Two and a Half Men

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Two and a Half Men
Two and a Half Men title card
Format	Sitcom
Created by	Chuck Lorre Lee Aronsohn
Developed by	Warner Brothers Television
Starring	Charlie Sheen Jon Cryer Angus T. Jones Marin Hinkle Holland Taylor Melanie Lynskey Conchata Ferrell April Bowlby
Theme music composer	Chuck Lorre
Slogan	Two adults. One kid. No grown-ups.
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	5
No. of episodes	115 (List of episodes)
Production
Location(s)	Burbank, California, USA[1]
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	22 min. approx.
Broadcast
Original channel	CBS
Picture format	480i (SDTV), 1080i (HDTV)
Original run	September 22, 2003 – present
External links
Official website
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Two and a Half Men is an Emmy Award-winning and Golden Globe-nominated American television sitcom, which premiered CBS on Monday, September 22, 2003, at 9:30 p.m., ET/PT. The series centers around a freewheeling bachelor, Charlie, whose carefree lifestyle is interrupted when his newly separated brother Alan moves in, along with Alan's son Jake. The show was co-created by executive producers Chuck Lorre and Lee Aronsohn. In its third season, starting September 2005, it moved to Mondays at 9:00 p.m. (taking Everybody Loves Raymond's time slot). 'Two and a Half Men debuted in local syndication in September 2007, also soon to be syndicated on the FX cable network in 2010.^[2] Production on the show was halted on November 6, 2007 due to the WGA strike. ^[3] The show returned March 17, 2008 with 9 episodes to come. ^[4] CBS has also renewed the show for a sixth season.^[5]

[edit] Synopsis

Charles Francis Harper(Charlie)is a successful and affluent 40 year old bachelor who has a career writing advertisement jingles. Charlie resides in a large oceanfront home in Malibu, California, and is portrayed as a chauvinistic, hedonistic womanizer; all he cares about is having sex. The plot begins when his wimpy brother Alan becomes divorced from his wife, moves out of their house, and has to move in with his brother. Alan has shared custody of his son Jake (10 when the series began), who stays with him part-time. The title is in reference to the fact that Jake isn't an adult yet, and only "1/2 a man".

Rose (Melanie Lynskey) is Charlie's zany neighbor and female stalker. Rose had a one night stand with Charlie shortly before the show started, which she believed to be more signficant, and tends to enter his house through the patio in the most inopportune moments, expressing her ambition of obtaining Charlie, and often serving as a good, albeit crazy, friend and adviser. Although obviously troubled herself, Rose has stated a few times that she has a Master's degree in psychology, and Alan has referred to her as having two advanced degrees. In various episodes it is insinuated that Rose is very slowly orchestrating a psychological plan to win Charlie back. Early in the series after she's become "Scrabble" friends with Alan as a way to get closer to Charlie, she's heard to say (to herself) "Phase one, complete."

In one episode, Rose's father Harvey (Martin Sheen) asks Charlie of his intentions with his daughter after an apparent second one-night stand between the two. Harvey then meets Charlie's and Alan's mother and has an affair with her, stalking her and popping in just like his daughter does. We then learn from Harvey's mother that "that's what happens when you marry a first cousin," explaining Rose's family's dementia.

Many of the episodes feature Judith misusing her alimony (before she remarried and Alan no longer had to pay her) and child support (she got a breast enlargement in one episode with her alimony).

Another important recurring character is Berta (Conchata Ferrell), Charlie's sarcastic and sharp-tongued housekeeper. She trades insults with Charlie and it's clear the household can't function without her. She usually tolerates Alan as long as he doesn't make excessive demands for particular food products and often refers to him as "Zippy." Berta also enjoys occasionally starting trouble between the brothers by needling each one about the other while she sits back and watches the conflict take place.

Alan and Charlie's mother, Evelyn (Holland Taylor) is a hip, wealthy, early-sixties, many-times-divorced, probably bisexual, promiscuous, controlling mother of the brothers. Both Charlie and Alan attribute their life's problems to the dark manipulative force their mother manages to exert upon them even now, adding to the caustic humor of the show in the situations depicting their vain attempts to escape her (Her often being reffered to as 'the devil'). For all of her selfishness and manipulation, Evelyn does love her kids and grandson deep down.

