There’s a fabulous reunion happening behind the scenes of Peacock’s hilarious new comedy, Laid. Michael Angarano, who plays one of the former lovers of the show’s main character, the bewitched and bothered Ruby (Stephanie Hsu), has reunited with a former Will & Grace pal. That’s Laid executive producer and co-showrunner Sally Bradford McKenna, the Emmy-nominated writer and producer who penned 14 episodes of Will & Grace from 2001 and 2006. In a recent interview with MovieWeb, Angarano reflected on starring as young Elliot, Jack McFarland’s (Seam Hayes) son on the hit show, noting:

“Oh man, that show was majorly influential on my life… definitely, obviously, my career. It had just such great reach and people to this day talk about that show… [they] see me on that show and that character. But seeing those actors just at their level of professionalism and creativity, and just how generous they were with each other… it had such a huge influence on me as a young actor, specifically Sean Hayes.”

Hayes was, of course, a comedic tour du force on the series, which also starred Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, and Megan Mulllally. Angarano entered the Will & Grace mix at the end of Season 3 as a recurring character — the son Jack never knew he had. Rosie O’Donnell played Elliot’s mother in a Season 4 episode, and Angarano also made an appearance in the Will & Grace reboot that ran on NBC from 2017 through 2020. Between its original eight-season run and three-season reboot, the show solidified itself as one of the most successful television series to feature gay principal characters.
Michael Angarano went on to sing Sean Hayes’ praises, in fact, appreciating how many scenes the two actors shared together. “[Sean] was always approachable and accessible and so down to earth. I just loved watching them work. Even though I was so young, I loved watching them rehearse,” said Angarano. “The writers’ room on that show was the best ever. But watching the actors create so many of those iconic bits was really impressive. It was just very influential on me throughout the rest of my life in so many ways.”

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From ‘Will & Grace’ to ‘Laid’

Surely it influenced some of the roles the actor would take on as he moved into adulthood. Flashback to 2017, and you’d find Angarano as one of the leads in the comedy I’m Dying Up Here, which starred Melissa Leo. Remember This is Us? Angarano plays Nick Pearson, Jack’s (Milo Ventimiglia) beleaguered brother in the NBC hit drama. He also played Glenn in the cancelled-too-soon comedy, Minx. Look for Angarano to turn heads in the upcoming limited series about John Wayne Gacy, Devil in Disguise. And he’ll undoubtedly be remembered for playing Richie in Peacock’s Laid.

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That’s because Angarano’s character has a unique connection to the show’s main character Ruby, played by Stephanie Hsu. Here’s the lowdown on the twisted upcoming series: When Ruby discovers that her former lovers are dying in truly bizarre ways, she and BFF AJ (Zosia Mamet) assemble a detailed sex log — you read that right — that outlines the impending death of Ruby’s ex-partners. But diving into her frenzied past to learn why her sex count is leaving a body count, only rattles Ruby’s nerves. And those around her, including Richie. Look for several memorable twists of fate between these two characters.
The series also stars Tommy Martinez as Isaac. Guest stars that filter into the mix include: Andre Hyland, Kate Berlant, David Denman, John Early, Ettore “Big E” Ewen, Chloe Fineman, Olivia Holt, Simu Liu, Finneas O’Connell, and Alexandra Shipp. Laid debuts on Peacock December 19. Watch it then through the link below:
Watch Laid

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Laid

Release Date

December 19, 2024

Seasons

1