Charlie Sheen has been fired from the #1 sitcom in television. Perhaps for the first time in the history of network television, a company pulls the unthinkable by getting rid of the main star of the channel’s biggest cash cow. Two and a Half Men is one of the very few modern-day sitcoms with high syndication value, and one of the few sitcoms to be #1 for so many years in a row. Like it or not, the last sitcom to truly dominate the ratings consistently for so long was Friends back when NBC was watchable. And while the show isn’t exactly moral or by any means wholesome and good for the whole family; it carries that cheeky fun “Married…With Children” vibe. It has that guilty pleasure quality that was possessed by Ed O'Neil's sitcom long ago.
Now, did Charlie Sheen deserve to get fired? Yes and no. For starters, it’s freakin’ Charlie Sheen. Since the early 90s he has caused trouble in so many different ways, Warner Brothers knew what they were getting themselves into when they hired him for the lead role. Hell, the creators were even thinking about Charlie Sheen when creating the show. To make matters more interesting, this behavior had been happening constantly throughout the entire run; just to a lesser extent.
What nobody mentions is that while Sheen is definitely a party person to the utmost level, he still shows up to work and does his job. Sheen has even been nominated for a couple Emmys during the ratings domination of Two and a Half Men. Yes, he went overboard recently when he went to the hospital, but the overreaction and supposed shock was a bit much for me. Come on, it’s Charlie Sheen. Works by day, plays by night. That’s his routine. When he started verbally ripping apart everyone, he then crossed the line. But up until that point, it was Sheen being Sheen. And that’s why he was hired in the first place.
And let’s put this clear out there for everybody to see: nobody can replace Charlie Sheen. Nobody. Replacing Charlie Sheen will be sitcom suicide, and will lead to a new show rising to become the top sitcom in television. Don’t look now, but Modern Family is prepared to make a strong push. It already has won the awards, and acclaim, and is building a great audience. If CBS does not work out a deal with Charlie Sheen, then their reign at #1 will end. Nobody can even come close to matching the personality and laid-back suave of Charlie Sheen. The only actors I can see that can possibly take over his role are: Robert Downey Jr., Sam Rockwell, or Michael Weatherly (whom already has a show with NCIS). And even then, that’s a major stretch.
Bottom Line: Despite all the bickering and anguish, if CBS wants to keep the sitcom alive and with the same amount of success, they have to find a way to work a deal with Charlie Sheen. I know its making a deal with the devil, but CBS and Warner Brothers would be absolutely stupid to replace him with anybody else. They can’t replace him. If it were up to me, I would can the show altogether, and leave it be. After all, it’s not the first show to abruptly end in a cliffhanger (Alf, My Name is Earl). Mark these words: if Two and a Half Men really continues without Sheen, then they are going to drop in ratings, and severely drop in value. I actually like this show, I would hate to see it end in a whimper.
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