Another recurring theme is the conflict of personalities between the two diametrically opposed siblings, the relaxed, good-life, woman-catching, commitment-phobic Charlie and the uptight self-conscious nerdy Alan. Alan can sometimes appear to be jealous of Charlie's lifestyle, and can sometimes try to stop Charlie's decisions. This also provides opportunities for comedy in the show, with Alan, having admitted defeat, making comments such as 'it's like talking to a horny chimp', or 'it's like trying to talk Shakespeare to a Hershey bar'. However, every season has had at least one episode where Charlie and Alan are seriously fighting with each other, although the conflicts are generally resolved by that show's end.

A great deal of the humor on the show comes from the real-life experiences of creator Chuck Lorre. In a now-famous Entertainment Weekly interview, Holland Taylor said that Lorre was using the memories of his own less-than-great relationship with his mother for the storylines involving Evelyn and Charlie/Alan. Charlie Sheen also said that it was "no accident...that Chuck finally decided to do a show about men. I'll leave it at that" In most of the episodes, the title of the episode is usually a quote from the show.

[edit] Cast and characters

The Main cast of Two and a Half Men, from left to right: Melanie Lynskey as Rose, Conchata Ferrell as Bertha, Charlie Sheen as Charlie Harper, Holland Taylor as Evelyn Harper, Angus T. Jones as Jake Harper, Jon Cryer as Alan Harper and Marin Hinkle as Judith Harper

[edit] Main Characters

• Charlie Sheen as Charles Francis "Charlie" Harper, a hedonistic ladies man, never married, jingle/children's song writer who tends to pick on his brother Alan but ultimately loves him. He is the exact opposite of his little brother: relaxed and affluent. He likes his nephew Jake and gives him advice (much of which is not age-appropriate), but the two often trade barbs as well.
• Jon Cryer as Alan Jerome Harper, Charlie's twice divorced chiropractor brother, who is constantly stricken with bad luck and is constantly teased by Charlie. After losing his house to Judith after the divorce, he is permanently staying with Charlie. He is a generally nice and polite guy but seems to have a weakness for women who treat him badly that stems from the non-nurturing relationship he had with his and Charlie's mom. Alan also claims that when he was young he used to get atomic wedgies from Charlie, and also he was taped to light poles everytime Charlie hugged him.
• Angus T. Jones as Jacob David "Jake" Harper, Alan's lazy, underachieving, and sarcastic son. He spends most of his free time playing video games, eating and watching television. Jones does not sing the show's catchy theme song, even though it's a popular belief; in fact, neither do Sheen nor Cryer. The female voice that Jones is lip-synching is the singer and voice-over artist Elizabeth Daily.
• Conchata Ferrell (Season 2–; Recurring in Season 1), as their sarcastic housekeeper Berta. Throughout the series, hints have been made of her being a lesbian, but nothing has been proven. It has been disproven by the fact that she started hitting on Teddy Leopold (a man) and occasionally some other men that enter the house. She has a sister named Daisy, played by Camryn Manheim, whom she doesn't get along with. She also has a number of daughters, one of them being Megan Fox, whom she herself states are "sleazy and easy".
• Marin Hinkle as Judith, Alan's humorless first ex-wife. She despises Alan and takes every chance she gets to humiliate him. Alan often calls out her hypocrisy towards him but also seems to still have feelings for her. It was no secret that she lived a luxurious life on Alan's alimony, going so far as to get breast implants. She has since remarried to Herb Melnick (Ryan Stiles), Jake's pediatrician, a union that brought joy to Alan because it meant he no longer had to pay her alimony.
• Holland Taylor as Evelyn Harper, Charlie and Alan's conceited and self-centered mother, Jake's grandmother. She isn't very fond of her sons or her grandson, and the feeling's mutual because of her cold, careless, sarcastic style of parenting/grand-parenting. Her wide-ranging sex life is a recurring gag throughout the series. Charlie constantly (indirectly) implies that she is the devil. For example, he has her phone number on speed dial: "666. Cute, huh?" And when asked if he knew her favorite perfume, Charlie asked a store clerk if she carried Chanel 666 in a similar joke.

