Two and a Half Men

[ansky212]

The first couple episodes this season seemed ok, but over the last couple weeks this show is really going downhill fast.  A couple weeks ago the show centered around everyone getting sick and vomiting incessantly.  I almost felt sick just watching it.  This week's episode featured incessant talk about urination.  The show has gone from funny to just plain gross.  Kutcher's character is getting annoying, his girlfriend (the one with the british accent) is really annoying, and Berta (the funniest character on the show) seems to be having less of a role.  I don't think I'll be watching much longer.

[Yeziknoradio]

I have not watched any of the new ones with that 70's show guy...what's his name again?

[Lkeller]

The first couple episodes this season seemed ok, but over the last couple weeks this show is really going downhill fast.  A couple weeks ago the show centered around everyone getting sick and vomiting incessantly.  I almost felt sick just watching it.    I don't think I'll be watching much longer.

That's the problem with any form of entertainment that continually "pushes the envelope."  You have to KEEP pushing.  After awhile, jokes about sex get repetitive, so I guess you have to go to bodily functions. Vomit today - diarhhea next week, probably.

[therealjm12]

I pretty much agree with you.  Where is the brilliant writing of the past?  Did they all go over to Big Bang Theory?  I really don't mind the character of Ashton Kutcher.- and I did like him on That's 70's Show.  But it is way too much about him!  Alan's character has been reduced to a whiny little wimp. Very dis-likeable.  What happened to his chiropractor practice?  He's never there.  The show has had the reputation of one of the best supporting cast ever.  Where are they?  The kid had one line Monday night.  So he is in school and has a real social life but as long as he's there, maybe a little bit more to add.  Berta is great but is almost not used.  How about the Mother, the psychiatric neighbor, Alan's ex wives, Herb?  All added a lot in the past.  And we haven't heard anything about the baby this season.
Maybe they should be honest about the whole thing and call it the Ashton Kutcher Show.

[jfrancispastirchak]

The first couple episodes this season seemed ok, but over the last couple weeks this show is really going downhill fast.  A couple weeks ago the show centered around everyone getting sick and vomiting incessantly.  I almost felt sick just watching it.  This week's episode featured incessant talk about urination.  The show has gone from funny to just plain gross.  Kutcher's character is getting annoying, his girlfriend (the one with the british accent) is really annoying, and Berta (the funniest character on the show) seems to be having less of a role.  I don't think I'll be watching much longer.

You're not alone.  Many other viewers will not "be watching much longer" as well, and that's assuming the show isn't cancelled by Fall.  I think much of this displeasure is due to Kutcher's poor acting skills.  Kutcher can not persuasively deliver blue humor as well as Charlie Sheen could.  Sheen's wealth of emotional problems not-with-standing, he is a darned better actor than Kutcher, whose dimension-challenged acting range is limited to "...dude" dialogue. 

[jfrancispastirchak]

...And we haven't heard anything about the baby this season.

As we learned from Married With Children, babies can be written out of a script at the drop of a hat. Conversely, both daytime and primetime soaps have demonstrated that characters can return as well, even from the dead.  Is a deal being considered to rehire Sheen?  Probably not.  I believe MEN will soon be heading to the showers.  The future of this ground-breaker will be defined by the episodes currently shown in syndication, featuring Sheen as Charlie. 

[landtuna]

You guys have done a great job of seconding my earlier opinions of "Two and a Half Men".  I cannot imagine the deep thinking that went into handing the critical role of Charlie Harper to Aston Kutcher.  He has never been any sort of quality actor and is even less on this show. 

The writers have evidently forgotten that the ensemble cast was a major part of the humor and story lines.  They have been virtually ignored this season as has been pointed out.

And speaking of the story line.....could it have been more improbable than it's been?  Totally unbelievable and adds nothing to Alan's situation of always being on the verge of being tossed out.  Did Chuck Lorre come up with this out of a bad dream or did Mrs. Sullivan's third grade class design this scenario?  It really makes one wonder.

My guess is that CBS was throwing too much money at Lorre and WB to discontinue it so they put together a slapdash season but all the behind the scenes talent moved on to BBT (which has gotten better as time goes on).

Talk about a show staying on-air too long!

[jfrancispastirchak]

MY guess has been that the studios had lots of money tied up in the player's contracts.  Rather than pay them off and call it a day, the suits decided instead to hold the cast to their commitments, forming new episodes in spite of loser scripts, while hoping for a miracle revival.  That never happened of course; today's TV viewers are too sophisticated and demanding than to accept step-down script writing on a show that once had them rolling with laughter. 

And yes, your are right-- tossing out the roles of key supporting actors shows a lack of smarts. 

[adam95]

Interesting...was just talking about this show in the workplace today!

First of all, stop calling Charlie Sheen an actor...we all know his role on the show is identical to his real life

Seriously though, my concern was this...assuming the show doesn't last past this season (I haven't seen ratings since the new year) can these episodes be kept out of the syndication package?  I would think that mixing Sheen & Kutcher episodes may keep people from watching the show in syndication and damage the value of the reruns.  But my guess would be that as long as the series is known as 2-1/2 Men they would all have to be included no matter who is getting top billing.  What do you all think about this?

[crainbebo]

Cancel it already!! Alan (Jon Cryer) is the only big person left on the show, and I dislike Ashton's acting.

-crainbebo