Because a contract is involved, you almost have to take this with a grain of salt. But Fox Entertainment president Kevin Reilly hinted to IF Magazine that the upcoming season of "24" could be the end of the road for Jack Bauer.

"It's our last contractual season of '24,'" Reilly said. "There are a lot of moving parts, so we're not sure what will happen after that."

The end of a contract does not necessarily mean the end of a run for a show, but the fact that Reilly even made the suggestion could mean that Fox is looking to cut some of the costs for the show, which is one of the most expensive series the network airs.

The series is produced by the production arm of the Fox conglomerate, 20th Century Fox Television, so any cut in licensing fee would simply be a paper shift than an actual cash shift. But Fox could use the new contract and slightly lower ratings from last year to negotiate under budget cuts to help keep the show alive in a more volatile ad market.

Either way, however, Reilly isn't ready to commit to any decision beyond the upcoming season.

"The producers are passionate, Kiefer (Sutherland) is passionate, and we don't have any of them looking to jump ship," Reilly said. "It's a show we're really proud of. It's going to come down to a business decision."

While it might be expensive to produce, "24" does get strong advertiser support. The show, according to TV Week, demands the highest ad rates for the show with the exception of television's most watched program, "American Idol." That alone is enough to make any network think twice before deciding to give it the ax.

But at the same time, Fox has to pay careful attention to how much revenue the show is bringing in and how much it's paying out. If the network can't increase its profit margin, it may consider going in another direction instead.

"24" returns this spring on Fox.