Two and a Half Men
Two and a Half Men is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS for twelve seasons from September 22, 2003, to February 19, 2015. Originally starring Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer and Angus T. Jones, the series was about a hedonistic jingle writer, Charlie Harper, his uptight brother, Alan and Alan's mischievous son, Jake. As Alan's marriage falls apart and divorce appears imminent, he and Jake move into Charlie's beachfront Malibu house and complicate Charlie's freewheeling life. In 2010, CBS and Warner Bros. Television reached a multiyear broadcasting agreement for  the series, renewing it through at least the 2011–12 season. In February 2011, however, CBS and Warner Bros. decided to end production for the rest of the eighth season after Sheen entered drug rehabilitation and made "disparaging" comments about the series' creator and executive producer Chuck Lorre. Sheen's contract was terminated the following month and he was written out of the show after it was confirmed that he would not be returning to the series. Ashton Kutcher was hired to replace him the following season as Walden Schmidt, a billionaire who buys Charlie's house after his death. In  April 2013, CBS renewed the series for an eleventh season after closing one-year deals with Kutcher and Cryer. Jones, who was attending college, was relegated to recurring status but did not make an appearance until the series finale. He was replaced by Jenny (Amber Tamblyn), Charlie's previously unknown daughter. In March 2014, CBS renewed the series for a twelfth season, which was later announced to be the series' last. The season began airing in October 2014 and concluded in February 2015 with the 40-minute series finale "Of Course He's Dead". The success of the series led  to it being the third-highest revenue-generating program for 2012, earning $3.24 million an episode. Overview. The series revolved initially around the life of the Harper brothers Charlie and Alan and Alan's son Jake. Charlie is a bachelor who writes commercial jingles for a living while leading a hedonistic lifestyle. When Alan's wife, Judith, decides to divorce him, he moves into Charlie's Malibu beach house (due to Charlie's selfishly scorning Alan's female divorce-lawyer) with Jake coming to stay over the weekends. Charlie's housekeeper is Berta (Conchata Ferrell), a sharp-tongued woman  who initially resists the change to the household, but grudgingly accepts it. Charlie's one-night stand Rose (Melanie Lynskey) was first introduced as his stalker in the pilot episode. The first five seasons find Charlie in casual sexual relationships with numerous women until the sixth season, when he becomes engaged to Chelsea, but the relationship does not last as Chelsea breaks off their engagement. Afterwards, Charlie flies to Paris in the show's "de facto" eighth-season finale with his stalker Rose. However, in the ninth-season premiere, Charlie was said to have died after he fell in front  of a Paris subway train. Suggestions were made that Rose pushed Charlie into the train's path after learning that he had cheated on her. Alan's experiences are somewhat different. Throughout the series, Alan continues to deal with his son Jake's growing up and the aftermath of his divorce, while having little success with women. His marriage to Kandi (April Bowlby) at the end of the third season was short-lived. In the fourth season, Alan is back at the beach house paying alimony to two women out of his meager earnings as a chiropractor. In the seventh  season, he begins a relationship with Lyndsey McElroy (Courtney Thorne-Smith), the mother of one of Jake's friends. Their relationship is temporarily suspended when Alan cheats on her and accidentally burns down her house, but the relationship eventually resumes. In the ninth-season premiere (after Charlie's death), the beach house is sold to Walden Schmidt (Ashton Kutcher), an Internet billionaire going through a divorce from Bridget (Judy Greer). Alan leaves to live with his mother Evelyn (Holland Taylor) when the house is sold, but Walden invites both Alan and Jake back to live in the beach house. He  needs friends and the three form a tightknit surrogate family. At the end of the ninth season, Jake joins the US Army; he appears occasionally during season 10, briefly dating Tammy (Jaime Pressly), who is 17 years his senior and has three kids, as well as Tammy's daughter Ashley (Emily Osment). In the 10th season, Walden proposes to his English girlfriend Zoey (Sophie Winkleman), only to be turned down and