Two and a Half Men was incredibly popular amid its 12-season run on CBS and, even now, many continue to watch the show by way of syndication or by binging it via streaming. As a result of that popularity, the main stars garnered major paychecks, especially Charlie Sheen. For his role as jingle writer Charlie Harper, Sheen’s salary was notably high and, by the time he was unceremoniously fired from Men, he was the highest paid actor on TV. What I didn’t know, however, was that he used some of his personal issues when bargaining for his fee.

Sheen’s Men co-star, Jon Cryer, recently reflected on the financial side of being one of the leads on the Chuck Lorre-created sitcom. While speaking with Page Six, Cryer recalled being flabbergasted over how Sheen “enhanced his negotiating stance.” Apparently, Sheen would use the hardships in his life – including legal issues and addiction struggles – to argue for higher pay. All in all, Cryer seemingly found the entire situation somewhat ironic:

I can’t believe I never considered this until now, but I suppose it makes sense. While on Two and a Half Men, Sheen went through two divorces. Also, in 2010, the Wall Street star was arrested for allegedly assaulting his second wife, Brooke Mueller, and eventually pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault. In the aftermath, Sheen also partook in a 30-day rehab program. So the combination of Sheen’s need for money due to his issues and his draw as a leading man on TV apparently proved to be solid bargaining chips for him.

Ahead of Men’s eighth season, which was Sheen’s last, he inked a deal for $1.8 million per episode, and that was apparently in stark contrast to Cryer’s contract. Apparently, the Alan Harper portrayer was paid around two-thirds less than what his on-screen sibling was making. Cryer joked with Page Six, saying that since his own life was so good at the time, he should’ve driven his car off a cliff in order to try to earn more cash. The Pretty in Pink alum also said:

Messiness from Charlie Sheen’s personal life arguably contributed to his firing. Around the fall of 2010, Sheen had been drinking and, by January 2011, he entered rehab. It was during the following month that the actor began to publicly lash out at Lorre, leading to a high-profile feud. Sheen was eventually dismissed by Warner Bros. TV in March of that year, and he later filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against Lorre and WBTV that was eventually settled. In the years since then, Sheen has claimed he was a “raging demon” on set, and he and Lorre reconciled and reunited to work on Bookie.

Not long after Sheen’s firing, Two and a Half Men needed a refresh, and Ashton Kutcher was brought on to play a new character, Walden Schmidt, alongside Cryer’s Alan. At that point, Cryer finally saw a bump in his pay, as he started earning $620,000 an episode. Cryer spoke about feeling “lucky” about not feeling financial insecurity. Today, with the show still in heavy rotation, I’m eager to know how much Cryer still profits from the series and, though he didn’t give a specific figure, he said this:

As for where Jon Cryer stands with Charlie Sheen, the two aren’t feuding, but they haven’t spoken in some time. Cryer did, however, share his experiences with Sheen in the 2025 documentary aka Charlie Sheen (which is streamable with a Netflix subscription). Regardless of the state of Sheen and Cryer’s relationship, the two will forever be linked due to Two and a Half Men, which seems to have provided them with varying levels of financial stability.

For eight seasons of Two and a Half Men, Jon Cryer and Charlie Sheen entertained viewers as brothers Alan and Charlie Harper, respectively, and earned acclaim for their portrayals. In the years since Sheen’s firing in 2011 and the hit CBS sitcom’s conclusion in 2015, a lot has been said about the state of Sheen and Cryer’s relationship. Both actors have occasionally spoken about where they stand with each other these days. Now, Cryer is getting real about one misconception the Internet has regarding his dynamic with Sheen.

Cryer recently appeared on an episode of The View, during which he spoke about his decision to be interviewed for the documentary aka Charlie Sheen (which is streamable with a Netflix subscription). From there, the Emmy winner was asked about the fact that he hadn’t actually spoken to Sheen in years and whether he’d be open to meeting up. Cryer confirmed that he would be down to with his former co-star if the opportunity arose and, from there, he explained something that gets distorted on social media:

It would seem that Cryer wants to make it known that he holds no animosity towards Sheen at this point in his life. What should be pointed out is that Sheen and Cryer were friends while working on Two and a Half Men, as the latter explained a few years ago. However, that relationship went sour amid Sheen’s viral meltdown in 2011, which also saw him call out Cryer for being a “traitor.” It all seems to be water under the bridge now, based on Cryer’s comments about why he chose to participate in the documentary:

As Jon Cryer mentioned during his recent interview, his longtime co-star was very appreciative of his decision to appear in the Netflix doc. Charlie Sheen actually sent a sentimental message to Cryer to thank him for his “contributions” to the project. The Anger Management star also expressed his hope to “see [Cryer] around the campus” at some point. With that, it’s hard not to wonder whether the Men stars will actually reunite personally or professionally.

Sheen also notably mended fences with Chuck Lorre, the co-creator of Two and a Half Men, and even reunited with him for the since-canceled HBO Max comedy Bookie. It was around that time that Cryer was asked if he’d reunite with Sheen and Lorre for the show. At that point, Cryer said he would have to see where Sheen was at personally but also stated that he wouldn’t “close anything off.”

It appears Cryer has now softened on his stance even more, at least from the perspective of just meeting up with Sheen socially. Whether or not the two co-stars will actually carve out some time to get together is unclear. Still, what’s evident now is that anyone under the impression that Cryer and Sheen still have beef may want to stay away from Internet speculation.

Check out Jon Cryer and Charlie Sheen on Two and a Half Men, which is available to stream with a Peacock subscription.

Back in 2011, the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men was thrown into chaos in the middle of its eighth season amid star Charlie Sheen’s drug abuse and troublesome behavior. The actor is now opening up about his life — including his tumultuous exit from Two and a Half Men — in his memoir The Book of Sheen, and he said testosterone cream was partially to blame for the “raging demon” he became on set.

In his new book, Charlie Sheen opens up about the events that led to CBS firing him after he made disparaging remarks about series co-creator Chuck Lorre and production was shut down on Two and a Half Men’s eighth season. Sheen says CBS head Les Moonves had offered to send him to rehab but the actor declined, quitting all of the drugs cold turkey, he says in The Book of Sheen (via EW). He continues:

While Charlie Sheen doesn’t deny using drugs, he said the testosterone cream — in the amounts he was using it — caused some of the behavior that became an issue on the set of Two and a Half Men. He writes in the book:

Charlie Sheen says this doesn’t excuse any of his actions, but he wanted to provide context for what those around him witnessed. He went on:

The actor’s behavior in 2011 ignited a longtime feud with Chuck Lorre that ended in 2023, when Charlie Sheen cameoed as himself on Lorre’s HBO Max comedy Bookie. Sheen has also since attempted to reconnect with Jon Cryer, his Two and a Half Men co-star.

The release of Charlie Sheen’s memoir coincides with the Netflix documentary aka Charlie Sheen, which hits the 2025 TV schedule on Wednesday, September 10. The two-part series features Jon Cryer, Sheen’s ex-wives Denise Richards — who appeared with him on the red carpet at the premiere — and Brooke Mueller, as well as many others, including his alleged former drug dealer.

It’s wild to think that of all the drug use that Charlie Sheen admits to, a big part of his issues might have stemmed from a street-legal testosterone cream. Be sure to check out the actor’s documentary with a Netflix subscription and/or his new memoir if you want to learn more.

There’s no question about it, Chuck Lorre is an incredibly successful and well-renowned writer, producer and creator. He’s the mastermind behind megahits like Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory and Mom, and now he has a new show on the 2025 TV schedule. So, when CinemaBlend got the chance to chat with the creative team behind this new Netflix series, Leanne, we asked what they’ve taken away from their time working with the super producer.

Ahead of Leanne’s premiere (you can stream it with a Netflix subscription now), CinemaBlend’s Nick Venable sat down to chat with Lorre as well as his fellow executive producers, Nick Bakay and Susan McMartin. He asked them what they’ve learned from working with The Big Bang Theory’s co-creator that they wouldn’t have learned otherwise, and after some joking around – which you can see above – and Lorre humously saying “careful,” Bakay sincerely said:

Nick Bakay has quite the history with Lorre. He wrote here and there on shows like Sabrina the Teenage Witch and King of Queens, and he penned the movie Paul Blart: Mall Cop before he started writing and producing with Lorre on Two and a Half Men in 2013. After that, he became a frequent collaborator of his as he wrote and produced on Mom, The Kominsky Method, Young Sheldon and more before Leanne, which just premiered on Netflix’s 2025 schedule.

All these projects are so different, too, so it sounds like Nick Bakay got to put this knowledge to use in a lot of different ways. However, along with being great sitcoms, they all have a fair dose of heart to go along with the humor, and as the EP explained, knowing how to write something real and emotional is vital, because the funny will always follow.

While he took a writing approach, Susan McMartin’s takeaway was significantly more personal. She’s also a long-time collaborator of Lorre’s, as she’s worked on Two and a Half Men and Mom as a writer and consulting producer. Both those were very long-running shows, and that sustained success gave McMartin, who co-created Leanne with Lorre, a security she’s eternally grateful for, as she explained:

The success of Lorre’s shows cannot be underestimated. Just think about the fact that along with 279 episodes of The Big Bang Theory, he created another wickedly successful show by spinning it off with Young Sheldon, which then inspired another successful spinoff, Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, which will continue on CBS’s fall lineup this season. And that’s just one example. Mom also had over 100 episodes. Meanwhile, as those were running, he also worked on series like The Kominsky Method, Bob Hearts Abishola and more.

That kind of success was able to provide job security and opportunities for many people, McMartin included. So, I see why she told us this when we asked about working with Lorre.

Now, let’s hope that Leanne can see the kind of success these other series have found over the years.

The sitcom stars Leanne Morgan and Kristen Johnston, and it follows Morgan’s titular Leanne after her husband of 33 years left her. Like the other comedies these three have worked on, Leanne seems like it's hilarious and full of heart, which speaks right to the points both of these producers and writers made.

Characters come and characters go, at least that’s the case for these beloved shows. Whether it’s on one of the best sitcoms of all time, an exhilarating epic fantasy series, or crime dramas holding down a spot on the primetime lineup for decades, these programs all have one thing in common: they lost a fan-favorite before the final episode (or even final season).

Here are 32 TV shows that lost their lead character during their run…

The Office (2005 - 2013)

After being the best character on The Office for the show’s first seven seasons, Steve Carell’s Michael Scott left Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton office back in 2011. Though he would return in a guest capacity in the final season, the absence of the awkward, excitable, yet hilarious regional manager could be felt in the series’ final days.

That ‘70s Show (1998 - 2006)

That ‘70s Show had one of the best runs of any sitcom introduced in the final years of the 20th century, one that would carry on until May 2006. However, the sitcom’s main character, Topher Grace’s Eric Forman, wouldn’t be there for all of it. The actor, whose popularity was rising at the time, left the show after its seventh season. He would return in the series finale one year later.

Two And A Half Men (2003 - 2015)

Amid contract negotiations and a string of controversial incidents, Charlie Sheen left Two and a Half Men and stopped playing fan-favorite Charlie Harper, following the hit sitcom’s eighth season in 2011. One of the most popular shows on TV at the time, the CBS comedy would continue for four more seasons, with Ashton Kutcher coming on to play Walden Schmidt

Cheers (1982 - 1993)

A mainstay of Cheers for the show’s first five seasons, Shelley Long’s Diane Chambers left the friendly Boston bar for good when she was given the opportunity to become a professional writer. However, Diane would later return near the end of the show’s final season in 1993.

ER (1994 - 2009)

Whether it was Anthony Edwards’ Mark Greene being killed off in a spectacular way or George Clooney’s Doug Ross departing following a major scandal, ER lost several of its main characters throughout its 15-season (and 331-episode) run on NBC. However, the show always seemed to rebound from even the biggest losses.

Law & Order (1990 - Present)

Countless beloved characters have come and gone from Law & Order over the years, including NYPD detective Lennie Briscoe (Jerry Orbach), who was a mainstay of the legal drama for 12 years. The series is still on today (after being revived in 2022), but few of the detectives on the show have come close to touching the greatness of the wisecracking cop.

Three’s Company (1977 - 1984)

The late Suzanne Somers became a household name for her portrayal of Chrissy Snow on Three’s Company back in 1977. One of the three leads through much of the show’s run, Somers departed the series after its fifth season. The sitcom would run for three additional seasons after Somers left.

Scrubs (2001 - 2009)

Though Zach Braff’s Dr. John Michael “J.D.” Dorian was technically part of the Scrubs cast until the very last episode of Season 9 (he’s also returning for the upcoming reboot series), he only showed up in less than half of the final run. Maybe it was for the best, because those episodes were of a far lower quality than the previous eight seasons.

Bewitched (1964 - 1972)

This is an odd one simply because the Darrin Stephens character on Bewitched was written off, but instead recast near the end of the show’s run. Played by Dick York for the first few seasons, Elizabeth Montgomery’s on-screen husband was later played by Dick Sargent in the final years of the landmark sitcom about a witch trying to hide her true nature from the world around her.

Mom (2003 - 2021)

When the main star of a show leaves partway through the series run, it can be a nightmare for their co-stars and crew members, and that was the case when Anna Faris departed the hit CBS comedy Mom in 2020. Though the show continued for one more season after Christy Plunkett was written off, the absence of the former lead could be felt.

One Tree Hill (2003 - 2012)

One of the biggest shows of the 2000s, One Tree Hill was a perennial favorite of The WB (and later The CW) through much of its nine-season run. However, the good times didn’t last the whole time, as Chad Michael Murray, who played lead Lucas Scott, departed after season 6 alongside Hilarie Burton’s Peyton Sawyer.

Grey’s Anatomy (2005 - Present)

One of the longest-running shows in TV history, Grey’s Anatomy has always been known for its tremendous cast of characters. And while there are some, like Ellen Pompeo’s Meredith Grey, who have been there all along, others have come and gone. One of the biggest is Patrick Dempsey’s Derek Shepherd, aka "Dr. McDreamy," who was killed off in the show’s 11th season.

Glee (2009 - 2015)

In the middle of Glee’s successful run on Fox, the popular musical series lost one of its main characters when the actor who played him tragically died. In July 2013, Cory Monteith, who played Finn Hudson, died at the age of 31.

The Walking Dead (2010 - 2022)

So many characters came and went on The Walking Dead, which is to be expected considering it was a show set in the zombie apocalypse. However, one of the biggest departures came in the show’s ninth season when Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes was written off the massively successful show.

House Of Cards (2013 - 2018)

House of Cards was a show with one shocking moment after another, including the time the Netflix series had to find a way to get rid of its main character before the sixth and final season. After Kevin Spacey found himself in legal trouble, the show’s producers decided to kill him off and carry on.

Blue’s Clues (1996 - 2006)

Steve Burns’ Steve was primarily the only human character on the hit Nick Jr. series, Blue’s Clues, for the show’s first four seasons. However, the actor left the animated show and was replaced by his character’s younger brother, Joe (Donovan Patton). Burns would later go on to appear in the Flaming Lips’ wild 2008 sci-fi film, Christmas on Mars.

The O.C. (2003 - 2007)

One of the main characters through the show’s first few seasons, Mischa Barton’s Marissa Cooper was killed off in heartbreaking fashion in The O.C.’s Season 3 finale. Following the departure of the tortured teenager, the show lasted one more season before coming to an end.

Charmed (1998 - 2006)

Prue Halliwell, played by the late Shannen Doherty, was one of the main characters in the first three seasons of Charmed. Though her fate was initially left up in the air following a Season 3 cliffhanger, it was later revealed that Prue died after her run-in with a powerful demonic assassin.

Laverne & Shirley (1976 - 1983)

One of the most popular spinoffs of all time (the characters originated on Happy Days), Laverne & Shirley ran for eight seasons on ABC between 1976 and 1983. However, while Penny Marshall’s Laverne DeFazio stayed around for the whole run, it was a different story for Cindy Williams’s Shirley Feeney. Williams, who was pregnant at the time, departed partway through what would ultimately be the final season.

Game Of Thrones (2011 - 2019)

Though Game of Thrones had numerous “main” characters over the course of its eight-year run, Sean Bean’s Ned Stark was one of the biggest in the first season. Creating one of the most shocking moments in TV history, Ned lost his head before the end of the first year, which set the tone for the unpredictable nature of the series moving forward.

The Vampire Diaries (2009 - 2017)

The Vampire Diaries was on the air for eight seasons between 2009 and 2017, but The CW’s popular book-to-screen adaptation lost its main character, Nina Dobrev’s Elena Gilbert, two-thirds of the way through. Though her character didn’t die, Debrov left for other opportunities.

Spin City (1996 - 2002)

The popular satirical comedy series, Spin City, ran on ABC for six seasons between 1996 and 2002, with most of those being led by Michael J. Fox as New York City deputy mayor Mike Flaherty. However, a couple of years after Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, the actor left the series after its fourth season, with his character being written off by moving to Washington, D.C.

The Wire (2002 - 2008)

The Wire’s cast was full of incredible actors playing some of the best characters to ever grace the small screen. One of the major players in the landmark HBO series’ first three seasons was Idris Elba’s Stringer Bell, a ruthless and ambitious drug lord who aspired for more than running the corners in Baltimore. However, he made far too many enemies and he was brutally killed in the show’s Season 3 finale.

Oz (1997 - 2003)

Though Oz had a killer ensemble cast throughout the HBO series’ run between 1997 and 2003, it lost one of its lead players when Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje’s Simon Adebisi was killed off in the show’s fourth season. Imagine fans’ reactions the following year when he showed up in 2001’s The Mummy Returns.

Roseanne/The Conners (1988 - 2025)

Not long after Roseanne was brought back to TV in 2018, its star, Roseanne Barr, was fired in the fallout of a controversial tweet. The show was quickly cancelled and morphed into The Conners, which ran for seven seasons before coming to an end in 2025.

NCIS (2003 - Present)

A lot of people have left NCIS over the years, but the CBS crime drama continues to be one of the most popular shows on network TV. Perhaps the biggest character to come and go since the show’s 2003 debut is NCIS Supervisory Special Agent and Special Agent in Charge Leroy Gibbs, played by Mark Harmon, who stayed on through the 19th season. Talk about longevity.

8 Simple Rules For Dating My Teenage Daughter (2002 - 2005)

8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter, later shortened to 8 Simple Rules, had a nice little run on ABC back in the early 2000s, and even helped launch the career of Kaley Cuoco. The series was originally led by John Ritter, but his character, Paul Hennessy, was written off after the Three’s Company and Problem Child star suddenly died at the age of 54 while shooting the second season.

Lost (2004 - 2010)

Much like the show’s story, talking about main characters dying on Lost is a bit confusing, considering the non-linear structure of the long-running ABC drama series. Numerous characters like Shannon Rutherford (Maggie Grace), Michael Dawson (Harold Perrineau), and Charlie Pace (Dominic Monaghan) were written off and brought back later on in the series.

Homeland (2011 - 2020)

A once-great show that went on way too long, Homeland had its fair share of shocking moments and final episodes for major characters. At the top of that list is Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis), a former prisoner of war whose true alliances are ambiguous through much of the show’s first three seasons. However, his time would come to an end a few years into the run when Brody was hanged in a public execution in Iran.

Boardwalk Empire (2010 - 2014)

Michael Pitt’s Jimmy Darmody was pretty much the 1B lead to Steve Buscemi’s Nucky Thompson in the first two seasons of Boardwalk Empire, but the up-and-coming gangster wouldn’t survive the 2011 season finale. The series would run for another three seasons before coming to an end in 2014.

Downton Abbey (2010 - 2015)

Dan Stevens’ Matthew Crawley was just one of multiple fan-favorite characters to be killed off during Downton Abbey during the show’s original run. The third-cousin, once removed of the Earl of Grantham, the character didn’t make it all that long in the grand scheme of things before dying in a car accident during the show’s third season.

Sons Of Anarchy (2008 - 2014)

Sons of Anarchy had an epic run on FX in the latter part of the 2000s through the early 2010s, and in that time, so many fan-favorites got killed off. The most horrifying came in the show’s fifth season when the beloved Opie (Ryan Hurst) was brutally murdered in prison. Some never came back after that.

They say that “Mother knows best,” but I can think of a few movies and TV shows that challenge that belief. The following are some of the rudest, most cruel, and just plain evil fictional moms whom I am eternally thankful I never had to grow up with.

Margaret White (Carrie)

Sissy Spacek's title character from Brian DePalma's 1976 adaptation of Stephen King's Carrie possesses telekinetic abilities that make her a danger to others, but she is not the villain of the story. That would be her mother, Margaret (Piper Laurie in an Oscar-nominated performance), who is an abusive, extreme religious fanatic with deluded reasoning for cruelly punishing her daughter, whom she even considers to be a punishment for her own past sins.

Lucille Bluth (Arrested Development)

There are very few members of the Bluth Family from Arrested Development who do not boast hilariously despicable personalities. The worst of them all might just be the matriarch, Lucille (Jessica Walter), whose self-serving, elitist ego drives her to manipulate and arrogantly berate all of her "loved" ones, with her own children facing much of the brunt.

Momma Lift (Throw Momma From The Train)

In the 1987 dark comedy movie, Throw Momma from the Train, Owen Lift (Danny DeVito, who also directs) agrees to kill the ex-wife of his writing professor, Larry Donner (Billy Crystal), in exchange for murdering his mother. Honestly, it is hard not to empathize with Owen when Anne Ramsey first appears in her Oscar-nominated role as the loud, nasty, belligerent, and physically abusive Momma Lift.

Livia Soprano (The Sopranos)

Every Sopranos character has their standout qualities, but Livia Soprano (Nancy Marchand) has absolutely none. Her gangster son Tony (James Gandolfini) enters therapy to get over issues stemming from his terrible childhood living under her roof. However, she committed her worst sin against him when he was grown up, attempting to orchestrate his murder.

Lady Tremaine (Cinderella)

You could look at any iteration of the classic fairy tale, Cinderella, and the title character's wicked stepmother could be considered an all-timer in this category, based on her unjustifiably horrid treatment of the innocent young woman. However, Eleanor Audley's portrayal in the Disney animated classic from 1950 is perhaps the most bloodcurdlingly cruel and chillingly intimidating.

Selina Meyer (Veep)

In Armando Iannucci's hilarious political satire, Veep, Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) uses and abuses as many people as possible to rise in the ranks of the United States Government. Receiving the worst treatment, however, is her own daughter, Catherine (Sarah Sutherland), whom she constantly belittles and shamelessly uses as a tool in her campaigns.

Mary Jones (Precious)

One of the most stunning examples of a comedian giving a stellar dramatic performance is Mo'Nique's Oscar-winning role in Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire as the title character's mom, Mary Jones. Not only does she physically and verbally abuse her teenage daughter (played by Gabourey Sidibe), but she also stands by when her husband takes advantage of her, only to blame her for the situation and accuse her of "stealing her man."

Cersei Lannister (Game Of Thrones)

In the world of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novels, there are many noble royals who breed despicable children, and just as many noble royals bred from despicable parents. However, Cersei Lannister (played by Lena Headey in HBO's Game of Thrones cast) is an example of a sadistic woman who also bred sadistic children, all of whom would end up meeting a bitter end as a result of her manipulative ways.

Joan Crawford (Mommie Dearest)

Arguably, the mother of all mean movie mothers is not a product of complete fiction, but allegedly based on fact. Faye Dunaway gives a frighteningly over-the-top performance as Academy Award winner Joan Crawford in a 1981 adaptation of Mommie Dearest, a memoir by the screen legend's own adoptive daughter, Christina.

Cookie Lyon (Empire)

The dog-eat-dog nature of the music industry has rarely been captured better than in Lee Daniels and Danny Strong's hit series, Empire, especially as seen through the eyes of Loretha "Cookie" Lyon. Portrayed by Taraji P. Henson in a Golden Globe-winning performance, the record executive and former convict is not opposed to pitting her own children against each other to benefit her own influence over the family's company, Empire Entertainment.

Pamela Voorhees (Friday The 13th)

If you really think about it, Pamela Voorhees (portrayed by Betsy Palmer in the 1980 horror movie classic, Friday the 13th) is not, in essence, a bad mother. It was her loving commitment to her son that drove her to murder the camp counselors she believes were responsible for his fatal drowning. In fact, proof that the sympathetic horror villain was a good mom lies in the mysteriously resurrected Jason and his bid to continue killing debaucherous teens in her honor.

Marie Barone (Everybody Loves Raymond)

On the beloved TV sitcom, Everybody Loves Raymond, Frank Barone (Peter Boyle) is the more outwardly spiteful parent to Ray (Ray Romano) and Robert (Brad Garrett). At least he does not treat his sons like children, even as grown-ups, like his wife, Marie, does. Doris Roberts' multi-Emmy-winning role might be an even worse mother-in-law, with the way she puts down Ray's wife, Debra (Patricia Heaton), at seemingly every chance.

Lavona Golden (I, Tonya)

I believe the key to Allison Janney's Oscar win for portraying Tonya Harding's mother, Lavona Golden, in I, Tonya is how persuasively she argues that she is responsible for pushing the Olympic figure skater (played by Margot Robbie) to greatness. However, she takes absolutely no responsibility for instilling qualities of poor sportsmanship, incessant verbal and physical abuse, and her shamelessly manipulative ways.

Evelyn Harper (Two And A Half Men)

Holland Taylor is dynamite in her ferocious, four-time Emmy-nominated performance as the cold and vindictive Evelyn Harper on Two and a Half Men. It is no wonder that her sons, the commitment-phobic Charlie (Charlie Sheen) and hopelessly dissatisfied Alan (Jon Cryer), turned out to be, when you imagine what living with her must have been like.

Petunia Dursley (The Harry Potter Movies)

What makes Petunia Dursley (Fiona Shaw) easily one of the most despicable Harry Potter characters is her terrible role as a parent, but in more than one way. She treats her son, Dudley (Harry Melling), far too well, spoiling him beyond repair. Yet, her treatment of her eponymous orphaned nephew (played by Daniel Radcliffe) is abhorrent, from locking him in a cupboard under the stairs as punishment to making him into her home's indentured servant.

Colleen Donaghy (30 Rock)

Elaine Stritch earned five Emmy nominations for appearing on 30 Rock as the domineering and mercilessly critical mother of Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin), Colleen. Jack once accidentally hit her with his car and, as a result of her unfavorable behavior, proceeded to wait eight minutes before deciding to call 9-1-1.

Ruth DeWitt Bukater (Titanic)

Frances Fisher's role in the Titanic cast, Ruth DeWitt Bukater, is an essential example of an overbearing, elitist, and manipulative movie mother. Perhaps her worst offense is forcing Rose (Kate Winslet) to marry her loathsome fiancé, Cal (Billy Zane), purely for the social status it will earn their family.

Brianna Barksdale (The Wire)

On The Wire, the only thing standing in the way of D'Angelo Barksdale's (Lawrence Gilliard Jr.) switch to the right side of the law is his mother. Brianna (Michael Hyatt) is constantly manipulating her son into giving up so much for the benefit of their family's unlawful business, including serving a long prison sentence on behalf of his uncle, Avon (Wood Harris).

Eleanor Shaw Iselin (The Manchurian Candidate)

Discovering that you have been brainwashed into becoming a political assassin is terrifying. Discovering that your own mother is involved in the conspiracy, like what Eleanor Shaw Iselin (Angela Lansbury) does to her son, Raymond (Laurence Harvey), in the 1962's The Manchurian Candidate, is simply devastating.

Endora (Bewitched)

Some of the funniest moments on Bewitched would come courtesy of Agnes Moorehead as Endora, a literal witch who never once held back from expressing her resentment toward her mortal son-in-law, Darrin Stephens (original Dick York and later Dick Sargent). Of course, Samantha (Elizabeth Montgomery) is as much a victim of her mother's domineerance, and one can only imagine what sorts of wicked things she must have put up with while growing up with her.

Mrs. Robinson (The Graduate)

Watching The Graduate from the perspective of Elaine Robinson (Katharine Ross) makes the 1967 dramedy an even more maddening trip. It is bad enough that her mother (played by Anne Bancroft) attempts to ruin her relationship with Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman), but to discover that he is her lover, too, sounds like a nightmare.

Irina Derevko (Alias)

To get a more authentic look at what the life of a spy must be like, I would not recommend checking out the James Bond movies, but the hit ABC series, Alias, which follows the adventures of double agent Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner). She was prepped for the traumatic hardships of espionage at an early age when her mother, Irina Derevko (Lena Olin), faked her death, but even that could not prepare her for when Irina betrayed her daughter in favor of the KGB.

Beverly Sutphin (Serial Mom)

The central character of writer and director John Waters' uproarious dark comedy, 1994's Serial Mom, is Beverly Sutphin (Kathleen Turner), a suburban housewife who would never harm her own children. However, she has absolutely no qualms about brutally harming other people for the sake of her children, which does not make things any better, of course.

Maya Lewis (Scandal)

Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) had dedicated her life and career to making crises disappear on Scandal. On the other hand, her mother, Maya Lewis (Khandi Alexander), has, ironically, dedicated her life to making them happen. However, Olivia did not know that for almost two decades, and, in fact, she was under the impression that her mother was dead that whole time.

Mrs. Windle Vale (Now, Voyager)

Bette Davis stars in director Irving Rapper's 1942 drama, Now, Voyager, as Charlotte Vale, who longs for independence from her overbearing mother (played by Gladys Cooper), who constantly belittles her with comments about her being an embarrassment to their family. Apparently, Mrs. Vale could not stand the idea of her daughter protesting her dominance because the day she does just happens to be the day she succumbs to a sudden heart attack.

Ida Welker (Malcolm In The Middle)

While Lois (Jane Kaczmarek) could be seen as a mean mom, in retrospect, she put up with a lot while raising her five boys (six if you count Bryan Cranston's Hal) on Malcolm in the Middle. While I have nothing but respect for her, I have nothing but disdain for her mother, Ida (Academy Award winner Cloris Leachman), who is a cold, conniving, and downright horrid woman right to her core.

Zinnia Wormwood (Matilda)

Based on the novel by Roald Dahl, 1996's Matilda stars Mara Wilson in the title role of a young girl gifted with telekinetic powers but cursed with despicable adult peers, including her uncaring parents. Not only is her mother, Zinnia Wormwood (Rhea Perlman), a vain, airheaded narcissist, but her father (played by Danny DeVito, who also directs) is just as bad.

Dr. Beverly Hofstadter (The Big Bang Theory)

Almost every member of CBS' The Big Bang Theory cast has a mother with a strong personality, to say the least, but Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki) has that claimed unmatched. Psychologist Beverly Hofstadter (Christine Baranski) never bothered to show Leonard any affection, considering she only had children for experimental and research purposes anyway.

Alice Ward (The Fighter)

Melissa Leo gives an Academy Award-winning performance in 2010's fact-based, acclaimed boxing movie, The Fighter, as Alice Ward. The portrayal paints her as a woman who is more concerned with what is best for the athletic careers of her sons, Micky (Mark Wahlberg) and Dicky (Christian Bale), than what is best for their well-beings.

