Sean Hayes returns to television this fall playing a gay dad in a
new NBC sitcom tiled Sean Saves the World.
At a Television Critics Association (TCA) panel to promote the
series, Hayes said that his character's sexuality was an
“afterthought.”
Television has progressed to the point where a character's
“gayness”, Hayes said, can be incidental.
“It's an afterthought just like any other character or minority
now. Which is how it should be. It's even sad that it's a question,
really,” Hayes
said.
In the series, Hayes plays a divorced gay dad who has his hands
full juggling work and a teenage daughter. Linda Lavin (Barney
Miller, Alice) plays his overbearing mother.
Hayes is best known for playing Jack McFarland for 8 seasons on
NBC's groundbreaking sitcom Will & Grace. His portrayal
of Jack, Will Truman's campy gay best friend, won him an Emmy Award,
four SAG Awards and one American Comedy Award.
“I was 26. It was a job. Nothing more,” Hayes said of the
role, then added that the show “had a big influence on the gay
movement in America.”