Fall TV Season: Ashton Kutcher says he's 'won lotto' as new star of 'Two and a Half Men'

The newest cast member of "Two and a Half Men" found his way to Carnegie Hall Wednesday.

Appearing for the first time with his co-stars, a bearded Ashton Kutcher greeted advertisers at the CBS fall schedule presentation in New York. He seemed just as humble as in his first statement last week, when he admitted he could not replace Charlie Sheen, star since 2003 of TV's No. 1 sitcom.

"I've never in my 13 years of show business received more calls and emails congratulating me," Kutcher told media buyers at the event. "I almost think I've won the lotto -- which I kind of did."

Jon Cryer, who joined Kutcher with costar Angus Jones, said he was thrilled to be working with his new colleague but had a question for CBS executives.

"Did you have to get a tall guy?," said the diminutive Cryer. "Was that really necessary?"

CBS executives have offered no details on Kutcher's character or how he might be incorporated into the show.

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-- Scott Collins (Twitter: @scottcollinsLAT)

Photo caption: (l-r) Jon Cryer, with new addition Ashton Kutcher, and Angus T. Jones during their presentation at CBS' Upfront. Credit: Jeffrey R. Staab/CBS.

Fall TV season: Charlie Sheen and Katie Couric: Not yet gone but already forgotten at CBS

Charlie Sheen and Katie Couric can still be seen on CBS, but network executives are already hard at work trying to scrub away all traces of their estranged stars.

At Wednesday's fall schedule presentation in New York, CBS ran several promo reels that carefully excised Sheen from "Two and a Half Men." That's no small feat, given that he has been the show's star since it premiered in 2003. The trailers instead focused pointedly on costars Jon Cryer and Angus Jones.

Speaking to advertisers, entertainment president Nina Tassler did not mention Sheen by name but said the network had been through a "learning experience" the last few months. Sheen was fired from the show earlier this year after publicly criticizing his bosses; last week, he was replaced by Ashton Kutcher.

Couric, anchor of "CBS Evening News," likewise got the bum's rush — and unlike Sheen she kept reporting for work. The network introduced Scott Pelley as the new anchor but had not a word of thanks for Couric, who is expected to sign a deal for a new talk show with ABC.

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-- Scott Collins (twitter.com/scottcollinsLAT)

Photos: Left: Charlie Sheen in April. Credit: Brian Kersey/Associated Press. Right: Katie Couric earlier this month. Credit: Charles Sykes/Associated Press.

New fall TV season: CBS brings back 'Two and a Half Men' and adds a few surprises

Welcome to CBS, the one network that isn't going to have a singing or dancing contest on the fall schedule. Or a scary serial with a fairy-tale hook, although the story behind the return of "Two and a Half Men" may qualify on that latter count. 

Announcing its fall schedule in New York Wednesday morning, CBS stuck to its safe zone of comedies and scripted procedurals, even as rivals are banking heavily on talent shows such as Fox's "The X Factor" and NBC's "The Sing-Off." Three new dramas and two new comedies are up for the CBS fall slate, including the crime drama "Person of Interest" in the key 9 p.m. Thursday slot and the female-buddy sitcom "2 Broke Girls" leading in to "Men" on Mondays. 

Schedulers tossed in a few surprises as well. "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," for years the bulwark of CBS' Thursday, will move to 10 p.m. Wednesday, where despite its age it's likely to help boost ratings on a tough night. "The Good Wife" moves from Tuesday to Sunday, where it will take on ABC's "Desperate Housewives" for upscale women viewers (in the fall, NBC has a lock on men that night with football games).

CBS will also gamely try to start a comedy block on usually sleepy Saturday nights by moving "Rules of Engagement" to the 8 p.m. slot -- a rare example of a network bringing original scripted programming to that night. It's also saving "Undercover Boss" for midseason, though its reality staples "Survivor" and "The Amazing Race" will continue uninterrupted.

