Two more years for “Drew Carey”

ABC has signed a $152 million deal with Warner Bros. Television to keep The Drew Carey Show on the network until 2004, Reuters reports. Warner Bros. will produce 26 episodes a year, whereas most sitcoms tape between 22 and 24 episodes, Reuters reports. Drew Carey‘s contract with Warner Bros. will earn him between $600,000 and $750,000 per episode, but with syndication profits factored in, his deal could be worth as much as $60 million. Under the new contract, ABC will pay around $3 million per episode for the eight and ninth seasons, well above the $2.2 million to $2.5 million the network paid in 1999, which is set to expire next spring.