discovers she has another man. He becomes depressed. Meanwhile, Alan gets engaged to his girlfriend Lyndsey, while Judith leaves her second husband Herb Melnick (Ryan Stiles) (to whom she  had been married since the fourth season) after he cheats on her with his receptionist (they later reconcile). Alan and Lyndsey's relationship of three years ends as she wants to move on. Rose returns and briefly dates Walden, later stalking him as she did to Charlie. Walden begins to date a poor but ambitious woman named Kate (Brooke D'Orsay) and changes his name to "Sam Wilson", pretending to be poor to find someone who wants him for him, not for his money. They later break up when he reveals who he really is, though Kate realizes that Walden's  money helped her become a successful clothing designer. Jake announces he is being shipped to Japan for at least a year, so Alan and he go on a father-son bonding trip. Other than a cameo in the series finale, this is the last time Jake appears on the show, though verbal references are made to him. In the 11th season, a young woman arrives at the beach house, announcing that she is Charlie Harper's biological daughter, Jenny (Amber Tamblyn). She moves in with Walden and Alan, later displaying many of Charlie's traits, including a love of women  and alcohol. Lyndsey begins dating a man named Larry (D. B. Sweeney) and in an attempt to learn more about Larry, Alan takes on the pseudonym "Jeff Strongman". His double-life becomes complicated when "Jeff" begins dating Larry's sister, Gretchen (Kimberly Williams-Paisley). In the 12th season, Walden decides to reprioritize his life after a health scare by deciding to adopt a baby. He realizes that the only way to do this is to be married, but does not know anyone who will do it, so he asks Alan to marry him and pretend that they are a gay  couple, thus ensuring success at adopting. Jenny moves out of the house and moves in with Evelyn due to Walden and Alan preparing to adopt. They adopt an African American child, Louis (Edan Alexander) and subsequently divorce to pursue relationships with women. Alan proposes to Lyndsey a second time and she accepts, while Walden begins a relationship with Louis' social worker, Ms. McMartin (Maggie Lawson). Charlie is revealed to be still alive, having been kept prisoner by Rose until escaping, but he is killed before he can reunite with Walden and Alan. Production. Sheen's dismissal and replacement. Following a  February 2010 announcement that Sheen was entering drug rehabilitation, filming of the show was put on hiatus, but resumed the following month. On April 1, 2010, "People" reported that after seven seasons, Sheen announced he was considering leaving the show. According to one source, Sheen quit the show after filming the final episode of season seven, purportedly due to his rejection of CBS's offer of $1 million per episode as too low. Sheen eventually stated that he would be back for two more seasons. On May 18, 2010, the New Zealand website Stuff.co.nz reported that a press release  issued by Sheen's publicist confirmed that Sheen had signed a new contract for two years at $1.78 million per episode. "To put a fitting end on the two and one-half months of whirlwind speculation, I'm looking forward to returning to my CBS home on Monday nights," Sheen was quoted as saying. On January 28, 2011, Sheen voluntarily entered a rehabilitation center for the third time in 12 months. According to Warner Bros. Television and CBS, the show was put on hiatus for an indefinite period of time. The following month, after Sheen's verbal denunciations of  Chuck Lorre in a radio interview with Alex Jones and an online interview with TMZ.com, CBS announced that "Two and a Half Men" would cease production for the rest of its eighth season. This affected an estimated 200 employees, and caused Warner Bros., CBS, Lorre, Sheen and other profit participants an estimated $10 million loss from the unmade eight remaining episodes. Afterward, Sheen was interviewed on ABC's "20/20", NBC's "Today" and CNN's "Piers Morgan Tonight", where he continued to criticize Lorre and CBS. On March 7, CBS and Warner Bros. Television jointly announced that they had  terminated Sheen's "Two and a Half Men" contract, citing "moral turpitude" as a main cause of separation. No further decisions about the show's future were released. Cast members Marin Hinkle and Holland Taylor expressed sadness at Sheen's departure and personal problems. Jon Cryer did not publicly comment on the matter. In response, Sheen called him "a turncoat, a traitor, [and] a troll" in an E! Online interview, although he later issued a "half-apology" to Cryer for the remarks. Sheen sued Lorre and Warner Bros. Television for $100 million, saying that he had filed the lawsuit  on behalf of himself and "Two and a Half Men"'s cast and crew; however, only Sheen was named as a plaintiff in court documents. In April 2011, Sheen mentioned during a radio interview during his tour's stop in Boston that CBS and he were discussing a possible return to the show.