Of course, all of this was overshadowed by the return of "Two and a Half Men," TV's No. 1 comedy, which was thrown into turmoil after star Charlie Sheen verbally attacked his bosses publicly and was fired earlier this year. Last week, the network announced that it had hired Ashton Kutcher as a replacement.

"We've had a little drama in our lives," CBS Chairman Leslie Moonves told reporters with deliberate understatement at a breakfast meeting Wednesday morning. "I've been chased from every restaurant in Los Angeles the past two months, avoiding questions."

Tweeter's Digest: What's 'Two and a Half Men' squared away? Ashton Kutcher

How quickly we forget about last week’s excitement — it's like Osama bin Laden meant  nothing to us. 

This week’s celebrity Twitter feeds skittered all over the place, from news of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver’s split and Neil Patrick Harris (@actuallyNPH) hosting the Tonys to the elimination of fan favorite James Durbin from “American Idol” and the surprise announcement that Ashton Kutcher (@aplusk) would take over for Charlie Sheen on “Two and a Half Men.” [For the record: An earlier version of this post had Harris hosting the Emmys and has been corrected.]

Kutcher himself hinted about it Thursday in an oblique tweet: "what's the square root of 6.25?" And while TV folks from “Lost” producer Damon Lindelof (@DamonLindelof) to child star Demi Lovato commented on Kutcher’s move, Sheen himself (who had been very vocal  just a month ago) issued no tweets on the topic.

— Joy Press

twitter.com/joypress

 

 

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Photo: Ashton Kutcher in January. Credit: Mauricio Lima/AFP/Getty Images.

With Ashton Kutcher aboard, 'Two and a Half Men' Leaves the Dark Side

Although it makes sense as a headline — "Ashton Kutcher Replaces Charlie Sheen on 'Two and a Half Men' " — the word “replace” doesn’t really work in a sentence that includes the names “Ashton Kutcher” and “Charlie Sheen.” Yes, they are both male, brunet and actors, and now, apparently, will have both starred in "Two and a Half Men," but the similarities end there.

Sheen, even before he famously imploded, brought to the screen a maelstrom of dark matter — cynical anger, lacertating humor and a hedonism that often seemed misogynist but was probably just misanthropic — he didn't think much of anybody. Shoulders tensed, teeth gritted, Sheen’s Charlie Harper was the personification of a frown, relaxing only when he threw caution not so much to as directly in the face of the wind. Take that, you [expletive deleted] wind!

Kutcher, years younger and yards taller, is a Sheen frown turned upside down. Still called "fresh-faced" in his 30s, Kutcher is like a Great Dane puppy, long-legged and lovable, bound to get into trouble, well, mischief, but not really capable of doing irreparable damage or hurting anyone’s feelings. Even if his new character has similar playboy and/or slacker self-obsessed tendencies, Kutcher can’t help but be essentially good-hearted, a shift that will not just change the tenor and intent of “Two and a Half Men,” it may just renounce it.

Wildly successful, “Two and a Half Men” had many critics, who found its humor coarse, crude and mean. According to conventional wisdom, the Harper character was modeled, albeit in a kinder, less felonious way, after Sheen. But as creator Chuck Lorre has made clear by firing Sheen,  “Two and a Half Men” was not Sheen’s show, it was Lorre’s show. Lorre’s version of what would happen if a narcissistic boy-man was forced to share his life with his wishy-washy brother (Jon Cryer) and his young son, Lorre’s (apparently very accurate) idea of what many Americans would consider “funny.”

'Dude, where's my sitcom?': Ashton Kutcher officially joins 'Two and a Half Men'

Memo to Charlie Sheen: Ashton Kutcher is winning.  CBS and Warner Bros. Television announced Friday that the actor will join the cast of the hit (and beleaguered) "Two and a Half Men."

The former star of the sitcom "That 70's Show" puts to rest a huge question mark for the network as it prepares to face advertisers in New York City with its slate of new fall programming. 

"We are so lucky to have someone as talented, joyful and just plain remarkable as Ashton joining our family," said Chuck Lorre, creator and executive producer of "Two and a Half Men." "If I was any happier, it'd be illegal."

