'Will & Grace' gets eighth season

The eighth and possibly final season of the Emmy Award-winning sitcom Will & Grace has been picked up by NBC.

NBC ordered 24 new episodes of the series plus a highlights clip show. Speculation is mounting that the clip show has been ordered for a series finale extravaganza similar to the way that NBC sent off Friends.

As expected, NBC negotiated a cut in the fee it pays for each episode of the show. The Hollywood Reporter, citing unnamed sources, indicated that the network will pay $4m per show, down from $5m last season. Contrary to expectations, however, it is understood that the cast members will actually see a pay rise to be offset by continued strong syndication sales.