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Charlie Sheen 'terminated' from 'Two and a Half Men' - Will the show go on without him?

Would it have been simpler for studio to cancel the show otherwise?

<p>Charlie Sheen has been fired from "Two and a Half Men."</p>

Charlie Sheen has been fired from "Two and a Half Men."

Credit: CBS

In this whole bizarre spat with Warner Bros., CBS and "Two and a Half Men" boss Chuck Lorre, Charlie Sheen has boasted that his life is all about "winning." To borrow a line from "The Princess Bride," he keeps using that word, but after news that Warner Bros. has fired him from the show, he may have to realize that it doesn't mean what he thinks it means.

In the latest twist to the ugly mess, Warner Bros., the studio that produces "Men," put out a statement this afternoon stating that, "After careful consideration, Warner Bros. Television has terminated Charlie Sheen’s services on 'Two and a Half Men' effective immediately."

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Sheen was under contract through next season, so I imagine things are going to get litigious. And I have to wonder if this move - made on the same day in which the Sheen-friendly Radar published a story (presumably leaked from Sheen's camp) about the idea of the show going back into production with Lorre taking a hands-off role - suggests that Warner Bros., CBS and company are finally considering doing the show without Sheen.

After all, if they just said they were canceling the show, what could Sheen do? (Other than record a 17-part webcast about it in which he blames the whole thing on warlocks and trolls.) He's fired, but in the same way every actor on every canceled series is fired. Doing it this way singles him out while at the same time treating "Two and a Half Men" as an ongoing entity.

Maybe this is just Warner Bros. keeping its options open, or maybe the rumors about John Stamos or whomever coming in to replace Sheen are true. But other than feeling the need to respond to the Radar story immediately (and in the most direct, toughest manner possible), I can't understand doing it this way if they didn't still hold out hope on continuing the show sans Charlie.

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Alan Sepinwall
Sr. Editor, What's Alan Watching
Alan Sepinwall has been reviewing television since the mid-'90s, first for Tony Soprano's hometown paper, The Star-Ledger, and now for HitFix. His new book, "The Revolution Was Televised," about the last 15 years of TV drama, is for sale at Amazon. He can be reached at sepinwall@hitfix.com

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  • Default-avatar

    chudleycannonfodder

    Do you think this means they'll pick up production again and try to shoot a few episodes (with or without a new lead) for sweeps, or hold off until next season? (Assuming the show isn't canceled.)

    March 7, 2011 at 6:03PM EST Reply to Comment
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    Jon

    Hmmm... Rob Lowe anyone?

    March 7, 2011 at 6:04PM EST Reply to Comment
    • Chew_talkback_profile

      Shitegeist Rob Lowe has better things to do.

      March 7, 2011 at 6:24PM EST
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      outoforder30 And by better things, he means Parks & Rec. Way funnier than 2.5 men

      March 7, 2011 at 10:28PM EST
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      webdiva You've got *that* right -- both of you.

      March 8, 2011 at 3:07AM EST
    • That is literally the worst idea I've ever heard.

      March 8, 2011 at 11:43AM EST
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      jmartnwa Did you grab that Lowe idea from Chris Connelly by chance? I heard that interview on the BS Report and thought it made a good bit of sense personally. "Better things" certainly doesn't equal higher ratings -- whether he would care about that difference in money and ratings would be pure conjecture though.

      March 8, 2011 at 8:02PM EST


  • That's nice. He should have been fired long before this for his abuses towards women. Oh well, you take what you can get.

    March 7, 2011 at 6:05PM EST Reply to Comment
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      echos myron Oh, please. Charlie Sheen may be a horrible actor and THM an equally horrible show, but that's a completely separate matter. Rainer Fassbinder was a cocaine addict who frequently abused women; he also happened to be one of Germany's finest director, and so I cherish him for that and own most of his films.

      March 7, 2011 at 6:16PM EST
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      echos myron *directors

      March 7, 2011 at 6:22PM EST
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      A.P. I'm a bit weirded out. Not less than 5 minutes ago I finished watching one of my first Fassbinder films [Ali: Fear Eats the Soul]. Then afterward, of course, the first page I look at mentions his works, and his awfulness as a person.
      So weirded out!

      March 8, 2011 at 3:54AM EST
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    thierryennui

    Outrageous. I will NEVER watch a single episode of Two and Half Men without Charlie Sheen on it.

    ...