<ref name="http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2011/04/charlie-sheen-discussions-about-two-and-a-half-men-return-really.html"></ref> Lorre announced the same month that he had developed an idea for a revival of "Two and a Half Men," excluding Sheen, with Cryer in a key role alongside a new character. Hugh  Grant was approached to replace Sheen but he declined. On May 13, CBS announced Ashton Kutcher would join the cast. Kutcher started, "I can't replace Charlie Sheen, but I'm going to work my ass off to entertain the hell out of people!" On August 2, 2011, it was reported that the season nine premiere would begin with Sheen's character killed off and his ex-girlfriends attending his funeral. Afterward, Charlie's Malibu home would be put up for sale; interested buyers would include celebrities from Lorre's other sitcoms and John Stamos, as well as Kutcher's  character, Walden Schmidt, "an Internet billionaire with a broken heart." Reviewers compared the situation to what happened in 1987 to Valerie Harper, who was fired from the sitcom "Valerie" (later titled "Valerie's Family: The Hogans" and then "The Hogan Family"). Her character was killed off-screen and she was replaced the following season. Sheen said he would watch his "fake funeral attended by [his] fake ex-girlfriends, from [his] very, very real movie theater, with [his] very real hotties in tow." His response to the season-nine premiere was very positive. He reportedly felt Charlie Harper's funeral was  eerie but fun, and that the introduction of Kutcher's character in a cloud of his own character's ashes was particularly enjoyable. The attention "Two and a Half Men" received due to the change in characters gave the series a boost. Average total viewers during the 2011–2012 season rose 13% to 15 million and the 5.2 rating in the 18–49 demographic rose by 27%. Kutcher's debut as Walden Schmidt, in the episode "Nice to Meet You, Walden Schmidt", was seen by 28.7 million people on September 19, 2011. The Nielsen company reported it the highest-rated episode since  the series began. At the 2012 Emmys, "Two and a Half Men" was nominated for four awards and won three, the most Emmys it had won in a single year since it began. In 2012, Kutcher replaced Sheen as the highest-paid U.S. actor currently on the air, receiving $700,000 per episode. For Kutcher's second season, the show moved to the 8:30 pm Thursday time slot, replacing "Rules of Engagement." "Two and a Half Men" improved ratings for the time slot, which were up from the previous year. Jennifer Graham Kizer of "IVillage" thought that the series changed  tone in its Kutcher era, saying it felt "less evil". Lorre, Cryer, Hinkle, Taylor, Ferrell and Lynskey had nothing but praise for Kutcher, believing he had "saved the show". Kutcher was the highest-paid actor on television for four years according to "Forbes", earning an estimated $24 million between June 2012 and June 2013, $750,000 per episode. Cryer was the second-highest-paid star on American television, earning $600,000–$700,000 per episode. In 2021, Sheen expressed regret for his past behavior, saying "There was 55 different ways for me to handle that situation and I chose number 56 ." Jones' departure. In a November 2012 interview with a Christian website, Angus T. Jones (Jake) said he had recently converted to Christianity and joined a Seventh-day Adventist church. He attacked the show as "filth that contradicts his moral values" and said that he was "sick of being a part of it". He also begged fans to stop watching the show. Producers explained that Jones was not expected back on the set until 2013, because his character was not scheduled to appear in the final two episodes before the winter hiatus. In response to the controversy, Sheen issued a public  statement in which he blamed Chuck Lorre for the outburst and claimed that "Jones' outburst isn’t an isolated incident but rather a symptom of the toxic environment surrounding the show." The following day, Jones issued a public apology for his remarks and explained that he "cannot address everything that