Will & Grace debuted with a controversial splash because one of its two lead characters is gay-but smart writing and topnotch performances, not politics, have made the show a hit. Two neurotic and sharp-tongued urbanites-gay lawyer Will (Eric McCormack) and straight interior designer Grace (Debra Messing)-delight in their volatile but enduring friendship as they share a sumptuous New York apartment. Sweeping into the mix are Will's unapologetically queeny friend Jack (Sean Hayes) and Grace's wildly eccentric assistant Karen (Megan Mullally). Much like Seinfeld, the humour on Will & Grace springs from self-obsession, petty jealousy, and compulsive interfering in each other's lives-basically, the building blocks of human nature. The show's writers apparently feel compelled to keep the lead characters warm and likeable in the usual sitcom mode (which hardly seems necessary, as McCormack and Messing are naturally engaging). As a result, it's Jack and Karen who get free reign to be truly obnoxious and ridiculous-which, of course, makes them incredibly funny and charismatic. Hayes and Mullally rise to the occasion, ripping through absurd situations and arias of narcissistic wit with dazzling panache. Will & Grace's plots routinely center around scenarios that could feature a married couple or two same-sex roommates: Will and Grace bicker over buying a dog, find their relationship tested by apartment renovations, or discover they're both pursuing the same guy-standard sitcom material that the gay factor gives a clever spin. Though their relationship gets in the way of their sex lives, the two take so much pleasure in each other's company that they can't help but stick together-a surprisingly chaste theme for such a culturally groundbreaking show, but one that Will & Grace's addicted audience undoubtedly appreciates. -Bret Fetzer.

Will & Grace strode into its third season with the kind of cultural cache TV executives would kill for. These 22 episodes are littered with hip celebrity guest stars, from Ellen DeGeneres to Sandra Bernhard to Cher, and the performances of the core quartet-Debra Messing, Eric McCormack, Karen Mullally, and Sean Hayes-became more comically exaggerated as they risked pushing their characters (already riddled with neuroses and snippiness) into the realm of caricatures. But due to clever writing and confident, full-throttle performances, it doesn't matter. Even when Jack and Karen's high-handed behavior go beyond anything recognizably human, audiences love them all the more; no matter how high-strung Will and Grace become, their well-honed rapport keeps them engaging and lovable. Wisely, the writers swiftly returned the pair to roommate status and got Grace out of her ongoing relationship with Will's former boss (Gregory Hines), bringing the show's focus back on how the pair sublimate their love lives with the cozy intimacy of friendship-one particularly strong episode flashes back to how they first met in college, replete with godawful 80s fashion. But, as ever, it's Jack and Karen who up the comic ante; Mullally and Hayes are shamelessly self-absorbed and shallow, exploiting and abusing everyone around them. Jack forces Will to play Cyrano, feeding him pick-up lines over his salesperson headset; Karen, worried that some experimental plastic surgery might turn out badly, manipulates another socialite into getting it first. Not all plotlines fly-Grace gets into a relationship with an obnoxious neighbor (Woody Harrelson) that never becomes more than stunt-casting-but the racy wit flies fast and furious, the slapstick is topnotch, and Karen's hairdo towers magnificently. -Bret Fetzer.

After a first season made controversial by the mere presence of openly gay characters, Will & Grace returned triumphantly with renewed confidence and vigour. In their second season, sidekicks Jack and Karen (the very, very funny Sean Hayes and Megan Mullally) are more snide and gleefully obnoxious than ever; Will (Eric McCormack) has perfected his prickly panache; and in particular Grace (Debra Messing) has entered a whole new plane of sexy goofiness, diving even more headlong into physical comedy-such as the episode when, in order to woo a high school crush, she gets a water-padded bra that springs a leak. The writing has also become tighter, grown more deft in its gay and pop culture references (which were often self-conscious in the first season) and at juggling sustained storylines, such as the Immigration department investigating Jack's marriage to Karen's Salvadorian maid Rosario (Shelley Morrison), Grace and Will struggling to become less emotionally incestuous, and Jack seeking his biological father. The show excels at tackling emotional subjects (like Will discovering that his father, who has accepted and even embraced his homosexuality at home, has told his co-workers that Will is married to Grace) with a sharp comic eye. Guest stars start to accumulate: Molly Shannon returns, Sydney Pollack and Debbie Reynolds play Will's dad and Grace's mom, Joan Collins appears as a rival designer, Neil Patrick Harris (Doogie Howser, MD) plays the leader of a going-straight support group, and Gregory Hines takes on a recurring role as Will's new boss, a high-powered lawyer who seduces Grace. Will & Grace mixes superb sitcom farce with sly sociopolitical commentary; the fusion is smart and consistently entertaining. -Bret Fetzer.