Constance Langdon (American Horror Story)

As one of the most frequent recurring American Horror Story actors, Jessica Lange has played an amusing variety of characters on the seasonal horror anthology TV show. However, her scariest role may be the first, Constance Langdon, whose horrid parenting skills and refusal to take responsibility for them have resulted in chaos in her household and for others affected by her children's actions.

Lilly Dillon (The Grifters)

One might assume that Lilly Dillon (Anjelica Huston) would be happy that her son, Roy (John Cusack), has found love with Myra (Annette Bening), who is in the same line of work as she is: con artistry. However, Lilly is the type of mother who does not believe any woman is good enough for her son, which is why she plots to murder Myra in 1990's The Grifters.

Norma Bates (Bates Motel)

We never actually meet Norma Bates in Alfred Hitchcock's seminal 1960 thriller, Psycho, but we can imagine, from the way her son, Norman (Anthony Perkins), takes on her likeness when murdering people, that she was not an easy person to get along with. The A&E original series, Bates Motel, offers an inside look at the complicated relationship between Norma (Vera Farmiga) and young Norman (Freddie Highmore), which is littered with lies, manipulation, and murder.

Two and a Half Men may have had a major cast shake-up during the tumultous period when Charlie Sheen was fired and replaced by Ashton Kutcher, but the series still ran over 250 episodes. It also dealt with a slightly less intense casting change, with sitcom vet Melanie Lynsky opting to turn down a lucrative offer to be a series regular, and now the Yellowjackets star is speaking out about that decision.

Lynskey is now known for appearing in premium cable horror shows, but she still gets recognized for Two and a Half Men, having starred as Rose, the Harpers’ neighbor, for the first two seasons before becoming more of a recurring presence for the remainder of the 12-season run. While that shift usually happens the other way around, this one was a decision that Lynskey made on her own.

While being honored with the Precious Gem Award at the Miami Film Festival (via Variety), Lynskey looked back and talked about her career on the whole, including Two and a Half Men, admitting that playing Rose longterm, after it was initially just a guest spot, wasn’t what she expected. In her words:

Even though it was probably a great feeling knowing that her character quickly became a favorite with producers and fans, it wasn’t exactly the kind of work that Lynskey wanted to throw herself into. Plus, her schedule and contract stipulations at the time made it hard to take on other jobs she may have wanted.

While the money was a plus, it seems like Lynskey wasn’t really liking being affixed to a single role, since she couldn’t do anything else. So when Season 5 came around, she made the move to get out of her contractual deal, and confessed that although it wasn’t the best decision for her bank account, it ultimately was a good idea for her mental well-being. As she put it:

It doesn’t sound like it was an easy decision to come to, especially when being a series regular came with so much money. But with that money comes responsibility and a creative limitation. It may not have made sense financially for Melanie Lynskey for her to put other parts of her career first, but it made sense overall. Plus, it’s not like she outright left the show entirely. She remained on throughout the entire run, appearing in 63 episodes, which is something of a rare case for actors who voluntarily took demotions.

Now, Lynskey has a variety of shows and movies under her belt, and she seems to be choosingly only projects that she'd like to embrace for the long haul. All things happen for a reason, and it’s hard to imagine how different Two and a Half Men would have beeen if Lynskey stayed on as a series regular for most (or all) of the show’s run, and how different her career would have been. Maybe she'd be more down to drink tiger's blood as opposed to human blood on Yellowjackets.

That being said, her not wanting to be a series regular on Two and a Half Men did not dimmish her wants of starring in another show. She can currently be seen in the hit series Yellowjackets, whose recently concluded third season can be streamed with a Prime Video subscription.

"We're all going to be cool like Fonzie" are the words that Jules Winfield (Samuel L. Jackson) says in Pulp Fiction. It's not random, of course, that he chose Henry Winkler's character from Happy Days to define cool. The Fonz remains one of, if not the coolest characters in television history, but he's hardly alone on the small screen for his coolness. This list includes many of those cool characters you could always see yourself being friends with.

Rico Tubbs - Miami Vice

Often on cop shows, you'll get one buttoned-up straight cop and one "cool" cop. On Miami Vice, that wasn't the case. Both detectives oozed '80s cool, but in very different ways. James "Sonny" Crockett (Don Johnson) was aloof most of the time, but cared when it mattered. Ricardo "Rico" Tubbs cared all the time, but played it off as pure cool.

Charlie Harper - Two And A Half Men

Charlie Sheen has been some wild ups and downs in his personal and professional life, but his character on Two and a Half Men has always been the definition of laid-back cool. Maybe too much, compared to the other characters around him. He does bring a great balance, though.

Bunk Moreland - The Wire

The Bunk, Bunk Moreland (Wendell Pierce), on The Wire, is well-dressed and as smooth as his silk ties. He's one of the best "murder police" in the Baltimore PD, and he never misses a trick. It's easy to understand why he's on this list.

Thomas Magnum - Magnum P.I.

There are a lot of cool TV detectives, but the top of the list has to be Thomas Magnum from Magnum P.I. He drives a Ferarri, he wears short shorts, and he's got some of the best facial hair in the game. The ladies want him, and the gentlemen want to be him. He's got all the game, and he gets to live on a giant estate in Hawaii. That's winning.

Carol Peletier - The Walking Dead

In the beginning of The Walking Dead, Carol Peletier didn't seem like much of a survivor. She suffered at the hands of an abusive husband and seemed well out of her depth when the zombie apocalypse started. She used everything she learned, though, and by the end, she wasn't just one of the baddest survivors on the show; she was also one of the coolest.

Barney Stinson - How I Met Your Mother

This one might be a little controversial because despite having a ton of amazing quotes and having a classic aloof nature, Barney Stintson is pretty swarmy. Of course, everyone has a friend like that, and almost everyone lets those friends get away with their bad behavior because they are so cool.

Sydney Bristow - Alias

Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner) on Alias is the epitome of cool under pressure. She always knew what to do and was as capable as any spy in Hollywood history. She deserves a spot high on any list about cool characters.

Mrs. Maisel - The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Any woman in the 1950s who chooses to strike out on her own and take a chance like Midge Maisel should be cool in anyone's book. When she's as funny as Mrs. Maisel, it's an open-and-shut case. She's the coolest.

Chandler Bing - Friends

Chandler on Friends, played by the late Matthew Perry, isn't everyone's cup of tea, but it's hard to deny his coolness. Of all the friends, he's easily the coolest. There is an aloofness to him that lends itself to cool, and compared to Joey and Ross? It's not even a race, really, Chandler wins every time.

Michael Knight - Knight Rider

Michael Knight (David Hasselhoff) had a great perm, he wore an awesome Members-Only-looking leather coat, and he drove a Trans Am that talked to him. By any standard, that is cool. By the standards of the '80s? It was the top of the mountain. Everyone loves David Hasselhoff.

Fonzie - Happy Days

Here we are, at the coolest of the cool. Arthur Fonzarelli, or "The Fonz" or "Fonzie," if you like. He could do things like fix jukeboxes just by hitting them. He rode a motorcycle and wore a leather jacket. And he had that great hair! Plus, he's everyone's favorite person, including all the parents and authority figures. It just doesn't get cooler.

Al Swearengen - Deadwood

He's mean, he's nasty, and he makes an enemy out of everyone. Yet, for some undefinable reason, Al Swearengen (Ian McShane) is definitely cool. Maybe its his verboseness, or maybe it's his confidence, it's hard to pinpoint exactly. Even though he's a violent criminal, he's still really cool.

Daria - Daria

For an entire generation of disaffected teenagers in the 1990s, Daria on Daria summed up everything they were feeling. Unimpressed with the world, beaten down by modern life, and more interested in being sullen than anything else, Daria was everything a cool kid was in the '90s.

Daryl Dixon - The Walking Dead

Of all the characters on The Walking Dead, none were cooler than the cross-bow-wielding, motorcycle-riding, complete stud, Daryl Dixon. He was soft-spoken, but when he did speak, everyone listened. He didn't have to say much to be cool, he just had to be himself. He was always ready for a fight and always backed his friends. He's just the best.

Don Draper - Mad Men

The mid-20th Century produced a lot of "cool." Don Draper, who led the charge in culture, defines that cool. There are a million moments in Mad Men where Draper (Jon Hamm) proves just how cool he is. He may have been living a lie, but man it was a cool life!

Cosmo Kramer - Seinfeld

To paraphrase Jerry on Seinfeld, Kramer does nothing, falls backward into money, mooches food off your neighbors, and hooks up without dating. While actor Michael Richards has had a checkered career since starring on one of the best sitcoms of all time, his character on the show was always cool. He was the one we all wanted to be.

Fleabag - Fleabag

Fleabag (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) is so cool, she doesn't even need a name. That's really saying something. She's smart, funny, cynical, and yeah, sometimes angry or mean, but most of the time, it's her biting wit that puts her on this list. There are a lot of people who strive to have that kind of wit, but very few ever do. Cool.

Sam Malone - Cheers

Anyone who owns a bar like Cheers is going to have to be on this list. He's loyal to his friends and regulars, he's an ex-pro athlete, and he never has problems dating beautiful women. He's also one of the funniest characters from one of the funniest sitcoms ever. We all want to be Sam, in some ways.

Face - The A-Team

Templeton "Face" Peck is the coolest character on The A-Team and usually the coolest under pressure, too. He's most likely to be the one that to go undercover because of it. He's also got some of the best lines on the show. Everyone on the team is cool in their own way, but Face takes the cake when it comes to real "coolness."

Mary Richards - The Mary Tyler Moore Show

She's gonna make it after all! Mary Richards oozes everything cool in all seven seasons of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. She showed girls and women everywhere that they, too, could make it in the corporate world and in the news business, all while looking sheik and being insanely cool.

Spock - Star Trek

Of all the characters in the original Star Trek, Spock has to be the coolest, right? Bones seems like the most fun, and Kirk would be hilarious to hang out with, but Spock has them all beat. He's cool, calm, and collected at all times, and he has just even of a human side to make him real. He has all the facts, too, which is good for all those arguments in a bar, right?

Tyrion Lannister - Game Of Thrones

The list of "cool" Lannisters on Game of Thrones is a short list. It's a list of one, really, and that one is, of course, Tyrion. From the way he dances to his trial, or the way he stays as loyal as he can to people until the end, he's the one family member you can trust. Obviously he's also a lot of fun.

Columbo - Columbo

What can we say about Peter Falk's amazing character, Columbo, in the show of the same name? He plays the bumbling detective who actually knows exactly what is going on at all times. He doesn't put on airs, and he doesn't care what people think of him at first blush. In fact, his nonchalant nature is exactly what makes him so effective - and cool.

Sonny Crockett - Miami Vice

One half of the coolest '80s TV detectives, Sonny Crockett oozes cool. He drives exotic cars, looks great in a white suit and pastel shirts, and he is, in the end, Don Johnson. Don Johnson is as cool as his character, and it all comes across on the screen. With all the wild guest stars in Miami Vice history, he had to hold his own, and he more than did.

Lucy Ricardo - I Love Lucy

Lucy Ricardo was a television pioneer in every way. She not only had one of the first legitimately huge hits on the medium, she did it as a women. That only is enough to make her cool enough for this list. The fact that her character on I Love Lucy was a little goofy and a little batty only adds to the cool factor.

Buffy Summers - Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Talk about a character who became a role model for teenagers everywhere! The way Buffy Summers from Buffy The Vampire Slayer always handled herself made her formidable, but cool as heck while she was.

Lester Freamon - The Wire

"Cool Lester Smooth" is just one of Lester Freamon's nicknames on The Wire. He does have a certain tweed impertinence, but he's got all the answers. The show is too realistic to have a real Holmsian character, but Lester, played brilliantly by Clarke Peters, is as close as the show comes, and everyone knows that's cool. Plus, he looks out for his friends and has endless patience. Oodles of coolness.

Silvio Dante - The Sopranos

Every kingpin needs a trustworthy #2, and for Tony Soprano, that's his consiglieri, Silvio Dante. He is as loyal as it comes, and he does a mean Al Pacino impression. It helps that the character is played by a bona fide rock star, "Little" Steven Van Zandt from the E Street Band. Silvio was "peak cool" from the peak era of prestige TV.

Arya Stark - Game Of Thrones

Unlike the Lannisters in Game of Thrones, there are a lot of cool Starks. How can you pick just one among Ned, Robb, and all the rest? Well, really, it's easy. Arya is the coolest. In fact, she's pretty much the coolest character in the whole series, both on screen and in the books.

Sawyer - Lost

Okay we'll admit, Sawyer on Lost is often a jerk. But man, he's so cool sometimes. If you like bad boys, he's the ultimate bad boy and as we all know, bad boys are cool. It's just the way it goes. It's a fact. Plus, that hair... that hair is awesome.

Lisa Simpson - The Simpsons

This is a hill not a lot of Simpsons fans will die on, but those of us who will, will go down fighting. Lisa Simpson is the best. She's the best family member and the heart of the show's morality. If Lisa disapproves, you should do that thing. She's also really fun when she wants to be, even if some people disagree. Nerds are cool!

Wednesday Addams - Wednesday

Just like bad boys are always cool, bad girls are too. Wednesday Addams is as bad a girl can get, in the very best way. That means she's the coolest. The level of aloofness is frankly incredible and means she has to be on this list.

You know those ill-behaved sitcom kids and bullish older brothers and sisters from family shows whom you are supposed to find funny? Well, to be perfectly honest, I do not find their irritating quirks very funny and sometimes even dread the moment they will appear on screen and highly anticipate their eventual exit. Here are some examples of the annoying TV siblings I am talking about.

Megan Parker (Drake & Josh)

In most episodes of Nickelodeon's Drake & Josh, the trouble the titular stepbrothers (played by Drake Bell and Josh Nichols) would regularly get into was of no fault but their own. However, they still faced a great deal of torment at the hands of their younger sister, Megan (Miranda Cosgrove), whose early pranks were adorably mischievous but later proved to be surprisingly sophisticated and even life-threatening, also making her a fictional child you should not mess with.

Bobby Brady (The Brady Bunch)

To be frank, I think each one of the kids from The Brady Bunch has their own annoying characteristics. However, Bobby was a bit of a special case, and not just because he was the youngest boy, but because he would come up with new ways to annoy the others in multiple episodes.

Trina Vega (Victorious)

Trina Vega (Daniella Monet) – the older sister of Victoria Justice's Tori Vega, the central character from Nickelodeon's Victorious – is a perfect representation of the exact kind of person I am most infuriated by. Her aggressively selfish delusions about her looks and talent have robbed her of any humility, convincing her she is justified in putting down anyone she believes is lesser than her, which is just about everyone she encounters.

Sue Heck (The Middle)

The Middle is a sitcom that gives you reason to find any of the central family's children annoying, but many seem to be especially perturbed by Sue Heck (Eden Sher). While some fans admire the brace-faced middle child's unbridled optimism, others feel she could take things down a notch.

Stephanie Tanner (Full House)

I think any fan of Full House would agree that the sitcom's most annoying character is not any member of the blended central family, but D.J.'s best friend, Kimmy Gibbler (Andrea Barber). However, among the Tanners, middle daughter Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin) would have to take the cake, especially in the earlier seasons when she displayed overdramatic and bratty tendencies and would withhold important information because "nobody asked" her about it.

Brad Taylor (Home Improvement)

Just about every character in the Home Improvement cast has something to like about them, but I think the one with the least criteria is Tim (Tim Allen) and Jill (Patricia Richardson)'s oldest son, Brad Taylor (Zachary Ty Bryan). In early seasons, he was the most notorious for tormenting his youngest and most meek brother, Mark, and his intelligence only seemed to regress as he got older.

Pim Diffy (Phil Of The Future)

The Diffy family from Disney Channel's sci-fi sitcom, Phil of the Future, would often come closest to revealing their true identities as a 22nd-Century clan trapped in the past because of the eponymous teen's younger sister, Pim (Amy Bruckner). Not only was she prone to relying on her family's futuristic gadgets for personal gain, but she also aspired to use them to take over the world.

Caillou (Caillou)

While the titular 4-year-old from Caillou had a younger sister named Rosie, he was easily the biggest baby of his family by behavior alone. I remember, even as a youngster, feeling so annoyed by the kid's crybaby temperament that I could not bring myself to watch PBS' adaptation of the illustrated Canadian children's books any longer.

Tonya (Everybody Hates Chris)

Tonya (Imani Hakim) from Everybody Hates Chris serves as a definitive representation of what happens when you spoil your children, just like her father, Julius (Terry Crews), did. As a result, the Rock Family's youngest turned out to be a mercilessly controlling bully, especially to the titular eldest kid (Tyler James Williams, a former child star who still acts today).

Reese (Malcolm In The Middle)

There are plenty of reasons why you could argue that the most annoying child character in the Malcolm in the Middle cast is Dewey (Erik Per Sullivan). However, his intelligence and temperance significantly outweigh that of the second oldest brother, Reese (Justin Berfield), who seemed to thrive on insubordination, made worse by his hopelessly foolish instincts.

Candace Flynn (Phineas And Ferb)

The titular stepbrothers from Disney Channel's beloved animated series, Phineas and Ferb (voiced by Vincent Martella and Thomas Sangster), want nothing more than to make every day of their summer vacation the best day possible. Thus, I find it genuinely distressing that their older sister, Candace (Ashley Tisdale), constantly goes out of her way to ruin their fun for vague and selfish reasons when she should just learn to relax.

Stewie Grffin (Family Guy)

Honestly, out of all these annoying TV siblings, I think I do enjoy Stewie Griffin (voiced by Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane) because the sophisticated infant is pretty funny. However, I have never understood why he is so committed to murdering his mother, Lois (Alex Borstein).

Kyra Rockmore (Kenan & Kel)

Something I noticed while rewatching Kenan & Kel as an adult is that Kenan Rockmore's (future long-running SNL cast member Kenan Thompson) younger sister, Kyra (Vanessa Baden), only has one defining character trait: her ridiculous crush on Kel Kimble (Kel Mitchell). The fact that the writers of the otherwise hilarious Nickelodeon sitcom never bothered to develop her beyond that quirk is truly what makes her annoying to me.

Ferguson Darling (Clarissa Explains It All)

What did Clarissa Darling (Melissa Joan Hart's first starring role, in Clarissa Explains It All) do to deserve a younger brother as snooty, pretentious, and invasive as Ferguson? I cannot help but wonder if Jason Zimbler's years playing such an annoying kid on the Nickelodeon comedy inspired the former child star to walk away from the spotlight and become a software engineer (according to The Sun).

Carrie Ingalls (Little House On The Prairie)

In the earlier years of Little House on the Prairie's run, Carrie (played by twin sisters Lindsay and Sidney Greenbush) and her struggles to pronounce comprehensible lines of dialogue was one of the most adorable aspects of the period family drama. However, as the series adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder's autobiographical novels went on, the third Ingalls child never really seemed to grow up, and viewers were not too charmed by her immaturity.

Henry Finnerty (Grounded For Life)

After actor Jake Burbage moved away from the set of Grounded for Life with his family, his character, Henry Finnerty, disappeared from the show's fifth and final season. I must admit, I was pretty relieved that I did not have to see any more of Sean (Donal Logue) and Claudia's (Megyn Price) third child – an incessant chatterbox with a tendency to stir up trouble in the household for no reason other than, perhaps, because he wants to watch the world burn.

Erica Sinclair (Stranger Things)

I can understand why some Stranger Things fans believe that Dustin Sinclair's (Caleb McLaughlin) younger sister, Erica (Priah Ferguson), and her unbridled boisterousness makes her the acclaimed Netflix sci-fi TV show's real MVP, especially in Season 3. However, let me just say that if I had her as a sibling, I would not know what to do with myself.

Matt McGuire (Lizzie McGuire)

Fun fact about myself: Lizzie McGuire first started airing on Disney Channel around the time my sibling was born. After getting pretty fed up with the ridiculously antagonizing rivalry between Hilary Duff's eponymous teen and her mischievous younger brother (played by Jake Thomas), I promised to never let my relationship with my sister evolve into anything remotely similar. So, I guess I have Matt to thank for that.

D.W. Read (Arthur)

Young aardvark Arthur Read turned out to be such a decent kid and yet, it seems that barely any of those same values were passed down to his sister, D.W. While the 4-year-old is might not be the most annoying character on the beloved animated series, her spoiled attitude and brutal honesty is jarring, especially for a PBS Kids show.

Cory Baxter (That's So Raven)

While That So Raven's Raven Baxter (Raven-Symoné) has the ability to see the future, she can't seem to notice that she can be deeply self-centered and bossy. However, her younger brother, Cory (Kyle Massey), is described in the first episode of the hit Disney Channel series as "a master in deceit and the art of psychological manipulations" and would typically apply these skills purely for his own benefit and to the detriment of others.

Dee Dee (Dexter’s Laboratory)

I will admit, the unusually intelligent and deeply arrogant title character of Dexter's Laboratory is someone I often had trouble warming to. On the other hand, I did empathize with him having to deal with his overactive and ditzy older sister, Dee Dee, and her tendency to make waste of his experiments on many occasions.

Ross Gellar (Friends)

Who says this list has to be exclusive to kids when there are also grown-up TV siblings as irritating as the most annoying character in the Friends cast, Ross Gellar? There are many reasons why David Schwimmer's character is just the worst and why his younger sister, Monica (Courteney Cox), is easily the more mature sibling. He is incessantly needy, hypocritical, and, perhaps worst of all, possessive over Rachel (Jennifer Aniston).

Sarah (Ed, Edd N Eddy)

With the exception of, maybe, Nazz, just about all of the unsupervised youngsters from Ed, Edd n Eddy were a handful, especially the dim-witted Ed (Matt Hill). Of course, even he was an absolute prize when compared to his younger sister, Sarah (Janyse Jaud), who is one of the most terrifyingly short-tempered kids on the cul-de-sac.

Laurie Forman (That ‘70s Show)

If it were not for Red (Kurtwood Smith) showing her favoritism, Laurie Forman would have taken a lot more heat from him and Kitty (Debra Jo Rupp) than her younger and meeker brother, Eric (Topher Grace), did on That '70s Show. Originally played by the late Lisa Robin Kelly before a casting shake-up brought in Christina Moore, Laurie constantly bullied her brother and belittled her mother, seduced Kelso (Ashton Kutcher) into cheating on Jackie (Mila Kunis) with her, and was even unfaithful in her green card marriage to Fez (Wilmer Valderama).

Timberly Johanssen (Hey Arnold!)

Some of the most distressing predicaments and misadventures that Arnold and Gerald went through on Hey Arnold! were caused by Gerald's younger sister, Timberly. For instance, there was the time the best friends tried their hand at selling chocolate turtles but lost all of their product when Timberly ate them, forcing them to make them from scratch.

Kelly Bundy (Married... With Children)

If Bud Bundy (David Faustino) was not blessed with a far higher intelligence than his aggressively selfish older sister, Kelly (Christina Applegate), I might be inclined to call him the more annoying child from the iconic blue-collar TV show, Married... with Children. Either way, these siblings were already destined for ruin growing up in a household run by Al (Ed O'Neill) and Peg (Katey Segal).

Debbie Thornberry (The Wild Thornberrys)

On Nickelodeon's The Wild Thornberrys, the central character, Eliza (voiced by Lacey Chabert), always showed gratitude for the opportunity her parents gave her to travel the world and learn about different cultures and animal species. The same cannot be said about her conceited older sister, Debbie (Danielle Harris), who always had something to complain about on their many adventures.

Wayne Arnold (The Wonder Years)

Growing up in the late 1960s and early 1970s did not look easy from the perspective of Kevin Arnold (Fred Savage), especially when you have an older brother like Wayne. Jason Hervey's character from The Wonder Years was TV's definitive nightmare sibling during its six-season run from 1988 to 1993.

Cindy Brady (The Brady Bunch)

For her naivety and tendency to tattle on her siblings, Cindy (Susan Olsen) is among the young characters from The Brady Bunch I would least like to have as a sibling.

Alan Harper (Two And A Half Men)

Back when I watched Two and a Half Men, I always had empathy for Alan Harper (Jon Cryer) as a divorced father with perpetual struggles to find love and financial stability. However, for his hypocritical tendencies, sniveling pretentiousness, and for being a freeloader, I have more sympathy for the guy who has to live with him: his older brother, Charlie (Charlie Sheen).

Liv Rooney (Liv And Maddie)

One of the reasons why Liv and Maddie is one of the best TV shows for Dove Cameron fans to watch is her impressive, Daytime Emmy-winning performance as both of the titular sisters, who could not be more different. While Maddie is smart and kindhearted, Liv is absent-minded and completely full of herself.

Max (Max & Ruby)

Both of the titular rabbit siblings from the Canadian children's program, Max & Ruby, have their faults, considering the older Ruby's bossy nature. However, the three-year-old Max and his rambunctiousness and overeagerness were known to test her patience quite often.

We’re nearing the end of the 2024 TV schedule, but that doesn’t mean all of the year’s noteworthy premieres happened already. Case in point: the same night that the Chuck Lorre-produced spinoff Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage aired its first midseason finale, the mega-producer’s streaming comedy Bookie kicked off Season 2 on Max, with viewers once again getting a special appearance or two from Two and a Half Men vet and one-time star Charlie Sheen.

As many area already aware, Lorre and Sheen were engaged in one of pop culture’s wildest feuds, with the actor’s increasingly bizarre behavior sabotaging his stint on Two and a Half Men and causing him to lose that gig. It took years for the two celebs to bury the hatchet, which essentially happened as Bookie’s first season was coming together. And it’s clear that initial reunion was not only comfortable for the duo, but also enjoyable, considering they teamed back up for Season 2 cameos.

Speaking with People, Lorre addressed working with Charlie Sheen again for the streaming comedy alongside stars Sebastian Maniscalco and Omar Dorsey, and had only good things to say. In his words:

To that end, Sheen plays himself on Bookie, or at least a partially fictionalized version of himself. It's definitely not the most flattering role, as the Hot Shots actor is engaging in a bit of self-parody that addresses his impulses and addictions. That said, Lorre spoke ahead of Season 1 about Sheen’s one big request being that he didn’t want to specifically address his past drug addiction, saying that time of his life had already been covered more than enough.

Chuck Lorre talked about how he and Sheen had such a good working relationship for longer than many shows get to stay on the air, and shared kind words for Charlie Sheen’s professional talents, saying:

After watching Season 2 of Bookie, fans will probably hope to see Sheen taking on more of a starring role in an upcoming Chuck Lorre creation, possibly even with former Two and a Half Men co-star Jon Cryer joining in. But we'll have to wait and see if the writer-producer can craft a new story that utilizes the Spin City vet's comedic chops just as well.

Bookie’s Season 2 premiere is currently available to steam with a Max subscription, with new episodes debuting every Thursday until the season wraps up a month into the 2025 TV schedule.

There are so many shows out there that are perfect for your next binge. They could be one of the best shows to watch on Netflix or even be an original series for a streaming service – either way, they are full of life and hilarity. And if you're looking for a new show to watch, you might want to consider any of the following options for your next best sitcom.

Friends

I can't have a sitcom list and not write about Friends. The series was a huge hit for several years, running for ten seasons and making the Friends cast the vast stars they are today. The series follows a group of friends who live in New York City and follow their personal and professional lives.

How I Met Your Mother

For nine seasons, How I Met Your Mother dominated the world. The How I Met Your Mother cast was exceptionally popular, with skyrocketing careers, and featured some of the funniest jokes ever. If you ignore the finale (which most tend to do), it's honestly one of the best shows out there. The series follows the main character as he tells his children about how he met their mother.

30 Rock

Created by Tina Fey, 30 Rock ran for seven seasons and was a hilarious addition to the sitcom's run. The series follows the lives of workers at a fictional sketch show in New York City, based on Fey's time working on Saturday Night Live. The 30 Rock cast is hilarious in so many ways.

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia

Okay, so this series is the definition of a long binge. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia has run forever, it seems. It follows the story of a group of friends (and one annoying father) who live in Philadelphia and get up to the craziest things (usually illegal). I mean, this series is iconic—it can't really get better than this one.

Abbott Elementary

Abbott Elementary is on the fast track to becoming an all-time great show. The series follows the lives of teachers who work at a public school in Philadelphia and the struggles they have to go through to make their children happy and give them a good environment, as well as their own personal lives.

Frasier

Running for eleven seasons, Frasier is a spinoff of Cheers and follows the psychiatrist Frasier Crane, who travels back home to Seattle and documents his personal and professional life. Talk about an incredible spinoff – and it earned a reboot several years later on Paramount+.

The Office

I mean, obviously, I have to include The Office. Running for eleven seasons, the series followed the lives of workers in a paper company in Scranton and is considered one of the best mockumentary sitcoms of all time. The Office cast is super iconic, and after one watch, you'll be returning to this show like a security blanket.

Community

With six seasons, Community is a fun one to watch. It follows five misfits who go to a community college and form a study group together – which gets them into hilarious situations. The series is hysterical, and while Season 5 is a little iffy (in my personal opinion and many others), it's still worth a binge – especially since a Community movie is in the works.

Cheers

Running for eleven seasons, Cheers is one of the most iconic sitcoms of all time. The show mainly revolves around patrons and friends who gather at a bar as we follow their lives both in and out of the world. The series is responsible for creating several big stars, such as Ted Danson, Kirstie Alley, Kelsey Grammer, and Woody Harrelson.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

While it only ran for four seasons, I personally love Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. The series follows a young woman who was locked away in a bunker for several years only to emerge and find herself a stranger in this new modern world. With the help of some unlikely friends, she finds her path.

Two And A Half Men

As someone who watched Two and a Half Men for the first time a few years ago, I find this series hilarious. Running for twelve seasons and originally starring Charlie Sheen (before switching over to Ashton Kutcher years later), the series follows a man who houses his brother and his son during a divorce and the craziness they get into as time goes on. This series is wild, so be prepared for some jokes that most likely did not age well but are still fun.

Parks And Recreation

Parks and Recreation aired a few years after The Office ended, and people loved this show just as much. The series mainly follows Leslie Knope, who works at the Parks Department in a fictional town and cares deeply about her job, causing headaches for others. If you take a look at the Parks and Recreation cast, you'll see a ton of familiar faces.

That '70s Show

Running for eight seasons, That '70s Show was a series that raised me as a kid. The series follows a group of teenagers who are living in the 1970s and their experiences with the culture there. The series was so popular that it spawned a spinoff years later called That '90s Show, although it was short-lived.

Seinfeld

I mean, obviously, I have to put Seinfeld on here. Created by comedy legends Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David, Seinfeld is "a show about nothing," following the lives of a fictionalized version of Seinfeld and his friends in New York City during the 1980s and 90s. The series ran for nine seasons and created the famous Seinfeld cast.

The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air

Where was he raised? In West Philadelphia, of course. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air starred Will Smith and followed the story of a young man who is sent to his uncle in Bel-Air after getting into trouble back home in Philly. His mother hopes that his uncle can straighten him out, and it just turns into hilarity for this fresh prince. The series ran for six seasons.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

The Brooklyn Nine-Nine cast is hilarious in every way possible, and I thoroughly recommend this series with my whole heart. The series follows the lives of workers at a fictional police station in New York City, from their professional lives to their own, and how they all intertwine.

