Background: The Drew Carey Show is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from 1995 to 2004, and was set in Cleveland, Ohio, and revolved around the retail office and home life of "everyman" Drew Carey, a fictionalized version of the actor. The show was created by Carey, who had both stand-up comedy and writing experience, and Bruce Helford, who was once a writer for Roseanne. It was the first television show to have an episode simulcast on the Internet. Produced by Mohawk Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television, it debuted on September 13, 1995, and ranked among the Top 30 programs for four seasons before sliding in popularity.
Context: 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. The second season did considerably better, making it into the Top 20 finishing its second season (1996-1997) 18th in the Nielsen ratings with an average rating of 11.5. Viewership increased 13.9% from season one.  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; however, the ratings share was a drop of 3.5% from the second season. 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 but with an average rating of 9.9, a decrease of 10.8% from the third season.  The show finished its fifth season (1999-2000) 24th in the Nielsen ratings, the first time since season one that the show was not in the Top 20, with an average rating of 9.5, a decrease of 4% from the fourth season. This was a smaller drop than many other series experienced, given the erosion of network audiences. This was also a smaller drop than the previous season. The show's sixth season (2000-2001) finished 41st with an average rating of 8.23, a decrease of 13.4 percent from the fifth season.  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. 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. The show finished its eighth season (2002-2003) season 119th with an average rating of 3.29, a drop of 44.23 percent from the seventh season. This caused ABC to put the series on hiatus, airing the rest of the season in the summer of 2003. Unable to get out of the contract, ABC was forced to allow the show to film a ninth season, paying three million dollars per episode. Not doing well enough to receive a time slot on ABC's fall schedule in 2003, the show had its ninth and final season burned off during the summer of 2004. The series finale was viewed by a little over 5 million viewers.
Question: Is there a reason for the big drop. Whats the answer?