Reports surfaced Thursday night that the actor was the likely replacement. Kutcher even kind of confirmed the reports via his Twitter account, tweeting: "What's the square root of 6.25" (The answer is 2.5).  But now comes his official statement:  "I can't wait to get to work with this ridiculously talented 2.5 team and I believe we can fill the stage with laughter that will echo in viewers' homes. I can't replace Charlie Sheen but I'm going to work my ass off to entertain the hell out of people!"

Production of the ninth season will begin this summer.

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--Yvonne Villarreal
twitter.com/villarrealy

Photo credit: Associated Press

Hugh Grant instead of Charlie Sheen on 'Two and a Half Men'? Talks have cooled.

Warner Bros. was hoping to woo Hugh Grant to replace Charlie Sheen on "Two and a Half Men," the hit sitcom that the studio produces for CBS.

Grant, who is no stranger to playing a bit of a rogue ("About a Boy") was in serious negotiations to take the part, but now talks have cooled, according to the entertainment industry website Deadline Hollywood, which broke the news.

The clock is ticking for Warner Bros. and CBS to find the right person to replace Sheen. Next Wednesday, CBS announces its fall schedule to advertisers. Although CBS does not have to unveil what is happening with "Two and a Half Men" then, it would clear up a lot of uncertainty about the network's Monday night comedy block, of which "Two and a Half Men" is the anchor.

Although Sheen is the highest-paid TV star with a salary of $1.2 million per episode plus his cut of rerun money, Warner Bros. is not looking to spend that kind of dough on his replacement, a person familiar with the situation said.

-- Joe Flint

Photo: Hugh Grant. Credit: Leon Neal / AFP/Getty Images

'Warlock' Charlie Sheen's absence has put a hex on CBS ratings

Charlie Sheen likes to refer to himself as a warlock. So maybe it's not surprising that his absence might be casting a bad spell on CBS' ratings.

Since Sheen was fired from"Two and a Half Men" earlier this season, the network has been forced to rely on repeats of what it likes to call "TV's No. 1 comedy." At first, the prospect of repeats didn't sound so bad, because "Men" encores better than most shows.This season, original episodes averaged 16.2 million total viewers, with repeats logging a still-respectable 9.7 million, according to the Nielsen Co.

But the weeks of retreads are beginning to take a toll. Monday night, "Men" sank to 6.5 millon viewers, and dragged along with it the rest of the CBS lineup. "How I Met Your Mother," "Mad Love" and "Mike & Molly" all sank to or matched record lows in the critical category of adults ages 18 to 49. With CBS about to announce its fall schedule next week, the network more than ever needs a strong plan for Monday nights next season. 

If Sheen was really correct that his former bosses have "picked a fight with a warlock," the ratings might be proof that the troubled actor is still -- duh! -- winning.

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The clock is ticking for Charlie Sheen and "Two and a Half Men"

-- Scott Collins (twitter.com/scottcollinsLAT)

Photo: Charlie Sheen on ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live" in March. Credit: Richard Cartwright / Associated Press.

 

 

The clock is ticking for 'Two and a Half Men' and Charlie Sheen

Is "Two and a Half Men" going to come back next season? The answer seems to change hourly and depends on the news outlet giving the update.

The Hollywood Reporter published an exclusive report Thursday that detailed a supposed plan by executive producer Chuck Lorre to bring back TV's No. 1 comedy -- minus Charlie Sheen, who was fired by Warner Bros. after months of erratic behavior and admitted drug abuse. This Lorre plan would involve beefing up the role of costar Jon Cryer and casting a as-yet-unnamed new character. According to the Reporter, "industry speculation" has it that "the show will almost certainly return."

But wait! Gossip site TMZ isn't so sure. Citing unnamed sources for its own exclusive, the site says there's a "50/50" chance the CBS sitcom won't come back at all. In fact, there aren't offers on the table for a replacement actor, TMZ says. What is known for sure is that Sheen won't be coming back.