The Golden Girls

I have to recommend The Golden Girls. Running for seven seasons and just as iconic as you would expect, the show starred Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty as four older women who lived together in their later years in Miami and the crazy lives they got into.

Bob's Burgers

Animated shows are probably some of the best series to binge because they often have so many seasons, and Bob's Burgers is an excellent example of that. The series, which has been running for fifteen seasons and counting, follows the lives of a family who own a burger shop and what they get up to when they're not in the kitchen—as well as the drama that unfolds in their restaurant. It's hilarious, and I highly recommend it.

I Love Lucy

Of course, I have to put the original sitcom here. I Love Lucy is a classic sitcom starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz as Lucy and Ricky, a couple living in New York City, and the shenanigans that Lucy gets into all the time. I'm often not the best person to recommend older TV shows because most tend to miss the mark, but this is one of the best you can watch. The series ran for six seasons.

Modern Family

Modern Family is an absolute icon, and yes, you need to watch it. Running for eleven seasons, It is exactly what you would expect it to be—it follows the lives of a modern-age family and the craziness they get into. The Modern Family cast is hysterical, and I can assure you that you will laugh several times throughout the show.

The Nanny

"She's the nanny, the nanny named Fran!" I can assure you that the theme song for this show will be stuck in your head by the end of this binge. Running for six seasons, The Nanny, starring Fran Drescher, follows the lives of a fashionista who decides to take on the role of a nanny for three children when she needs the money, only for her life to intertwine with their father, Peter Marc Jacobson.

Curb Your Enthusiasm

Created by Larry David and running for twelve seasons (despite that twenty-four-year-long streak), Curb Your Enthusiasm is a hilarious HBO series that stars David as a fictionalized version of himself as he lives in Los Angeles and his days as a retired TV producer and writer, and the stuff he gets into as he deals with all the drama Hollywood can bring.

Full House

The Full House cast is iconic because of how great this series was and how many of us were raised on it, honestly. Full House follows the lives of three men, one a widow, one a brother-in-law, and the other a best friend, who all live in the same house, and work together to raise the children of one after his wife passes away. The series ran for eight seasons.

The Simpsons

Obviously, I have to put The Simpsons on this list. The Simpsons is probably one of the most iconic TV families ever, following the animated tales of Homer and his family as they get into the craziest shenanigans you could ever think of and more.

The Big Bang Theory

Running for twelve seasons, The Big Bang Theory was an extremely successful modern-day sitcom that followed several people living in California. It mainly followed the lives of Leonard and Sheldon, who they ran into as total science nerds, and the friends they surround themselves with.

South Park

South Park has some outrageous episodes, but this is the perfect binge if you want something that's way more adult. The series follows the lives of four fourth-graders in the world of South Park, a fictional town in Colorado, where literally nothing is off the table for the drama they get into. This series is just a lot to handle but so freaking hysterical.

Scrubs

Created by Bill Lawrence (Ted Lasso, Shrinking) and running for nine seasons, Scrubs is the medical sitcom that you're in need of. The series follows the lives of workers at a hospital, following the medical interns as they work their way up in the world and the hilarious things that happen to them.

Schitt's Creek

While Schitt's Creek only ran for four seasons, its impact on pop culture is widely known. The series follows the lives of the Rose family, who suddenly lose everything in their name except for a little town the father bought as a joke years ago – Schitt's Creek, the place where they will begin their return to wealth. The Schitt's Creek cast is absolutely hysterical.

Veep

Starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus and running for seven seasons, Veep is a hilarious HBO sitcom and political satire show that will make you laugh for hours on end. The series follows the life of political figure Selina Meyer, who is the Vice President of the United States, and how she deals with what is thrown at her, as well as working with the president who drives her nuts.

Rick And Morty

Created by Dan Harmon, Rick and Morty is one of those animated sitcoms where you never know what is going to happen next, but you know it'll be hilarious. Rick and Morty follows the scientific adventures of Grandpa Rick and his grandson, Morty, as he takes him across multiple dimensions and into situations that really no young boy should ever experience.

Arrested Development

Running for five seasons, with two of them happening in the later years of the 2010s, Arrested Development is the type of show that will make you laugh for hours. The series follows a formerly wealthy family as they try to adjust to normal everyday life – and they most certainly have a hard time doing it.

Everybody Hates Chris

Created by Chris Rock, Everybody Hates Chris stars Tyler James Williams and is loosely based on Rock's life when he was a teenager and what it was like living in New York City back in the 1980s as a teenager. It ran for four seasons (but to me, it should have ran for way more).

Any of these shows would be excellent picks for you to watch next. Now, I feel like I need to have a TV marathon. It's time to dim the lights and get the popcorn once again.

Moms are strong by nature but TV's toughest moms rule their roost with high standards, great expectations and strong discipline. From sitcom staples like Roseanne Conner and Clair Huxtable to dramatic dames like Cersei Lannister and Cookie Lyon, these iron-fisted mamas don't get the credit they deserve when it comes to their strict and stern parenting styles. Here are 32 of our favorites. 

Roseanne Conner (Roseanne)

The fierce working-class "domestic goddess" at the center of the ABC sitcom Roseanne was always crazy-quick with a wisecrack and was never one to hold back an opinion. But though known for her loud, sarcastic and domineering nature, Roseanne Conner (Roseanne Barr) was always loving and protective towards her four kids, daughters Becky (Lecy Goranson and Sarah Chalke) and Darlene (Sara Gilbert), and sons D.J. (Michael Fishman) and Jerry (Cole and Morgan Roberts).

Clair Huxtable (The Cosby Show)

Despite having to juggle raising five children, maintaining a household and continuing a successful law career, The Cosby Show's Clair Huxtable (Phylicia Rashad) was always a vision of class and composure. While her husband Cliff was the more fun-loving and boisterous parent, Clair was the disciplinarian of the Huxtable residence and was assertive in teaching her kids about responsibility and respect. 

Peggy Bundy (Married... With Children)

With her refusal to cook, clean or cater to her boorish husband Al (Ed O'Neil), Peggy Bundy (Katey Sagal) from the beloved blue-collar comedy Married... with Children was TV's ultimate anti-housewife. Where other small-screen moms used their iron fist to ensure order and discipline, Peg unapologetically prioritized her own couch-sitting, Oprah-watching "Me Time" over traditional parenting and domestic work. But that doesn't mean she didn't regularly make time to voice her opinions about her lackluster hubby and kids Kelly (Christina Applegate) and Bud (David Faustino).

Wilma Flintstone (The Flintstones) 

When you're married to a literal caveman, it's no surprise that Wilma Flintstone had to be level-headed and strong-willed for the sake of her family. Throughout the classic cartoon series The Flintstones, the Stone Age mama was tender and caring to her hubby Fred and daughter Pebbles but was known to utilize a firm hand — and a frying pan — when things got a little too rambunctious in her household. 

Claire Dunphy (Modern Family)

Often regulated to being the strict mom opposite goofy dad Phil (Ty Burrell), Claire (Julie Bowen) is the hardworking and often anxiety-ridden head of the Dunphy household. In trying to wrangle her husband and three children — Haley (Sarah Hyland), Alex (Ariel Winter) and Luke (Nolan Gould) — The Modern Family matriarch can regularly be neurotic and controlling but every ounce of that effort clearly comes from a place of love. 

Jessica Huang (Fresh Off The Boat)

Just as her husband Louis (Randall Park) described her, Jessica Huang (Constance Wu) from the ABC sitcom Fresh Off the Boat is "aggressive yet elegant." No-nonsense, traditional and very competitive, she pushes both her spouse and their sons Eddie (Hudson Yang), Emery (Forrest Wheeler) and Evan (Ian Chen) to succeed in their careers and academics, respectively. For example, she's plenty pleased with Evan's future plans of becoming "doctor/president," but less so when Eddie reveals that he wants to go to culinary school instead of college.

Cersei Lannister (Game Of Thrones)

Like many things in her life, Cersei Lannister's (Lena Headey) relationship with her children throughout Game of Thrones was often fueled by her own pride and need for power. However, that doesn't mean that Cersei wouldn't kill for her kids — and she did. When it came to the safety of Joffrey (Jack Gleeson), Myrcella (Nell Tiger Free) and Tommen (Dean-Charles Chapman), she parented with a leonine fierceness, to the danger of her enemies. 

Florida Evans (Good Times)

First introduced as a feisty maid in Maude, strong-willed Chicago mother Florida Evans (Esther Rolle) is the heart and soul of the original Good Times. Despite considerable financial issues and a never-ending list of chores and responsibilities, Florida always kept her household in line, offering up stern but loving discipline and instilling valuable morals in her three children J.J. (Jimmy Walker) Thelma (Bern Nadette Stanis), and Michael Evans (Ralph Carter). 

Lois Wilkerson (Malcolm In The Middle)

As the mother of five highly mischievous and unruly young boys, we really can't blame Malcolm in the Middle's Lois Wilkerson (Jane Kaczmarek) for being a touch stubborn, overbearing and hotheaded. Lois genuinely cares about her children, but her idea of discipline is jokingly dubbed "sadistic" by the boys: "Your punishment isn't over until that bathroom floor is so clean you'll be eating off it. Which is what you'll be doing for the next three weeks," she memorably punished son Reese in Season 6. 

Norma Bates (Bates Motel)

Now, we're certainly not suggesting that Norma Bates (Vera Farmiga) had a healthy parenting style throughout the A&E horror drama Bates Motel, but she certainly was a devoted, if domineering, mother to Norman (Freddie Highmore). Norma can be clingy and critical of her son — and has especially harsh opinions about the girls Norman hangs out with — but she always does everything in her power to protect him. 

Emily Gilmore (Gilmore Girls)

It seems like the only people Emily Gilmore (Kelly Bishop) is more judgmental of than her own daughter Lorelai (Lauren Graham) — no picnic in the mom department, herself — are her maids, who she seemingly hired and fired every other episode of Gilmore Girls. The wealthy matriarch of the eponymous family is known for her high standards, snooty attitude and controlling nature: a textbook example is forcing Lorelai and granddaughter Rory (Alexis Bledel) to attend Friday night dinner at her home every week, no exceptions. 

Debra Barone (Everybody Loves Raymond)

A classic example of a TV mom having to play the "bad cop" to a "fun dad" type is Debra Barone (Patricia Heaton) from Everybody Loves Raymond. While husband Ray (Ray Romano) often gets up to nearly as many hijinks as their kids Ally (Madylin Sweeten), Geoffrey and Michael (Sullivan and Sawyer Sweeten), Debra is all business. She's responsible, hardworking and not afraid to speak her mind — except, it seems, when it comes to her meddling mother-in-law Marie (Doris Roberts). 

Harriette Winslow (Family Matters)

The matriarch of the Winslow family (largely played by Jo Marie Payton but replaced with Judyann Elder in Family Matters' final season) knows order and discipline: she left the police force when she became pregnant with her eldest, Eddie (Darius McCrary). Raising three kids, Harriette is regularly the voice of reason in the Winslow household but is a sharp-tongued disciplinarian when she needs to be. 

Colleen Donaghy (30 Rock)

Portrayed by the legendarily brash Elaine Stritch, the mother of Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) always dishes out tough love when it comes to her son. With just one of her many characteristically biting quips (“Don’t talk to me like that Jack. I breastfed you for nine years!”) Colleen is able to instantly turn her slick, successful businessman of a son into a fearful little boy. 

Beverly Goldberg (The Goldbergs)

The Goldbergs' Beverly (Wendi McLendon-Covey) puts the "mother" in "smother" — hugs are mandatory and she can often be found meddling in various areas of her kids' worlds, from school to sports to social life. But the snuggies-loving matriarch can be strict, tough and opinionated, not only when it comes to her children Erica (Hayley Orrantia), Barry (Troy Gentile) and Adam (Sean Giambrone) but also herself: "I have failed as a mother!" is the character's main catchphrase. 

Galina ‘Red’ Reznikov (Orange Is The New Black)

Yes, even prisoners need a mother figure and Litchfield Penitentiary has Red (Kate Mulgrew). Compassionate but very cunning — this is a woman who was in cahoots with the Russian Mafia, after all — she rules her block of the prison with a watchful eye, explicitly prohibiting her girls from partaking in drugs whilst running a well-oiled smuggling ring to get them the contraband goods they need. 

Vivian Banks (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air)

Firstly, we're specifically talking about Aunt Viv as portrayed by Janet Hubert for the first half of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. (Daphne Maxwell Reid took over the role in season four after Hubert was dismissed from the show.) As no-nonsense as she was nurturing, Hubert's take on the character was more fiery than her successor, a strong, confident university professor who wasn't afraid to lay down a hard lesson to her three children, her students or her troublemaking nephew (Will Smith). 

Marge Simpson (The Simpsons)

Marge is the blue-haired, bee-hived moralistic center of the Simpsons family. With a fam that includes an oafish husband like Homer, a notorious prankster like Bart and an eternal infant like Maggie, The Simpsons matriarch has to run a tight ship to maintain order in her antics-filled household. She doesn't approve of the kids' violent video games or cartoons, has followed Bart's whereabouts through his cell phone and is always pushing her family to go to mass. As Homer says of his wife: "If it were up to [Marge], all we would ever do is work and go to church."

Violet Crawley (Downton Abbey)

Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham (played by Dame Maggie Smith), is not exactly known for being a cuddly grandmother sort. Instead, the stately Downton Abbey matriarch is defined by her dry wit, direct nature and deep investment in maintaining the family's traditions, honor and legacy. 

Barbara Howard (Abbott Elementary)

Barbara Howard (Emmy winner Sheryl Lee Ralph) didn't just raise kids of her own at home — she's raised whole classrooms full of impressionable youngins as a kindergarten teacher at Willard R. Abbott Elementary School for the past two decades. Super old-school (no, she will not be learning that new teaching technology, thank you very much) and strictly religion, she's the kind of teacher who quiets rowdy classrooms the second she steps foot into them. 

Tami Taylor (Friday Night Lights)

As both a mother to teen daughter Julie (Aimee Teegarden) and little Gracie Belle (Madilyn Landry) and a counselor at Dillon High School to countless students, Connie Britton's tough yet compassionate Tami Taylor regularly guided the youth with equal parts firmness and fairness. Through five seasons of Friday Night Lights, she was a sounding board and a calm authority, but always with a little bit of Southern sweetness sprinkled on top. 

Jill Taylor (Home Improvement)

The lion-hearted leading lady of the Taylor family, Jill (Patricia Richardson) raises her three sons Brad (Zachery Ty Bryan), Randy (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) and Mark (Taran Noah Smith) with a stern hand and Type-A attitude while also remaining lovingly perceptive and good-naturedly allowing for silly moments. However, you know that when she addresses her husband Tim (Tim Allen) or her sons by their full name, somebody is definitely in trouble. 

Cookie Lyon (Empire)

Talk about one tough cookie: Empire's queen bee Cookie Lyon (Taraji P. Henson) tells it like it is, demands respect and doesn't tolerate nonsense in any aspect of her life, including when it comes to her children Andre (Trai Byers), Jamal (Jussie Smollett) and Hakeem (Bryshere Y. Gray). She can be extremely headstrong and brash, but she definitely has a caring and compassionate side and she always puts her family first. 

Sophia Petrillo (The Golden Girls)

Sarcasm and sass certainly seem to be genetic in the Petrillo household: both mom Sophia (Estelle Getty) and daughter Dorothy Zbornak (Bea Arthur) possess each personality trait in spades. As Dorothy's actual parent and the surrogate mother of her roommates Blanche Devereaux (Rue McClanahan) and Rose Nyland (Betty White), Sophia doles out wisecracks and criticisms often — about Dorothy’s lack of love life, Blanche’s promiscuity and Rose’s stupidity — but beneath all of her hilarious put-downs beats a lot of love. 

Nalini Vishwakumar (Never Have I Ever)

Never Have I Ever's Nalini (Poorna Jagannathan) can be hard on her teen daughter Devi (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) but her overly strict and at times overbearing nature stems from not only her traditional Indian upbringing but also her sheer love and concern for her child. (As fans no doubt remember, Nalini lost her husband to a heart attack before the start of the series, a trauma which sparked temporary paralysis in her daughter.) Sometimes it's hard for her to show tenderness, but her heart is always in the right place. 

Olivia Walton (The Waltons)

Yes, Olivia Walton (Michael Learned) is an exceedingly sweet and compassionate lady, but there's one area of her life in which she does not play around: her parenting. She prompts all seven of her children (John-Boy, Jason, Mary-Ellen, Ben, Erin Walton, Jim-Bob and Elizabeth) to have good manners and posture, requires them to read the Bible and never miss Sunday service, and will resort to scolding her children if they misbehave. 

Carmela Soprano (The Sopranos) 

Steely and steadfast, Carmela Soprano (Edie Falco) is like any good Italian-American mom: she's armed with a deep sense of obligation to her family, works hard to create a (somewhat) stable environment for daughter Meadow (Jamie-Lynn Sigler) and son A.J. (Robert Iler), and can make a mean lasagna. With her husband Tony (James Gandolfini) busy with Mafia business, Carmela does the lion's share of the parenting and when it comes to chastising her children, she's proven to be just as formidable as her spouse.

Thelma Harper (Mama’s Family)

Known simply as Mama, Thelma Harper (Vicki Lawrence) from the NBC sitcom Mama's Family headed her household with a sharp wit, an acid tongue and a quick temper. Bluntly outspoken and hilariously grumpy, the series version of the character was actually reportedly softer-edged than the original iteration conceived for The Carol Burnett Show. And despite Mama's frequent bickering and bad attitude, all of her cooking, cleaning and curmudgeonly care is clearly out of love.  

Gemma Teller Morrow (Sons Of Anarchy) 

A more hard-edged mama than her other famous TV mom character Peg Bundy, Katey Sagal's Gemma Teller Morrow is unapologetic about how protective she is of not only her son Jax (Charlie Hunnam) and grandchildren but also her surrogate family, the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club. Equipped with equal parts savagery and vulnerability, she's adapted to her gritty environment and can be tough, competitive and manipulative in the lengths she'll go to to defend those she loves.

Penelope Alvarez (One Day At A Time)

Don't let her quirky, fun-loving demeanor fool you — as One Day at a Time's main madre Penelope Alvarez (Justina Machado) is quick to remind you, she's a "total badass." As a single Cuban-American mother, a nurse practitioner and a former Staff Sergeant in the United States Army, "Lupe" has a strong work ethic and sense of discipline, which she makes sure to instill in her children Elena (Isabella Gomez) and Alex (Marcel Ruiz).

Evelyn Harper (Two And A Half Men)

Son Alan Harper (Jon Cryer) doesn't jokingly call her "the queen of darkness" for nothing. Yes, the wealthy and five-time-widowed Evelyn (played by Holland Taylor) can be quite cold, callous and critical when it comes to her sons Alan and Charlie (Charlie Sheen) and grandson Jake (Angus T. Jones). She majorly disapproves of Alan's failed marriages as well as Charlie's personal hobbies — granted, the latter is drinking, gambling and womanizing, so she might be onto something. 

Lynette Scavo (Desperate Housewives)

Having to deal with four demanding children (Porter, Preston, Parker and Penny) as a stay-at-home mom while her husband Tom (Doug Savant) is at the office every day, Lynette (Felicity Huffman) is understandably stressed much of the time, which tends to manifest itself as a neurotic and controlling nature. She also often tends to go over the top when it comes to disciplining her children — for example, she once ditched her kiddos on the side of the road to teach them about following orders. 

It’s hard enough for a TV show to be greenlit for a pilot and then officially ordered to series, let alone run for many seasons. Many of these shows don’t make it past their first season, and those that end up running between five-10 should definitely be considered successes. But over the decades, there have been a handful of shows that have achieved the incredible feat of lasting more than 10 seasons. Most have been live-action programming, whether we’re talking exceptional dramas or the best sitcoms of all time, and some are among the best-animated TV shows of all time. Whatever the case, these 32 TV shows deserve to be spotlighted as small-screen programming that ran for amazingly long times.

NCIS

The series about agents solving crimes for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service spun out of JAG, which had its own impressive run from 1995-2005. However, it’s safe to say that NCIS far surpassed its predecessor’s level of popularity, as not only did the main show end up running over multiple decades, but it also launched a franchise encompassing many spinoffs, one of which will be mentioned later.

The Simpsons

The satirical depiction of suburban life in Springfield centered around Homer, Marge, Lisa, Bart, Maggie and their family members and friends quickly became a pop culture phenomenon after it started in 1989. As the longest-running American animated series, longest-running American sitcom and longest-running primetime show, The Simpsons has become a beloved TV staple to multiple generations.

Cheers

From 1982-1993, viewers could visit a Boston bar where everybody knew their name… or rather they could pretend they were hanging out with folks like Sam, Carla and Norm. Cheers proved to be a sitcom sensation that earned numerous accolades, including winning 28 Emmys out of 111 nominations and six Golden Globes out of 31 nominations.

The Big Bang Theory

What started out as a show about a group of scientifically gifted young men and and the gorgeous blonde woman who lived across the hall from two of them became something so much more by the time its 12-season run was finished. Not only did The Big Bang Theory spotlight geek culture in a way that made it more than just the butt of jokes, but its legacy lived on through the prequel spinoff Young Sheldon.

Gunsmoke

Gunsmoke achieved popularity as a radio program from 1952 to 1961, but in the middle of that run, it was additionally adapted for TV, and that was an even better success. With a 20-season run, plus five TV movies made after it ended in 1975, the series about Marshal Matt Dillon protecting the citizens of Dodge City, Kanas in the post-Civil War era ranked for a long time as the longest-running, primetime, live-action TV series.

Law & Order

Police procedurals obviously weren’t anything new when Law & Order debuted in 1990, but the Dick Wolf creation about New York City police detectives and prosecuting attorneys has arguably become the most well-known of this type of programming from its own merit and the massive small screen franchise it launched. The show originally aired on NBC for 20 seasons, and then the network revived it in 2022.

Family Guy

Family Guy didn’t get off to the best of starts, as it was canceled by Fox in 2002 after just three seasons. However, thanks to syndicated reruns and DVD sales. Peter Griffin and his family and friends from Quahog, Rhode Island returned to the network in 2005, and the show has since delivered so many hilarious episodes, though it’s not without its controversies. We’re lucky there’s still a man who positively can do all the things that make us laugh and cry.

Dallas

The primetime soap opera about the Ewing family, which owned the Ewing Oil company and Southfork Ranch, captivated audiences over its 14-season run, which is also just as long as the spinoff Knot’s Landing lasted. Dallas would later receive a revival that ran from 2012-2014, though it ignored the events from the two TV movies that followed the original series.

American Dad!

In 2005, the same year Family Guy returned to the airwaves, Seth MacFarlane also delivered American Dad!, which started out as the first show on Fox’s Animation Domination block, and was then moved to TBS years later. It might not have quite the name recognition as Family Guy, but the hijinks of Stan Smith and his family and associates have assembled their own sizable fanbase.

Bonanza

Bonanza is another Western that had a lengthy run in the earlier years of television, running on NBC from 1959 to 1973. Week after week, viewers turned in to watch the stories centered on the wealthy Cartwright family who lived near Virginia City, Nevada in the 1860s, and the series was followed by three made-for-TV movies, as well as a short-lived prequel called The Ponderosa that ran in 2001.

South Park

Y’all ever come down to South Park to meet some friends of mine? Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s Comedy Central show started out as two animated short films before it was ordered to series in 1997. South Park is unquestionably one of the most controversial pieces of programming on this list thanks to its many outrageous episodes, but there’s no questioning how much of an impact it’s left on pop culture… when it’s not making fun of it, that is.

Blue Bloods

While Tom Selleck will always arguably be best known for leading the original Magnum P.I., he spent a lot longer on the CBS procedural Blue Bloods. He played NYPD Commissioner Frank Regan in this series following the Reagan family and their various jobs in law enforcement that lasted for 14 seasons.

Supernatural

As one of the pieces of programming that weathered The WB’s transition to The CW, Supernatural, which followed brothers Dean and Sam Winchester battling demonic creatures across the United States, had an impressive 15-season run and assembled a passionate fanbase during that time. It’s the longest-running live-action fantasy series and was followed by the short-lived prequel The Winchesters.

Criminal Minds

This procedural is about the criminal profilers who work for the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit. The original incarnation of Criminal Minds ran on CBS for 16 seasons, which is obviously a big deal on its own. Then just two years later, it was revived as a Paramount+-exclusive show, albeit now titled as Criminal Minds: Evolution.

M*A*S*H

In 1972, two years after the M*A*S*H movie achieved critical and commercial success, the same-named TV series inspired by the same premise first featured in the 1968 novel MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors started airing on CBS. This comedy/drama about doctors during the Korean War ran for 11 seasons, and its finale was the most-watched TV broadcast in the United States from 1983 to 2010.

Law And Order: Special Victims Unit

In 1999, nine years after Law & Order began, this TV property officially became a franchise when Law & Order: Special Victims Unit began airing. This series specifically focused on sexually-based crimes became just as popular as its predecessor, if not more so. Mariska Hargitay anchors SVU as Olivia Benson, with her being the only main cast member to have been around since the show started.

Grey’s Anatomy

Viewers have spent a long time with the employees at the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital, which was later renamed the Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. Grey’s Anatomy began on ABC in 2005 with Ellen Pompeo’s Meredith Grey leading the large cast, and other notable cast members who’ve appeared on the show over the years include Katherine Heigl, Patrick Dempsey, Kate Walsh, Eric Dane and Jesse Williams, among many others.

Frasier

Frasier Crane didn’t appear on Cheers until Season 3, but after that show concluded, Kelsey Grammer’s character took center stage for the spinoff that saw him moving to Seattle, Washington to host his own radio show. Like Cheers, Frasier ran for 11 seasons and racked up a lot of Emmy wins. Nearly two decades after the series ended, Grammer returned to lead a revival/sequel on Paramount+.

Modern Family

Over the course of 11 seasons, Modern Family followed along with three kinds of connected families: nuclear, blended and same-sex. The result was the series starring Ty Burrell, Julie Bowen, Sofia Vergara and Ed O’Neill, among many others, becoming one of ABC’s most popular pieces of programming, and by the time it ended in 2020, it had won 22 Emmys.

ER

While not the first medical show to be called ER (though the first was written as E/R), this drama hailing from the mind of Jurassic Park author Michael Crichton obviously left a much bigger stamp on pop culture. From George Clooney and Angela Bassett, to John Stamos and Ming-Na Wen, as well as a lot of ER cameos, this NBC series about the staff of the fictional Cook County General Hospital highlighted a lot of major talents during its 15 seasons on the air.

Bob’s Burgers

Fox strengthened its lineup of adult animation in 2011 with Bob’s Burgers, which is about the Belcher family running their hamburger restaurant and their interesting clientele. The series has spawned a theatrical movie and a comic book series, but the show more than holds up on its own, as evidenced by its Emmy wins and nominations, among other accolades.

Two And A Half Men

Jon Cryer and Charlie Sheen, two actors closely tied with the Brat Pack, teamed up in 2003 for Two and a Half Men, which followed Cryer’s Alan Harper and his son Jake, played by Angus T. Jones, moving into the Malibu house of Sheen’s Charlie Harper, Alan’s brother. Both Sheen and Jones eventually left the show, and Ashton Kutcher came aboard as Walden Schmidt, but in the end, Two and a Half Men had a great run with 12 seasons.

NCIS: Los Angeles

Just like how JAG aired the backdoor pilot for NCIS in 2003, in 2009, NCIS aired special episodes to set up its first spinoff, NCIS: Los Angeles, which followed the Office of Special Projects in the title city. The procedural starring Chris O’Donnell, LL Cool J, Daniela Ruah and more ended up running for 14 seasons on CBS.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

In 2000, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation premiered on CBS, and it quickly became a worldwide phenomena, both in positive and negative (the show’s violence and graphic imagery being a frequent source of criticism). The show ended after 15 seasons, and then in 2021, a revival called CSI: Vegas aired on Paramount+ for three seasons, following previous spinoffs Miami, NY and Cyber.

Hawaii-5-O

Although the Hawaii-5-0 reboot had a healthy run of 10 seasons, the original, spelled Hawaii 5-O, lasted just a little longer at 12 seasons. From 1968 to 1980, viewers spent time with characters like Steve McGarrett, Danno Williams and Chin Ho Kelly as they tracked down and apprehended criminals around the Hawaiian Islands, and the series’ popularity led to “Book ‘em” becoming part of the pop culture lexicon.

Murder, She Wrote

Having already made a name for herself on the stage and in movies like The Manchurian Candidate, Angela Lansbury left her mark on TV when she played Jessica Fletcher in Murder, She Wrote. For 12 seasons and four made-for-TV movies, her character, mystery writer Jessica Fletcher solved murders that were being committed in her town of Cabot Cove, Maine and other locations around the world.

Bones

Bones stood out from other procedurals by focusing on forensic anthropology and forensic archaeology, as Emily Deschanel’s Temperance “Bones” Brennan would study the human remains brought in by FBI agent Seeley Booth, played by David Boreanaz, for investigations. Clearly audiences liked this approach, as the show ran for 12 seasons on Fox.

It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia

Originally starting out on FX, and then moving to FXX in 2013, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia has spent years chronicling the exploits of Charlie, Dennis, Mac Dee and Frank, a.k.a. “The Gang.” They run the Irish dive bar Paddy’s Pub in Philadelphia and are some of the worst people who’ve ever walked the Earth, but their misadventures have produced some of TV’s greatest comedic moments, and it’s become the longest-running live-action sitcom.

The X-Files

The X-Files originally ran on Fox from 1993 to 2002, with David Duchovny’s Fox Mulder and Gillian Anderson’s Dana Scully looking into cases involving paranormal elements. While the show in its original run wouldn’t have qualified for this list, The X-Files came back for two more seasons from 2016-2018. A theatrical movie, also just called The X-Files, was additionally released in 1998, and The X-Files: I Want To Believe followed in 2008.

King Of The Hill

In yet another example of how much Fox has killed it with adult animation, King of the Hill earned critical acclaim during its 13 seasons originally on the air. The looks at the lives of the Hill family and those in their orbit earned two Emmy awards, among other accolades. In 2023, nearly 15 years after the series ended, it was announced that King of the Hill would be revived, which those with a Hulu subscription could watch.

Will & Grace

Will & Grace originally ran on NBC from 1998 to 2006, and thanks to returning for three more seasons between 2017 and 2020, it makes the cut for this list. The lives of best friends Eric McCormack’s Will Truman and Debra Messing’s Grace Adler, plus cohorts Jack McFarland and Karen Walker, played respectively by Sean Hayes and Megan Mullally, earned 18 Emmys and 96 total nominations.

Curb Your Enthusiasm

Following his time show running all but two seasons of Seinfeld, Larry David took center stage for Curb Your Enthusiasm, which was based on his 1999 one-hour special Larry David: Curb Your Enthusiasm and saw him playing a fictional version of himself who frequently found himself in awkward social situations. While Curb Your Enthusiasm didn’t air consistently between 2000 and 2024, it racked up 12 seasons in the end.

