Reports predictably confirmed Friday that deals were made to keep CBS’ veteran comedy “Two and a Half Men” on the air for at least one additional season.
Stars Ashton Kutcher and Jon Cryer both agreed to new deals, which set the wheels in motion for a renewal. Though it is no longer a dominant ratings performer, it still–save for this week–attracts a strong audience and has proven to be CBS’ best option for the post-“Big Bang Theory” slot at 8:30PM.
Years ago, “Two and a Half Men” was used to turn “The Big Bang Theory” into a mega-Monday-hit for The Eye.
Kutcher’s deal was reported at around $700,000 per episode, while terms of Cryer’s arrangement were not made public. Most interesting about the story, however, is that “half man” Angus T. Jones has not yet signed a return contract.
And sources say the delay could be due to studio Warner Bros. wanting to demote Jones to a recurring role.
Though Jones’ fate seemed to be in jeopardy after he launched a bizarre Internet tirade about the show earlier this season, fences were apparently mended, and that incident was not expected to affect his future on the show. But the reality is that Jones has not been used heavily–in some episodes, his role could entail a single, blink-and-you-missed-it appearance via Skype–and it thus seems unintuitive to book him (and pay him) as a series regular.
