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TV Notes
With No Charlie Sheen, CBS Mulls Its Monday Lineup
By Bill Carter and Brian Stelter, The New York Times - February 2nd, 2011
With Charlie Sheen, the star of the hit CBS comedy Two and a Half Men, now in rehabilitation for his persistent problems with addiction, the initial reaction at the network and at the show's production company, Warner Brothers has been relief.
Executives seem less concerned that the show is on hiatus than thankful that the circus that has surrounded Mr. Sheen's life in recent years may be over, at least for now.
CBS executives, who had for at least a year quietly expressed worry about Mr. Sheen's problems, would not comment on the record about his decision to enter rehab because they said it was a personal matter. This week, the executives privately acknowledged that securing a healthier future for Mr. Sheen in the long term was more important than how to resolve the production issues his absence may cause.
The network's overall intention, executives have indicated, is to try to ride out the situation, see how the ratings come in and get a better idea as the weeks go by how long Mr. Sheen will be unavailable.
Chuck Lorre, the show's creator, who still runs the sitcom day to day, said in a telephone interview on Tuesday that Mr. Sheen was a cool guy and a sweetie and a good personal friend for many years, who always brings it in his performance.
He added, God willing, that will continue.
Nina Tassler, the president for entertainment for CBS, said in January that the network had never had a professional issue with Mr. Sheen because he turned up for work reliably. But she did express concern for him, saying of his rocky personal life, It's very complicated.
On Two and a Half Men Mr. Sheen plays Charlie, a womanizer who is often shown having a drink. In one episode in 2008 Mr. Sheen's character tells his nephew Jake, who has a hangover, You know, your body is sending you a message, namely that alcohol is poison.
Then why do you drink? Jake asks.
Because I have things inside of me that I need killed, Charlie replies.
Gary Carr, a senior vice president at the media agency TargetCast, which buys advertisements on network television, said: We all joke that when he's on the show, he's not acting; he's just being himself.
Indeed, the show's audience has seemingly remained untroubled by Mr. Sheen's off-screen behavior, even as he dominates tabloid headlines. He's a terrific actor, a great comic actor, and he's great in this role, Mr. Carr said.
Mr. Lorre said: It speaks to who we're talking about. People get the fundamental good guy that Charlie Sheen really is.
Mr. Lorre did not comment on what plan there may be for the continuation of the show, though he did emphasize that he and the rest of the staff and cast remain devoted to making it as good as it has been over its eight-year run.
One plan in the works to cover for the show's hiatus is a request from CBS to Mr. Lorre to produce extra episodes of his newest comedy for the network, Mike and Molly, which has emerged as a hit this season, partly thanks to Two and a Half Men, the show it follows on Monday nights.
Mr. Lorre said it might be at least a week before a decision was made on whether extra episodes of Mike and Molly would be produced. He noted that Mike and Molly was already contracted to produce 24 episodes this season and that producing that much comedy material in a season is already a challenge. You don't want to get to April and be cranking out sausage, he said.
CBS also asked Sony Television to provide two more episodes this season of another Monday night comedy, Rules of Engagement, and on Tuesday Sony agreed. Rules also has a contract for 24 episodes and has finished 19 at this point.
Two and a Half Men has two completed episodes that have yet to be broadcast, and eight more left on its season order. Last season, when Mr. Sheen entered rehab for a brief period, the show delivered two fewer episodes than its order of 24.
Among other options CBS executives have at their disposal: moving some repeats of the network's Thursday night comedy The Big Bang Theory (another of Mr. Lorre's shows) to fill in occasionally on Mondays, or simply leaving the schedule as it is, with repeats of Two and a Half Men filling the 9 p.m. slot.
Few shows could thrive on as competitive a night as Monday (ABC will soon return its hit Dancing with the Stars to the night) with a lot of repeats. But Two and a Half Men is one of the sturdiest shows on television, with ratings, even with repeats, that rank among the best for any comedy.
This Monday night, for example, a repeat of the series was the most-watched show of any kind on network television, with 11.2 million viewers. And its rating in the important advertiser-favored age group of 18 to 49 was a 3.1, which is better than the average for original episodes of all but three other comedies.