has been said or right every misstatement or misunderstanding." Jones left the series at the end of the 2012–2013 season and did not appear in season 11 despite initial reports that he would continue in a recurring, rather than a starring role. The role of youngest family member was  filled by Amber Tamblyn, who played Jenny, the long-lost illegitimate daughter of Charlie Harper; and later by Edan Alexander, who played Louis, Walden Schmidt's adopted son. On March 18, 2014, Jones officially announced his departure from the show, stating he had been "a paid hypocrite". Nevertheless, he apologized to Lorre for his actions and appeared in a cameo in the series finale on February 19, 2015. Cast and characters. Recurring. The following appeared in recurring roles or story arcs spanning multiple episodes: Guest stars. Guest stars have included: As part of a from the writers and executive producer  of "", George Eads made a brief cameo appearance on the May 5, 2008, episode. Charlie Sheen's real-life brother Emilio Estevez has guest-starred as an old friend of Charlie's; his father Martin Sheen has appeared as Rose's father. Sam Sheen, the real-life daughter of Denise Richards and Charlie Sheen, appeared as Lisa's daughter on November 22, 2004. Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher's fiancée and later wife, appeared on the show as his love interest in season 11. Broadcast. Episodes. Each episode's title is a dialogue fragment from the episode itself, usually offering no  clue to the episode's actual plotline. The show's 100th episode ("City of Great Racks") aired on October 15, 2007. To celebrate this, a casino-inspired party was held at West Hollywood's Pacific Design Center. Warner Bros. Television also distributed blue Micargi Rover bicycles adorned with the "Two and a Half Men" logo along with the words "100 Episodes". Each bicycle came with a note saying, "You've made us very proud. Here's to a long ride together." The cast also gave the crew sterling silver key rings from Tiffany & Co. The key rings were attached to  small pendants with "100" inscribed on one side and "Two and a Half Men" on the other. Seasons one through four, six and nine consist of 24 episodes. Season five was reduced to 19 episodes due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike. Due to Sheen's personal life problems, season seven had 22 episodes. Season eight premiered on September 20, 2010, at 9:00 pm ET. CBS initially ordered 24 episodes for the season, but again due to Sheen's personal life, the show was put on hiatus after 16 episodes were produced, with production scheduled to resume on  February 28. After a series of comments made by Sheen on February 24, 2011, CBS and Warner Bros. cancelled the remainder of the season. On May 13, 2011, actor Ashton Kutcher was widely reported to be replacing Charlie Sheen as the lead on the show. The show's ninth season premiered on September 19, 2011. The first episode, "Nice to Meet You, Walden Schmidt", begins with Charlie Harper's funeral and introduces Kutcher as billionaire Walden Schmidt, who buys Harper's house. On May 12, 2012, CBS renewed "Two and a Half Men" for a 10th season, moving it to  Thursday nights at 8:30 pm, following "The Big Bang Theory". For the 2013–14 season, the show was moved to the Thursday 9:30–10:00 pm Eastern slot. As of February 27, 2014, the series' time slot was moved to a half-hour earlier at the 9:00–9:30 slot. Syndication and streaming. "Two and a Half Men" entered local United States broadcast syndication in 2007, with the first four seasons available to local stations (largely CW affiliates in the major U.S. television markets through major deals with Tribune Broadcasting and the Sinclair Broadcast Group). From September 6, 2010, to November 24, 2017, FX aired  the series daily nationwide (Charlie Sheen most recently starred on "Anger Management" on the same network from 2012 to 2014). Syndicated shows are sold in multiyear cycles, with the first cycle the most expensive. "Two and a Half Men"'s first cycle is nine years in length. If no ninth season had occurred because of Sheen's departure, due to the first cycle's premature end, Warner Bros. would not have received about $80 million in license fees. While local stations would prefer to have as many episodes as possible available to them, an early start to the second  cycle would lower the cost of the show for them. The series began airing on Viacom-owned networks Nick at Nite and Paramount Network (at the time still called Spike) in December 2017 and on IFC on January 1, 2018. As of