[edit] Recurring Characters

• Melanie Lynskey (Seasons 1-2; Recurring Season 3-), as their neighbor Rose, a sometime stalker of Charlie. She has a habit of entering and exiting Charlie's house through the patio. She has stated that she has a Masters Degree in psychology. Rose eventually left town for London but has since returned to the U.S. and found new ways to woo/stalk Charlie.

[edit] Former Main Characters

• April Bowlby (Season Four; Recurring Season 3), as Kandi, Alan's young, deeply dimwitted second ex-wife. She divorced him and got their condo, but they continued to have regular booty calls. When she got a role on a CSI-spoofing show, she signed divorce papers so that Alan wouldn't be able to claim her newfound fortune, and has not been seen on the show since then.

[edit] Notable Guest Stars

Guest stars so far have included Emmanuelle Vaugier as Mia, Ryan Stiles as Dr. Melnick, Jane Lynch as the therapist Dr. Freeman, Jeri Ryan as Sherri, Martin Sheen as Rose's father, Cloris Leachman as Norma, Denise Richards as Lisa, Richard Lewis as Stan, Teri Hatcher as Liz, Judy Greer as Myra, Heather Locklear as Laura Lang, Megan Fox as Prudence, Robert Wagner as Teddy, Jenny McCarthy as Teddy's daughter, Courtney, Jenna Elfman as Frankie, Camryn Manheim as Daisy, Brooke Shields as Danielle and Enrique Iglesias as a handyman. Sean Penn, Elvis Costello, Harry Dean Stanton and Steven Tyler all appeared as themselves, among other guests.

As part of a crossover from the writers and executive producer of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, George Eads made a cameo appearance on the May 5, 2008 episode.^[6]

[edit] Episodes

Main article: List of Two and a Half Men episodes

The show currently has 5 seasons, with a sixth season in production^[5]. 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^[7]. Warner Brothers 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^[7]." The cast also gifted the crew with sterling silver key rings from Tiffany & Co, the key rings were attached to small pendants with 100 and Two and a Half Men inscribed on either side of it.

[edit] Crossover with CSI

Further information: Two And a Half Deaths

In 2007, Two and a Half Men creator Chuck Lorre contacted CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 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^[8]. Even though the casts' eyebrows raised when they heard about the crossover, they all jumped on board. When Mendelsohn was giving a talk, he accidently mentioned about the crossover, that same day Variety Magazine 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^[8]." "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^[8]." "Fish in a Drawer" was the first part of the crossover to air, on May 5, 2008, and was written by Sarah Goldfinger, Evan Dunsky, Carol Mendelsohn and Naren Shankar^[9]. George Eads is the only CSI: Crime Scene Investigation main cast member to make a cameo on Two and a Half Men. Three days later (May 8, 2008) the second part of the crossover, "Two And a Half Deaths", aired, following Gil Grissom (William Peterson) as he investigates the murder of a sitcom diva named Annabelle (Katey Sagal), who was found murdered while she was filming her show in Las Vegas^[9], Sheen, Cryer and Jones all made cameos in this episode.

[edit] DVD releases

Season 1 Extras

• Two Adults, One Kid, No Grown-Ups: - behind the scenes with Cast and Crew.
• Backstage tour with Angus T. Jones/ Jake Harper.
• Gag Reel/Outtakes.

Season 2 Extras

• 2½ Days in the Life of 2½: - Viewers are invited for a behind-the-scenes look at a typical day in the life of cast members Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, and Angus T. Jones.
• The Serious Business of Writing Comedy: - A hilarious look at what it really takes to write a comedy show.
• Gag Reel.

Season 3 Extras

• Gag Reel.

Season 4 Extras^[11]

• Scene Access.
• Two all new Behind the Scenes featurettes.
• Deleted Scenes.
• Gag Reel.

[edit] U.S. 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.