TV shows come and TV shows go, but sometimes fans help to boost a series so much that it sticks around for a looooong time. It may seem that our favorite dramas and comedies are always gone way too soon, but there are an impressive number of popular shows that actually stuck around for the long haul. Here now is a list of 32 shows that incredibly ran for more than 250 episodes.

Grey's Anatomy

It was in 2019 that the popular and formerly Ellen Pompeo-led drama, Grey’s Anatomy, celebrated a big milestone when it officially became the longest-running medical show by surpassing the 331-episode record of another series you may have heard of, ER.

Family Guy

For every immediate success, there’s also at least one long-running series that got off to a bumpy start, and Fox’s hit comedy Family Guy fits that bill. Originally canceled after the third season finished airing in 2002, network execs changed their minds after strong DVD sales and syndicated rerun ratings proved the series still had legs. It’s gone on to become one of the best-animated TV shows of all time.

Frasier

No series survives 11 seasons on network TV for nothing, and Frasier’s many accolades during its run certainly prove that rule. Of course, the series had a very solid jumping-off point, with Kelsey Grammer’s fussy academic lead, Frasier Crane, having been a strong and beloved part of the Cheers cast since 1984 by the time his spinoff kicked off in 1993. Frasier is one of the longest-running live-action characters on prime-time television.

 Lassie

You can be forgiven if you’ve never heard of Lassie, seeing as how the series ended over 50 years ago, but it made quite the impact when it was on. The show, a drama about the adventures of the titular heroic collie and her friends/owners, began in 1954 and remarkably lasted through 1973, racking up 19 seasons and 591 episodes. 

NCIS

You’ve likely heard of NCIS, considering that long dominated viewership on a regular basis, and has been known to top the ratings for a year more than once since its debut in 2003. The procedural crime drama about a team that investigates naval crimes has been so successful that it’s spawned multiple spinoffs (most of them also long-running) over the years.

Supernatural

Fantasy/horror series don’t usually get much time to shine, but that cannot be said for Supernatural. The CW show that followed brothers Dean and Sam Winchester as they hunted the United States to stop supernatural beings like vampires, werewolves, witches and demons from hurting people and destroying the world ran for a whopping 15 seasons and became the longest-running live-action fantasy in America by its eleventh season.

Hawaii Five-0

In 2010, we got a reboot of this classic series that was a success story in its own right. But, it was the original Hawaii Five-0 starring Jack Lord that aired from 1968 through 1980 that actually passed the 250-episode mark. We never would have gotten that iconic theme song otherwise, and may never have casually begun calling all police in the U.S. the “five-0” without it.

Bob's Burgers

We certainly haven’t forgotten about the impact that animation has had on primetime TV, and one hit that beat the odds is Bob’s Burgers. The series focuses on the Belcher family (parents Bob and Linda, their kids Tina, Gene and Louise), their struggling mom-and-pop burger joint, and their many friends and family, who reside in a quirky seaside town. It’s been a hit ever since its 2011 premiere and even has a theatrically released movie from 2022 to its name.

Dallas

Nighttime soap operas used to be big business, and one that ruled for over a decade was Dallas. Focused on the scheming, rich Ewing family and their oil business in the titular city, the drama ran for 14 seasons from 1978 through 1991, spawned a popular spinoff we’ll talk about later, and even led to a revival that began in 2012 and ran for three seasons.

Blue Bloods

Of all the shows canceled in 2024, Blue Bloods hurt the most for fans and cast members alike. The police drama that brought Tom Selleck back to weekly television focuses on cases of the week and how they affect a family of cops in New York City, the Reagans. 

The Simpsons

If you know anything about TV for the past 30 or so years, you must have known that The Simpsons would be on here. The animated comedy about the eponymously named family and their many friends, family, allies and foes in Springfield, USA is an institution at this point. It stands as the longest-running American scripted primetime show, American sitcom and animated show in the States.

Criminal Minds

As we’ve seen, viewers love crime solvers, and they embraced another team of them with the FBI agents of Criminal Minds. The criminal profilers we watched traveled the country to catch unsubs who’d committed some heinous acts, and the show was so popular that after it ended in 2020 with Season 15, it was brought back a mere two years later with Criminal Minds: Evolution on Paramount+.

ER

Do you know what other genre of series seems to have enduring popularity? Medical shows. And, for a long time, there was none more famed than NBC’s ER. The drama that made George Clooney, Julianna Margulies, Eriq La Salle and many others household names started in 1994 and ran for 15 seasons with a total of 331 episodes, lasting through a number of cast changes. For many, it’s still the benchmark of what a medical drama should be.

American Dad!

A lot of the credit to our love of primetime animation over the past few decades goes to Fox, which was also home to another of Seth MacFarlane’s notable wacky comedies: American Dad! The series ran for 11 seasons there, and then moved to TBS.

Law & Order: SVU

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is a spinoff. A spinoff that went on to surpass it's original show, Law & Order both in the number of seasons and in the number of episodes. It's just remarkable. 

Gunsmoke

So, what shows could have beaten SVU when it comes to episode numbers, aside from The Simpsons and Lassie? You guessed it: Gunsmoke! The Western series following U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon and friends ran for two decades, from 1955 through 1975, and racked up 635 episodes.

King Of The Hill

It seems we just never get enough of our animated families, and the same was true of Hank, Peggy and Bobby Hill on Fox’s King of the Hill. The comedy was a hit for 13 seasons and makes the list with 259 episodes.

Knots Landing

You’ll remember what a big deal Dallas was, managing to air 357 episodes. Well, its fellow nighttime soap spinoff, Knots Landing, was also a big hit. It ran for 14 seasons and 344 episodes.

Murder, She Wrote

Cozy mysteries have never really gone out of style, but they used to be all over TV, and Murder, She Wrote is still the favorite of many despite it having been off the air for nearly 30 years as of this writing. The Angela Lansbury-led drama about a mystery writer who solves crimes in her small, murder-prone community of Cabot Cove, Maine had a great run from 1984 through 1996. 

The Jeffersons

If you’d like to talk about some of the longest-running sitcoms, The Jeffersons lands squarely in that category. Going for 11 seasons from 1975 through 1985, this Norman Lear hit that followed an upwardly mobile Black couple after they moved from Queens to Manhattan to begin a fancier life was a spinoff of All in the Family that surpassed its parent show by netting 253 episodes, compared with the earlier series’ 205.

Cheers

Sometimes it takes a bit for a show to really catch on, and that was the case with Cheers. The comedy, set largely in the eponymous Boston bar, was so close to ranking last during its inaugural 1982-83 season that it was nearly canceled. As we know, however, things did pick up, and enough that the show would last for 11 seasons and launch the careers of Ted Danson, Woody Harrelson, Kirstie Alley, Kelsey Grammer and more.

Married...With Children

Fox hit pay dirt again in 1987 with Married…with Children. Seen as the first risqué sitcom to air on American network TV, the show that followed the Bundy family rode all of its controversies through 11 successful seasons and ended as the longest-running live-action sitcom from the network.

The Big Bang Theory

After a slow start in the first two seasons, Season 3 saw The Big Bang Theory (about a group of scientists and their pretty neighbor) begin to take off, eventually becoming one of the most-watched comedies of its time. The series ran for 12 seasons, until 2019, and spawned multiple spinoffs.

Law & Order

DUNH DUNH. Those serious, gavel-esque tones are still familiar to everyone who’s paid any attention to television crime dramas over the past few years, as even though Law & Order (which began in 1990 and led to numerous spinoffs, including the previously mentioned SVU) originally ended its run after 20 seasons in 2010, not only has it been in syndication for decades, but in 2021 it was revived and added more to its episode count. 

CSI

We got a very different kind of crime procedural in 2000 when CSI premiered, and we adored it. The Vegas-set drama that liked to zoom in on wounds not only began a franchise that led to a number of spinoffs, but the original show ran for 15 seasons and had a three-season revival that meant it wrapped with 378 episodes. 

The Adventures Of Ozzie & Harriet

Here’s another series you can be forgiven for not realizing it had a long run. The Adventures Of Ozzie & Harriet (which focused on the titular married couple and their family) began way back in 1952 and ended in 1966. While it’s not our longest-running live-action sitcom (that honor goes to It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), it does still have more episodes than any other at 435.

Two And A Half Men

From powerhouse sitcom creator Chuck Lorre (who was also behind The Big Bang Theory), Two and a Half Men was yet another megahit. The series followed down-on-his-luck divorced dad Alan and his son after having to move in with Alan’s rich, partying bachelor brother, Charlie. The comedy ran from 2003 through 2015.

My Three Sons

Don’t remember My Three Sons? That’s OK, because it ended its 12-season run in 1972. The comedy that followed a widower and, yes, his three young sons, was clearly beloved and racked up an impressive 380 episodes.

NYPD Blue

NYPD Blue quickly became one of our most acclaimed (and controversial) police dramas, which meant big business and a long run. Lasting for 12 seasons, from 1993-2005, it was ABC’s longest-running hour-long drama until Grey’s Anatomy left it in the dust in 2016.

Beverly Hills, 90210

This is our last nighttime soap, but it was a doozy. Beverly Hills, 90210 was the first primetime teen drama to become a pop culture touchstone, launching the careers of stars like Jenny Garth, Luke Perry, and the late Shannen Doherty. With 10 seasons (1990-2000), it led to a franchise of five spinoffs/revivals, though most were short-lived, with the exception of Melrose Place.

Perry Mason

Series about those in the legal profession can give thanks to Perry Mason, one of the first such shows to garner both critical acclaim and mass popularity. The drama followed the title character, an L.A. criminal defense attorney, as he attempts to prove his clients' innocence (usually after they’re accused of murder). After nine successful seasons, which ended in 1966, the show eventually led to a short-lived revival and a long run of 30 made-for-TV films.

NCIS: Los Angeles

And here we have another of the uber-popular NCIS franchises, this one focusing on Naval investigators in Los Angeles. For a spinoff, 14 seasons (2009-2023) and 323 episodes is nothing to sneeze at.

As you can see, TV fans have helped to keep many of their favorite shows on the air for well over 250 episodes, and there’s no doubt that this list will continue to grow!

The notion of a TV show going through cast changes for one reason or another isn’t all that unusual. In some cases, an actor might choose to leave a show in order to pursue other opportunities. And, at other times, a character naturally runs their course and is written out, leading to a star being ushered out of a production gracefully. However, there have been a number of instances in which an actor has dramatically exited a popular show for more salacious reasons. And we’re going to talk about a number of those situations.

Mackenzie Phillips (One Day At A Time)

Mackenzie Phillips dealt with substance and alcohol abuse during her tenure on One Day at a Time. As her problems increased and she allegedly became erratic on set, the actress was fired after the fifth season of the Norman Lear-produced sitcom. After voluntarily receiving treatment, Philips was invited back to the series at the start of Season 7. But, as mentioned in her Biography special she was fired one more time early in Season 9.

Delta Burke (Designing Women)

Designing Women cast member Delta Burke, who played breakout character Suzanne Sugarbaker, left the beloved CBS comedy after its fifth season. At the time, Burke was having issues with series creator Linda Bloodworth-Thomason. While appearing on the Glamorous Trash podcast years later, Burke said she and the EP “tried to kill each other” but “survived.” They eventually patched things up and teamed up again for a short-lived spinoff series, Women of the House.

John Amos (Good Times) 

Fans, like myself, would probably argue that Good Times – one of the greatest sitcoms of all time – changed tremendously after John Amos’ James Evans Sr. was written out following Season 3. That creative decision was the result of Amos being incredibly vocal about his frustrations with the direction of the show and even threatening the writers. As the actor explained during an interview, series EP Norman Lear called him up personally to tell him he’d been fired. 

Rob Lowe (The West Wing)

Before he dazzled on Parks and Recreation and after rising to prominence as a “Brat Pack” member, Rob Lowe starred on The West Wing. The show was originally set to center around his character, Sam Seaborn, though the focus shifted early on. Feeling underutilized as time went on, Lowe left the show after four seasons.

Roseanne Barr (Roseanne)

Roseanne Barr’s eponymous ABC sitcom was revived for a tenth season that aired in 2018, and it saw considerable success. Following its renewal, Barr was fired after posting a tweet about former government official Valerie Janet that was condemned as being racist. Her dismissal led to the cancellation of Roseanne and the conception of a spinoff sequel series The Conners.

Janet Hubert (The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air)

Two actresses portrayed Vivian “Aunt Viv” Banks on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, the first being Janet Hubert. By the NBC sitcom’s third season, she and lead actor Will Smith began to butt heads. Both were also dealing with situations in their personal lives. Ultimately, Hubert left Fresh Prince due to getting an unsatisfactory new contract offer and, years later, she and Smith made amends during the show’s 2020 reunion.

Kevin Spacey (House Of Cards)

House of Cards experienced a significant shake-up after Kevin Spacey was accused of being inappropriate towards actor Anthony Rapp while he was still a minor. Netflix eventually cut ties with Spacey and, as a result, he was replaced as the lead of the show by co-star Robin Wright.

Charlie Sheen (Two And A Half Men)

When it comes to an exit from a TV series, few get more dramatic than Charlie Sheen’s departure from Two and a Half Men. During the eighth season of the hit CBS show, he made headlines for partaking in wild parties and even entered rehab. Sheen’s fate was sealed, however, when he made disparaging remarks about series co-creator Chuck Lorre. Men would continue for four more seasons, with Ashton Kutcher taking over as co-lead.

Katherine Heigl (Grey’s Anatomy) 

There are a lot of moving parts to Katherine Heigl’s Grey’s Anatomy exit, but it was truly set in motion after the actress kept her name from Emmy consideration in 2008. Heigl did that because she didn’t think the work she’d done for that particular season was Emmy-worthy. In 2009, the Izzie Stevens actress accused series creator Shonda Rhimes and the producers of initiating long work hours for the cast and crew. And, in 2010, amid Season 6 of the drama series, Rhimes released Heigl from her contract early.

Valerie Harper (Valerie/Valerie’s Family/The Hogan Family)

Amid the second season of Valerie, lead actress Valerie Harper became engaged in a salary dispute with both NBC and production company Lorimar. It was after that season that the Emmy winner was fired, and she ultimately sued both of the aforementioned companies for breach of contract. The series aired for four more seasons – and had two more names. But, ultimately, Harper won her case and was awarded $1.4 million and future show profits.

Robert Downey Jr. (Ally McBeal)

Robert Downey Jr. had experienced a number of personal issues by the time he was cast for Season 4 of Ally McBeal, and they continued throughout his tenure. During that season, he was arrested in November 2000 for drug possession and was taken into custody again under suspicion of being under the influence in Culver City in 2001. With that, Downey was fired from McBeal.

Jeffrey Tambor (Transparent)

In 2017, amid the MeToo Movement, Jeffrey Tambor was accused of inappropriate behavior by his former assistant. Shortly after, one of Tambor’s Transparent co-stars accused him of misconduct as well. Amazon, which had renewed the Emmy-winning dramedy for a fifth and final season, officially fired Tambor in early 2018. His character, who was the lead, was ultimately killed off in the musical series finale special.

Esther Rolle (Good Times)

Esther Rolle took issue with some of the creative decisions made on Good Times, not unlike her co-star, John Amos – who was fired after Season 3 even though Rolle was more publicly vocal about her disdain. Given her discomfort, Rolle left after the fourth season when her contract expired. She did, however, return as a main cast member for the sixth and final season. 

Suzanne Somers (Three’s Company)

Some TV devotees may not be aware that Suzanne Somers exited Three’s Company after five seasons due to a salary dispute with ABC’s execs. Her attempts to renegotiate a new deal proved to be unsuccessful, and her contract was not renewed. Throughout the remainder of the show's run, Somers' Chrissy Snow would be succeeded by two other characters.

Chad Michael Murray (One Tree Hill)

Many were likely surprised when Chad Michael Murray was one of two major stars to exit One Tree Hill ahead of its seventh season. At this point, there’s been no clear reason as to why Murray, who played Lucas Scott parted ways with the show. Some contend that he was ready to leave, but Murray was even recorded saying that the network wanted to drop him to save money.

Lori Loughlin (Fuller House)

Veteran actress Lori Loughlin was starring on Netflix’s Fuller House when she was indicted as part of the 2019 college admissions scandal. In 2020, Loughlin pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and was sentenced to two months in prison. Given her legal woes, Loughlin’s Aunt Becky was excluded from the sitcom’s final season.

Isaiah Washington (Grey’s Anatomy)

It was in October 2006 that Isaiah Washington made headlines after it was reported that during an on-set conflict with Patrick Dempsey, he insulted their fellow Grey’s Anatomy co-star, T.R. Knight, with a homophobic slur. Washington reportedly issued an apology though, by the summer of 2007, his contract with ABC was eliminated after Season 3. Washington did, however, reprise the role for a Season 10 episode.

Thomas Gibson (Criminal Minds)

Criminal Minds fired Thomas Gibson amid production on Season 12. As has been reported, Gibson, who was directing an episode at the time, had a disagreement with the episode’s writer. The scribe was on set at the time and, during an encounter with Gibson, the actor apparently kicked him. Gibson subsequently expressed regret over his actions.

Shannen Doherty (Charmed)

Few TV deaths were more tragic than that of Shannen Doherty’s Prue Halliwell during Charmed’s third season finale. In the years since she departed the show, Doherty has claimed that her on-set tension with co-star Alyssa Milano caused her to be let go. For her part, Milano said she was “sad” that Doherty blamed her for how everything panned out.

Danny Masterson (The Ranch)

While starring on Netflix’s The Ranch, Danny Masterson was investigated by police due to allegations of assault by multiple women. Masterson was soon fired from the series amid production on Season 3 and, in 2023, he was sentenced to prison.

Ruby Rose (Batwoman)

After leading Batwoman for just one season, Ruby Rose exited the Arrowverse show in 2020. The actress initially attributed her decision to the “taxing” nature of heading up a TV show as well as an allergic reaction to the latex in her costume. However, Rose later made claims of an abusive workplace against her ex-co-stars, The CW and more. Warner Bros. TV denied the allegations as did Rose’s former scene partners.

Cindy Williams (Laverne & Shirley)

Laverne & Shirley lost co-lead Cindy Williams early into the show’s eighth and final season. Williams became pregnant early into production and, as she explained to Today, she wouldn’t sign a new contract due to the producers having her work on her due date. So Penny Marshall’s Laverne DeFazio finished out those last episodes without Williams’ Shirley Feeney.

Chevy Chase (Community)

It’s been well documented that Community’s Chevy Chase had creative differences with series creator Dan Harmon over his character, Pierce Hawthorne. While working on Season 4, the veteran funnyman reportedly had an on-set tirade during which he dropped the N-word. Chase departed the show shortly after that.

Daniel Dae Kim (Hawaii Five-0)

Daniel Dae Kim’s exit from CBS’ Hawaii Five-0 reboot after seven seasons came down to a salary dispute with the network. After the news of his departure was reported, Kim himself (who was one of the procedural’s most recognizable stars) addressed the situation, confirming that he and the network couldn’t agree to terms on a new deal.

Lisa Bonet (A Different World)

Cosby Show spinoff A Different World finished its first season on NBC in early 1988 and, afterward, lead actress Lisa Bonet announced her pregnancy with then-husband Lenny Kravitz. The sitcom’s incoming showrunner, Debbie Allen, wanted to keep Bonet on the show and depict her character, Denise Huxtable, as a single mom. But, as Allen explained years later, series creator Bill Cosby preferred that Bonet be dropped from the show.

Columbus Short (Scandal)

After three seasons on ABC’s Scandal, Columbus Short was removed from the cast of the hit drama series. It was during that time that the actor was dealing with personal issues and was even arrested on a domestic violence charge. Short later explained that he was cut due to his struggles with drugs and alcohol.

Gina Carano (The Mandalorian)

MMA fighter-turned-actress Gina Carano established a polarizing social media presence during her two-season stint on The Mandalorian. Among the controversial posts she shared was a message that seemingly compared being a modern-day conservative to being a Jewish person during the Holocaust. Disney and Lucasfilm fired Carano in 2021 ahead of the highly popular Star Wars show’s third season.

Nicollette Sheridan (Desperate Housewives)

Desperate Housewives star Nicollette Sheridan was written out of the show after the show’s fifth season, with her character, Edie Britt, being killed off. Several years later, the actress filed suit against Marc Cherry, the show’s creator and ABC. Sheridan alleged that Cherry assaulted her on the set and that she was fired for reporting it. Cherry provided an account of events and, in time, the harassment claims were thrown and Sheridan was unsuccessful in getting a retrial.

T.R. Knight (Grey’s Anatomy)

In 2009, T.R. Knight – who played Dr. George O’Malley on Grey’s Anatomy – left the show after the fifth season. Knight said his reason for leaving was due to a “breakdown of communication” with series EP Shonda Rhimes, his own decision to come out as gay and more. This also all came a few years after Knight was allegedly insulted with a homophobic slur by ex-co-star Isaiah Washington. 

Hilarie Burton (One Tree Hill)

Much has been said about Hilarie Burton’s exit from One Tree Hill after the sixth season. The most common assertion has been that the Peyton Sawyer actress couldn’t agree with the network on a new deal. Interestingly, while Burton recalled filming her final scene for the show, she noted that while shooting another sequence, a producer announced on set that the show was renewed for Season 7. However, both Burton and co-star Chad Michael Muray were surprised as they apparently hadn’t been offered new deals.

Justin Roiland (Rick And Morty)

Rick and Morty actor and co-creator Justin Roiland was fired from the Adult Swim show in 2023 after it was revealed that he was facing a domestic violence charge and other offenses in court. Roiland’s case was eventually thrown out later that year. However, the animator and voice actor was later accused of assault and messaging underage girls.

John Rhys-Davies (Sliders)

The sci-fi cult classic Sliders lost cast member John Rhys-Davies when the actor opted to depart after three seasons amid other cast changes. Sometime later, Rhys-Davies explained that he left due to conflicts with the writers. The veteran actor later explained that by the time he left the show, the scripts had become “incomprehensible gibberish.”

There are those shows that ended long before we wanted them to, from '90s one-season wonders like Freaks & Geeks and My So-Called Life to perfectly timed dramas like Succession and Breaking Bad. These are not those shows. Instead, these television titles overstayed their welcome, long after their biggest stars departed, or the critical acclaim and awards dried up, or the storylines made any sense. Here are 32 TV shows that simply went on way too long. 

Californication

At the beginning of Showtime's Californication, which ran on the network from 2007 to 2014, the story of troubled novelist Hank Moody (David Duchovny) and his hedonistic ways felt fresh and edgy. But seven seasons of incessant drinking and womanizing majorly dulled any of that edge. 

The Walking Dead

How long can people survive a zombie apocalypse? Apparently, for a while—the AMC flagship series The Walking Dead went on for an unfathomable eleven seasons and the survival story of Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira) still isn't over, having been picked up in the spin-off miniseries The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live. 

Dexter

One word: lumberjack. For eight seasons, the Showtime series followed Miami man Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) as he worked as a forensic pathologist by day and a vigilante serial killer by night. Spending nearly a decade watching Dexter get away with murder after murder felt both implausible and repetitive. And don't even get us started on that disappointing, woodsy series finale. 

Grey's Anatomy

It's felt like Grey's Anatomy has been resuscitated more times than any of the patients at Seattle Grace. It's been the longest-running medical drama on primetime, but it became barely the Grey's that O.G. fans remember. In later seasons, lead actress Ellen Pompeo, who plays Meredith Grey, scaled back to a recurring role, and beloved original characters like Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl), and Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) were all long gone. 

The Handmaid's Tale

There's plenty of argument to be made that Hulu's dragged-out dystopian drama The Handmaid's Tale—which sees fertile American women (played by the likes of Elisabeth Moss, Alexis Bledel and Samira Wiley) being forced into child-bearing slavery by a totalitarian government—should have been a one-and-done miniseries. After all, the 1985 Margaret Atwood novel on which it is based concluded after the events of the first season. 

Sons of Anarchy

Too-long episodes (many of which pushed way past the traditional hour-long mark) and irredeemable characters made it hard to continue to care about Jax (Charlie Hunnam), Gemma (Katey Sagal) and the rest of the outlaw bikers in the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club after seven seasons of the FX crime drama.

Shameless

Sure, Shameless had a jam-packed ensemble throughout its entire eleven season run, including Jeremy Allen White, William H. Macy, Cameron Monaghan and Shanola Hampton. But the grungy Showtime family drama lost its heart when lead actress Emmy Rossum—who played the older sister-turned-matriarch Fiona Gallagher—departed the series in season nine. 

White Collar

Many White Collar fans felt that things were getting a little rinse-and-repeat with the USA Network procedural by the end of its six-season run, with case-of-the-week storylines and stagnant character development. Imagine their surprise, then, when it was announced that the show was getting a Netflix revival, with actors Matt Bomer, Tim DeKay and Tiffani Thiessen reprising their roles. 

This Is Us

The earned emotionality of early seasons of This Is Us—an NBC family drama that follows the lives of two parents (played by Milo Ventimiglia and Mandy Moore) and their three children (Sterling K. Brown, Chrissy Metz and Justin Hartley,) in several different time frames—started to feel manipulative and maudlin after six years. 

Suits

Some television shows suffer from an unsustainable premise. Case in point, Suits, the USA Network legal drama that follows a college dropout with a photographic memory (Patrick J. Adams) who is hired to work as an associate at a prestigious law firm, despite not actually having a license to practice law. Sure, Jan. Despite the dubious concept, Suits aired for a whopping nine seasons. 

Supernatural

Exactly how many demons, ghosts and monsters did brothers Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles) have to hunt down to save the world? Fifteen seasons and 327 episodes worth! However, even many Supernatural superfans believe the CW fantasy series lost its way by the end and should have finished after season five when creator Eric Kripke left as showrunner. 

How I Met Your Mother

That is one long story that Ted Mosby (played by Josh Radnor) tells his adolescent children Luke (David Henrie) and Penny (Lyndsy Fonseca) about how their dad first met their mother. In fact, the tale took nine whole years, with many meandering tangents along the way, that we wouldn't blame the kids if they, too, got bored listening to it. 

Glee

Few shows faced quite the critical fall from grace as Glee. Early on, the FOX teen show—which centered on the plucky members of New Directions, the glee club of the fictional William McKinley High School—was an awards show juggernaut, winning several Emmys in its first few seasons, but those high notes were soured when the scripts focused less on the show's original characters and more on ad nauseum celebrity guests. 

Scrubs

Starting with the ninth season, many of the original Scrubs cast—including Zach Braff, Sarah Chalke, Ken Jenkins and Neil Flynn—stepped back from being main characters on the show, popping up in only a handful or as little as one episode that season. Longtime fans of the NBC medical comedy didn't love that their favorites got replaced with new characters, played by the likes of Kerry Bishé, Michael Mosley and Dave Franco.

The Big Bang Theory

Running for 12 seasons and 279 episodes, this CBS sitcom about Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki), Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) and their similarly geeky pals got bogged down by too many main characters, recycled old catchphrases and the use of laugh tracks as a crutch. 

The Simpsons

As old as, well, the person writing this very article, the satirical animated sitcom has broken several TV records in its three-decade tenure, including being the longest-running scripted primetime series in American television. And though Homer, Marge, Bar, Lisa, Maggie and the rest of the residents of Springfield are comedy legends, they now feel like relics of a different generation. 

Riverdale

The occurrences within the town of Riverdale were easy enough to keep track of in the early seasons of the CW teen drama, which was populated with the famous characters from Archie Comics (Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead and the like.) But as the writing got messier and mazelike, and the characters' storylines more and more outlandish, the soapy series became impossible to take seriously by the end of its seven-season run. 

Game of Thrones

The brazenness with which the Game of Thrones creators killed off some of its biggest, most beloved characters — Ned Stark (Sean Bean) in season one, his son Robb (Richard Madden) and wife Catelyn (Michelle Fairley) in season four — majorly lost its umph when the show killed off Jon Snow (Kit Harington) in the season five finale...only to resurrect him two episodes later. 

Homeland

The first two seasons of this Showtime espionage thriller — in which Claire Danes stars as a CIA officer with bipolar disorder, opposite Damian Lewis playing a Marine Corps Scout Sniper who has just returned home following eight years in captivity — received universal acclaim, including the 2012 Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series. However, though Homeland had eight seasons total, it never recovered in quality following the death of Lewis's character in season 3. 

Two and a Half Men

It's always a gamble when you replace the main character of a TV show, especially such a long-running one as the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men. Originally starring Charlie Sheen as a hedonistic jingle writer living with his uptight brother (played by Jon Cryer) and his nephew (Angus T. Jones), the show misguidedly hired Ashton Kutcher to lead the cast in seasons nine through twelve after Sheen left the show to enter drug rehab. 

One Tree Hill

It rarely works when a high school show follows its characters to college and into adulthood. One Tree Hill, the early-aughts teen drama that ran for three seasons on The WB and another six on The CW, stretched the storylines of Lucas Scott (Chad Michael Murray), Peyton Sawyer (Hilarie Burton), Brooke Davis (Sophia Bush) and the rest of the Tree Hill Ravens crew too long past graduation, especially as both Murray and Burton departed the show after season five.  

Lost

Airing 121 episodes over six seasons from 2004 to 2010, Lost packed a lot of supernatural nonsense onto that island, frustratingly devolving over the years from a character drama to a complex mythology swirling with time travel, smoke monsters and electromagnetic phenomena. Even co-creator Damon Lindelof has said that he wanted the show to end after three seasons instead of six. By the time the series aired its final episode, the sci-fi series had offered up far too many questions and far too few answers.

Modern Family

Even Modern Family star Sarah Hyland, who played Haley Dunphy in 11 seasons of the Emmy-winning ABC comedy, was kind of disappointed by the show's later seasons. And she seemingly wasn't the only one: though it had earned both critical acclaim and strong viewership for its earlier installments, season 10 had the worst ratings of the series. 

Once Upon a Time

The thing about fairytales is that soon enough you get to that happily ever after at the end. The ABC fantasy drama Once Upon a Time seemingly didn't get that message because it made fans wait for that storybook ending for seven long seasons — even Robert Carlyle, who portrayed Rumplestiltskin in the series, retrospectively admitted to The A.V. Club that he felt that the series "ran for too long."

Killing Eve

On paper, we should have never wanted Killing Eve to end, with its cast led by a superb Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer — as a British intelligence investigator and the psychopathic assassin she's tasked with capturing, respectively — and scripts from the brilliant mind of Fleabag scribe-star Phoebe Waller-Bridge. However, when Waller-Bridge departed as head writer after the first season, the once-great show simply ran out of story. 

Bones

Crime procedurals have a habit of staying on TV long after they should, what with their formulaic case-of-the-week structure that's easy to replicate season after season. And Bones, the long-running Fox crime drama starring Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz, is definitely no exception, overstuffed with soapy gimmicks, themed episodes and a way-too-long will-they-won't-they dynamic between Deschanel's Temperance Brennan and Boreanaz's Seeley Booth.

The Office

Of course, we love the entire Dunder Mifflin crew, but everybody knows that The Office should have naturally called it quits when lead Steve Carell — who played the "World's Best Boss," a.k.a. the delightfully incompetent Michael Scott — departed the show after its seventh season. Not even big-name actors like Will Ferrell and James Spader could fill the hole Michael Scott left. 

