After year-long expectations that the ninth season would be the series' last, NBC signed a deal in late December 2002 to bring the series back for a final tenth season. The series' creative team did not want to extend negotiations into the next year and wanted to start writing the rest of the ninth-season episodes and a potential series finale. NBC agreed to pay $10 million to Warner Bros. for the production of each tenth-season episode, the highest price in television history for a 30-minute series. Although NBC was unable to bring in enough advertising revenue from commercials to cover the costs, the series was integral to the Thursday night schedule, which brought high ratings and profits to the other television series. The cast demanded that the tenth season be reduced from the usual 24 episodes to 18 episodes to allow them to work on outside projects.
After year-long expectations that the ninth season would be the series' last NBC signed a deal in late December 2002 to bring the series back for a final tenth season The series' creative team did not want to extend negotiations into the next year and wanted to start writing the rest of the ninth-season episodes and a potential series finale NBC agreed to pay $10 million to Warner Bros for the production of each tenth-season episode the highest price in television history for a 30-minute series Although NBC was unable to bring in enough advertising revenue from commercials to cover the costs the series was integral to the Thursday night schedule which brought high ratings and profits to the other television series The cast demanded that the tenth season be reduced from the usual 24 episodes to 18 episodes to allow them to work on outside projects