US sitcom ‘Will & Grace’ officially returning for ninth season

Beloved sitcom Will & Grace will return to the small screen, with US television network NBC announcing it has commissioned a ninth season.

The 16-time Emmy Award winning show will return for one season comprised of 10 new episodes.

The reunion was sparked by a mini-episode released in September to encourage people living in swing states to vote in the US election which has received more than six million views.

All of the show's stars, including Debra Messing, Eric McCormack, Megan Mullally and Sean Hayes, appeared in the clip.

After negotiations with production studio Universal TV, all four actors have signed on for the show’s reunion season.

The cast reached out on social media to express their excitement over the announcement.

Creators and executive producers Mac Mutchnick and David Kohan have also signed on for the project, along with director James Burrows, who directed every episode of the show’s original run.

NCB Entertainment president Jennifer Stalke announced the show’s return at the Television Critics Association's press tour overnight.

“We started talking with Mutchnick and Kohan about producing new episodes right after they shot the secret reunion show back in September,” she said.

“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.”

The show is set to air during the 2017-2018 television season.