Two and a Half Men - TV Review

What can I say about Ashton Kutcher's debut as multi-billionaire Walden Schmidt in the brand new episode Two and a Half Men that was broadcast on Comedy Central last week? How did he fill those infamous shoes that Charlie's departure left behind? How did he interact with the characters of Alan and Jake? Was all the hype around his casting worth it? Or did Charlie leave a hole that just couldn't be filled?

Well, when I first heard about the casting I was beyond apprehensive; I'd come to know and love the format of the characters and the settings that so many people, both in the United Kingdom and in the States, had. I must admit that when the show began, I wasn't an avid fan and I only really got into the series when Charlie Sheen hit the headlines because of his troubled personal life and his own struggles with drink, drugs and whatnot. He was absolutely intriguing to watch. These days though, you'll often find me flicking through the many channels on my Sky box, sitting down and watching repeats of Two and a Half Men on Comedy Central and Comedy Central+1.

Now, I think I've been watching properly and avidly since… about January of this year? And I must admit that the show was good in it's hay-day and yes, hilarious to watch. Good, yes, but it was starting to lose the edge as the years continued and the show matured; the characters lives just seemed to be going round in circles and the storylines seemed to follow the same tangent each season, every season. I mean, how many times can Charlie get engaged to a beautiful woman, then cheat on her or fall in love with another beautiful woman? And how many times can Alan be turned down? I mean, he can't be that bad can he?

For those people that didn't watch the first eight seasons ofTwo and a Half Menit revolved around unlucky in love Alan Harper (Jon Cryer) who is kicked out of his marital home by cold, callous ex-wife, Judith (Marin Hinkle) and is forced to leave his young son, Jake (Angus T. Jones) behind him and only see him at the weekend. Following his own ousting, he moves in with eligible bachelor, his own brother and ladies' man, Charlie Harper (Charlie Sheen) whom until now has enjoyed the single life living in his luxury beach-house in Malibu, estranged from his brother, nephew and mother and spending his money on drink, drugs and other unmentionables.

In this episode, the premier of season nine and the self-proclaimed "relaunch" of the show since it shut down production in February, "Nice to Meet You, Walden Schmidt" we're introduced to - no surprises for guessing - Walden Schmidt (Kutcher) following Alan coming to terms with a great loss (I won't spoil it for you, but with Charlie's departure it's pretty obvious what has happened if you ask me). The character of Schmidt himself is also coming to terms with the break down of his own marriage to the love of his life (Bridget, whom we see in the next episode) and is contemplating putting himself out of his misery and killing himself - realising that he cannot live without her.

I know, it sounds depressing, but you'd be surprised at how many laughs there were in it. I must admit that Jake's character wasn't really used except for a couple of "farting" gags and I must also admit that he's hardly a "half-man" anymore. However, the issues such as Schmidt's attempted suicide and Charlie's departure were both approached hilariously with him explaining to Alan that he planned to kill himself, but never realised how cold the water was going to be. There were though, some cringe-worthy moments in the episode, most of which almost seemed as though they were swipes at Charlie's departure and Charlie Sheen himself. At the beginning of the episode Charlie is described as having given a great deal to people - before his ex-girlfriends explain that he gave them an assortment of unpleasant… diseases. Second came with how Charlie was written out - again, not to spoil it - but it seemed as though he was brushed over and just forgotten about.

So, that's all I can really say about episode 1. I really enjoyed the episode, as did many people in and outside of the United Kingdom as the programme itself was shown to be the most popular of the show's entire history. I suspect, if I'm honest, that it was just so huge because of all the speculation around how Charlie was leaving and how Ashton was brought in and that the majority of people that watched it, doing so to see what was going to happen and what the big deal was. I believe that it is still too early to say whether or not Kutcher's appearance will act as a help or a hindrance to the programme itself and whether we'll see a tenth or eleventh series of the programme - I think we're going to have to see three or four more until we know for sure about how the season is going to progress - but I can say that this episode, solely, was entertaining, hilarious and definitely (writing permitting) allowed the audience to get a better feel about how this season is going to pan out. Well done.

Review by Bradley