Westworld

Westworld's first season is to this day the most-watched first season of any HBO original series. However, that popularity, coupled with early critical acclaim, didn't last long for the dystopian Western — the writing and character work drastically declined by the time the show was canceled in November 2022, and just a month later, the entire series was brutally removed from HBO Max. 

That '70s Show

The Fox teen drama — centered on a groovy group of teenage friends living in the fictional town of Point Place, Wisconsin — worked because of the chemistry created by its young cast, including Topher Grace, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Danny Masterson, Laura Prepon and Wilmer Valderrama. So of course the show itself took a creative hit when that chemistry was altered following the departures of Grace and Kutcher after the seventh season. 

Smallville

Initially a show about a teenage Clark Kent dealing with issues both human (bullies, crushes) and superhuman (kryptonite and such) while growing up in fictional Smallville, Kansas, Smallville seemed to care less and less about the human side of the Man of Steel over the course of ten seasons. Many fans suggest that the TV superhero should have hung his cape after season seven, which saw the departure of both the show's main villain Lex Luther (Michael Rosenbaum) and Smallville creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. 

13 Reasons Why

Based on the young adult novel by Jay Asher, 13 Reasons Why is one of those cases where a multi-season show was made to be a limited series. Instead of just neatly telling the story of Hannah Baker (Katherine Langford) and the tapes she leaves behind after tragically ending her own life, the Netflix teen drama inexplicably changed genres throughout its four-season run, becoming a poor murder mystery in the show's third season. 

Heroes

Though the NBC superhero drama Heroes only went on for four seasons, critics of the show were already pointing out less-than-engaging storylines and lack of cohesion as early as season two. The tales of ordinary people who discover that they have superhuman abilities and have to work together to prevent catastrophic futures should have been adrenaline-pumping stuff, but it simply couldn't sustain that energy after its acclaimed first season. 

They say mama knows best, but television has shown us time and time again that isn't always the case. Whether it's a show as sinister as Sons of Anarchy or one as innocent as Modern Family, there's no shortage of moms who don't give the best advice. I'm sure there are plenty of dads as well, to be sure, but that's not what we're here to talk about today. 

Moms make the world go round, but they're not infallible. The following are some shining examples of mothers who aren't always giving the best advice, though I'll concede that some give worse advice far more often than others. Let's dive in!

Roseanne

The point of Roseanne was that the Conners weren't picturesque parents, but they somehow made it work anyway. Pull up any old episode with a Peacock subscription, and you'll hear Roseanne giving some ill-informed advice. Her heart is always in the right place, though, and that's what matters. 

Cersei Lannister

If Cersei Lannister hadn't told her son Joffrey that anyone outside their family was an enemy, he wouldn't have turned into the despicable monster we witnessed on Game of Thrones. Cersei's twisted mindset ultimately led to Joffrey's death, and I don't think I need to bring up her other two children that didn't survive the series, either. 

Connie Tucker

Better known as Meemaw on Young Sheldon, some might not know that Connie Tucker's daughter is Mary Cooper even if they saw them side by side. Between her underground gambling operation in the backroom of the laundromat, and the time she got her grandson Georgie arrested while bootlegging cigarettes across the border, she's not the best role model. 

Linda Belcher

Linda Belcher has her own issues she picked up during her upbringing, and she's instilled some of those values in her children. Encouraging Tina and Louise to cheat in school rather than do the work is a great example, and a hilarious lesson that makes this one of the best animated shows of all time. 

Norma Bates

I think it's possible that if your son turns out to be a mass murderer, you might've had a couple of missteps in instilling some advice. Norma Bates certainly had an unhealthy relationship with her son, and her general advice not to trust other women not only led to their deaths, it eventually led to her own. 

Lucy Ricardo

I can't even imagine the shenanigans Little Ricky got up to having Lucy Ricardo as his mother. The I Love Lucy character was always getting into hijinks, and landed herself in quite a bit of trouble with her various schemes from time to time. It's hard to imagine she didn't cook up some shenanigans with her son, and landed him in some trouble as well. 

Bonnie Plunkett

Bonnie Plunkett being an imperfect mother was more or less the point of Mom, as the recovering addict helped her daughter, Christy, work through her own recovery. She wasn't the best mother during Christy's upbringing, and she made her mistakes during the series, too. That said, she does love her daughter, and the family she helped raise. 

Lois Griffin

You don't need to see more than ten minutes of a Family Guy episode to see that Lois Griffin isn't the best parent. That said, she's definitely changed throughout the series, and become almost as unhinged as Peter in recent episodes. 

Skyler White

Skyler White gets a lot of flak, considering Walter White was the true villain of Breaking Bad, but it's hard to not fault her from taking Walt Jr. and getting out of the drug ring operation the moment she became aware of it. Other than that she was a good mother, but that one mistake is pretty hard to overlook. 

Kitty Forman

Whether it was That '70s Show or That '90s Show, Kitty Forman had a knack for instilling some bad to occasionally twisted advice to teenagers with a heavy dose of sugar. It's hard not to love her anyway, despite that, and the characters were so iconic that it's always worth keeping tabs on what Debra Jo Rupp and the rest of the That '70s Show cast is up to now. 

Cookie Lyon

I can honestly say that Cookie's decision-making and advice is no worse than any other member of the Lyon family in Empire, but they all make some terrible decisions. Between her spitefulness and scheming, she landed her sons in some sticky situations, some of which were more than a little dangerous. 

Betty Draper

Mad Men's Betty Draper might have the worst maternal instincts of any other TV mom on this list. Unfortunately, a lot of the ways she brought up their children was likely inspired by her own childhood, and gave many viewers the impression she disliked them or didn't care about them. 

Marge Simpson

I would say that, for the most part, Marge Simpson is a great mom. The Simpsons' matriarch does have her moments, however, and in those chaotic times can impart some bad advice. Perhaps the worst was telling her children to aim low in life as to not disappoint others, which seems like terrible advice for Bart, in particular. 

Joyce Byers

Joyce Byers has had a rough number of years, so it feels unfair to judge her based on the last time we saw her in Stranger Things. With that said, she was barely holding the homefront down and seemingly only had bad haircuts to hand out to the teens as they all dealt with life. 

Catelyn Stark

The Seven Kingdoms takedown of the Stark family was pretty wild, but Catelyn's campaign to avenge her husband might've led to some tactical missteps on her own end. Let's not forget the trauma we all endured watching the Red Wedding, which she had a part in.

Jessica Huang

Jessica Huang is a fantastic tv mom, but she also has a way of getting things done that may not always be the best way of doing things. She can be crafty and devious, but almost everything she ever does is out of love for her sons and family. 

Selina Meyer

Veep's Selina Meyer progressively gets more unsympathetic throughout the series, but her parenting skills may make some people dislike her from the start. Pushing her daughter into ending relationships due to political optics for her own career is just one of many ways she was a bad parent to come to with a problem. 

Wendy Byrde

When you loop your children into your operation of laundering drug money for the cartel, you're bound to give a lot of bad parenting advice along the way. Wendy doles out plenty of bad advice throughout the course of Ozark, making her one of the worst offenders on the list. 

Malory Archer

Malory Archer wasn't the best mother to her child, Sterling, and her self-centered nature and skewed view of the world due to her extreme wealth made her even worse to come to for advice. With that said, it's a bit ironic that her line "Do you want ants? That's how you get ants," is some great advice fans frequently reference. 

Claire Dunphy 

Claire Dunphy's advice to her children, at times, could come off as controlling. There are definitely points in Modern Family where her advice is molded by what she would like her children to do, rather than what is best for them. Her advice to Haley about not living in the past when Dylan came back into her life feels like a great example.  

Benny Lopez

George Lopez's mother, Benny, often created more problems for him than not on The George Lopez Show, and from what we know about his upbringing, she wasn't a great mother. Part of this was due to the fact Benny was also raised by bad parents, but fortunately, George was able to break the cycle and be able to overcome the mistakes of his upbringing despite his mother's poor advice. 

Sophia Petrillo

Sophia Petrillo doled out countless pieces of advice to her daughter and roommates on The Golden Girls, and I would say a good chunk of it was solid. Sophia is a wildcard, however, and occasionally, some of her advice was informed by her occasionally reckless lifestyle, which made it less useful to the women, but hilarious for viewers. 

Francine Smith

Francine Smith gives out tons of bad advice, but given the kookiness that can go down on American Dad, it's hard to fault her for it. Sometimes, you just gotta train your son to fight a school bully when you've had about two-hundred, or "two-fiddy," battles of your own back in the day. 

Dr. Beverly Hofstadter

The Big Bang Theory plays Leonard's relationship with his mother for laughs a lot, but the fact that she treated her child more as a test subject and imparted advice that crushed his self-confidence and shaped his anxiety definitely makes her one of the worst mothers on the list. Despite that, they do reconcile, if only because she felt like him marrying Penny was something he did right for once. 

Gemma Teller-Morrow

Gemma Teller-Morrow never had to drag her son into the life of motorcycles, guns, and crime, but every time Jax tried to leave she pulled him back. I think it's more than fair to say Gemma was driven by her own interests and would actively work against any others, which led to quite a few times where she offered bad advice. 

Evelyn Harper

Two And A Half Men's Evelyn Harper was a terrible mother, and in the small number of times she'd actually parent her sons, she had a litany of bad advice. Some would argue her upbringing is what led both Alan and Charlie to have such dysfunctional relationships with women, which I totally get. 

Livia Soprano

Livia Soprano gave out her fair share of bad advice, and even worse, tried to push it off like she was innocent in it all. Her subtly pushing Uncle Junior to put out a hit on Tony is just one of the moments that makes The Sopranos one of the best shows streaming on Max. 

Lucille Bluth

Neither Lucille or George Bluth were great parents when their kids were growing up, and that continued when they turned into adults. Whether it's her business advice to her children or the coddling of Buster, it's surprising the Arrested Development matriarch wasn't treated like a child more than the actual teens.  

Peg Bundy

Peg Bundy's parenting style was just about as outrageous as her clothing choices, but there's no denying she loved her kids. The mom from Married...with Children bucked just about every cultural norm of the traditional housewife, and wasn't the best at giving out advice. In her defense, she owned it, and never claimed to be someone she was not. 

Briana Barksdale

Not many mothers would convince their sons to not tell on drug dealers if it meant they'd spend a considerable time behind bars. Brianna Barksdale from The Wire isn't most people, however, and was able to convince her son, D'Angelo, to do just that rather than to sell the operation out to the authorities. She also managed to pull him back into the business when he'd try to pull away, so she's not winning mother of the year awards any time soon. 

Marie Barone

Raymond's mother, Marie, was number one at meddling, and would even use her advice as opportunities to conspire against her daughter-in-law, Debra. It seemed like Marie was always working an angle to get what she wanted, and she was not above doling out bad advice if it got her that much closer to the goal she ultimately had. 

Monica Gallagher

Monica Gallagher wasn't around her children often in Shameless, but did try to give advice with the best intentions. Unfortunately, someone in her position wasn't really able to always give the best advice even if she meant well, and the children often ended up trusting themselves more than their mother.  

As I mentioned before, some moms are better than others, and no mom is perfect. I'd reckon that, provided someone is at least making sure they aren't in line with the worst offenders on this list, they're doing a solid job. 

So, sometimes, certain characters become fan favorites when it comes to TV. They capture the interest of television viewers, and almost instantly, we are pulled into their stories. 

But sometimes, these characters that we love are repulsive human beings. They all have significant issues, whether evident at first or slightly subdued. Today, we'll be going over 32 TV characters that, at first, you might like but you would not want to be friends with in real life. 

Joe Goldberg (You)

This is an obvious one, but I have to put Joe Goldberg from You because there was a time when it seemed everyone was falling for this guy. He's the main character of the series and is played by the talented Penn Badgley. 

Look, I think the actor is handsome too, and Badgley can bring a sort of charisma to Joe that makes him hard to deny – hence why, every season, it seems like he can score some new woman. 

But don't get it twisted – Goldberg is a serial killer. He may think that he's killing people for the sake of his love to make sure all their problems are taken care of, but he's still killing people. And even in the fourth season, when he tries to be "better," he ends up just giving in to his dark side and deciding that killing is acceptable. He is as repulsive as a human as you can get. 

Andrea Harrison (The Walking Dead)

I watched all eleven seasons of The Walking Dead, and few characters annoyed me as much as Andrea – which makes sense since she was killed off quite early compared to the comics. She was whiney, trigger-happy, and always turned everyone down when it came to help – and she nearly killed Daryl, so instantly, that makes her the worst. 

Pete Campbell (Mad Men)

Mad Men was a huge show, and Pete Campbell was a prominent character. But man, this dude was the absolute worst. At first, he seems like a cocky businessman, a smug person who thinks he deserves everything. But as the seasons go on, he gets worse in every way possible. He would be in jail now if this were the real world for all he had done. 

Ross Geller (Friends)

I love the Friends cast just as much as the next person, but let's be honest – Ross Geller is awful. He may be hilarious in specific ways and sometimes sweet, but he's self-centered, has pretty bad anger issues, and cheated on Rachel. And no, they were not on a break. 

Merle Dixon (The Walking Dead)

Ironically, I didn't necessarily hate Merle Dixon in The Walking Dead – maybe because I was such a big fangirl of Daryl as a teenager – but he certainly wasn't my cup of tea. And now, years later, he was just a repulsive human being in many ways. While he did have a love for his little brother, Merle left people to die, killed innocents, and only had one redeemable moment – when the Governor killed him after releasing Michonne from her captivity. 

Dawson Leery (Dawson's Creek)

Yes, we all know that famous meme crying face, but have we ever talked about how the titular character or Dawson's Creek is the worst? Dawson Leery is a miserable crybaby who thinks just because he's a more likable guy than most, he deserves more when, in reality, he's just a whiner.

Lori Grimes (The Walking Dead)

While there have been plenty of female characters from shows that people have hated for no good reason, Lori Grimes from The Walking Dead was pretty bad – in many ways. Not only was she a major complainer about everything, but her significant repulsive action was that she slept with her husband's best friend not that long after he was supposedly left to die in a hospital – and then got pregnant with his baby. Judith is sweet and all, but come on. 

Piper Chapman (Orange Is The New Black)

The Orange is the New Black cast has plenty of great characters, but Piper Chapman, the main character the show follows, is probably one of the worst. She's selfish, doesn't know what she wants, and leads many people on. She also had a crazy power trip a few seasons in that turned her into a malicious person.

Will Schuester (Glee)

I'm sorry, Will Schuester from the Glee cast must be imprisoned. Let's push to the side that he sort of lays all his problems out for his students to see half the time – what kind of chorus teacher has his children sing adult songs like "Toxic" in front of the entirety of the school – and join in? Jailtime, right now. 

Rory Gilmore (Gilmore Girls)

Everyone at this point knows how terrible Rory is, in so many ways. She may have been kind in earlier seasons, but she treats her mom horribly, doesn't take her advice well, drops out of school to run on with boys, and treats her significant others pretty terribly. She's awful. 

Madison Sinclair (Veronica Mars)

I usually give high school mean girls a pass because nine times out of ten, they're just going through something at home that makes them that way. But Madison Sinclair in Veronica Mars was as vicious of a mean girl as possible. And what makes it even worse is that she's still just as petty and malicious in the Veronica Mars film, so it's just her personality. 

Blair Waldorf (Gossip Girl)

There are several people from the Gossip Girl cast I can point out on this list, and one is Blair Waldorf. No, she does not get an excuse for being a teenage girl and making stupid decisions because she keeps making them as time goes on to get what she wants. She's the stereotypical rich girl. 

Sheldon Cooper (The Big Bang Theory)

Let's be honest – if Sheldon Cooper were our friend, we wouldn't like him. Sure, the Big Bang Theory cast is extremely talented, including Jim Parsons, but the character of Sheldon Cooper is the worst. He's a know-it-all who has the emotional range of a teaspoon (in Hermione Granger's words) and would probably be the worst friend to have. 

Jenny Humphrey (Gossip Girl)

God, don't even get me started on Jenny Humphrey. She started the series as a pretty innocent girl on Gossip Girl, but it didn't take long for her to rebel and start doing pretty messed up stuff to fit in, and she just started getting worse and worse. I'm not surprised that her character was barely in the show by the time it ended. 

Santana Lopez (Glee)

Look, I love Glee just as much as the next person and Satana Lopez's vocals were some of the best on the show. She killed in every single solo she was in. And while a part of me is in love with her attitude and the fact that she's great representation for LGBTQ+ viewers, she's also kind of a jerk. Like actually. 

At least in the first few seasons, Santana is manipulative in the worst way possible, and if she was going down, she often dragged her friends down with her. It wasn't until later seasons we saw her break out of her shell more and learn to be kinder. 

Serena Joy (The Handmaid's Tale)

The Handmaid's Tale may be one of the best shows on Hulu, but Serena Joy is arguably one of the most despicable characters in the series. You can give me all the backstory into how she became the way that she is, but there is no denying that she is a massive reason why this oppressive society began, and there is nothing you can do or say that will make me forgive her, ever. 

Goku (Dragon Ball Franchise)

Nah, man. I may love anime and will introduce it to everyone, but if they say their favorite character is Goku from Dragon Ball, I'm unfriending them. Why? Because Goku is a deadbeat dad, and he leaves his family and children, especially Gohan, so much that it's a joke that Gohan isn't his kid. 

Erwin Smith (Attack On Titan)

I love Attack on Titan, and Erwin Smith was a part of some of the best arcs of the franchise. But my guy was almost too into the idea of what lay beyond the Walls of Paradis – so much that he's willing to sacrifice hundreds – if not thousands – of the lives of young soldiers just to win a battle. I don't care if you're an army commander – that's pretty messed up, no matter how dire the situation is. He's a kick-butt character, don't get me wrong, but also not that good of a person.

Barney Stinson (How I Met Your Mother)

We can all laugh at Barney Stinson from the How I Met Your Mother cast as much as we want, but if we met a real-life Stinson, we'd all hate him. He's the definition of a womanizer and has the attitude to match in many ways.

Chuck Bass (Gossip Girl)

Nope. No. I don't care if he's marketed as the "bad boy," he and Blaire are an entertaining but toxic Gossip Girl relationship and, more so, a horrible person. No random acts of kindness can make up for how bad he truly is. 

Dwight Schrute (The Office)

Dwight Schrute can take a vegetable beat and suck it – but on a real note, he isn't a great person. The Office cast is exceptionally talented, and yeah, Rainn Wilson certainly gives some humorous moments as Dwight. Still, at the same time, I'm pretty sure the office worker has some OCD with how he micromanages his job and others around him and will sacrifice anyone to get to the top.

George Costanza (Seinfeld)

The Seinfeld cast is full of characters that are all pretty bad in many ways, but let's be honest and say that George Costanza is one of the worst – if not the worst. He may be funny, but he's done some pretty bad things to get ahead in life or out of precarious situations. His frugality even led to the death of his fiance after buying toxic envelopes because they were cheap. 

Angelica Pickles (Rugrats)

No, she does not get a pass because she is a child – Angelica Pickles got her start as a mean girl early in her life with how she treated those babies, and what makes it worse is that she's still a brat in the spinoff, All Grown Up. I don't know who took her bottle away at a young age, but she's just awful. 

Brian (Family Guy)

While Brian is biologically a dog, he's practically a human in the way he speaks in Family Guy and man, has this "hilarious" dog done some messed up stuff. There is not another character that's as self-righteous as this dog, where he thinks he's just better than any other person and always uses that against them. It just makes him so unlikable. 

Dennis Reynolds (It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia)

I mean, do we even really need to explain this that much? Dennis Reynolds, at first, seems like a typical narcissistic male – a womanizer who thinks he's better than most just because his daddy has money. But there are some severe cracks in his mental state and moments where you wonder if this dude would let you walk out of a hookup with him.

Gojo (Jujutsu Kaisen)

I love Jujutsu Kaisen, but Gojo is also a repulsive human being. Yes, I know he's the anime boy that everyone – even some of my closest friends – seems to have a crush on, but he's as selfish as they come and always thinks he'll win everything just because he's powerful. I'm also pretty sure he would sacrifice innocent lives to live, and that's pretty repulsive. 

Ned Flanders (The Simpsons)

There are plenty of popular The Simpsons characters that I could talk about, but Ned Flanders is a pretty repulsive person. I know, at first, he seems like a friendly neighbor, but as the series progresses, he gets more wrapped up in this radical religious mindset. Don't get me wrong, it's alright for you to have your faith – but when you push it on others like Flanders begins to do, that's never the right choice. 

Charlie Harper (Two And A Half Men)

It's his character to be repulsive, but I feel like we've all let that slide because it's Charlie Sheen, and he's funny as Charlie Harper. But if we all met a real-life Charlie Harper, we wouldn't want to be close or even related to him, no matter how many times we watch Two And A Half-Men. 

Eric Forman (That '70s Show)

At first, Eric Forman seems agreeable, but when you rewatch That 70s Show, he is one of the worst characters here. He's just lazy and uses that as an excuse for so many things, and also, he does not deserve the angel that is Donna. 

Debbie Gallagher (Shameless)

Oh, Debbie. At first, Debbie Gallagher of the Shameless cast felt like a misguided teenager who needed someone to help her, but then she got an attitude. And then it got worse. And then she purposefully got pregnant at fifteen. What? It's no wonder Fiona practically lost her mind with this family. 

Rachel Berry (Glee)

Rachel Berry is the type of theater kid that you would never want to be friends with. In Glee, she makes everything about herself, always strives to steal opportunities from others, and even when she goes through something terrible, it doesn't feel like she grows up at all. I could never understand why Finn dated her. 

Ted Mosby (How I Met Your Mother)

There are so many things wrong with Ted Mosby in How I Met Your Mother, so much so that I could write an entire article about them. He would continuously pursue women no matter what despite trying to find the perfect match and still somehow ended up with Robin in the end, even after his wife passed away – which isn't right. 

There are plenty of other characters that I could add to this list, but let's cap it there – and now, I feel the need to check out different characters that make me happier than some of these horrible ones. 

When you think of the main ensemble of your favorite TV series, how closely does the picture in your mind resemble what the cast looked like when it debuted? It is certainly not unusual for a hit TV show to say goodbye to one of its biggest stars or bring in someone new who makes a huge impact. The following are some of the most famous — or even infamous — examples of casting changes that shook things up.

The Brady Bunch

The term “Cousin Oliver Syndrome” references when a sitcom’s youngest and cutest cast member grows up, prompting the writers to invent a new young, cute character to take their place. Its coinage comes from Robbie Rist’s clumsy character from The Brady Bunch, who was added late into Season 5 in 1974, only to last six episodes.

Roseanne

Alicia Goransan starred in Roseanne as Becky Conner for the first five seasons before leaving and later came back for the eighth season and the revival series. In the sixth, seventh, and ninth seasons, the role was given to future Scrubs and Rick and Morty star Sarah Chalke, who also appeared on The Conners in a separate recurring role. This back-and-forth dual casting was humorously addressed on a clip show episode.

Diff'rent Strokes

In Season 6 of Diff’rent Strokes, Arnold (Gary Coleman) and Willis Jackson (Todd Bridges) gained a new younger brother named Sam McKinney, played by Danny Cooksey. Originally brought on as a recurring character, Cooksey joined the main cast and, until the series’ end, his role grew larger as Willis’ appearances became more scarce.

Parks And Recreation

Near the end of the series’ second season, NBC’s Parks and Recreation cast grew with the addition of Rob Lowe as Chris Traeger and Adam Scott as Ben Wyatt. The mockumentary style political satire also experienced a major growth in popularity following their entrance and we find it hard to believe that is a mere coincidence.

Family Matters

An urban legend once suggested that the youngest Winslow child, Judy, walked upstairs one moment in the fourth season of Family Matters, never to come back down again. While that is not actually true (she last appeared in Season 4’s 19th episode, “Mama’s Wedding”), Jaimee Foxworth was written off the sitcom, due to increased attention on Jaleel White’s Steve Urkel and decreased budgeting, never to return to mainstream acting again.

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia

It’s hard to believe that Frank Reynolds was not a part of “the Gang” since It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia debuted on FX in 2005. In truth, Academy Award nominee Danny DeVito was brought in during the second season, propelling the long-running dark comedy to greater heights of popularity

The Office

NBC’s The Office cast saw many changes throughout its nine-season run, such as bringing in Ed Helms as Andy Bernard and Ellie Kemper as Erin Hannon. The most significant shake-up was when Steve Carell left his star-making role as Michael Scott in Season 7 and was briefly replaced by Emmy winner James Spader as Robert California.

The Sopranos

One of the best character actors of all time, Joe Pantoliano, joined HBO’s The Sopranos cast for two seasons as Ralph Cifaretto. His performance as the capo for the Soprano crime family resulted in one of his most acclaimed roles, earning him a Best Supporting Actor Emmy Award.

The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air

In Daphne Maxwell Reid’s first episode on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (the Season 4 premiere), it is cheekily acknowledged that she had replaced Janet Hubert as Vivienne Banks — following on-set tension with star Will Smith — when Jazz (DJ Jazzy Jeff) says there is “something different about” her. Both actors — who each had different takes on the role — were brought together for the sitcom’s reunion special on Max. 

Family Guy

If not for the publicity surrounding it, Family Guy fans might not have been able to notice that Mike Henry stepped down as the voice of Cleveland Brown in 2020 because of how perfectly Arif Zahir matches the character’s distinct voice. It is much more noticeable, however, to watch the adult animated series’ first two seasons and hear Lacey Chabert voicing Meg instead of Mila Kunis, who has played the Griffin’s oldest child ever since.

Batman

Adam West’s Batman faced off against two iconic iterations of Catwoman on his 1960s-era TV show, played by Julie Newmar for the first two seasons and Earth Kitt in the third and final run. That’s not even counting Lee Meriwether’s portrayal in the feature-length spin-off.

House

The medical diagnostics team led by Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) originally consisted of Dr. Eric Foreman (Omar Epps), Dr. Robert Chase (Jesse Spencer), and Dr. Allison Cameron (Jennifer Morrison). By the medical drama’s fourth season, he needed a whole new crew, recruiting Dr. Chris Taub (Peter Jacobson), Dr. Lawrence Kutner (Kal Penn), and Dr. Remy "Thirteen" Hadley (Olivia Wilde). The House cast would only continue to change from there — most notably with Penn leaving by the end of Season 5 and stars Amber Tamblyn, Charlene Yi, and Odette Annable coming in near the end.

Melrose Place

Heather Locklear is famous for shaking things up on a few different series by joining the main ensemble and one of the most notable examples is Melrose Place. She was cast on the Beverly Hills 90210 spin-off late into its first season in a recurring role as Amanda Woodward, who would become one the primetime soap’s most iconic characters when she was made a series regular the following year.

Valerie

Following her success on Rhoda, Valerie Harper starred on a family sitcom from the 1980s in the title role of Valerie, until she was fired after two seasons. Her character was killed off and replaced with Sandy Duncan as a stepmother, leading to the show’s retitling as Valerie’s Family: The Hogans and, later, The Hogan Family.

Cheers

Every single one of the main Cheers characters is memorable, even those who joined the ensemble later. Kelsey Grammer as Frasier Crane started off as a recurring character in Season 3, Woody Harrelson’s Woody Boyd was hired in Coach’s place after he and the actor who played him (Nicholas Colasanto) passed away, and, following Shelley Long’s exit, Kirstie Alley was cast as Rebecca Howe.

Grey's Anatomy

When a series lasts as long as Grey’s Anatomy, cast changes are to be expected. Some of the most notable include the exits of Isaiah Washington (following an alleged on-set controversy involving co-star T.R. Knight), Emmy winner Katherine Heigl after six seasons, and Patrick Dempsey, by way of killing off Derek Shepherd.

That '70s Show

Following a special appearance in That ‘70s Show Season 5, Lisa Robin Kelly was officially replaced by Christina Moore as Laurie Forman for the first half of the following season. Season 7 would be the last for Topher Grace as central character Eric Forman and the series’ biggest breakthrough star, Ashton Kutcher, officially left early in Season 8.

Law & Order

Only a handful of the original Law & Order cast — which included Chris Noth and Michael Moriarity— lasted more than four or five seasons before mainstays like S. Epatha Merkerson and Sam Waterston entered the mix. Fun fact: one of the crime procedural’s most beloved stars, Jerry Orbach, first appeared in a Season 2 guest spot in an entirely different role before he joined the main cast as Lennie Brisco the following year.

The Big Bang Theory

For years, Kaley Cuoco was the only female main actor in CBS’ The Big Bang Theory cast. That was until 2009 when Melissa Rauch joined the cast as Bernadette Rostenkowski, who went on to marry Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg), and Mayim Bialik joined the following year as Amy Farrah Fowler, who became Sheldon Cooper’s (Jim Parsons) wife.

Night Court

With the notable exceptions of Harry Anderson, John Larroquette, and Richard Moll, the original Night Court cast in its later years bore little resemblance to the Season One ensemble, which also included Karen Austin and Paula Kelly. The late Selma Diamond was the first of three actors to play the second bailiff (including Florence Halop and Marsha Warfield) and Charles Robinson and Markie Post were cast in Season 2 and stayed to the end.

Three's Company

John Ritter’s Jack and Joyce DeWitt’s Janet famously had a rotation of three blonde roommates on Three’s Company — starting with Suzanne Somers as Chrissy before Jenilee Harrison stepped in temporarily as Chrissy’s cousin Cindy and, lastly, Priscilla Barnes was brought in as Terri Alden. Additionally, Norman Fell and Audra Lindley left in Season 3 to star in a spin-off called The Ropers and were replaced with Don Knotts as the trio’s landlord, Mr. Furley.

Charlie's Angels

The only original Charlie’s Angels cast members to last all five seasons were Jaclyn Smith as Kelly Garrett, David Doyle as John Bosley, and John Forsyth as the voice of Charlie. Farrah Fawcett was only a series regular for the premiere season (replaced by Cheryl Ladd) and, following Kate Jackson’s exit after Season 3, Shelley Hack and, later, Tanya Roberts filled in for the remaining seasons.

Game Of Thrones

The Game of Thrones cast would lose main characters regularly but also featured a few well-known actor replacements. Most notably, Michiel Huisman succeeded Ed Skrein as Daario Naharis. Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane was played by three different actors: Conan Stevens in Season 1, Ian Whyte the following season, and Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson for the remaining seasons.

ER

Like any other long-running medical drama, creator Michael Crichton’s ER saw cast members coming and going regularly throughout its 15 seasons. For instance, George Clooney was a regular for the first five years, Ming-Na Wen was on from Season 6 to Season 11, and the final year featured two-time Oscar nominee Angela Bassett in the main cast.

Bewitched

The first of the two Darrins on Bewitched was Dick York, who was replaced after five seasons when a back injury had long-term, debilitating effects on the Emmy nominee. Filling in as the husband of the witchy Samantha Stephens (Elizabeth Montgomery) for the final three seasons was Dick Sargent, who was actually the original choice for the role, but was committed to another series at the time. 