July 2, 2018, the series has moved from Nick at Nite to TV Land, switching places with "Mom". As of August 6, 2019, the series has started airing on AMC. The show is available in the US for streaming on Peacock. Crossovers and other appearances. Section::::"CSI: Crime Scene Investigation". In 2007, "Two and a Half Men" creator Chuck  Lorre contacted "" executive producer Carol Mendelsohn about a crossover. At first, the idea seemed unlikely to receive approval; however, it resurfaced when Mendelsohn and Lorre were at the World Television Festival in Canada and they decided to get approval and run with it. When Mendelsohn was giving a talk, she accidentally mentioned the crossover, that same day "Variety" was already inquiring about the crossover episodes. Mendelsohn later stated: "We're all used to being in control and in charge of our own shows and even though this was a freelance-type situation ... there was an expectation and also a desire  on all of our parts to really have a true collaboration. You have to give a little. It was sort of a life lesson, I think." "The biggest challenge for us was doing a comedy with a murder in it. Generally, our stories are a little lighter," stated Lorre in an interview. "Would our audience go with a dead body in it? There was a moment where it could have gone either way. I think the results were spectacular. It turned out to be a really funny episode." The "Two and a Half Men" episode "Fish in a Drawer" was  the first part of the crossover to air, on May 5, 2008, written by "CSI" writers Sarah Goldfinger, Evan Dunsky, Carol Mendelsohn and Naren Shankar. George Eads is the only "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" cast member to make a cameo in this episode. Three days later, the second part of the crossover aired, the "CSI" episode "Two and a Half Deaths". Gil Grissom (William Petersen) investigated the murder of a sitcom diva named Annabelle (Katey Sagal), who was found murdered while she was filming her show in Las Vegas. The episode was written by "Two and a Half Men" creators  Lorre and Aronsohn; Sheen, Cryer and Jones all make uncredited cameos in this episode, in the same clothes their characters were wearing in "Fish in a Drawer". Section::::"Due Date". At the end of 2010 film "Due Date", a scene from "Two and a Half Men" is shown, in which Sheen and Cryer appear as their characters, while Ethan Chase (played by Zach Galifianakis in the movie) plays Stu, Jake's tutor. Reception. Critical reception. "Two and a Half Men" received mostly mixed reviews from critics throughout its run. The "New York Daily News" has described the sitcom as "solid, well -acted and occasionally funny." Conversely Graeme Blundell, writing for "The Australian", described it as a "sometimes creepy, misogynistic comedy". Ashton Kutcher's debut was met with mixed reviews, and reviews for season nine were also mixed. However, it has been labeled as "one of America's most successful comedy shows." Ellen Gray of "Daily News" praised the shows' legacy just before the premiere of the finale. The show is credited as being the reason "The Big Bang Theory", "Mike & Molly" and "Mom" were all made. "Men"s success was what enabled these other Chuck Lorre shows to be made and be  successful. Following the filming of the final episode, Stage 26 of the Warner Brothers lot was renamed the "Two and a Half Men stage". After the finale, "Two and a Half Men" fans launched a global petition under the name "Yes To "The Harpers"", to have Charlie Sheen reprise the role of Charlie Harper alongside his former co-star Jon Cryer. This idea surfaced after fans saw Chuck Lorre's vanity card about Charlie Sheen's idea of a spinoff show named "The Harpers". Ratings. American television ratings. Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of "Two and  a Half Men" on CBS: "Note: Each U.S. network television season starts in late September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of May sweeps." Awards and nominations. The show received multiple award nominations. It was nominated for 46 Primetime Emmy Awards (winning nine, including two for Jon Cryer) and two Golden Globe Awards (both for Charlie Sheen). The show won the award for Favorite TV Comedy at the 35th People's Choice Awards. Potential revival. While appearing on an April 2019 broadcast of Loose Women, Sheen expressed interest in a potential revival, hoping to make two  more seasons to tie up loose characters ends. In response, Jon Cryer expressed reluctance to return to working with Sheen full time, comparing it to a roller coaster.