Once a series has broken new ground, where does it go from there? Showtime's The L Word, concerning the relationships of a community of lesbian Los Angelenos, turned heads with its smart, funny writing and fully realized characters. Season Two offers more of the same, with some notable guest stars and experiments in narrative and music. This season, Jenny (Mia Kirshner) fully embraces her sexuality as her ex-husband/roomie (Eric Mabius) departs and voyeuristic documentary filmmaker Mark (Eric Lively) and womanchaser Shane (Katherine Moennig) move in. Shane and Jenny struggle good-heartedly over the affections of new character Carmen (Sarah Shahi), who isn't given much to do plot-wise apart from occasionally spinning records and serving as one corner of the love triangle. Bette (Jennifer Beals) and Tina (Laurel Holloman) start the season on the rocks due to Bette's infidelity; the introduction of the one-dimensionally nasty Helena Peabody (Rachel Shelley) causes further friction between Bette and Tina while playing havoc with Bette's curatorial career. Meanwhile, Dana (Erin Daniels) and Alice (Leisha Hailey) go from being best friends to being a whole lot more, providing some of the most touching scenes of the season. Kit (Pam Grier) takes on The Planet, the seeming center of LA's lesbian universe, converting it into a nightclub where, conveniently, guest-starring bands can play. Strong points of the season include Bette and Kit confronting the death of their father (the superb Ossie Davis) and Shane's new job as a gopher for a high-powered Hollywood producer (the equally superb Camryn Manheim). Less strong are the distracting, neo-expressionistic passages meant to be glimpses into Jenny's creative mind and the interminable use of the series' theme song-re-interpreted in a number of genres-to the point of distraction. Mark's voyeurism, which crosses all sorts of boundaries as he installs hidden cameras around the house, is a brilliant way to challenge male viewers who may tune in just to TiVo their way to the sex scenes. [+]

Welcome to West Lahunga Beach, the gayest of gay ghettos, where Rick and Steve make their fabulously decorated double-income-no-kids home. That is until Rick's lifelong lesbian friend Kirsten asks him to be the father of her child. There's just one catch - Kirsten's wife Dana and Rick's husband Steve are mortal enemies. The insults fly and nothing goes unspoken. Who knew the ugly bitter truth of domestic bliss could look so cute? Starring the voices of Alan Cumming, Peter Paige, Wilson Cruz, and Margaret Cho, with music from the creators of Avenue Q. Episodes: Guess Who's Coming For Quiche? Bush Baby Damn Straights It's Raining Pussy Save Our Seaman Hormonally Yours Special Features: Behind The Scenes Featurettes: • The Puppet Masters • Toys Will Be Toys: Animating Rick and Steve • Cast Interviews • 12 Digisodes And more gay crap!.

Director Jamie Babbit's assured first feature But I'm a Cheerleader is subversive, smart and extremely funny, but not entirely original. Megan Williams (Natasha Lyonne) is a good Christian cheerleading girl. She doesn't think it at all strange that she can't get the image of tumbling cheerleaders out of her mind while her football player boy friend is trying to French kiss her. But her parents, played respectively by Bud Cort (Brewster McCloud) and John Water' s regular Mink Stole, have noticed Megan's odd behaviour and arrange an intervention. They send her off to New Directions, a sexual rehabilitation camp run by a straight-laced school madam, Mary (Cathy Moriarty), where she is forced to come to terms with her lesbian tendencies. But while on a strict regime of corrective therapy, Megan falls head over heels f or surly dyke, Graham-played by Clea DuVall (The Astronaut's Wife)-and is forced to reassess whether straight really is great. The zany script and over-the-top characterisations have the feel of a John Waters comedy; The day-glo sets and costumes give the film a surreal Pee Wee's Playhouse feel and Lyonne is charmingly dizzy and bewildered throughout. RuPaul excels as Mike, a former gay exercise trainer, and Moriarty out-camps them all. On the DVD: The main feature is presented in letterboxed widescreen with Dolby Digital sound. Extra features are limited to a theatrical trailer and a 10-minute behind-the-scenes look at the film in which director Jamie Babbit explains the genesis of the film followed by hastily assembled footage of random scenes being shot. [+]