[edit] International broadcasts

Country	TV network(s)	Weekly schedule (local time)
Argentina	Warner Channel	19:00 Monday/Friday and 20:30 Tuesdays New episodes!
Australia	Nine Network	19:00 weekdays
Austria	ORF 1	17:30 weekdays
Belgium	2BE	20:10 from Tuesday to Thursday
Brazil	Warner Channel, Later SBT	Repeats: 19:00 - 20:00 from Monday to Friday and 20:00 Tuesdays (Warner Channel), Sundays (SBT)
Canada	OMNI.1, Global Television	20:00 from Monday to Friday
Chile	TVN 1, Warner Channel	20:00 from Monday to Friday
Colombia	Warner Channel	19:00 from Monday to Friday (Repeats) & 20:30 Tuesday (New Episodes)
Costa Rica	Repretel	20:00 from Monday to Friday
Czech Republic	TV Nova	13:45 weekdays
Egypt	MBC4
Germany	ProSieben	13:00 Saturdays (ProSieben)
Greece	Alpha	Daily, start time varies between 04:15 and 05:00
Hungary	Viasat 3	20:30 weekdays
India	Star World	21:00 Thursday
Ireland	TG4	21:00 Thursday
Israel	yes stars 3	new broadcasts yet to be announced
Mexico	Warner Channel	19:00 to 20:00 Monday/Friday and 20:30 Tuesdays
Netherlands	RTL 5, Veronica	18:00 (new broadcasts yet to be announced)
New Zealand	TV2	19:30 Wednesdays (7th May Season Premiere double episode)
Norway	TV3	18:00 weekdays
Philippines	Jack TV Studio 23	20:30 Fridays 21:15 Sundays
Poland	TVN Siedem	19:30 weekdays
Portugal	RTP2	13:20 weekdays
Romania	PRO TV	23:15 Tuedays
Spain	TVE2	20:00 weekdays
Sri Lanka	MTV	20:30 Tuesdays (MTV)
Sweden	TV3, TV6	Weekdays at 19:00 on TV3. Mondays 21:00 on TV6
Switzerland	SF zwei	15.10 weekdays - 18.15 weekdays
Thailand	True Series STAR World	currently in repeats 20:30 Thursdays
Turkey	CNBC-e	20:30 Wednesdays
United Kingdom	Paramount Comedy 1 and Five and Sky One	Official 'Paramount Comedy' Schedule
Venezuela	Warner Channel	19:00 from Monday to Friday
France	Canal+, Canal+Family, Canal+Décalé, Comédie!, Canal Jimmy	Every weekends on Comédie! and Canal Jimmy and every weeks on Canal+

[edit] Parodies

A parodie of the show, for MAD Magazine by Tom Richmond.

• In the "North by North Quahog" episode of Family Guy, the name of the show is interpreted in a more literal way. Meg and Chris are watching TV when the announcer says "Now back to 'Two and a Half Men'." The commercial then cuts to the show of the Harper brothers standing beside the bisected upper half of a man, and all of them are screaming.
• After Homer purchases a TiVo in the "Funeral for a Fiend" episode of the The Simpsons, Marge says that it only took her "two and a half minutes" to watch "Two and a Half Men" after skipping through all the commercials.

• In another episode of The Simpsons ("Homer Simpson, This is Your Wife"), Homer's friend Lenny buys a new high definition TV. When Homer is watching a shark on the TV he says, "What a picture. You can see the soulless emptiness in that shark's eyes." The channel changes to "Two and a Half Men" and he says, "Ooh, 'Two and a Half Men.' You can see the soulless emptiness in Charlie Sheen's eyes."

• This is Charlie Sheen's second sitcom in which his character is also named Charlie (the first one being Spin City).

• A caricatured version of the characters from Two and a Half Men, called Two and a Half Wits, was placed in MAD Magazine issue #450. The artwork was done by artist Tom Richmond, who, himself, found the show very amusing^[17]. The shows creator, Chuck Lorre, was very excited about Two and a Half Men being in MAD Magazine, before the issue was published, he contacted MAD Magazine for the original artwork.^[17]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Two and a Half Men

• Two and a Half Men at the Internet Movie Database
• Two and a Half Men at TV.com
• CBS site
• "Two and a Half Men" at Yahoo! TV
• Two and a Half Men Forum