But even that assumption isn't totally safe. Agents have been buzzing that bringing Sheen back remains at least a remote possibility, although it's unlikely Lorre and the actor would be able to work together as they did in the past. 

So what does it all mean? Some sort of deal needs to be worked out in the next two weeks before CBS announces its new schedule to advertisers in New York. It's possible CBS could give the series a limited order of, say, 13 or 18 episodes rather than the full season of 24. And the comedy could go Sheen-less for the first few episodes and then ease in a new character later, which would buy even more time. Sources close to the situation hint of fluid circumstances that are changing by the minute.

But it's a safe bet the show will return in some form. Warner Bros. needs the extra episodes to fulfill its syndication commitments with local stations. And, of course, "Two and a Half Men" is a big hit. In the TV business, you just don't walk away from one of those. No matter what.

What do you think, Trackers? Should "Two and a Half Men" come back? And if it does, should Sheen come back too?

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 -- Scott Collins

Twitter.com/scottcollinsLAT

Photo: Charlie Sheen in Toronto earlier this month. Credit: George Pimentel / Getty Images

Charlie Sheen and Warner Bros. in a war over alleged 'discussions' for star's comeback

This is the level to which the Charlie Sheen case has sunk: The former sitcom star and his ex-bosses are slinging mud over whether they have even talked about him coming back to work.

Sheen has been telling reporters that he has had "discussions" about returning to his role as irrepressible bachelor Charlie Harper on "Two and a Half Men," the CBS sitcom smash from which he was fired after months of erratic behavior and drug-abuse treatment.

Nonsense, says Warner Bros., the studio that makes the show. "There have been no discussions, there are no discussions and there will be no discussions, regarding his returning to or having any involvement with the series," John W. Spiegel, a lawyer representing the studio, wrote in a letter sent to Sheen attorney Marty Singer on Thursday. 

But Singer told the website TMZ: "There have been discussions as late as Tuesday."

"Marty Singer's comments speak the truth," Sheen's manager, Mark Burg, wrote Show Tracker in an email. 

At this point, it's impossible to say for sure whether there's something here or this isn't just more dust kicked up by Mr. Sheen and his enterprising handlers. What is clear is that CBS has to reveal its fall schedule in a month, by which time some decision on the future of TV's No. 1 comedy will have to be made. And announced.

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— Scott Collins (twitter.com/scottcollinsLAT)

Photo: Charlie Sheen in performance last week in New York. Credit: Charles Sykes/Associated Press.

 

Charlie Sheen's road trip hits a speed bump

Wondering how the kick-off of Charlie Sheen's concert tour went Saturday night in Detroit?

Times Theater Critic Charles McNulty reports that it wasn't pretty.

"Charlie Sheen got a lesson in the fickleness of crowds Saturday night," he writes in a dispatch from the Fox Theatre. "They essentially booed him off the stage."

For more of McNulty's report from Detroit, see the Culture Monster blog. And check back there later for a complete review.

 

Right: Sheen on stage Saturday night with some of his merchandise. Credit: Carlos Osorio / Associated Press

 

Charlie Sheen adds dates to his live tour

Fastball! Charlie Sheen has added five more shows to his live tour.

For the folks who are in need of a “Violent Torpedo fo Truth” — which happens to be the name of the tour — take this time to shout “winning!” To those who don’t like watching train wrecks, stop reading now.

Tickets to witness Sheen’s longwinded diatribes in person go on sale Thursday for dates in Ohio, Connecticut, Boston and New York City.

The actor's shows in Detroit and Chicago on April 2 and 3 sold out quickly, so if you happen to know a warlock maybe now's the time to call in a favor.

The added dates were inevitable now that the actor has more free time on his hands. Sheen was fired last week from the hit CBS show "Two and a Half Men." He's since sued the show's producers for $100 million for breach of contract.

— Yvonne Villarreal
twitter.com/villarrealy

Photo credit:  Francois Guillot / AFP / Getty Images