CBS cancels production this season for ‘Two and a Half Men’
With over 15 million viewers, and more than 200 employees, "Two and a Half Men" led CBS's Monday night comedy lineup. But after Charlie Sheen's public breakdown and subsequent media missteps, CBS has canceled this season of its popular show. Janet Babin has more.
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JEREMY HOBSON: The top-rated TV network has a gaping hole in its prime time lineup — at least for the next few months. CBS pulled the plug on Charlie Sheen and his show, “Two and a Half Men,” for the rest of the season. This after the actor trashed talked the show’s creators during a radio interview. “Two and Half Men” has more than 15 million viewers.
Marketplace’s Janet Babin reports on what the stoppage means for CBS.
JANET BABIN: After a stint in rehab, Sheen was supposed to head back to the set of the “Two and a Half Men” sitcom next week. But the network canceled production for the season after Sheen appeared on the Alex Jones Radio show.
Sheen’s bizarre rant attacked the sitcom’s creator.
CHARLIE SHEEN: I’ve spent I think close to the last decade, I don’t know, effortlessly and magically converting your tin cans into pure gold. And the gratitude I get is that this charlatan chose not to do his job which is to write.
The production halt puts 200 show employees out of work for the time being — and, leaves a gaping hole in CBS’s Monday night comedy lineup. It remains unclear whether CBS will abandon the show entirely — or if Sheen, and his $1.8 million per episode salary, will be back to work next season. CBS reportedly took in more than $150 million in ad revenue from last season. Regardless, syndicated reruns of the show are scheduled to air for the next 10 years.
I’m Janet Babin for Marketplace.