SANTA MONICA - Well, if you were a network and your great hope for the future was, um, "Daddio," you'd pay through the nose for a proven, if aged, show, too. And so it has come to pass that NBC has reached a new pact with Warner Bros. to keep "ER" in its primetime lineup through the 2003-2004 season. Daily Variety says the Peacock will pay $8 million to $9 million per episode for the pleasure of retaining TV's top-rated drama series.
While that sounds like a lot, it's actually a bargain. In 1998, after a round of contentious bargaining that saw Warner Bros. threatening to hijack the show to another network, NBC coughed up $13 million an episode to renew the series through the 2000-2001 TV year.
So, why the discount now? Well, for one thing, the show is six going on seven (and eight and ...). For another thing, did we mention George Clooney's not around anymore. (Or that Juliana Margulies' is out the door?) And for one last thing, Anthony Edwards, Eriq LaSalle and Noah Wyle are only signed through 2002.