The creators of “Will & Grace” are close to making a deal with NBC that would bring the network’s longest-running current comedy series back for yet another season.
David Kohan and Max Mutchnick have been negotiating for months to bring the show back. The situation is complicated because the pair sued NBC in 2003, claiming the network and the then-NBC Studios (now NBC Universal TV), which produces “Will & Grace,” shorted them on the show’s license fee when it was last up for renewal.
The the show will likely command a lower fee — probably about $5 million per episode — should it come back next season, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The main reason for the drop is the fact that the show pulls in significantly less viewers than in its “Must See TV” hayday.
The series is averaging 10.75 million viewers per week this season, a dropoff from the 15 million at this time last year, when it enjoyed a much better lead-in in “Friends.”
Once the deal is struck, they must then take the proposal to stars Debra Messing, Eric McCormack, Megan Mullally and Sean Hayes. The network is expected to ask them to take a pay cut in line with the lower license fee.
Credit: Zap2It
