'Grey's' Isn't Going Anywhere
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Will Charlie Sheen's Legal Troubles Muck Up CBS's Fall Sked?
by Allison Waldman, posted Feb 18th 2010 10:01AM
When the TV executives meet the media at the annual CBS upfront presentation in May, there will be certainty and uncertainty when it comes to the Monday night sitcom anchor 'Two and a Half Men.' The certainty is that it will be in the line up because it was renewed for three years in 2009. The uncertainty is if Charlie Sheen will be on 'Two and a Half Men' in the face of his felony charges in Colorado.There are implications beyond the obvious question of Charlie being there to do 'Two and a Half Men.' He's one of the highest paid actors on television -- approximately $20 million a season -- which accounts for a big chunk of the operating budget. Whether he's on air or written out for a while, he has to be paid.
The revenues to pay the man come from ad dollars. Will CBS be able to sell ad time if the Nielsen numbers slip with less Charlie and more Alan, i.e. Jon Cryer, carrying the show?
What will happen is unknown, but this is what will likely happen: it'll all work out without a hitch. 'Two and a Half Men' creator Chuck Lorre runs that show like a well-oiled machine. The characters, all of them, are set. There are ways to write around Charlie Sheen's absence, if that even comes to pass. They could space it out over a few shows or have him appear via pre-arranged drop-in scenes that might be filmed before he has to appear/serve time elsewhere. Hell, they could use this real life situation as an inside joke and have Charlie check in to rehab for 28 days!
As for a decline in popularity, that's already showing. 'The Big Bang Theory' is the CBS Monday night show on the rise and will eventually move into the 'Two and a Half Men' slot. That might be the surprise of the CBS upfront. Putting those two shows together at 9:00 and 9:30 last season turned out to be a smart move, blasting 'Bang' into rich Nielsen territory.
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