    Of course, I've never actually seen an episode of the show with him on it, so this doesn't actually change anything.

    March 7, 2011 at 6:06PM EST Reply to Comment
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    mightynaf

    It would be interesting to see how the show does without Charlie for a few episodes this season. If it bombs after public curiosity dies down then CBS won't have to bring it back for another season. If it works, CBS can roll in money for a few more years.

    Does the syndication deal that they made for this season and the next mean that they'll be forced to keep going regardless?

    March 7, 2011 at 6:06PM EST Reply to Comment
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    Meh

    meh, shows over no matter what. Its that 70's show all over again. Topher gone, show is done.

    March 7, 2011 at 6:08PM EST Reply to Comment
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      JB Agreed. They need to cancel it now. What CBS/WB doesn't realize is that they had a whole new audience of "curiousity seekers" built around people who'd never seen the show before, but would want to since Charlie's media blitz. They missed the boat; ratings would have been through the roof.

      March 7, 2011 at 7:38PM EST
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      tlondon Your assuming Charlie Sheen would have stayed clean and sober to actually work, if I'm not mistaken every time the show was put on hiatus in the past, it was because of Sheen's off screen troubles. You people who seem to worship at this guys fett are idiots, he's still amking money just from the residuals he's paid from syndication, and he'll sue, and settle out of court with enough money to fuel his drug and alcohol addiction. The production crew will get screwed, they're not getting paid for not working.

      Charlie Sheen is a fool who thinks himself to be wise, but it's a wise man that knows himself to be a fool.

      Yeah, he's a winner along with all his fans and followers. The flame that burns the brightest, burns the shortest, and a mighty flame followeth a tiny spark.

      Failures are expected by losers, ignored by winners. He's an epic fail, who believes he a wise man and a winner.

      March 7, 2011 at 10:16PM EST
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    Zach L

    Real quick, think it's pretty funny that all the ads on the site are for a movie called WIN WIN, which I guess Charlie Sheen could very well try to trademark in the coming days.

    I'd like to see the show continue with Stamos or someone of that ilk. However if it doesn't come back, then I can't imagine there'd be trouble slotting How I Met Your Mother or Big Bang Theory into that slot.

    Also, forgot who tweeted it to you Alan, but props to the person who commented that this could scarily mean that the Colin Cowherd sitcom will be close to happening. I'd rather see the one with Rob Riggle about the other ESPN personality Mark Schlereth.

    March 7, 2011 at 6:09PM EST Reply to Comment
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      Mike I'd boycott the entire channel if this Cowherd thing becomes a reality.

      March 8, 2011 at 10:56AM EST
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    Blake

    I really don't understand why CBS fired Sheen.

    Seriously. He's crazy. He's a bad drunk. When has that ever stopped Hollywood from using someone?

    One would think all this controversy would be great for ratings. I'm sure there will be a lot of "about time" harumphing today from the national media. But CBS is in business to make money. Sheen was a hit, and I wonder how much this decision will cost CBS.

    March 7, 2011 at 6:11PM EST Reply to Comment
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      benscripps CBS didn't fire Charlie Sheen. CBS can't fire Charlie Sheen; he doesn't work for them. CBS purchases the program from Warner Bros., the studio which produces it.

      I don't see how there's any question of whether they'll try to continue or not; this is, like it or not, the number one comedy on television. WB would be foolish to simply give up and not even try.

      No, they'll never find anyone to fill that part; the part of "Charlie" is so perfectly suited to (and the audience is so used to) Charlie Sheen that they can't just recast it. They'll probably kill off or write out the "Charlie" character and replace him with someone else; the mother was married four or five times, so you could easily write in a step-brother who "Charlie" has left everything to in his will. And the show will try, and it will suffer and the audience will leave in droves.

      But it will still make money, and that's what it's all about.

      March 7, 2011 at 6:23PM EST
    • Charlie Sheen has "FU" money. CBS and WB have "FU" money. We've all seen this guy spiral out of control, read about his arrests and general mayhem. CBS and WB have up until recently been willing to keep the show going. This can't be just about him pissing Chuck Lorre off, so he has to have done something that hasn't been reported that lead CBS/WB to draw a line in the sand. If you watch any video of him right now the dude is clearly detoxing bad. Seriously bad. He's sweaty and pale with a sunken face. Maybe Sheen we'll right a tell-all book about it, but I'm guessing after he gets paid off by CBS/WB we'll never find out where the bodies are buried. (Is it really that far of a stretch for Sheen to have killed a few hookers?)

