He's been through hell and back, so he won't fall into the usual star excesses. Quality and ratings fell off, and the series limped towards its finish. This season, we see upcoming previews to build upon the notion of a syndication package of many episodes.
Some series already go into syndication by the third or fourth season.
By the third season, the budget is pared down lean and mean. A core group of essential characters is established, others less than that are let go. There are less action sequences, less expensive crowd scenes, more interior and set shooting. They're going for that TV brass ring, that 100th episode, which symbolizes a 5 year run and a decent sized syndication package for a daily re-run schedule. But it just may be easier on the budget.