved in the dreamy details and fancies herself a bride instead. Meanwhile, Will and Karen get chummy over a steamy potboiler book that they're both reading which leaves a jealous Jack fuming as the odd man out in the book-of-the-month club.
Directed by: James Burrows · Written by: Laura Kightlinger · Starring: Tracy Nelson, Kimberly Scott, Steven Shenbaum, Stephanie Erb
4x23 Fagel Attraction
Apr 25, 2002 · 22 min
After his laptop computer is stolen, Will meets a sociable police detective who takes a special interest in his case as they go undercover â€" but Will doesn't know that the gumshoe is secretly participating in Jack's therapy group for gays. Elsewhere, Grace is again hassled by her psycho neighbor Val who ""opens"" a rival design business and prospers by stealing Grace's ideas.
Directed by: James Burrows · Written by: Jenji Kohan · Starring: Fred Applegate, Michael Douglas, Barry Livingston, Molly Shannon
4x24 Hocus Focus
May 2, 2002 · 22 min
After Will wins a portrait session at a charity auction, he takes Grace to pose for a notoriously eccentric celebrity photographer but the unfocused shooter's bizarre methods ultimately produce a funky image that flatters Grace â€" and frightens Will. Meanwhile, Jack's back with another performance act, and this time he employs magic tricks but regrets using Karen as his assistant.
Directing: James Burrows · Writing: Sally Bradford McKenna · Starring: Jason Stuart, J.P. Manoux, Glenn Close, Jeremy Forte
4x25 A Buncha White Chicks Sittin' Around Talkin'
May 9, 2002 · 22 min
When Will hears his ""biological clock"" ticking, he shocks Grace by asking her to become the mother of his baby but when they meet with a therapist, Grace reveals that she's uneasy about the necessary sacrifices â€" and makes a startling revelation. Inspired by Will's ""seize-the-day"" quest, Jack and Karen are also moved to pursue their goals: for him, it's auditioning for a legitimate Broadway production; for her, it's visiting her imprisoned husband for a dreaded conjugal visit.
Directing: James Burrows · Writing: David Kohan, Max Mutchnick
4x26 A.I.: Artificial Insemination (1)
May 16, 2002 · 22 min
After Will and Grace decide to have a baby together, obstacles pile up before them, including a missing specimen sample and bungled insemination efforts that have them teetering between artificial and natural means â€" all leading to mis-conceptions. Meanwhile, when Jack considers giving up his show-business aspirations, until he gets some career advice from a ""divine"" entity â€" his idol, Cher. Likewise, married Karen is sorely tempted by the romantic tickling of a rich and natty gentleman.
Directed by: James Burrows · Written by: Adam Barr · Starring: Rip Torn, Laura Kightlinger, Michael Angarano, Shelley Morrison
4x27 A.I.: Artificial Insemination (2) Season Finale
May 16, 2002 · 22 min
After Will and Grace decide to have a baby together, obstacles pile up before them, including a missing specimen sample and bungled insemination efforts that have them teetering between artificial and natural meansâ€"all leading to mis-conceptions. Meanwhile, Jack considers giving up his show-business aspirations, until he gets some career advice from a ""divine"" entity: his idol Cher. Likewise, married Karen is sorely tempted by the romantic tickling of a rich and natty gentleman.
Directing: James Burrows · Writing: Alex Herschlag, Jeff Greenstein · Starring: Rip Torn, Laura Kightlinger, Shelley Morrison, Cher