Executive producer Bill Lawrence is ready to move on to the next chapter in his career, with his award-winning comedy series, Scrubs, making a graceful exit next season.
Although NBC had initially signed Lawrence up for another year, the network ultimately decided to release him early from his contract, giving him the opportunity to strike a deal with ABC Studios. This is a welcome change for Lawrence, as the show was actually being produced by ABC, and not by NBC. In addition, despite having spent seven years working with NBC, Lawrence had tried hard to get Scrubs picked up by ABC.
In talking about the transition, Lawrence said, “I don’t necessarily feel like I’m leaving NBC and going to Touchstone, I’m just now getting paid by the people I’ve been working for during the past six years… The reason I left NBC with a year left on that deal had nothing to do with personalities. When I made the decision at the time, I was trying to protect Scrubs. I figured it was more likely Scrubs would continue on ABC if I worked for that studio.”
His new four-year contract with ABC will give him an annual income of about $3 million dollars. He will also be receiving an advance worth millions.
Now that Lawrence is busy writing up the final season of Scrubs, he has begun to consider future projects, including a single-cam comedy that is loosely based on his life. Having gained success with his first series of online shorts, Nobody’s Watching, Lawrence is also planning on working on more web projects.
Prior to Scrubs, Lawrence was involved with a number of comedy series that also became hits with the viewers, including the highly-syndicated Spin City, Friends, Boy Meets World, The Nanny and Champs. He was also credited as an executive producer of the MTV animated series, Clone High.
-Lisa Claustro, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: Variety
(Photo Courtesy of newyorkbusiness-risingstars.com)
Staff Columnist, BuddyTV