For many reasons the show remains enormously important to both CBS and Warner Brothers. CBS sought to play down the financial stakes in a statement this week, saying: The most important thing right now is that Charlie is seeking help. Any immediate programming or financial implications pale in comparison to his long-term health, safety and well-being.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/02/ar...ref=television
With No Charlie Sheen, CBS Mulls Its Monday Lineup
By Bill Carter and Brian Stelter, The New York Times - February 2nd, 2011
With Charlie Sheen, the star of the hit CBS comedy Two and a Half Men, now in rehabilitation for his persistent problems with addiction, the initial reaction at the network and at the show's production company, Warner Brothers has been relief.
Executives seem less concerned that the show is on hiatus than thankful that the circus that has surrounded Mr. Sheen's life in recent years may be over, at least for now.
CBS executives, who had for at least a year quietly expressed worry about Mr. Sheen's problems, would not comment on the record about his decision to enter rehab because they said it was a personal matter. This week, the executives privately acknowledged that securing a healthier future for Mr. Sheen in the long term was more important than how to resolve the production issues his absence may cause.
The network's overall intention, executives have indicated, is to try to ride out the situation, see how the ratings come in and get a better idea as the weeks go by how long Mr. Sheen will be unavailable.
Chuck Lorre, the show's creator, who still runs the sitcom day to day, said in a telephone interview on Tuesday that Mr. Sheen was a cool guy and a sweetie and a good personal friend for many years, who always brings it in his performance.
He added, God willing, that will continue.
Nina Tassler, the president for entertainment for CBS, said in January that the network had never had a professional issue with Mr. Sheen because he turned up for work reliably. But she did express concern for him, saying of his rocky personal life, It's very complicated.
On Two and a Half Men Mr. Sheen plays Charlie, a womanizer who is often shown having a drink. In one episode in 2008 Mr. Sheen's character tells his nephew Jake, who has a hangover, You know, your body is sending you a message, namely that alcohol is poison.
Then why do you drink? Jake asks.
Because I have things inside of me that I need killed, Charlie replies.
Gary Carr, a senior vice president at the media agency TargetCast, which buys advertisements on network television, said: We all joke that when he's on the show, he's not acting; he's just being himself.
Indeed, the show's audience has seemingly remained untroubled by Mr. Sheen's off-screen behavior, even as he dominates tabloid headlines. He's a terrific actor, a great comic actor, and he's great in this role, Mr. Carr said.
Mr. Lorre said: It speaks to who we're talking about. People get the fundamental good guy that Charlie Sheen really is.
Mr. Lorre did not comment on what plan there may be for the continuation of the show, though he did emphasize that he and the rest of the staff and cast remain devoted to making it as good as it has been over its eight-year run.
One plan in the works to cover for the show's hiatus is a request from CBS to Mr. Lorre to produce extra episodes of his newest comedy for the network, Mike and Molly, which has emerged as a hit this season, partly thanks to Two and a Half Men, the show it follows on Monday nights.
Mr. Lorre said it might be at least a week before a decision was made on whether extra episodes of Mike and Molly would be produced. He noted that Mike and Molly was already contracted to produce 24 episodes this season and that producing that much comedy material in a season is already a challenge. You don't want to get to April and be cranking out sausage, he said.
CBS also asked Sony Television to provide two more episodes this season of another Monday night comedy, Rules of Engagement, and on Tuesday Sony agreed. Rules also has a contract for 24 episodes and has finished 19 at this point.
Two and a Half Men has two completed episodes that have yet to be broadcast, and eight more left on its season order. Last season, when Mr. Sheen entered rehab for a brief period, the show delivered two fewer episodes than its order of 24.
Among other options CBS executives have at their disposal: moving some repeats of the network's Thursday night comedy The Big Bang Theory (another of Mr. Lorre's shows) to fill in occasionally on Mondays, or simply leaving the schedule as it is, with repeats of Two and a Half Men filling the 9 p.m. slot.
Few shows could thrive on as competitive a night as Monday (ABC will soon return its hit Dancing with the Stars to the night) with a lot of repeats. But Two and a Half Men is one of the sturdiest shows on television, with ratings, even with repeats, that rank among the best for any comedy.
This Monday night, for example, a repeat of the series was the most-watched show of any kind on network television, with 11.2 million viewers. And its rating in the important advertiser-favored age group of 18 to 49 was a 3.1, which is better than the average for original episodes of all but three other comedies.
For many reasons the show remains enormously important to both CBS and Warner Brothers. CBS sought to play down the financial stakes in a statement this week, saying: The most important thing right now is that Charlie is seeking help. Any immediate programming or financial implications pale in comparison to his long-term health, safety and well-being.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/02/ar...ref=television