      March 7, 2011 at 7:14PM EST
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    fieala

    At $2,000,000 per episode and wanting $3,000,000 to return, and carrying on the way he has, I have absolutely zero respect for him. People like this need to be taught a lesson. He should be black-listed from the entertainment industry for the next ten years.

    March 7, 2011 at 6:14PM EST Reply to Comment
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      steph I agree! Hopefully they manage to continue the show with someone new in place of him.

      March 7, 2011 at 6:20PM EST


  • Is it wrong that I keep thinking this whole thing is a work and Sheen will triumphantly return at the CBS up fronts to rejoin the show?

    March 7, 2011 at 6:17PM EST Reply to Comment
    • Chew_talkback_profile

      Shitegeist Ha, that would be some Joaquin Phoenix level shit.

      March 7, 2011 at 6:27PM EST
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    DonBoy

    By now, Martin Sheen must be sorry he honored Bishop Sheen by borrowing his last name.

    March 7, 2011 at 6:18PM EST Reply to Comment


  • The big winner in all this? Shannen Doherty, who will no longer be the most frequently cited example of a nightmare TV cast member.

    March 7, 2011 at 6:28PM EST Reply to Comment
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    Karen

    the storyline is tailor-made for an immediate recast. Charlie Harper would have to go to a place like South America for a new face once the truth about Rose (aka Mrs. Manfred Quinn) comes out and her stalking gets worse.
    Everyone would know that this was still Charlie Harper..everyone but Rose that is!

    March 7, 2011 at 6:33PM EST Reply to Comment
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    Ed G.

    This is just like what happened in Bewitched. They'll get a new Charlie just like they got a new Darren. No Problem!

    March 7, 2011 at 6:41PM EST Reply to Comment
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    Tausif Khan

    I guess now Charlie Sheen will have to do as Daunte Culpepper once explained: "move on and win in other arenas of life."

    The other thing about this whole event that make me wonder is Jon T. Cryer. Cryer one an Emmy for his performance on the show. To me in some instances an Emmy is like an MVP award that without this person the should could not be made either storywise or because of ratings (see Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester). Shouldn't the Emmy signal that Cryer should be able to carry the show on his shoulders through the rough patch? I get the feeling that people only watched because of Charlie Sheen's presence.

    March 7, 2011 at 6:45PM EST Reply to Comment
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      JB Nope - there's no way that Cryer could carry this show by himself.

      March 7, 2011 at 7:27PM EST
  • Mom_s_camera_076_talkback_profile

    MsHopr

    They like this

    March 7, 2011 at 6:58PM EST Reply to Comment
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    JB

    As bizarre as Sheen's antics have been lately, I really, truly expected there to be some sort of resolution with Warner Bros./CBS. Let's face it: Charlie's greedy, but the studio is even greedier. And, it's the network's highest rated show. So I fully expected that after some "legal dueling", both parties would "kiss and make up" and at least finish out next season (when Charlie's contract runs out). And part of the "agreement" would be to not let specifics leak out....so we wouldn't have known if Charlie went back for more (or less) $$ per episode. But it wouldn't matter, because CBS would still have its #1 show (at least for one more year). So for those reasons, I'm really surprised they actually fired him. The show won't be the same without him; they shouldn't even try to recast it, and should just cut their losses and cancel it now.

    March 7, 2011 at 7:33PM EST Reply to Comment
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    downbound

    I don't think the Two and a Half Men audience is as discerning as, say, the Mad Men audience. And, while it's one of TV's highest rated shows, I've never heard someone say "Oh man I can't wait for tonight's Two and a Half Men". I picture the audience as mostly old people looking for background noise while they do their Sudoku puzzles. So, I don't think Sheen's absence will hurt the show. And, if it does, it'll be going into its ninth season, so it doesn't really matter.

    March 7, 2011 at 7:47PM EST Reply to Comment
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    apearlma

    I think that WB might also be trying to show Chuck Lorre that they feel he's more important than Sheen.

    March 7, 2011 at 7:48PM EST Reply to Comment
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      mightynaf Maureen Ryan over at TVSquad has a really interesting article about this. I'll post a link below, but this quote pretty much sums up her thoughts.