Two And A Half Men

Following a public meltdown, Charlie Sheen was let go from Two and a Half Men, in which his character, Charlie Harper, was killed off and replaced with Ashton Kutcher in a new role. Furthermore, Angus T. Jones’ disparaging comments about the CBS sitcom’s racy subject matter led to his exit after Season 10, which resulted in multiple attempts to fill the “Half Man” role with the likes of Amber Tamblyn and Edan Alexander.

Monk

Tony Shalhoub’s eponymous, OCD-ridden police consultant from the USA dramedy Monk had three assistants working for him — the first being Bitty Schram as Sharona Fleming. After Niecy Nash came on as temporary fill-in, Varla Davis, Traylor Howard was cast as Natalie Teeger, who was employed by Adrian Monk for the remainder of the series.

The West Wing

There were several notable changes to the West Wing cast throughout its run, such as Moira Kelly’s Mandy Hampton departing after the first year without explanation and Rob Lowe being replaced with Joshua Malina after four seasons. Creator Aaron Sorkin’s Emmy-winning political drama also largely shifted its focus in the final two seasons toward Jimmy Smits and Alan Alan as candidates to succeed Josiah Bartlett (Martin Sheen) as the United States President. 

The Cosby Show

From her marriage to Martin (Joseph C. Phillips), Lisa Bonet’s Denise Kendall (née Huxtable) gains a stepdaughter named Olivia, who essentially serves as The Cosby Show’s resident “Cousin Oliver” following the growth of Rudy actor Keshia Knight Pulliam. However, Raven-Symoné makes her debut role something truly special with her performance as the adorably precocious girl.

Married... With Children

Following his guest appearance on Married… with Children as Peg’s alternate reality husband, Ted McGinley replaced David Garrison’s Steve Rhoades as Jefferson D’Arcy — the second husband of the Bundy’s next-door neighbor, Marcy. This is just one of many times the actor was cast on a series late into its run, such as when he joined Happy Days — leading radio personality Jon Hein to dub him the “patron saint of shark-jumping.”

The Waltons

The oldest child of the Waltons (and the central focus of the Depression-era drama), John-Boy, was originally played by Richard Thomas. When the Emmy winner left the show after seven years, he was replaced by Robert Wightman for the final two seasons.

House Of Cards 

Assault allegations against led Netflix to remove Kevin Spacey from his role in the House of Cards cast as ruthless politician Frank Underwood. Robin Wright, who starred as Frank’s wife, Claire, was then promoted to the series lead for the sixth and final season.

Some casting changes ultimately kill a TV show, while others manage to endure through it swimmingly and some even get better as a result.

Jon Cryer was already a big name in TV comedy before he arrived on NBC in the 2024 TV schedule as the star of Extended Family, thanks to twelve seasons of Two and a Half Men opposite Charlie Sheen. Extended Family was a return to a multi-cam sitcom for the actor, and he spoke with CinemaBlend about coming back to a live studio audience... and how he almost joined a different NBC sitcom even before Two and a Half Men.

The Extended Family star as well as creator Mike O'Malley spoke with CinemaBlend on the red carpet of SCAD TVfest in Atlanta. Given that Cryer has worked on shows ranging from NCIS to Supergirl (as legendary villain Lex Luthor) in recent years, I asked the actor what it was like for him to return to a live studio audience for the first time since Two and a Half Men ended in 2015. He shared:

Few people have as much sitcom experience as Jon Cryer, and he only had good things to say about returning to the live studio audience format for Extended Family. The new show also stars Donald Faison, who came with plenty of sitcom experience himself thanks to Scrubs, as well as Grey's Anatomy alum Abigail Spencer.

For Extended Family, Cryer and Spencer star as Jim and Julia Kearney, who are raising their kids in the wake of an amicable divorce. Trey Taylor (Faison) is in the mix as Julia's new fiancé, who also happens to be the owner of the Boston Celtics.

The sitcom marks Cryer's sitcom arrival on NBC after more than a decade of comedy on CBS, and it turns out that there's more to the story than simple chance that he hadn't appeared on the network before. He explained:

Apparently, NBC was not looking to hire Jon Cryer for any kind of job back in the day! Caroline in the City was a multi-cam sitcom starring Lea Thompson, and it ran for four seasons and nearly 100 episodes from 1995-1999. Given that Two and a Half Men didn't launch until 2003, could the course of his career have veered in a different direction if he'd been cast on Caroline in the City, even if just for a few episodes?

We'll never know, but as the actor said, it's "all water under the bridge now," and he's the leading man of an NBC sitcom. It's a funny piece of trivia, however, and I had to pitch Jon Cryer and Mike O'Malley on the idea of an arc about Jim irrationally hating Caroline in the City. The Extended Family duo laughed and responded:

• Jon Cryer: "Jim just has this weird thing! It’s like every time and really random."
• Mike O'Malley: "We should be so lucky that we go as long as Caroline in the City."

While the four seasons of Caroline in the City aren't nearly as long as Cryer's Two and a Half Men with twelve seasons or even Mike O'Malley's Yes, Dear with six seasons, TV is a competitive business, and Extended Family isn't even guaranteed a second season at this point. It's not hard to see O'Malley's point about running as long as Caroline in the City!

You can do your part to support Extended Family by watching new episodes on Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBC, and earlier episodes streaming with a Peacock Premium subscription. If you're also now in the mood to revisit Two and a Half Men, you can find that series streaming on Peacock as well.

Though it’s been a while since they last worked together, Jon Cryer and Charlie Sheen remain synonymous for their work on Two and a Half Men. Sheen and Cryer – who played siblings Charlie and Alan Harper, respectively – had great chemistry. And, for eight years, that helped propel their sitcom to success. That changed, however, when she experienced a string of personal issues and was ultimately fired from the show. Cryer has more recently shared his recollections of working with his former co-star. On that note, he recalled how he and Sheen got along during their time on the comedy and explained how their work dynamics changed when he faced his addiction struggles.

Jon Cryer discussed his over five-decade career when he appeared as a guest on the WTF with Marc Maron podcast. While strolling down memory lane, Cryer eventually talked to the eponymous host about his time on the hit CBS series (which is streamable with a Peacock subscription). The 58-year-old actor recalled just how “badly” CBS wanted Charlie Sheen for the show due to his work on the later seasons of Spin City. It sounds like the two co-stars got along relatively well. To that point, Cryer, who (like his character) was going through a divorce when the show started, recalled an on-brand request Sheen made him at the time:

That’s definitely an ironic offer if there ever was one. However, it’s hard to argue that it was generous given the position the actor was in at the time. The Pretty in Pink actor went on to explain that he and Charlie Sheen weren’t massively close off camera but did hang out here and there. They even bonded over a specific real-life experience at one point. However, it would seem that the relationship eventually changed once drugs came into the picture:

It was during Season 8 that Charlie Sheen began to make headlines, as he was reportedly partying with porn stars and prostitutes and using cocaine. Jon Cryer can still remember the changes in his co-star’s behavior at the time. And, during his chat with Marc Maron, he provided some additional details regarding the events surrounding Sheen’s exit:

It was at that time that Charlie Sheen made disparaging remarks about TAAHM co-creator Chuck Lorre as well as Jon Cryer, who he referred to as a “traitor” and a troll. (Though he retracted his comments about Cryer shortly after making them.) More recently, Sheen has been candid about that period in his life, noting that “everything turned to shit.” However, he and Lorre ended their feud and have since reunited for the single-camera comedy Bookie (which can be streamed with a Max subscription). 

As for the Superman IV alum, he’s not quite sure about reuniting with Charlie Sheen but wouldn’t “close anything off.” While appearing on The View (as shared on YouTube), he said that while he’s hesitant to be in long-term “business” with Sheen again, a “one-off” collaboration could happen. We’ll have to wait and see if that actually happens, but I’m sure fans would love for the two actors to work together again and re-establish their relationship. 

You can currently catch Jon Cryer on his latest sitcom, Extended Family, which airs Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBC as part of the 2024 TV schedule.

It is always so cool to see when former child stars continue to act to this day, which also tends to remind us of the former child stars whom we do not see very often anymore, if not at all. It begs the question, what are they doing these days? Well, allow us to provide that answer about the following one-time child actors.

Shirley Temple 

The quintessential name in child stardom is, undeniably, Shirley Temple, who got her start when she was 3 years old and rose to fame as one of the Depression Era’s biggest stars in movies like The Little Colonel and Bright Eyes. Following her 2014 death at the age of 85, Time published an obituary recalling how she quit acting at 21 and went on to pursue a political career that included running for Congress in 1967 and serving as a U.S. ambassador to Czechoslovakia.

Jonathan Taylor Thomas

After getting his big break on Home Improvement, Jonathan Taylor Thomas joined Disney’s original The Lion King voice cast as Young Simba and landed more movie roles that made him one of the ‘90s most popular teen heartthrobs. He still acts on occasion — such as when he reunited with Tim Allen and Patricia Heaton on Last Man Standing, but is rarely seen in public these days.

Mara Wilson

From her debut in 1993’s Mrs. Doubtfire to her leading role in Roald Dahl’s Matilda three years later, Mara Wilson was the talk of the town in her younger years, but did not always enjoy the experience. A negative experience on the set of 2000’s Thomas and the Magic Railroad convinced her to abandon acting (which she has been doing on occasion in more recent years) and pursue her primary claim to fame these days as an author.

Jeff Cohen

Jeff Cohen of The Goonies cast fame once told The Daily Mail that his career began to slow down when he went from "Chunk to hunk" and started losing weight after hitting puberty. These days, he is an entertainment lawyer and one of his most notable clients is none other than the actor who played Data in the 1985 family adventure classic: Academy Award winner Ke Huy Quan.

Carrie Henn

“Newt” — the young sole survivor of a Xenomorph attack on her colony in 1986’s Aliens — is the first and only acting credit of actor Carrie Henn. She told Tulsa World (via Mirror) that she chose to, instead, follow her true passion in education and succeeded, now working as a teacher.

Peter Ostrum 

After scoring the “Golden Ticket” with his very first acting gig by playing the central role of Charlie Bucket in 1971’s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Peter Ostrum immediately turned his back on Hollywood and has not acted since. However, you could say that he does make some contribution to the chocolate industry today by working as a veterinarian for large animals such as cows, as he explains in a segment of OWN’s Where Are They Now?

Mary-Kate And Ashley Olsen

After sharing the role of Michelle Tanner on Full House, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen were on top of the world and both continued to act well into their early 20s. However, the twins did not return for a cameo in Netflix’s revival sitcom, Fuller House, as their successful fashion careers had already begun to take off.

Angus T. Jones

After 10 seasons as Jake Harper on  Two and a Half Men, Angus T. Jones quit the show and acting altogether due to his religious beliefs (which drove him to openly criticize the top-rated sitcom’s raunchy material) and interests in business opportunities. He would later return to the craft, and reunite with Charlie Sheen, by making an uncredited cameo on a 2023 episode of Bookie.

Kay Panabaker

Along with her older sister, Danielle, Kay Panabaker was one of the most promising Disney Channel stars of her generation, appearing in hit shows like Phil of the Future and leading the made-for-TV movie, Read It and Weep. While Danielle still acts (and is best known for starring in The CW’s The Flash), Kay has left that world behind, but still works for Disney as an animal keeper at at Disney World's Animal Kingdom, according to Naperville Magazine.

Charlie Korsmo

Charlie Korsmo is best known for his role in 1991’s Hook as Jack Banning — the son of a Robin Williams’ character, who has forgotten his days as the legendary Peter Pan and grew up to be a lawyer. Coincidentally, after walking away from acting at starring in Can’t Hardly Wait, Korsmo grew up to become an assistant professor of law at Case Western Reserve University, but revealed to the school’s official website that he still gets fan mail from fans of Hook and Dick Tracy.

Taylor Momsen 

Years after her feature film debut as Cindy Lou Who in 2000’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas propelled her to fame, Taylor Momsen’s role in the Gossip Girl cast as Jenny Humphrey was put on indefinite hiatus when her style began to change to match her persona as frontwoman for The Pretty Reckless. She ultimately chose to abandon acting completely for music, which she called a lifesaving decision when speaking to People.

Barret Oliver

You may recognize Barret Oliver as Bastian in 1984’s The NeverEnding Story, the eponymous robotic child from D.A.R.Y.L., David from the Cocoon movies, and even the title role of Tim Burton’s breakout short film, Frankenweenie. He has not acted since the late ‘80s, however, and — as the blog Photo Culture details — he now makes a living as a photographer who specializes in 19th-century printing processes.

Amanda Bynes 

After getting her big break on Nickelodeon’s kid-friendly answer to SNL, All That, Amanda Bynes got her own sketch comedy series called The Amanda Show, led the sitcom What I Like About You, and starred in movies like She’s the Man and Easy A. After announcing her retirement on Twitter in 2013, concerns over her mental health put her under a conservatorship that ended in 2022 and, the following year, she debuted Amanda Bynes and Paul Simienski: The Podcast, which she canceled after one episode.

Norman D. Golden II

Norman D. Golden II made his breakthrough in the 1993 comedy Cop and a Half as a boy who witnesses a murder and agrees to testify if he can be made partner to a cantankerous veteran police officer played by Burt Reynolds. As a profile by The Journal Times reveals, he stopped acting years later to pursue education and nonprofit work but, more recently, has written and produced some projects.

Jennette McCurdy

As Sam Puckett on iCarly, Jennette McCurdy quickly became one of Nickelodeon’s brightest young stars and, following its ending in 2012, would continue to act for a few years. Ultimately, however, as the author said on her podcast, Empty Inside, "I quit... because I initially didn't want to do it. My mom put me in it when I was 6, and by... age 10 or 11, I was the main financial support for my family."

Ross Bagley

Playing Will Smith’s cousin on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and his stepson in Independence Day made Ross Bagley a bit hit in Hollywood at a young age. According to The Sun, he makes a living in real estate these days, but did not decline the opportunity to appear in Max’s The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion in 2020.

Ariana Richards

A former child actor whose most famous roles pitted her against man-eating beasts was Ariana Richards of Jurassic Park and Tremors fame. According to the Daily Mail, in the early 2000s she began taking art classes in Pasadena, which led to her current career as a painter.

Danny Lloyd

One of the best performances by a young actor in one of the best horror movies of all time came courtesy of Danny Lloyd as the gifted Danny Torrance in Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of Stephen King’s The Shining from 1980. In 2017, the Kentucky biology professor told The Guardian that he realized acting was not for him once he reached his teens, but he would make a small cameo in Doctor Sleep — a sequel to the terrifying classic from 2019.

Alisan Porter 

After playing the title role of writer and director John Hughes’ 1991 dramedy Curly Sue, Alisan Porter left acting for years, but would return for a few occasional appearances. She experienced a major career resurgence, however, when she was crowned the winner of The Voice in the singing competition show’s tenth season.=

Luis Armand Garcia

Following his role as Max on George Lopez, Luis Armand’s next and most recent acting credit would mark a reunion with his sitcom dad on NBC’s Lopez vs. Lopez. According to Legit, he spends most of his time performing philanthropic efforts, including for his own foundation, Hands On Horses.

Lisa Jakub 

Best known as Lydia Hillard in Mrs. Doubtfire and Alicia in Independence Day, Lisa Jakub left her acting career behind in the early 2000s. She still exists in the public eye, however, as a blogger, author, and motivational public speaker, as seen on her official website.

Jeremy Suarez 

As Jeremy Suarez got older, the star of The Bernie Mac Show and Disney’s Brother Bear (as the voice of Koda) found it more and more difficult to land acting gigs. As recalled to Atlanta Black Star, this would lead him to pursue a "normal life" working various jobs in construction, with boilermakers, retail, etc.

Liesel Matthews

With only three acting credits to her name, Liesel Matthews considered returning to the craft before a lawsuit against her father and cousins for misusing money meant for her brother stalled that pursuit, as Forbes recalls. Best known as the lead of 1995’s A Little Princess and the First Daughter in Air Force One from 1997, her current claim to fame is her philanthropic efforts.

Willow Smith

Years after making her acting debut alongside her father, Will Smith, as his onscreen daughter in I Am Legend, Willow Smith was supposed to be the star of the 2014 remake of Annie. According to The Guardian, her “intuition” influenced her to pass on the opportunity and, instead, pursue would would turn out to be a very successful music career.

Jake Lloyd

After playing Anakin Skywalker — a young Darth Vader — in 1999’s Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Jake Lloyd was open about his struggles with criticism over his performance for years that ultimately pushed him out of the spotlight. Following several legal troubles, according to Yahoo, he was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic in 2020.

Jolean Wejbe

According to Big Love showrunner Will Scheffer’s comments to the LA TImes, Jolean Wejbe’s role on the HBO drama as “Teenie” was recast with Bella Thorne in Season 4 after a growth spurt caused the actor to appear older than the character’s age. On LinkedIn, she lists herself as a Computer Science student at California State University, Northridge.

Taran Noah Smith

Taran Noah Smith did not do much acting outside of playing Mark Taylor in the Home Improvement cast and, right after the sitcom ended in 1999, the then 16-year-old quit the business completely. According to EW, he went on to start a vegan food company, constructed installation art for events like Coachella, built energy-efficient water purifiers for the military with his father, and — according to SFGate — later became a submarine pilot instructor.

Tami Stronach 

The Childlike Empress from The NeverEnding Story is the only screen acting role Tami Stronach, who chose to pursue dance instead shortly after. The reason being, as recalled on Mamamia — the then 10-year-old received a lot of unwanted attention from fans who were grown men, some of whom camped outside her family's home. She later became a professor and returned to acting onstage.

Ross Malinger

Ross Malinger had a successful acting career that included starring in Kindergarten Cop, playing Tom Hanks’ onscreen son in Sleepless in Seattle, and voicing T.J. on Recess. According to THR, he went on to manage a car dealership.

Jamie Waylett 

Vincent Crabbe from the Harry Potter movies is the only role that Jamie Waylett ever played, as he was dropped from the gig in 2011 due to legal trouble that put him behind bars. According to Metro, he still makes a living putting himself in the public eye by using an app called Cameo.

Caitlin Sanchez 

Caitlin Sanchez made her debut on Law & Order: SVU and appeared on Lipstick Jungle, but is best known as the voice of Dora the Explorer — a role she was fired from when her voice changed. However, as THR reported, when she was left with no compensation to show for it, she filed a $10 million lawsuit against Nickelodeon, only to settle for $500,000.

Jason Zimbler 

Following his role as Fergus Darling — Melissa Joan Hart’s onscreen brother — on Nickelodeon’s Clarissa Explains It All, Jason Zimbler had a career in theater. However, as of 2011, he works at HBO as a software engineer, according to The Sun.

Not every child actor is destined for a life of fame, but at least they have the opportunity to discover their true callings early on.

Few shows come close to matching the success of CBS’ Two and a Half Men. Chuck Lorre and Lee Aronsohn’s raunchy and hilarious multi-cam romp (which is streamable for Peacock subscribers) brought in strong ratings during its 12-season run. Those first eight years, however, were particularly fruitful due to the comedic prowess of co-leads Jon Cryer and Charlie Sheen. That working relationship dissipated in dramatic fashion in 2011, when Sheen fired and around the time made disparaging remarks about Lorre and Cryer. Sheen and Lorre have since made amends and are now working on the new comedy Bookie. Now, the question is whether Cryer would be willing to reunite with them on the show and, when asked about that, he shared thoughts. 

Few would probably deny that the aforementioned trio made some serious strides together within the world of TV. Still, it goes without saying that there’s a lot of baggage there, given the drama that transpired. Jon Cryer is currently promoting his new sitcom, Extended Family, which is set to debut on NBC. While chatting with TVLine, the veteran actor was asked how open he’d be to collaborating with his fellow Men alums on a future season of Bookie. While the notion does sound somewhat appealing to him, Cryer seems to have a concern: 

The chain of events surrounding Charlie Sheen’s exit from Men coincided with the show’s eighth season, which aired during the 2010 to 2011 broadcast season. In the fall of ‘10, Sheen made headlines for partying with porn stars and prostitutes and eventually entered rehab in ‘11, prompting the producers to put the show on hiatus. At that time, the actor began criticizing Chuck Lorre during interviews and shared sentiments that were largely deemed antisemitic. CBS and Warner Bros. Television eventually ousted Sheen for his conduct. Shortly after, he took a shot at Jon Cryer, calling him a “turncoat, a traitor, a troll.”

With all of that in mind, one can honestly understand why the Pretty in Pink alum would express some hesitation over possibly working with his former co-star again. But it also appears he’s not shutting the door on the idea entirely: 

Based on what’s been reported as of late, Charlie Sheen is in a good place and enjoyed working with Chuck Lorre again. Lorre spoke about the end of their feud, which happened after he reached out to the actor about playing a fictional version of himself on Bookie. Sheen accepted but had one request, which was that his TV counterpart was doing drugs. Lorre agreed and, as a whole, he has referred to the process of working with Sheen again and making amends as “healing.” What’s even sweeter is that Lorre orchestrated a Two and a Half Men reunion on the new show by tapping Angus T. Jones for a cameo.

Considering just how well Charlie Sheen and Jon Cryer played off each other, it would be great to see that happen again in some form or fashion. Cryer’s new show, on which he plays a divorced dad dealing with his ex’s new romance, is likely to keep him busy for the immediate future. Hopefully, though, should he feel comfortable enough, he’ll make some more comedy magic with Sheen and Chuck Lorrre. 

New episodes of Bookie drop for Max subscribers on Thursdays. Meanwhile, Extended Family makes its NBC debut on Saturday, December 23 at 8 p.m. ET as part of the 2023 TV schedule.

After making headlines years ago with his Two and a Half Men exit, Charlie Sheen has been repairing his public image and career. Of course, his post-Two and a Half Men life was filled with difficulties that Sheen has put behind him in recent years. Now, with those events in the past, the actor got real about his sitcom star life and what changed for him during his time on the hit CBS sitcom.

The Two and a Half Men alum spoke with People about his new TV role after laying low for a few years. Viewers last saw Sheen on their screens via the Comedy Central sitcom Typical Rick, and he revealed that he stepped away to focus on his sobriety and raising his twin boys away from Hollywood. His TV return sees him reuniting with Chuck Lorre, which led him to recall the early years of the Emmy-nominated comedy. The Hollywood star said:

Charlie Sheen was the highest-paid TV actor during his TAAHM tenure. He notched multiple award nominations and wins, including two Golden Globes. However, things changed after the sitcom star started displaying erratic behavior on the set. Eventually, things came to a head when creator Chuck Lorre fired him, and replaced the Golden Globe-winning star with Ashton Kutcher for the final two seasons.

Sheen admitted his drug and alcohol addiction played a role in his changed behavior on the CBS comedy’s set. He referred to that time as a “possession.” Of course, the actor revealed “he still feels shame for his past behavior.” He delved into how his addiction changed his relationship with the sitcom’s cast and crew, saying:

Wow! Viewers may or may not be surprised by that development after seeing Charlie Sheen’s campaign against Lorre and the show pre- and post-firing. No one wanted to see someone they respected and adored become a person they didn’t recognize. 

His behavior didn’t just impact the show but his personal life as well. Sheen's ex-wife Denise Richards recalled the sitcom’s immense success affecting his sobriety, leading to their marriage ending. Former co-star Jon Cryer revealed that his co-star's addiction and firing almost led to the series being canceled before Kutcher was tapped to replace him.

Besides losing his weekly paycheck, Charlie Sheen’s relationship with Chuck Lorre imploded as the two men began a decade-long feud. Lorre remembered them being close friends during the CBS comedy’s early seasons. The sitcom impresario recalled things going down in a very dark and difficult path as they began feuding on set and in the press. Sheen called him a “clown” and “turd” at the height of their war of words. 

However, after not speaking to each other for years, the Mom creator reached out to the Spin City star to “bury the hatchet” and guest-star on the former’s new show Bookie (currently available through a Max subscription).  The 58-year-old actor admitted the two former adversaries were “beaming” during their on-set reunion. Maybe their reunion will lead the TV and film star and Lorre to reteam for another sitcom.

As Charlie Sheen patiently waits to see TV viewers’ reactions to his guest role, they can revisit his time as Charlie Harper by binging Two and a Half Men through a Peacock subscription. In the meantime, check out our 2024 TV schedule to see what returning and upcoming comedies are airing this winter.

Two and a Half Men was one of the most successful shows on TV during its 12-season run, but it did experience a few behind-the-scenes hiccups. The biggest of them was the highly publicized exit of its lead star, Charlie Sheen, who was fired by Warner Bros. TV and CBS in 2011 after making disparaging remarks about series co-creator Chuck Lorre. Thankfully, Sheen and Lorre resolved their feud just recently and are reuniting for his new show (which will be available to Max subscribers). Ahead of its release, Lorre has been discussing his relationship with Sheen, and he recently recalled their “dark and difficult” falling-out. 

Before the two were on the outs, they’d worked well together, which should be evident due to the fact that their show had been a hit for a little over eight years up to that point. As he conveyed during his interview with ET, Chuck Lorre wants people to be aware that he and his colleague and their share of good times while working on Men. He fondly shared some sweet thoughts when speaking about that early period in his and the Charlie Harper actor’s partnership: 

They did indeed push the envelope, as the sitcom (which is streamable with a Paramount+ subscription) was one of the edgier sitcoms of the 2000s. And at the time, viewers flocked to it. It goes without saying that Charlie Sheen’s exit from Two and a Half Men was far from beneficial for the creative team. Sheen, who’d just finished up a voluntary stay in rehab at the time, made disparaging remarks against Chuck Lorre, with some of those comments being deemed antisemitic. Later in his recent interview, the Bob Hearts Abishola EP reflected on the emotions he felt at the time: 

The Big Bang Theory producer previously spoke about not being able to watch Men reruns for years, and that’s honestly understandable given the magnitude of the drama at the time. It seemed, at one point, that the show might be done. However, former CBS chairwoman Nina Tassler helped Two and A Half Men turn things around by orchestrating the hiring of Ashton Kutcher as the new co-lead. The show ended up running four more years before ending in 2015, but there was still the matter of the unresolved issues between the co-creator and his star.

Apparently, Chuck Lorre was the one to extend the olive branch, as he wanted Charlie Sheen to play a fictionalized version of himself on his new comedy, Bookie. The actor was receptive to the idea, though Sheen did have just one request. The Anger Management veteran’s fictional counterpart was originally written as being a patient in the rehab he was renting out for gambling events. However, Sheen asked if they could move away from the “drug-addled Charlie” and instead not make him a resident at the facility. Lorre stated that he and his team easily obliged when it came to that change.

Their collaboration on the new show has reportedly been rock solid since they decided to join forces again. While it sounds like there was a lot of pain to get past, I’m happy the two were able to work out their differences. And of course, I also hope their latest comedy yields humorous results. 

Bookie is set to hit Max on November 30 as part of the 2023 TV schedule.

Regarding movie and TV characters that have withstood the test of time, I can think of no better characters than the sarcastic ones. These people we remember the most years later for their hilarious jokes, awesome one-liners, and deliveries that just can't be beaten. Today, we'll review the most sarcastic TV characters and the ones from movies. 

Chandler Bing (Friends)

Out of the entirety of the Friends cast, I don't think there's been another character that stands out just as much as Chandler Bing. From his first moments on the series to his last, Chandler was hands down the most sarcastic of the leading group, and some of his lines have lived on for years long after the series ended. Friends was undoubtedly one of Matthew Perry's best TV shows.

Deadpool (The Deadpool Franchise)

Deadpool from the Deadpool franchise in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is sarcastic by nature. No matter what fight he's dealing with, there's always a joke that comes flying out not that long after, whether it be a lighter joke or a very much Rated-R quip, Ryan Reynolds' character always has a quick remark.

Roman Roy (Succession)

The Succession cast is always serious about what is happening in the show – as they should be. It's a lot of money they are dealing with. 

But Roman Roy? He is the most unserious character ever and will break any tension with a sarcastic quip that will undoubtedly sit in viewers' minds for hours long after the TV show ends. Kieran Culkin was a beast at his delivery. 

Tony Stark (The MCU)

Out of the original Avengers, Tony Stark (played by Robert Downey Jr. in one of his best roles) is hands down the most sarcastic. I'm pretty sure half the time, it was just Downey Jr. acting like himself on screen because he's Tony Stark in real life. I'll never get over how he called one of Thanos' henchmen, Squidward, literally. 

Sherlock Holmes (Elementary & Sherlock) 

It's hard to pick just one Sherlock – so why not both? Benedict Cumberbatch from Sherlock and Jonny Lee Miller from Elementary both perfectly capture what it's like to play Sherlock Holmes – as well as his sassy and sarcastic nature when solving the case. They are some of the best portrayals of Sherlock out there – I'll give Robert Downey Jr. an honorable mention, too, for his role as Sherlock in the Sherlock movies.

Max Black (2 Broke Girls)

Kat Dennings has probably some of the best one-liners in all of 2 Broke Girls as Max Black. Coming from a broken home, the character came swinging right out the gate with hilarious one-liners and wits that made me laugh for hours on end – even if deep down, we all know she uses sarcasm as her emotional shield.  

Comic Book Guy (The Simpsons)

Few characters on this list have been around for decades, but Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons was primed for that. Appearing in the second season of The Simpsons, the character has remained a mainstay in the series for his sarcastic nature and love of all things comic books, making snide comments to anyone who challenges his mastery of the medium.

Juno (Juno)

Juno from Juno is probably the most relatable teenage character in movies (besides, maybe, the whole teen pregnancy part). She's witty and sarcastic and uses it in situations where you probably shouldn't use humor, but it's what brings you comfort. Admittedly, Juno was my favorite movie character for a long time. 

Gregory House (House)

There are many medical dramas like Grey's Anatomy, New Amsterdam, and so many others, but nothing can beat House and its namesake doctor, Gregory House. A man who is incredibly smart but has a drug problem, he uses sarcasm in his everyday job, which not only makes him hilarious but also causes him to run into some interesting patient situations. 

Hades (Hercules)

I will stand by the fact that Hades is hands down the best Disney villain overall. Not only is he so sarcastic and makes jokes about death and Greek mythology all the time, but he's able to use that hilarity and turn it sinister, turning into a pretty scary villain when he needs to be. But you can't hate him because he's just so funny. 

Roger Sterling (Mad Men)

When I first watched Mad Men and attempted to find someone I liked from the cast, the first person that came to mind was Roger Sterling. Portrayed by John Slattery, Sterling had some of the best storylines on the series – and brought that sarcasm despite all his heavy problems. 

Tyrion (Game Of Thrones)

There are some great Tyrion quotes out there that I could reference for hours about how sarcastic this man is, but they wouldn't do it justice. Honestly, rewatch Game of Thrones for Tyrion's sarcastic nature – I assure you, you will laugh just as much the first time you watched this series thanks to Peter Dinklage's excellent performance. 

Seinfeld (Seinfeld)

I mean, come on. Of course, we must put Jerry Seinfeld from Seinfeld on this list. The man was born to be a sarcastic comedian, and in every episode of this series, something will come out of his mouth to make you laugh. 

