Actor Noah Wyle , who has played Dr. John Carter since the shows inception in 1994 , extended his contract with the show through the 2004-2005 season .

Noah Wyle , who has played Dr. John Carter since the series launched in 1994 , has inked a one-year extension to his deal with producer Warner Bros. TV .

Select from the options at the end. Do the above sentences mean the same thing?
Possible answers: a). no. b). yes.
a).