Conversation so far:
Did the show have good ratings in the beginning?
The show finished its first season (1995-1996) barely in the Top 50, placing 48th in the Nielsen ratings, with an average rating of 10.1.
How many seasons were there?
ABC signed a new contract to keep the show on through a ninth season, even though the show had yet to enter its seventh season (2001-2002) at that time.
Did the ratings fall during the 9th season and that's why the show didn't continue?
The season saw one of the show's biggest drops in ratings, finishing 57th with an average rating of 5.9, a significant drop of 28.3% from the sixth season.
Are there any other interesting aspects about this article?
The second season did considerably better, making it into the Top 20 finishing its second season (1996-1997) 18th in the Nielsen ratings.
Did Drew Carey help write the show?
The show finished its third season (1997-1998) at a higher place in the ratings, placing 16th with an average rating of 11.1 during the season.
What season had the best ratings?
During its fourth season (1998-1999), the series finished the season in the Nielsen ratings higher in the Top 20 making it to 14th place.

Question: Why did the ratings decline near the end?
Self-contained rewrite: Why did The Drew Carey Show ratings decline near the final season?