Miranda Bailey (Grey's Anatomy)

The Grey's Anatomy cast has ebbed and flowed so often throughout its long run that it's sometimes hard to remember everyone there. But Miranda Bailey, played by Chandra Wilson, has been in the show for years, and honestly, she's one of the few that I see the reason why. Not only is she hilarious in her sarcastic nature, but her facial expressions are to die for. 

Lucifer (Lucifer)

When you're the ruler of Hell, you tend to have a sense of humor from all the darkness going around, and of course, Lucifer from Lucifer is very much like that. And he has a sense of humor that is unlike anyone else. I'm pretty sure Lucifer can charm anyone with his sarcastic nature and pretty smile – and yes, he would most likely delight me, too, with his sarcasm.

Alex Russo (Wizards Of Waverly Place)

As someone who grew up watching Wizards of Waverly Place, Alex Russo is why I am the person I am today. Funny, quippy, and sarcastic, this girl always knew how to make anyone laugh, regardless of the situation. And it's certainly a show to watch if you love Selena Gomez, as she plays Russo. 

Fallon Carrington (Dynasty)

If you want a character that genuinely lives for drama, then Fallon Carrington (played by Elizabeth Gillies) from Dynasty is the one for you. She grew up with money and power, but because everyone was always fighting each other within her family, she learned how to stand up for herself quickly – which manifested into some of the most sarcastic moments of the show. 

Stiles (Teen Wolf)

I'm 99% sure Stiles from the Teen Wolf cast can use his sarcasm as a weapon. Before he was affected by any supernatural forces, he was genuinely just a funny kid who used sarcasm in every way possible, and yes, I am still missing Dylan O'Brien in this role, because he was just the best. 

David (Schitt's Creek)

In modern-day television, no one is as sarcastic as David from the Schitt's Creek cast. Played by Dan Levy, this character had so many moments of sass that they are printed on t-shirts all over the place now. I still laugh just as hard when he says, "You look like the downfall of society," years later. 

Charlie (Two And A Half Men)

Fun fact – I binge-watched Two And A Half-Men for the first time in 2023, and yes, I am now aware of how funny Charlie Sheen was in this show as Charlie. He is probably the most sarcastic TV character I've ever gotten the chance to watch – and no matter how many times I view the episodes, I still laugh just as hard. 

Seth (Superbad)

The Superbad elevated many people among its cast up to fame, and one of those just happened to be Jonah Hill, who played Seth in the film. From there, we see how hilarious and sarcastic Hill could be when he played Seth and somehow made me laugh despite his strange nature – and his weird obsessions. 

April Ludgate (Parks And Recreation)

Aubrey Plaza's best TV shows certainly includes her role in the Parks and Recreation cast, where she played April Ludgate. Her deadpan-style comedy and the way she responded to any joke is what made her such a great addition to this cast, and in any rewatch, she's always the standout star. 

Sheldon Cooper (The Big Bang Theory)

Arguably, you could place anyone from the Big Bang Theory cast on this list, but Sheldon stands out. He's sarcastic, intelligent, and pretty much the face of the franchise – I mean, he got his series afterward, so it's not surprising he's on this list. 

Betty Rizzo (Grease)

Betty Rizzo is an exciting pick on this list because while she is undoubtedly sarcastic and a mean girl, we all know she's going through some serious personal stuff. Regardless, she channels her emotions into her sarcasm and truly comes up with some funny one-liners that have lived on – and of course, we can't forget the sarcasm queen's song, "Look At Me, I'm Sandra Dee."

Miranda (Sex & The City)

Miranda Hobbes from the Sex and the City cast was the sarcastic and funny friend I'm sure we all want in our thirties. Portrayed by Cynthia Nixon, Miranda is a career-minded woman who has probably one of the most cynical takes on relationships and men in general, and she makes it known plenty through her sarcastic quips.  

Daria (Daria)

Daria's sarcasm from the show Daria is what made her famous. The adult animated sitcom -- a spinoff from Beavis and Butt-Head -- was released in the late 1990s and featured the story of Daria, a cynical high school student who was hilarious in every way. Let's be honest; we all wanted to be her. 

Sterling Archer (Archer)

Archer is all about Sterling Archer – who makes this animated series so much more fun with his sarcasm. As a secret agent who is as narcissistic as he is sarcastic, he makes this show as hilarious as some of the best TV shows.

Loki (The MCU)

I must include the supervillain (or hero, depending on how you look at him), Loki. From his first appearance in the MCU to his TV show on Disney+, Tom Hiddleston has made Loki one of the most sarcastic supervillains in the MCU. It's no wonder he keeps coming back again and again. 

Miranda Priestly (The Devil Wears Prada)

"Florals? In the spring? How original." You can't get better than Miranda Priestly. Meryl Streep portrayed the character in The Devil Wears Prada cast, and this character used her sarcasm as a weapon to anyone who dared go against what she wanted. Truly, no one did it as well as Priestly. 

Severus Snape (The Harry Potter Franchise)

While Severus Snape was a man of few words in most of his appearances in the Harry Potter franchise, he was full of sass and sarcasm. Played by Alan Rickman, Severus Snape was a powerful wizard, and in some of his best moments, he used his sass and sarcasm against everyone, especially his students. 

Saul (Better Call Saul)

I mean, it's Saul Goodman. He's the king of sarcasm. There's a reason why Bob Odenkirk received an entire spinoff dedicated to the character after starring in Breaking Bad – he's an okay-ish lawyer with no shortage of sarcasm to offer. He can somehow always get someone out of trouble.

Sokka (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

What do you do when all your friends and family have bending abilities but you don't? You use sarcasm as a weapon, of course, and that's what Sokka did in Avatar: The Last Airbender. Hands down, Sokka was the funniest of the leading group of characters in the popular Nickelodeon show.

Richard Hayden (Tommy Boy)

David Spade is another iconic actor known for his sarcastic characters, and one of his best is Richard Hayden from Tommy Boy. His scenes with Chris Farley made him all the funnier and stands out as one of his best movies. 

Billy (Billy Madison)

Adam Sandler is known for being sarcastic in many of his movie roles, and one of his most iconic was Billy in Billy Madison. A spoiled man, Billy was hilarious in every way and used his sarcasm and dimwitted nature to get whatever he wanted – which, later on, hilariously backfires. 

There are plenty of great sarcastic characters out there to love and enjoy, but these guys certainly stand out as some of the best. Now if you don't mind me, I'm going to look up a compilation of Chandler Bing's funniest moments and laugh my butt off again and again. 

Considering all the celebrities who had memoirs released in 2023, from John Stamos to Britney Spears to Jada Pinkett Smith, one might think that either Denise Richards or Charlie Sheen penned something autobiographical as of late, considering the resurfaced attention given to their relationship and co-parenting struggles regarding their daughters, the opinion-sparking OnlyFans content creator Sami Sheen and Lola Rose. The former RHOBH star’s latest reflection on her past came during a podcast convo with fellow Real Housewives alum Bethenny Frankel, where she revealed herself as the reason Sheen joined Two and a Half Men, which ended up having a negative effect on both his sobriety and their marriage.

During the first half of a two-part installment of Just B with Bethenney Frankel, the host and Richards essentially talked through a timeline of the Wild Things star’s courtship with Charlie Sheen, with the early years before and during their marriage being far calmer for the couple, with the actor then years into a period of sobriety. While discussing her infamous December 2004 Playboy shoot, Richards revealed that Sheen was offered to join in as the photographer, but noted that he didn’t end up going forward with it because the timing coincided with his work on the CBS sitcom. Which is when she dropped the reveal that she was the big reason why he ended up taking that project over another one. In her words: 

I can easily understand why Sheen was reportedly nervous at the time, since he'd pulled off the extremely rare Hollywood move of successfully replacing a major star deep into a TV project's run, and as great as Spin City was with Michael J. Fox at the helm, it was just as fun with the Major League star bringing different comedic vibes. And considering he landed Two and a Half Men relatively soon after the D.C. sitcom ended, it's easy to forget that his career could have gone in a vastly different direction had he turned down the Chuck Lorre series in favor of another show. He presumably wouldn't have sparked a decade-long feud with Lorre, and likely wouldn't have turned Tiger Blood into a household name, among other things.

To that end, somewhat, Denise Richards believes that Two and a Half Men was indirectly responsible for her ex-hubby’s renewed affinity for intoxication. Here’s how she put it:

Bethenny Frankel asked if Charlie Sheen was at an emotional low point just ahead of Two and a Half Men, wondering if that added to his addictive habits that followed. But Richards said he was in a really good place at that time, having been sober during his time on Spin City, but that the CBS sitcom’s mass popularity seemed to play a big part in his behavior and lifestyle going forward, including the timeline of eventual exit. She continued:

By and large, Denise Richards spoke of Charlie Sheen respectfully, and made sure to present things as her opinions, while saying she couldn't speak to his thoughts on certain matters. She also recently opened up about her parenting struggles during the years when his addictions were most troublesome.

Sheen is set to make his big TV return for Chuck Lorre's new Max series Bookie, though we probably shouldn't expect to see Richards making any appearances as she did on Two and a Half Men. But I'm still hoping, because why not?

The entertainment industry has seen some major reunions as of late, but there’s one I’m not sure many had on their 2023 bingo cards. Charlie Sheen joined forces with mega producer Chuck Lorre for a new comedy years after his highly publicized firing from CBS’ Two and a Half Men. While the development was certainly surprising, it was likely a welcome turn of events for those who are fans of the two collaborators’ work. Lorre recently took some time to shed light on how he finally squashed his beef with Sheen. And while doing so, the writer/EP also explained one request the actor had after he signed on for his latest show. 

Chuck Lorre and Charlie Sheen are teaming up for the single-camera comedy How to Be a Bookie. The 2023 TV schedule entry, which will be available to Max subscription holders, will star Sebastian Maniscalco as a bookmaker named Danny, who attempts to adapt to changes within the world of sports gambling. Sheen is set to play a fictionalized version of himself who has dealings with Maniscalco’s character. Part of Sheen’s on-screen arc involves him holding a poker game in a rehab facility on the down low. The original idea for the show was that the Anger Management veteran was also staying there as well. However, Lorre – who wanted to cast Sheen due to his knowledge of the gambling world – revealed that the actor asked if an alteration could be made: 

That’s a very considerate narrative change, and you can imagine that the veteran actor really appreciated it. Aside from being a key change for the show, it also signifies that the star is seemingly looking to move past the personal struggles he dealt with long ago. At this point, it’s been several years since the Spin City alum has acted. However, it seems like there he didn’t need to shake off any rust when he started work on How to Be a Bookie. Chuck Lorre went on to tell Variety that the star “proceeded to kill it at the table read” and that “his chops were just so finely tuned.” Series co-writer and EP Nick Bakay agreed with Lorre’s assessment while discussing that particular day of work: 

I don’t know about any of you, but I never would’ve thought the two comedy vets would reach such another period of creative bliss, considering the timeline of Charlie Sheen’s exit from Men. Sheen entered rehab amid production on the hit CBS sitcom’s eighth season, which coincided with the 2010-2011 TV season. In the spring of the latter year, the star made disparaging remarks about Chuck Lorre (the co-creator, co-writer and EP), including some comments deemed antisemitic. It was in March 2011 that Sheen was fired by Warner Bros. TV and the Eye Network. Thanks to a turnaround by a CBS exec, the show was able to tap Ashton Kutcher as his replacement and air for four more seasons. 

There was actually a time after the drama that Chuck Lorre couldn’t even watch Two and a Half Men reruns due to what went down. However, that changed shortly before he mended fences with his former lead actor. It’s simply wonderful that Lorre and Charlie Sheen were able to move past their differences and get on good terms again. With the creatives working in harmony, their latest collaboration will hopefully become one of the best original Max shows to stream. I’m curious to see what Sheen manages to bring to the proceedings as, thanks to that request, portrays a clean and sober (yet likely still-eccentric) version of himself.

How to Be a Bookie is set to hit Max on November 30. In the meantime, those who are feeling nostalgic for Two and a Half Men can stream the entire series using a Peacock subscription.

All-time great shows like Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad and The Simpsons have introduced viewers to some of the greatest TV characters that have entertained us over the years. But there have been times where those beloved heroes (and some villains) were unexpectedly killed off, leaving those at home shocked and worried about how storylines would carry on.

Well, here are 30+ examples of TV shows that killed off a fan-favorite characters and how things shook out for the series following the big moment (or moments).

The Walking Dead (Multiple Characters)

One of the most popular shows of the past decade, The Walking Dead, has introduced its fair share of beloved characters, who eventually met their demises. Whether it’s Glenn Rhee (Steven Yeun), Carl Grimes (Chandler Riggs) or any number of others, the drama series always found a way to move forward, even if some of us never got over those heartbreaking deaths.

The Wire (Omar Little)

Omar Little, played by the late Michael K. Williams, was one of the most unforgettable, and beloved, characters on The Wire. He also had a shocking yet very on-brand death. The Robin Hood of Baltimore was killed not by one of his rivals or a police officer near the end of the show’s final season, but by a young boy in a convenience store. His place in the “Charm City” ecosystem was picked up by Michael Lee (Tristan Wilds) in the series finale.

Game Of Thrones (Multiple Characters)

There were all kinds of gruesome Game of Thrones deaths over the years, but some hit fans a lot harder than others. But with the beheading of Ned Stark, the Red Wedding and even the ambush of John Snow, the popular fantasy series always kept the momentum going within its stories. Well, until the show lost its way in later seasons.

Dexter (Rita Morgan)

Is there a TV death more shocking than that of Rita Morgan (Julie Benz) in the Dexter Season 4 finale? Just when Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) thought he defeated the Trinity Killer (John Lithgow), he came home to find that his wife was murdered in their bathtub. Some would argue that this moment was the peak of the series and that it was never really the same afterwards.

Downton Abbey (Matthew Crawley)

The untimely death of Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens) on Downton Abbey had a major impact throughout the rest of the series (and its two movie sequels). A character who was most effected by arguably Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery). Years after that turn of events, Steven has still been apologizing to fans who never really got over his character’s passing.

Lost (Charlie Pace)

There are probably a ton of Lost fans who will agree that Charlie Pace's (Dominic Monaghan) drowning during the third season was the show’s most traumatizing death. The beloved character was a major staple of the mystery thriller’s early days and was sorely missed by Henry Ian Cusick and more after that fateful moment. The show moved on, but Charlie’s absence could still be felt through the very end.

Sons of Anarchy (Multiple Characters)

Sons of Anarchy featured a lot of major character deaths over the years. However, few, if any, come close to sacrifice of Opie Winston (Ryan Hurst), who was in prison during the show’s fourth season when it happened. Several more seasons followed, but his longtime best friend Jax Teller (Charlie Dunnam) never really got over it -- and neither did we.

This Is Us (Jack Pearson)

After teasing it for some time, This Is Us finally showed the death of Jack Pearson (Milo Ventimiglia) in 2018 amid the second season. Though he survived the fire many thought would claim his life, the Pearson family patriarch passed away from heart failure shortly after. However, due to the show’s use of flashbacks, fans were still able to see the character until the series finale in 2022.

South Park (Chef)

After nearly a decade as Carman, Kyle, Stan, and Kenny’s most trusted adult on South Park, Chef was killed off in over-the-top fashion in 2006. The decision to take out the fan-favorite character came after Isaac Hayes, or someone from his camp, quit the show for its attacks on Scientology. Though various versions of Chef have appeared in specials and video games since then, the OG's presence within the franchise moving forward was essentially non-existent.

Grey's Anatomy (Dr. Derek Shepherd)

Grey’s Anatomy is a medical drama that pretty much deals with death on a weekly basis, but the passing of Dr. Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) in the show’s 11th season was tragic, to say the least. The impact of McDreamy’s fatal accident was felt for years, and Shepherd eventually returned when wife Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) having visions of him years later.

Two and a Half Men (Charlie Harper)

After nearly a decade on the incredibly popular sitcom Two and a Half Men, Charlie Harper (Charlie Sheen) was killed off after the actor who portrayed him was fired in 2011. Ashton Kutcher was brought in for the show’s ninth season, and that positive turnaround can be attributed to a CBS exec. Charlie (the character played by a double) would reappear briefly in the show’s final season before being killed off again.

ER (Mark Greene)

The early seasons of the hit ‘90s medical drama ER were headlined by Anthony Edwards and George Clooney as Mark Greene and Doug Ross, respectively. Though Ross resigned from Cook County General Hospital and started anew in Seattle, Greene wasn’t as fortunate, as he died of brain cancer. Edwards later reprised the role in flashbacks during the show’s final season.

Breaking Bad (Hank Schrader)

Hank Schrader (Dean Norris) spent the vast majority of Breaking Bad being a thorn in the side of his brother-in-law, Walter White (Brian Cranston). The DEA agent eventually died near the end of Season 5 as a result of the criminal mastermind's actions up to that point. But he would get the last laugh from the beyond the grave, as Hank’s murder helped expose Walt’s actions to the world.

8 Simple Rules (Paul Hennessy)

Paul Hennessy was the main character on the ABC sitcom 8 Simple Rules, but the father of three had to be written off after John Ritter, the actor who played him, died suddenly in September 2003. The death of the family patriarch would be a major topic throughout the show’s final two seasons before it was canceled in 2005.

Six Feet Under (Nate Fisher)

The critically acclaimed HBO drama series Six Feet Under dealt with death more so than pretty much any show on the network, mostly due to it being set in a funeral home. However, imagine fans' shock when the show’s main character, Nate Fisher (Peter Krause), died in the fifth and final season. Following the wild death/fantasy sequence, the final episodes were spent following the Fisher family as they dealt with Nate’s passing.

House of Cards (Zoe Barnes)

The House of Cards cast had change-ups throughout the Netflix series’ run, but one of the most shocking was that of Zoe Barnes (Kate Mara) in the Season 2 opener at the hands of Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey). She would later return as a hallucination, along with Peter Russo (Corey Stall), another one of Underwood’s victims.

The O.C. (Marissa Cooper)

The O.C., a hit from the early 2000s, had all kinds of drama going on throughout its run. Yet one of the most harrowing moments was the death of Marissa Cooper, Micha Barton’s popular character, in the third season. The teen drama would continue for one more year before coming to an end in early 2007.

Homeland (Nicholas Brody)

Homeland's Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis) was a character who kept fans guessing when it came to his morals, but he was still one of the most popular characters on the spy series. He died relatively early in the show’s eight-season run, as he was executed in the Season 3 finale. Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) would carry the loss with her for the remainder of the series, in more ways than one.

The Conners/Roseanne (Roseanne Conner)

Not long after Roseanne was brought back in 2018, the show’s star, Roseanne Barr, made inflammatory comments, leading ABC to quickly cancel the show. When the sequel/spinoff series, The Conners, came out later that year, the family matriarch was dead and buried (with Barr herself spoiling the character's fate). The sitcom, which features John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, Sara Gilbert, Lecy Goranson, and other stars, is still on the air.

Charmed (Prue Halliwell)

After being a fixture of the Charmed cast during its first three seasons, Shannen Doherty stepped away from the hit series, resulting in the death of her character, Prue Halliwell. Prue was eventually replaced by her long-lost younger half-sister, Paige Matthews (Rose McGowan), who would remain on the show until its completion.

Stranger Things (Bob Newby)

There have been several major Stranger Things character deaths over the years, but one that still stings after all this time is Bob Newby (Sean Astin), who died in the show’s second season. Though our time with Bob was brief, his charm and sacrifice, sticks with characters on the show and the millions who eagerly await new episodes. (Eddie Munson’s Season 4 swan song is another great option.)

And Just Like That (Mr. Big)

And Just Like That…, the sequel series to HBO’s landmark dramedy Sex and the City, started off with quite a bang. Its premiere featured the death of Mr. Big (Chris Noth), a shocking twist few saw coming. The death of Carrie Bradshaw’s (Sarah Jessica Parker) husband was integral to shaping the show’s first season, and the impact could still be felt in the sophomore chapter.

M*A*S*H (Henry Blake)

Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake (McLean Stevenson) was a major part of the first three seasons of M*A*S*H and one of the most popular characters in the large ensemble cast. But the character would only make it partway through the show’s 11-season run, as he died in a plane crash after being discharged. Colonel Sherman Potter (Harry Morgan) would then come in and take up the spot as the commanding officer.

Veronica Mars (Logan Echolls)

One of the major aspects of Veronica Mars was the complicated relationship between Veronica and Logan Echols throughout the show’s run. However, that subplot came to an abrupt end when Logan, played by Jason Dohring, was killed off in an explosion. Kristen Bell’s character would mourn the loss but would eventually push on and take her crime-solving skills nationwide.

The Simpsons (Maude Flanders)

Maude Flanders, the wife of Ned Flanders and neighbor of Homer Simpson on The Simpsons, had one of the most random and strangest cartoon deaths. As crazy as it sounds, she was knocked off the grandstand by a t-shirt cannon at a racing event. The death would affect Ned in some morbidly funny ways and was later referenced in the 2022 “Treehouse of Horror” special. 

Misfits (Alisha Daniels)

Alisha Daniels (Antonia Thomas) was important to the early phase of Misfits, but her story came to an abrupt, and tragic, end when her throat was slashed amid the show’s third season. Her sudden passing would have a tremendous impact on boyfriend Simon Bellamy (Iwawn Rheon), who would go on to become the masked vigilante Superhoodie.

House M.D. (Lawrence Kutner)

Lawrence Kutner was only part of House for a short while, but he quickly became a popular character, thanks in part to Kal Penn’s multi-faceted performance. However, the character ended up committing suicide in Season 5, and his death would leave Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) feeling out of sorts.

Parenthood (Zeek Braverman)

January 2015 saw the airing of Parenthood's bittersweet series finale, which ended its six-season run. The episode most notably featured the death of family patriarch Zeek Braverman (Craig T. Nelson). The passing of the beloved character was a major part of the final episode, as his family (and fans watching at home) said their goodbyes.

All in the Family/Archie Bunker's Place (Edith Bunker)

After sitting beside her cantankerous husband for nine seasons and 200+ episodes on All in the Family, Edith Bunker (Jean Stapleton) passed away between the first and second seasons of the continuation series, Archie Bunker’s Place. After a short mourning period, Archie (Carroll O’Connor) moved on and continued to run his bar and date again.

Ally McBeal (Billy Thomas)

Billy Thomas (Gil Bellows) was a major part of Ally McBeal, and his dating history and up-and-down relationship with Calista Flockhart’s titular character was one of the major storylines throughout the legal dramedy series. His death in the show’s third season would leave a mark on Ally, who carried his memories with her.

Luther (Justin Ripley)

DS Justin Ripley (Warren Brown) played a major part in the early goings of the BBC crime drama Luther, after being introduced as DCI John Luther’s (Idris Elba) young partner. His tragic death in the show’s third season would become another emotional wound that the lead character would carry with him for the rest of the series.

Barry (Janice Moss)

Janice Moss (Paula Newsome) was only around for the first chapter of Barry, but her death in Season 1 finale of the HBO crime dramedy greatly impacted Bill Hader’s eponymous character as well as Gene Cousineau (Henry Winkler). One of Barry’s many victims, this one always seemed to stick with the guilt-riddled assassin.

The Goldbergs (Albert 'Pops' Solomon)

Following George Segal’s death in March 2021, The Goldbergs's creative team decided to kill off his beloved character, Albert “Pops” Solomon. It was established that the family patriarch passed away in his sleep, and the character (and his portrayer) received a perfect goodbye in the Season 9 premiere.

These are just 30+ deaths of fan-favorite characters that have impacted viewers in some way over the years, as the list had to be cut off somewhere. Each of these beloved characters may be gone, but they’ll certainly never be forgotten.

Charlie Sheen’s exit from Two and a Half Men put a sour taste in many people's mouths. After he entered a rehab program in 2011 for substance abuse, he made some crude remarks about creator Chuck Lorre and co-star Jon Cryer. Soon after, Warner Bros. fired him, and former CBS head honcho Nina Tassler turned things around when Ashton Kutcher joined the show. Sheen and Lorre had a major falling out. Earlier this year, however, the two were announced to be working on a new show together, and now it seems their feud has finally come to an end. 

Sheen and Lorre are reuniting for the new Max comedy series Bookie. While Sebastian Maniscalco is portraying the Los Angeles sports betting bookie, he does come across some pretty big stars, including Sheen. Now, Lorre has told Variety that when it came to casting the show, he only had one person in mind. However, it seemed like it was going to be tricky, considering he and Sheen hadn’t talked in over a decade:

Even though Chuck Lorre says “it was too painful” to watch reruns of Two and a Half Men following Charlie Sheen’s departure, a lot has changed over the last 10 years. He looks back at his time working with the actor on the CBS sitcom as nothing but good memories. Lorre noted he loved working with Sheen on Two and a Half Men, and he had a good time for the most part. Now, with all of the time that has passed, both of them were evidently ready to move past their squabble:

A lot can change in a decade. Even though the fallout between Chuck Lorre and Charlie Sheen was pretty big, it sounds like the two have gotten over it and are better for it. It was a pretty big surprise when their partnership was announced for Bookie, and of course, it wasn’t as easy as one would hope. However, the fact that both of them were ready to move on proves they have learned a lot.

Since the feud is over, could fans look forward to a potential Two and a Half Men reunion? Melanie Lynskey shared her thoughts on a possible reunion, noting that she has been in touch with Sheen over the years. She mentioned how much fun she had on Two and a Half Men, and she said she would be down to do a guest spot on Bookie if given the chance. Maybe there could be a full-blown reunion, a la Friends or Fresh Prince, in the future. 

For now, there will still be one Two and a Half Men reunion that will happen, and that’s through Chuck Lorre and Charlie Sheen's collaboration on this new Max comedy. Bookie is set to premiere on the 2023 TV schedule on November 30, and it will be available through a Max subscription. So fans will want to sign up to see this long-awaited reunion happen.

I'm a massive fan of television. It started when I was young and watched hours of Disney Channel shows, but of course, it has now expanded into the world of adult television through several different genres – drama, comedy, horror, you name it, and I've probably watched it. I had to do something while at home when the pandemic had us confined to our homes. 

But in my time watching show after show, various options started out fantastic. They had excellent plots, brilliant storytelling, and great acting, then slowly dwindled. From terrible, horrible TV show endings or shows that dipped in quality over time, here are 30+ great shows that lost their way by the end. 

The Walking Dead

Do you want to hear a fun fact about myself? I watched The Walking Dead until the bitter end, and the emotional Walking Dead finale made me cry a ton. But man, it definitely could have been better. 

The Walking Dead started hot when it first aired and had a pretty steady and brilliantly told storyline until about Season 6, and then when Andrew Lincoln ended up leaving, it all started to tumble down the weeds. 

While we have a good amount of fan favorites coming back for The Walking Dead universe shows, it never quite picked itself up after that when the show was one the series to be watching. 

Lost 

Lost is known now for its awful finale, but truthfully, the entirety of the series had a downfall slump. The main reason is that it was literally consumed by all the mysteries that needed to be solved by the end of the series, and somehow, the show 'lost' itself that way. And, of course, we don't even need to talk about the horrible ending. I hadn't even watched the show then; it was all I heard about for weeks. 

Riverdale 

I remember writing long ago that I had plenty of issues with Riverdale, but I never expected it to turn into the off-brand MCU because that's exactly what happened somehow and they all had powers. And then, in the last season, the main group went back in time somehow. What the heck? What happened? 

This hit CW show started so good with the murder mystery, and then it just tumbled completely.

Game Of Thrones

So I'll be honest here and say that I have rewatched Game of Thrones, and plenty of it still holds up, but you can tell it starts to dip in quality at the very beginning of Season 7 – maybe even Season 6, though I did love "Battle of the Bastards."

Even so, the Game of Thrones ending is pretty much considered one of the worst of the 2010s, and as a hardcore Daenerys supporter, I fully stand by that. They did my girl – and almost all of these characters – dirty. 

The Office

The Office is another clear-cut example of when a main character leaves, the show starts to fall apart. The hit sitcom did try to pick itself up after Steve Carell left in Season 7, but it never reached the heights of where it once was. I was glad we saw him for the finale, but it never felt the same.

Heroes

The first season of any show is crucial, and Heroes had one of the best, featuring the story of ordinary people who discover they have superhuman abilities. This was the superhero show before all the MCU shows started to take over. 

But then Season 2 came along, and this show went downhill fast. It was just horrendously bad, and I, for one, struggled to get through the rest of the seasons after that. 

Westworld

Westworld had everything going for it: a fantastic idea, an excellent Westworld cast, and, the best yet, the funding of HBO to truly take this world into the new age. 

But then both Season 2 and Season 3 happened, and the plot got so convoluted I could barely keep up with it, and all the characters I once loved, I  ended up hating. And then the fourth season came and it’s just so different from what we were given. Unsurprisingly, it was canceled after the fourth season when backlash started to grow more and reviews went down.

That '70s Show 

I don't know what it is about Season 7 and some sitcoms, but that was the case for That '70s Show, when Topher Grace, who played Eric Foreman, left the show. And, of course, it never recovered. I don't care if he did appear in That '90s Show; it just doesn't feel the same. 

How I Met Your Mother

I don't need to get into this. How I Met Your Mother was great, from the fantastic cast to the comedy to Barney and his jokes, but the intensely divisive ending ruined everything. It just did. I can't return to the series and only recommend finishing it to some.

Weeds 

Weeds is a black comedy that ran for several seasons on Showtime and tells the story of a widowed mother who starts selling marijuana to support her family. And while the first few seasons were great, the rest were very different. It felt like another show in its later seasons, and by the end (102 episodes), the plot didn't feel remotely similar to how it was in the first season. 

Glee

There is so much to like about Glee. The Glee cast is incredibly talented, and the best Glee covers still top my playlists, but the story took a nosedive after Season 3. Both Season 1 and Season 2 were great, and Season 3 was alright but still enjoyable, but Season 4-6 was just an utter catastrophe of a story that was only saved by some of the brilliant voices on that show. Other than that, it can stay locked away at McKinley High. 

Supernatural

Supernatural was an excellent fantasy series about two brothers hunting down demons, ghosts, and monsters. And I did enjoy this series until the end, but it certainly was not the same show from the beginning. Many plot points needed to be clarified, and there was plenty of fan service, so as much as I like my spooky boys, it didn't need to be like this. 

The Big Bang Theory 

So I'll fully say that The Big Bang Theory is a great show, but this is another case where it feels that the last few seasons were there just for the money. There was no impressive story to be told, and the characters experienced little growth. It was just a dive into obscurity.

Pretty Little Liars

Pretty Little Liars was just an unnecessary drag. Again, a murder mystery is always good, but when the puzzle doesn't make sense towards the end, it makes the show that much harder to follow. And not only that, but the main characters weren't still in high school by the end. They were in college and out in the working world – this should have been just a high school story. 

Gossip Girl

Gossip Girl should have just ended after a few seasons, but it went on because it was the biggest show ever at the time. The series was fun until the later seasons, where the reveal of who Gossip Girl is was utterly disappointing and nonsensical. Not only that, but the finale – and final season overall – felt rushed. 

Two And A Half Men

Fun fact – I just binge-watched all of Two and a Half Men not long ago and I enjoyed it – until about Season 10. 

