The rumours are true – the new series of ‘Will & Grace’ is officially on! NBC announced this week, after several weeks of speculation, that the comedy favourite is being revived for a special run on the network later this year.

The brand new series – the first since it went off air back in 2006 after eight seasons – will premiere during the 2017-2018 broadcast season. Its original stars Debra Messing, Eric Mccormack, Megan Mullally and Sean Hayes are all set to return, and it’s a similar story behind the scenes.

James Burrows, who directed every episode of ‘Will & Grace’s original run, is returning in the same capacity, with co-creators David Kohan and Max Mutchnick also participating.

Debra MessingDebra Messing, one of the show's original stars, is returning

Rumours of a return for the early noughties comedy staple started back in September, when the cast reunited for an election-themed video in support of Hillary Clinton that ended up going viral.

More: ‘Will & Grace’ comes back for mini-episode to voice support for Hillary Clinton

“We’re thrilled that one of the smartest, funniest and most defining comedies in NBC history is coming back,” NBC Entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt said in a statement on Wednesday (January 18th).

“This groundbreaking series for everything from gay rights to social and political commentary — all disguised as a high-speed train of witty pop culture — is coming back where it belongs.”

NBC’s entertainment president Jennifer Salke chipped in: “We started talking with Mutchnick and Kohan about producing new episodes right after they shot the secret reunion show back in September, and the fact that all four of the original stars were excited about getting back into production is a testament to the joyful experience they had doing nearly 200 episodes for eight seasons. Few things cut through the clutter these days, especially in comedy, and ‘Will & Grace’ is one of the best.”

More: Election spoof video ignites a ‘Will & Grace’ revival