Meanwhile, after slapping a meter maid, Jack (Sean Hayes) is ordered to work 40 hours of community service, picking up garbage, and while he does this is forced to wear an orange jumpsuit.

Before the airing of the episode, it was confirmed that actress Molly Shannon would guest star as Val, a new neighbor in Will and Grace's apartment building.

[7] "Grace, Replaced" brought in 12.9 million American viewers upon its original broadcast in the United States,[8] and making it the seventh highest-rated show during the week of April 5–11, 1999.

[9] Originally, Will & Grace aired on Mondays, but due to insufficient viewership, NBC decided to move the program to Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m., which was a success as viewers tuned in.

[1] The network then changed the time slot from Tuesdays to Thursdays at 8:30 p.m.,[10] between Friends and Frasier, with this episode becoming a success as it attracted its highest audience ratings of the season.

[11] Many believed this decision was a good one,[1][12] with a contributor of The Buffalo News commenting that the time slot change suggested that NBC felt that Will & Grace had a better chance of becoming a success than the current sitcom Jesse.

[13] In a report in The Star-Ledger it said that the decision of Will & Grace airing on Thursdays was a good benefit on behalf of NBC as the program was "the only watchable comedy".

Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz of The Star-Ledger were complimentary towards "Grace, Replaced", writing that the episode "is a winner, packed with witty dialogue.

[15] The Dallas Morning News writer Ed Bark noted that "Grace, Replaced" was "another energetic, generally amusing" episode.

"[16] Aaron Barnhart for The Kansas City Star called the episode riotous, and said that the show "with [its] pop-culture jokes delivered at blistering speed, outsized performances from 'supporting' players Sean Hayes and Megan Mullally, and a camaraderie between platonic pals Eric McCormack and Debra Massing that would make even Plato blush.

[18] Chicago Tribune's Steve Johnson opined that the episode "starts strong and then goes awry [...] It's funny for a while [...] But then it takes it to a ludicrous level, selling out its own internal logic by conspiring to put [Molly] Shannon and Messing into a ... catfight.

"[16] Tom Feran of The Plain Dealer reported that Shannon's appearance on the show would make "a good introduction for viewers curious about Will & Grace.