Carsey-Werner-Mandabach, one of the last truly independent producers of TV series, is staying that way.

The producer of "That '70s Show" and "Grounded for Life" earlier this year explored "possible strategic alliances" with other companies, but recently ended the effort.

"We wanted to examine all of our options to determine the best way for us to move forward as a creative entity," CWM partner Tom Werner says in a statement. "Our investment bankers at UBS presented us with some very interesting and thoughtful proposals, but after careful analysis we decided that independence remains the best way for us to navigate the changing waters of the television business."

The company is pretty much the last remaining independent television producer; virtually every other major supplier of shows is affiliated with a major studio, a network or, in the increasingly consolidated media world, both.

CWM is able to remain independent thanks in large part to the library it's built in the past two decades, which includes huge hits like "The Cosby Show" and "Roseanne," along with "3rd Rock from the Sun," "Grace Under Fire" and "A Different World."

"Every few years we take a serious look at the business and evaluate our status as a stand-alone company," Marcy Carsey says. "Despite the ever-changing challenges that come our way, we remain excited about producing and distributing our own programs for the foreseeable future and bullish about the value of content."

In addition to FOX's "That '70s Show," which also plays in syndication, and The WB's "Grounded for Life," CWM produces the comedy "Good Girls Don't" for Oxygen. Carsey, Werner and partner Caryn Mandabach are also investors in the cable network. The company currently has projects set up at FOX and NBC and is working on several others.