Friends Season 10

‘Friends’ sign for another final season

Cast gets $1 million each per episode

‘Friends’ will return for at least one more season.

NEW YORK (AP) — NBC’s six “Friends” aren’t breaking up yet. The network announced a surprise agreement Saturday to keep the top-rated comedy on the air for another season.

No details of the agreement between the network, Warner Brothers Productions, Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions and the six lead actors were released. But NBC spokeswoman Rebecca Marks confirmed the deal had been sealed early Saturday morning.

It was a welcome holiday present for NBC, which counts on “Friends” to kick off its powerful Thursday night lineup each week.

Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer are all being paid $1 million per episode this season.

When NBC announced in February that “Friends” would be back this fall, it was said then that this would be the final year.

But in the months to follow, NBC Entertainment President Jeff Zucker made certain the door remained open to a return. He consistently refused, in speaking publicly, to rule out the chance it would return.

Some of the actors had also seemed warm to the idea. Kudrow, interviewed on NBC’s “Today” show in recent weeks, noted how the sitcom filming schedule, with its regular hours, was ideal for a young mother.

Although Aniston drew strong reviews last summer for her performance in “The Good Girl,” none of the actors has established a solid career in the movies.

The last two seasons have been a revival for the series. It drew strong reviews last season and was the No. 1 series of the year in the Nielsen Media Research rankings. “Friends” also won its first Emmy as best comedy series and Aniston won for best comedy actress.

The series is generally the highest-rated comedy this year, although the CBS drama, “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” has supplanted it as television’s most popular show.

This season Aniston’s character, Rachel, is dealing with motherhood after giving birth last May. Cox and Perry’s characters, a married couple, had to deal with a separation when his job transferred him to the Midwest.

Although the same thing was said when February’s agreement was reached, Marks said Saturday that “I’m sure it will be the final year.”

The series of six close-knit pals living in New York City spawned many imitators at its initial success — including on NBC — but no show could match its formula for success. The show is already being seen frequently in syndication.