      "Sheen will never create a hit show, the kind that will rake in hundreds of millions of dollars for years on end. Lorre has done that several times and could do that again"

      http://www.tvsquad.com/2011/03/07/Charlie-Sheen-Fired-Two-Half-Men/

      March 7, 2011 at 8:59PM EST
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    COSTA NOW

    GREETINGS! I WISH TO CAST CHARLIE SHEEN IN MY NEXT MOVIE. HERE IS A SAMPLE OF MY WORK, TAKEN FROM MY 2006 FEATURE FILM:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnSMbYzVrYE

    March 7, 2011 at 8:59PM EST Reply to Comment
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    Hwat

    Stay tuned for the exciting spin off: 1 and a half man!

    March 7, 2011 at 10:05PM EST Reply to Comment
  • Blinky125_talkback_profile

    blinky

    Say what you will about real-life Charlie. TV Charlie was a great character that I enjoyed spending a half hour with on Monday night. I personally don't care if real Charlie painted murals with his own feces. The guy I saw on 2.5 Men was a kick to watch. I will miss Charlie Harper.

    March 7, 2011 at 10:09PM EST Reply to Comment
  • 500full_talkback_profile

    velocityknown

    Winner?

    March 7, 2011 at 10:19PM EST Reply to Comment
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    KitKat

    I don't watch the show but my husband does and he thought it would be great if they hired a different actor every week to play Sheen's part. Get big name actors in for a cameo every week. I have to say that I might even watch the show if they did this.

    March 7, 2011 at 10:31PM EST Reply to Comment
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      christy It's probably too much to hope, but given that the show was probably near the end of its run anyway, I would love to see it do something ballsy and high-concept like this.

      The other awesomely meta thing they could do that would also actually result in me watching is if they replaced him with Michael J. Fox.

      If they do something wacky and experimental, it may go down like the last season of Roseanne, but who cares? This show's best episodes have been nothing compared to Roseanne's middling episodes. But the rest of the cast other than Sheen is actually not bad--they could handle much better material than they've been given all these years. Set them free--give them their Franco-on-General-Hospital moment!

      OK, so they probably shouldn't go that wacky, but I do think they have an opportunity here to make some TV that at least isn't offensively bad.

      March 8, 2011 at 8:44AM EST


  • The real star of Two and a Half Men is the laugh track.

    March 7, 2011 at 11:06PM EST Reply to Comment
    • Seriously, the laugh track is the best actor on the show. It ain't easy pretending it's funny.

      March 8, 2011 at 10:50AM EST


  • While I think the show would be a tough sell without Sheen (I was a sporadic watcher at best, but he was hilarious...as was Jon Cryer and the whole cast), I seem to recall another past favorite show of Alan's that was recast constantly...NYPD Blue. Granted, the new actors weren't trying to inhabit the exact same parts, but they were "replacing" departed cast members. And each new character was a revelation -- Jimmy Smits, Rick Schroeder and even Mark Paul Gosselaar. David Caruso who?

    All I'm saying, is that it CAN work. And I think they should try -- so many would be out of work b/c of this.

    March 8, 2011 at 12:33AM EST Reply to Comment
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      webdiva This show is neither NYPD blue, nor Law & Order, nor Doctor Who that it can survive the star switch -- it's a dopey sitcom whose time has come and gone. Stick a fork in it and bury it before it decomposes completely (oh, wait -- it's already done that, or at least Sheen has).

      March 8, 2011 at 3:18AM EST


  • It's about time.

    March 8, 2011 at 2:40AM EST Reply to Comment
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    webdiva

    Could it possibly be true? Have we finally seen the back of Idiot Sheen?? I would be grateful beyond words never to se or hear from or about him again, in this lifetime or any other. Such a relief!

    March 8, 2011 at 3:10AM EST Reply to Comment
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    Marc

    Maybe Charlie should've realized that as an actor he's worth about $750,000 per episode, but they doubled his salary for the rights to base the character on his life and to make fun of his drugs and sex habits-cause he was doing so already. I doubt a Major League movie is going to be very successful unless it is in production now and out in time for this summer's movies... His craziness will have passed, and people no longer interested because they will not have had the opportunity to invest emotinally in the person. Sad really!

    March 8, 2011 at 7:43AM EST Reply to Comment
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    Teklanika

    I don't get the appeal of 2.5 men. I watched a few episode's a few years ago to see what all the fuss was about. It was mildly funny, but the jokes got old for me after about 4-5 episode's. One ep was hardly distinguishable from another.

    March 8, 2011 at 12:03PM EST Reply to Comment
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