They are competing to be the final entrant in a gay men's chorus, and after learning that Owen is straight, Jack tries to "in" him with help from Grace (Debra Messing).

Meanwhile, Karen (Megan Mullally) tries to pass off Will (Eric McCormack) as her lover and not her lawyer when she discovers that she is the object of pity for being single at her own Valentine's Day party.

According to Nielsen ratings, "A Chorus Lie" was watched by 25.3 million viewers during its original broadcast, making it the most-watched episode in the history of the show.

Meanwhile, Will (Eric McCormack) accepts Karen's (Megan Mullally) invitation as her date, due to her husband being in prison, to her annual Valentine's Day party.

[2] Damon guest starred on the episode to promote his then upcoming movie at the time The Bourne Identity, which was released in June the same year.

In the same month, it was announced that NBC would extend "A Chorus Lie" with four additional minutes to accommodate the network's "supersize" plan to compete against the CBS reality show Survivor.

"[3] In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, Damon revealed that he was asked to appear on the show by his friend Sean Hayes, who plays Jack on Will & Grace.

According to Betsy Taylor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, this scene "prompted a ripple effect" in the United States of people seeking out the jeans label.

[19] Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly noted, "Damon's spunky appearance ... as a straight guy posing as homosexual and competing with Jack (Sean Hayes) for a spot in a gay men's choir.

The show is endlessly imaginative in the ways it explores themes like this with a humor that doesn't betray or belittle its core gay characters.

[23] Matt Roush of TV Guide, in review of season four, said: "If it weren't for some inspired guest stars — Matt Damon as a straight guy bluffing his way into a gay chorus, Michael Douglas as a gay detective clowning it up on the dance floor, Glenn Close as a lusty photographer groping both Will and Grace during a shoot — this season would be an awfully sad misfire.

"[24] Wales on Sunday's Wil Marlow called Damon's performance one of the most memorable guest appearances in the history of the show, and commented that he "held his own well against serial scene-stealer Sean Hayes.

"[25] Mark Perigard of the Boston Herald said the episode "flies with jokes predicated on stereotypes and sexual innuendo", but "Damon is a good sport with all the silliness, though, and seems more at ease here in the sitcom than he has in his last three films.