Charlie Sheen did bring a certain vibe to the show that Ashton Kutcher couldn't, but he did keep the show going for about two seasons before it started to fall apart more than it already had. 

Euphoria 

Okay, so Euphoria technically is still ongoing. However, I'm still determining if we'll even get Season 3 ever since the tragic passing of Angus Cloud. I'd be fine if it ends with two seasons. 

The first season of Euphoria was great television, but the second was so out there and had so many plot points that didn't make sense. The acting was the only thing that saved it because that's always great. But other than that? There's little to love about Season 2. Some things were improved, but others weren't. 

Gilmore Girls

We all like to turn on Gilmore Girls when the fall comes around, but have we forgotten that the ending is terrible? And that Rory's character is utterly destroyed by the end of it? Yeah, I thought so – and the revival didn't do an excellent job of making it any better. 

Killing Eve

The first two seasons of Killing Eve were brilliant, and I loved watching this cat-and-mouse game. But then the next two seasons' plots fell apart entirely, and it led to characters that really shouldn't have been featured getting the spotlight, followed by an ending that fans are not super happy with. 

13 Reasons Why

I liked 13 Reasons Why during its first season because it told a bold message about the effects of bullying and words. But this show should have remained just a miniseries because the seasons that followed were unnecessary and ultimately dissolve the point of the first season when they somehow try to redeem Bryce (the assaulter). 

Scrubs 

Scrubs ran for nine seasons and took the world by storm with its medical comedy mixed with drama. Plus, viewers got to know Dave Franco for the first time. But the later seasons feel like messy attempts to try and make funny jokes that do not land and a story that is not there at all. 

Suits 

I know Suits was wildly popular on Netflix in August 2023, but the series is just ok to me compared to many other great legal dramas. Don't get me wrong, the first few seasons are great television, but as the show goes on and the cases become stranger and more unique, it's different from the show it originally was. 

Bones

Twelve seasons happened for Bones, and the show was alright, but everything was dragged out so long that by the time there was a payoff, there were barely any more fans to care as much. And not only that, but the story would become more convoluted as time passed. I won't spoil anything, but it's a hard watch for later seasons. 

Community 

Okay, hear me out; I love this show and the Community cast, but let's be honest: Seasons 4, 5 and 6 were not the best. Both Season 4 and 5 were bad, and while Season 6 was getting a little better, it was nowhere near as good as the first three seasons of this show. I'm hoping that the Community movie will bring that level of comedy back.

Money Heist 

The thing about Money Heist is that it was so much fun at first. Was it over the top? Yes, totally, but that's what made it fun to watch. But then, as the series went on, it just got ridiculous with its story, and nothing made sense.

Once Upon A Time

Admittedly, I was a big Once Upon a Time fan because I loved Disney movies, but by the time this show ended, it felt like a Disney cash grab using the most famous names from their list of princesses and characters to make a buck. Elsa somehow even made it into this show. The story didn't mean anything anymore.  

True Blood

I put this on here because I know how badly my mother and father hated the ending of True Blood, and I decided to watch it. Not only did the series' narrative completely fall apart by the finale, but the characters were making choices and decisions that didn't align with what the story had set up for years before. Nothing made sense. 

Dexter

I enjoyed watching Dexter for the first time, and I actually say Dexter is worth re-watching, but I can see why most people don't watch it after Season 5 nowadays. The story certainly takes a dip in quality, and the ending is only for some and is controversial for a reason. I do think Dexter: New Blood made up for it a bit. 

Shameless

Shameless was my favorite TV show, but after Emmy Rossum left, it was always different. The Gallagher family dynamic fell apart, and nothing ever flowed as well. Rossum wasn't even there for the finale, making it feel even more incomplete. 

The Vampire Diaries

Do I even need to get into this? The Vampire Diaries died when Nina Dobrev left, and the story fell apart. I don't care what spinoffs there are; you can't make me watch them. 

Modern Family

Don't even get me started on Haley in this show or any of the choices these characters make at the end of Modern Family that make me want to rip my hair out. I will go on for hours. This show was so good until it wasn't, and it drove me mad. 

House Of Cards

House of Cards was a brilliant drama on Netflix, but of course, the central star, Kevin Spacey, faced several allegations of sexual misconduct, so it had to shift course – and from there, it just fell apart. It should have been canceled once Kevin Spacey. 

All of these shows are worthy of a single watch, but maybe not a rewatch. There is plenty of great drama here, but I can also live without it. Either way, I'll go check out Breaking Bad for the umpteenth time – that'll never let me down. 

It’s not all that uncommon to see sitcoms and procedurals crossover over with other shows in their particular arenas. When it comes to the former, one can look to the occasional mashups between Everybody Loves Raymond and the King of Queens or Family Matters character Steve Urkel’s appearances in fellow TGIF sitcoms. As for the latter genre, characters from various Law & Order shows have crossed paths, and the One Chicago franchise sees its key characters have frequent run-ins. Despite all that though, it’s not so typical that a multi-cam comedy and single-camera drama cross the aisle and mix it up. Yet that’s what happened with CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Two and a Half Men.

Yes, you read that correctly. Those two shows did indeed have a crossover – but not one that was as straightforward as you’re probably thinking. (No, Charlie Sheen’s Charlie Harper did not try to wine and dine Marg Helgenberger’s Catherine Willows.) Nevertheless, it was still quite a feat, as it required keen collaboration amongst the writers and producers of both CBS shows. So when and how did all of this unfold? Well, let’s talk that out.

Who Got The Ball Rolling On The Crossover Between Two And A Half Men And CSI?

So apparently, this unconventional mashup was initiated by Two and a Half Men co-creator (and all-around super producer) Chuck Lorre in 2007. He reportedly reached out to CSI executive producer Carol Mendelsohn about a crossover that would see their respective writing staffs pen episodes of each other’s shows. Mendelsohn (via CBS News) was interested in the idea but wasn’t sure if she, Lorre and co. would actually be allowed to proceed with it:

But ultimately, both Carol Mendelsohn and Chuck Lorre held onto the idea and pitched it while at the World Television Festival in Canada. Funny enough, Mendelsohn nearly found herself leaking the news to the press during a talk she was giving, which led Variety to subsequently ask about the episodes. The production ultimately moved forward, though, and it wasn’t all that easy for the two seemingly willing parties to pull off.

What Were The Biggest Challenges With Crafting This TV Event?

The notion of two vastly different productions crossing over was a bit surprising. Even stars of the two shows, like Charlie Sheen (who was one of TV’s highest paid actors at that time) and William Petersen, were initially scratching their heads over the decision. But all involved decided to take a chance on the project, even with the challenges it presented. Carol Mendelsohn spoke about the creative aspect of it all, noting that all of the creatives had to “deal with issues of control” when it came to others working on their beloved series:

Longtime Warner Bros. TV signee Chuck Lorre had seen his share of rodeos as well up to that point, as he’d created and written for a number of different shows and had some big creative fights in the process. However, just about all of them were sitcoms and required that he aim for laughs. By crafting a dramatic story – one involving a murder – he was entering uncharted territory. He was also concerned about how a crime-centric episode of his hit sitcom would be received by longtime viewers:

That episode of Men was truly one for the books, and the same is true of the episode of the long-running procedural. So what exactly transpired during both? Let’s get into that, shall we?

How Did The Two-Episode Crossover Ultimately Play Out?

The first part of the event was the Two and a Half Men Season 5  episode, “Fish in a Drawer,” which was penned by Carol Mendelsohn and fellow CSI writers Sarah Goldfinger, Evan Dunsky and Naren Shankar. This episode, which premiered in May 2008, takes place right after the wedding of Evelyn Harper, whose new groom mysteriously dies shortly after the ceremony. That development leads to an investigation and, with this story, Men takes several visual cues from the crime drama, such as the use of flashbacks and even somewhat dimmed lighting. In a sweet nod, Crime Scene Investigation alum George Eads cameos as a guest at the wedding reception. 

This mashup continued three nights later in one of CSI’s Season 8 installments, “Two and a Half Deaths,”and it was scripted by Men co-creators Chuck Lorre and Lee Aronsohn. In it, the team investigates the murder of a divisive sitcom star played by Katey Sagal. Interestingly, the fictional actress, Anabelle, is based on Roseanne Barr and her eponymous late ‘80s/early ‘90s sitcom. (Lorre wrote on that show early in his career and allegedly took issue with Barr’s on-set behavior.) The Crime Scene Investigation episode mostly notably featured uncredited cameos from Two and a Half Men stars Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer and Angus T. Jones as themselves. All three were also wearing their same costumes from “Fish in a Drawer.”

In the end, the sitcom portion of the event reportedly garnered 13 million viewers, and it was the third most-watched program of that particular night. The drama series’ half, meanwhile, received over 18 million viewers. So I’d say that’s not too shabby, considering this crossover idea initially seemed nutty. At this point, no other two shows have accomplished a similar feat and, honestly, it’s hard to say if it’ll ever actually happen again. 

Those who’d like to check out both the Two and a Half Men and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episodes involved in this event can stream them using a Paramount+ subscription.

It’s fair to say Two and a Half Men is one of the most successful TV shows to ever hit the airwaves. Chuck Lorre and Lee Aronsohn’s raunchy comedy notched strong ratings and landed a few Primetime Emmys during its 12-season run. However, while there were certainly peaks along the way, there were also valleys. The biggest hurdle the sitcom faced was the disastrous exit of lead actor Charlie Sheen in 2011. Ultimately though, the series rebounded and ran for another several years. Some may think they know the entire story of how production bounced back, but they may not be aware of the instrumental role former CBS Entertainment chairwoman Nina Tassler played in the show ultimately turning around.

The hit series’ outlook appeared quite grim following the actor’s firing, which came after he’d been on the show for eight seasons. Most probably know by now that he was ultimately replaced by Ashton Kutcher, who joined Jon Cryer, Angus T. Jones and the rest of the cast as a new character. Of course, that switch-up didn’t happen overnight, as a number of moving pieces had to come together. And in the grand scheme of things, it’s great that Nina Tassler was around during that time.

What Happened When Charlie Sheen Exited Two And A Half Men

To better understand the seriousness of the situation, we first need to discuss the reasons why Charlie Sheen left Two and a Half Men. Sheen was actually intent on living in the spring of 2010 but changed his tune after agreeing to a hefty new contract. Months after finalizing his deal, which stipulated that he receive $2 million per episode, he began making headlines for wild partying and reported cocaine use. By early 2011, Sheen entered rehab and the show went on hiatus in the interim. It seemed the Major League star was nearly ready to return to work but, eventually, he began making inflammatory comments about Chuck Lorre. At least one of those was deemed antisemitic as well. 

There was subsequently much speculation regarding the star’s future on the show and, ultimately, he was officially fired by CBS and Warner Bros. Television in March 2011. The actor eventually filed a $100 million lawsuit against WBTV and Chuck Lorre and claimed he was filing on behalf of TAAHM’s cast and crew, though he was listed as the only plaintiff. The Charlie Harper actor made the legal move in the hopes of gaining some of the cash he’d lost from the Season 8 episodes that were left unproduced since the series shut down production due to his departure. 

Needless to say, the situation wasn’t looking all that pretty, and some even theorized that Two and a Half Men might just end following that ordeal. But there was a light at the end of the tunnel, and Nina Tassler was instrumental in guiding that train.

How Nina Tassler Ultimately Saved The Day At CBS

The veteran exec apparently didn’t back down when it came to the situation that befell Two and a Half Men. She, Chuck Lorre and co. eventually went to work trying to find another suitable co-lead for the show. They ultimately landed on That ‘70s Show alum Ashton Kutcher, and it turns out Tassler had a key professional connection that helped make it happen. Apparently, she had long been friendly with Kutcher’s lawyer, Robert Offer, and that relationship helped get the wheels moving, according to The Hollywood Reporter. 

In that same piece, the exec was praised for the way in which she handled the situation. Ex-CBS Corporation CEO Les Moonves praised her at the time, saying that the company “turned disaster into success, and she had a lot to do with it.” During the fall of 2011, Men scored high ratings and continued to perform well throughout its ninth season. The network head would ultimately step down from her post in 2015, which is ironically the same year the sitcom concluded.

It takes a village to make a high-profile TV show work but, in this case, a considerable amount of credit should go to Nina Tassler, who seemingly kept the situation moving when a path forward seemed uncertain. So anyone who’s glad the comedy didn’t bow out in 2011 due to Charlie Sheen’s exit might want to tip their hat to Tassler. 

All 12 seasons of Two and a Half Men are streamable with a Peacock subscription.

Charlie Sheen has starred in a number of notable movies and TV shows over the course of his lengthy (and somewhat unpredictable) career. Platoon, Wall Street, Major League and The Three Musketeers are just a few of the credits under his belt. Of course, one of the productions that he’ll arguably remain synonymous with for years to come is Two and a Half Men. Sheen’s tenure on the Chuck Lorre-produced CBS sitcom was eventful and ultimately ended with him exiting after eight seasons. There was a lot of drama surrounding the situation at that time and, in case you’re unaware of the timeline of events, we’re going to fill you in on why he left.

The show enjoyed a fruitful run ahead of the highly publicized controversy. Premiering in 2003, Men served as a prime TV vehicle for the comedic actor following his stint on Spin City. He and Chuck Lorre, who had more than a few hits under his belt at the point, seemingly worked well together. That’s probably part of the reason why Lorre reunited with the actor for Max’s How to Be a Bookie. Fans are likely pleased that the two teamed up again, and it’s honestly amazing they did, considering everything that went down over a decade ago. So, on that note, let’s take a stroll down memory lane and detail what led to the polarizing performer’s departure. 

After Entering Rehab, Charlie Sheen Quits Two And A Half Men In 2010 Amid Contract Negotiations

Even those who are generally well-versed in this matter may not even remember that Charlie Sheen actually left the series a year before he filmed his true final episode. His contract was up for renegotiation at the end of the seventh season in the spring of 2010 and, at the time, it was said that the network was confident he’d re-sign. However, sources claimed Sheen was intent on leaving, as he was ready to move on from the series. Other insiders also suggested that the star was unhappy with a $1 million per episode offer he received. All of this news came only months after it was confirmed that he was entering rehab as a “preventative measure.” 

The situation looked dire for a little while but, in May 2010, the actor inked a new contract that would keep him on the show for two additional seasons. He made out with quite a bit of cash, too, as the contract reportedly stipulated that he’d earn nearly $2 million an episode. And that’s saying a lot, considering the fact that several years earlier, he’d already become the highest paid comic actor on the small screen. After agreeing to the terms, the Emmy nominee released a statement, saying that he was “looking forward to returning” to work. In time, of course, his tone would change dramatically.

The CBS Veteran Makes Headlines In The Fall Of 2010 Due To Reports Of Wild Parties

Chuck Lorre’s half-hour comedy returned for its eighth season in September 2010 and earned strong ratings early on. By November of that year though, less-than-glowing reports began to swirl around the co-lead. Sources claimed that in his spare time, Sheen had been engaging in excessive partying and drug use. Around this time, he’d been hospitalized in New York after hanging out with porn star Capri Anderson. It was said that while living it up with Anderson, Sheen allegedly drank heavily and used cocaine. 

That was only the first half of the phase of the controversy, as the actor allegedly went on a bender in Los Angeles only days after leaving the Big Apple. Insiders alleged that the Ferris Bueller’s Day Off alum resumed his cocaine use and welcomed prostitutes to his abode several nights in a row. At that time, concerns for the actor’s well-being grew significantly, and he’d eventually take a positive step forward in the new year.

Charlie Sheen Returns To Rehab In Early 2011 Amid Production On Two And A Half Men Season 8

In January 2011, the sitcom star elected to enter a rehabilitation center again, marking his third stay in a facility in 12 months. CBS released a statement that confirmed his decision and also revealed that the show would go on hiatus while he was in rehab. The company stated that it was “profoundly concerned for his health and well-being, and support his decision.” 

The then-45-year-old leading man appeared on The Dan Patrick Show in February, where he said that he was ready to get back to work. However, he also asserted that the network itself wasn’t prepared restart production, saying that “nobody is there.” Later in the conversation, the actor also told Patrick that he fulfilled his obligation, which was to get help, and revealed that even he was surprised at how fast he’d gotten clean. While the Money Talks alum seemed gun-ho at this point, that quickly changed. 

As Spring 2011 Approaches, Charlie Sheen Makes Inflammatory Statements About Chuck Lorre During Interviews

Sheen turned heads in late February 2011 when he did interviews with media personality Alex Jones, along with news outlets, during which he shared blunt thoughts on Lorre and more.

TMZ

While talking to TMZ, he referred to Lorre as a “pussy punk” and “piece of shit.” Sheen also challenged the super producer to a fight and said that if he himself were to emerge victorious, Lorre would have to “leave my show!” He also referred to Lorre as Chaim Levine, which is a combination of the Hebrew version of the EP’s first name and his birth surname:

He later appeared on NBC’s The Today Show and ABC’s Good Morning America, where he shared more thoughts. These chats earned him a considerable amount of attention. 

Good Morning America

While speaking to GMA (for a segment jointly produced for 20/20), he pondered how the public could interpret his comment about his boss as being antisemitic. He posed the question that “anytime someone calls me Carlos Estevez, I can claim they are anti-Latino?” The star also said: 

He also didn’t hesitate to discuss his drug use and lifestyle, even going as far as to say that he’s different due to having “tiger blood.” Around this time, production on his sitcom halted production for the remainder of the season. Faced with the myriad of brutally honest sentiments, the Eye Network and Warner Bros. TV eventually took action. 

Charlie Sheen’s Contract With CBS And Warner Bros. Television Is Terminated In March 2011 And He Later Tries To Sue

Following much speculation, Charlie Sheen was officially fired by both CBS and Warner Bros. Television in early March. The joint statement released by the entertainment entities clarified that he had been ousted “effective immediately” on the grounds of “moral turpitude.” This turn of events prompted Sheen to take legal action against his former employers. 

Just a few days after being sacked, he filed a $100 million lawsuit against WBTV and Chuck Lorre in an attempt to recoup the money he didn’t earn for the eight unproduced TAAHM Season 8 episodes. What was most interesting is that the Golden Globe winner claimed to be filing on behalf of the show’s cast and crew, but he was the sole plaintiff named in the suit. Ultimately, his efforts proved to be unsuccessful. 

Charlie Sheen Calls Out Former Co-Star Jon Cryer During Interview

That same week, a number of Sheen’s former co-stars, Holland Taylor and Marin Hinkle, shared thoughts on his abrupt exit from the high-rated comedy and reached out to him. They expressed sadness over the state of the actor’s health while also addressing the prospect of the show ending. However, one person who notably remained silent was his on-screen brother, Jon Cryer. For that reason, he called out Cryer amid an interview and referred to him with several unflattering descriptors: 

It should be noted that the Alan Harper actor actually hadn’t commented at that point. His co-star also later apologized and retracted his “troll” statement.

Two And A Half Men Opts To Move On With A New Lead In May 2011

After the high-profile firing, future plans for Two and a Half Men weren’t immediately announced. Soon enough, though, it was confirmed that the show would go on and pair Cryer with a new actor in the lead. It was reported in May 2011 that Ashton Kutcher had been cast and, later that fall, he was revealed to be playing Walden Schmidt, a brokenhearted billionaire who befriends Alan. Charlie Harper, on the other hand, was killed off, and Walden purchased his home, with Alan and son Jake continuing to live there. 

The sitcom ran for another four seasons and seemingly maintained a solid fanbase. After Season 8 ended in 2012, Cryer notably won his second Emmy but in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series category as opposed to Supporting Actor as he did the first time around. The show would ultimately wrap after 12 seasons in 2015, with a two-part finale that revived Charlie Harper, without Sheen actually appearing in the role.

Charlie Sheen Lands New Sitcom In July 2011

Only a few months would pass before Charlie Sheen would land a new full-time TV gig. In July 2011, it was announced that he’d star in FX’s sitcom, Anger Management, which was loosely based on the 2003 comedy film of the same name. On the show, Sheen played the role of Charlie Goodson, a former baseball player now practicing as an anger management therapist.

After an initial 10-episode run, FX picked up the show for an additional 90 episodes, and it concluded in 2014. One could argue that the show was a modest success, but it didn’t leave a cultural dent nearly as significant as Men’s.

It would be an understatement to say that this was a long and winding road. Despite all the drama though, Sheen and Lorre seem to have buried the hatchet, based on the fact that they’ve reunited for How to Be a Bookie. 

Two and a Half Men is currently available to stream in its entirety with a Paramount+ subscription.

Summer 2023 is an unusual time for updates in film and television, to say the least, as the SAG-AFTRA strike means that fans are more likely to see their favorites on picket lines than behind-the-scenes on new projects. For two former Two and a Half Men stars, the strike resulted in a reunion that almost certainly never would have happened for their sitcom characters. Jon Cryer and April Bowlby hit the picket line together and posed for a fun photo! 

Jon Cryer and April Bowlby played Alan and Kandi on Two and a Half Men, respectively, with the two characters ultimately tying the knot... followed by Kandi becoming the unfortunate Alan's second ex-wife. Their romance may have been doomed from the start, but the two former co-stars are united for the SAG-AFTRA cause circa 2023! Take a look at the reunion photo posted by Cryer: 

Both actors spent some time as DC Comics characters over recent years, with Jon Cryer portraying Lex Luthor on Supergirl and April Bowlby playing Rita Farr on Doom Patrol, although Supergirl wrapped back in 2021 and Doom Patrol will end after the upcoming fourth and final season following a cancellation earlier this year. Their versions these DC Comics characters never crossed over with each other, so fans had to wait until the SAG-AFTRA strike to see the stars reunite. Bowlby posted a version of the reunion photo on her Instagram account as well, and her caption said this: 

In the post, April Bowlby tagged @wgastrikeunite as well as @sagaftra and @joncryer, showing her support for the WGA writers strike on top of the SAG strike. She also got some support from another fellow former Two and a Half Men co-star in the comment section, with Melanie Lynskey – who shared her thoughts on a Two and a Half Men reunion back in May before revealing recently how she knows when a fan recognized her for playing Rose – posting: 

I think anybody can agree with the "Awww!!" sentiment from Melanie Lynskey, even though the SAG-AFTRA strike isn't exactly cute. Via THR, the actors of SAG-AFTRA went on strike after they couldn't reach an agreement with the streamers and studios of AMPTP regarding a contract for scripted TV and films. The strike began on July 14, just a month and a half after the script writers of WGA began striking in early May. 

The two strikes mean films like Wicked had to shut down production while the fall TV schedule on network television is already a mess, with CBS and NBC finally rearranging their schedules like ABC to fill their fall lineups with reruns, unscripted options, and pre-filmed content. That's good news for Yellowstone fans with that show coming to CBS and Magnum P.I. fans with Season 5 returning earlier than expected on NBC, but bad news for viewers who will now have to wait for the shows that were initially scheduled for just a couple of months from now. 

For now, though, you can revisit the run of Two and a Half Men with Jon Cryer and April Bowlby streaming via Peacock Premium subscription and see what TV offerings will still be available with our 2023 TV schedule. 

Although Melanie Lynskey is currently a major part of the cast of Yellowjackets (and recently competed with her co-stars on Celebrity Family Feud), one of the actress’ earlier projects still draws quite a bit of attention from her fanbase. Before she was the adult version of Shauna Shipman on the Showtime horror, one of her best-known roles was as Rose on the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men. Lynskey revealed she has a pretty good idea anytime an approaching fan wants to talk about that sitcom, and it's perhaps more amusing than surprising. 

Melanie Lynskey starred on Two and a Half Men for its first two seasons, and recurred throughout the remainder of its highly successful run, from the Charlie Sheen years through Ashton Kutcher's run. Even though the show ended back in 2015, she still gets recognized from it, and there’s really only one way she knows how she’s being recognized from it, as she shared the following during a recent actor's roundtable held by The Hollywood Reporter:

It’s pretty funny knowing that all Melanie Lynskey has to hear are those four words, and she immediately knows what they’re talking about. Considering the series’ target audience was likely on the higher end of the 18-49 demographic, and probably skewed higher over the next decade-plus, it makes sense that some fans would be a bit older rather than younger. Not that Lynskey seemed to be stunted or upset by that being the norm, and one can also assume that she got her share of "My mom loves you," as well. 

Hopefully getting spotted for her past as Rose is more enjoyable than having her fame questioned outright, which seems like an odd thing to approach someone with.   Because she's definitely a Hollywood standout at this point in her career, and many of Lynskey’s best movies and shows are available to familiarize oneself with. 

As Melanie Lynskey continues to be recognized from Two and a Half Men, would she ever want there to be a reunion? The actress previously shared her thoughts on a Two and a Half Men reunion, saying how much she still keeps in touch with former co-star Charlie Sheen, and that she would be down for a guest spot if she was asked. The CBS sitcom was one of the most popular shows on network TV during its 12-season run, so it wouldn’t be surprising if a reunion were to happen in some capacity, even if nothing is in the works currently.

Since Charlie Sheen is gearing up for his big TV return, with Two and a Half Men co-creator Chuck Lorre, no less, this very well could be the beginning of a reunion, even if it isn’t a full-blown one. There’s always the possibility of Melanie Lynskey or others joining in on the fun, which would no doubt lead to new waves of offspring coming up and sharing their fathers' opinions. 

While anything relating to Two and a Half Men may not happen any time soon, the series is streaming with a Peacock subscription, so fans can watch it whenever they want. Maybe they can even try to catch Melanie Lynskey IRL and surprise her with the knowledge of the CBS sitcom.

There are times when life can surprise you and, just a few weeks ago, TV aficionados caught wind of a pretty unexpected, yet exciting, development. It was reported that after 12 years, Charlie Sheen is set to reunite with Two and a Half Men co-creator Chuck Lorre for a brand new comedy. This is honestly kind of shocking due to the public fallout the two had during the CBS sitcom’s run back in 2011, which led to Sheen being fired. It seems like they've patched things up, though and, on the heels of that news, fellow series alum Melanie Lynskey shared her thoughts on the possibility of a reunion for the long-running sitcom.

The Yellowjackets star, who portrayed the kooky Rose throughout the show's 12-season run, admitted to Variety that she was unaware of the latest collaboration between Charlie Sheen and Chuck Lorre. She didn’t say how long it’s been since she last spoke to her former Two and a Half Men co-star, but the actress did confirm that she was in touch with him at some point:

So it sounds like Melanie Lynskey is still on good terms with Charlie Sheen and, quite frankly, that's wonderful to hear. So with that and the renewed working relationship between her two former collaborators, you can't help but wonder if this would be the perfect time for a reunion. When asked whether she'd be game for such a thing, Lynskey provided thoughts that could make fans very happy:

Fans did indeed enjoy the show, and it's because of that devotion that TAAHM was one of the most popular programs on network TV for a large part of its run. I'm sure viewers would love to see characters like Rose and Charlie cross paths again somehow -- even if the 2015 series finale showed the latter getting crushed by a piano.

At this point, it’s unknown if a reunion will actually happen but, at the very least, fans will definitely be able to look forward to How to Be a Bookie, which has already been ordered to series. The single-camera comedy centers on an aging bookie who attempts to balance his responsibilities at home with his work and wild clients. Charlie Sheen is set to recur on the show, and details on his role are currently being kept under wraps. As of this writing, HBO Max (which is soon to be Max) has yet to announce a premiere date for the eight-episode season.

Even though the notion of a Two and a Half Men reunion special of sorts is exciting, the chances of it happening are pretty slim. Chuck Lorre, after all, is a busy man who tends to charge through with new projects. There's also the fact that Melanie Lynskey's star is steadily growing, thanks to her stunning work in the likes of Yellowjackets and The Last of Us. Still, I'll hold out hope that we get to see her and Charlie Sheen on screen together as their dysfunctional characters once more.

Those who'd like to check out Two and a Half Men can stream all 12 seasons using a Peacock subscription. You'll also want to keep an eye on the 2023 TV schedule in the event that How to Be a Bookie finds a place on it. And of course, grab an HBO Max subscription so that you can tune in whenever it arrives.

Okay so let’s start here and say that I had never seen Two and a Half Men before. I’m only twenty-four, and there are so many shows on this planet that I have spent my time watching before this one. Fantasy shows like Game of Thrones, or even re-watching shows from my time as a kid, like Avatar: The Last Airbender. It was going to take me a while to get to Two and a Half Men.

Pair that with the fact that I knew this show was controversial, and I was less than excited to really get into it. I didn’t want it to feel kind of like a Game of Thrones situation where I didn’t think that show was worth re-watching (in that case) because I knew the ending. Granted, my mind on that has since changed, but it was a valid concern for my watch of the CBS series. 

The show is basically about a brother, Charlie, who takes his younger brother, Alan, and child into his home (unwillingly at first) when Alan is going through a divorce. Simple premise, but apparently one of my boyfriend's favorite shows. So I decided to give it a shot. 

And yeah…I can see why this was famous, and infamous. Let’s get into it. 

The Core Trio Of The First Eight Seasons Was Great

I’ll be honest and say that I really enjoyed the main cast, especially throughout the first eight seasons. That seems to be the general consensus online, but I had to say it here. Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, and Angus T. Jones were great together (to the point where I understand why the show almost ended without Sheen) as Charlie, Alan and Jake. 

When it comes to a lot of sitcoms, it’s so essential to set up a dynamic that anyone can like. Whether it be six friends in NYC with the Friends cast, or coworkers in Scranton with The Office cast, or anything else in-between. Those are the people who are going to make us laugh, so it’s essential to connect to them. 

I really loved these guys, so much. Their chemistry on camera was killer and I really believed them to be a family at certain points. They kept the show going with their quick jokes and easy to follow storylines and really, I felt that I could really connect with them. Have I ever directly experienced what Charlie and Alan are going through? No, but they seem like regular guys just trying to navigate the harsh realities of adult life, something I can relate to even as a young adult. 

Jake was just comedic relief, but he was fun until he left the show later down the line. Still enjoyable, though.

Good Lord, You Could Not Get Away With Some Of These Jokes Nowadays

But wow, this show has some jokes. Some really bad jokes. 

I’m not saying they’re unfunny. In the grand scheme of things, I find some of these pretty funny, but that’s only because I have a bit of a dark sense of humor. But, that doesn’t mean that some of them aren’t in poor taste. 

Many of the jokes I can think of are from the earlier days of the show, when other series that have similar jokes that aged badly (such as The Office or Friends) came out at the same time, so it’s really about us knowing better now. 

Not everything falls into that category – but there are plenty of jokes that would not fly today for certain people. That’s all I’ll say about that. 

But There Were Moments Of Heart Among The Chaos

Even so, I will say that there was the occasional bit of heart that was thrown in there. We see genuine signs of growth when it comes to Charlie throughout the seasons, how he evolved from really disliking the fact that his family was there to genuinely loving and caring for them – even if he is still a bit of a jerk most of the time. 

Charlie himself even had a few steadier relationships throughout the show, ones that really challenged him, and that I don’t think he ever truly recovered from entirely. I really enjoyed him overall and his signs of change, but at the same time, this show is still utter sitcom nonsense sometimes. 

I Loved Seeing Melanie Lynsky In A Role That’s So Different From Her More Current Ones

Okay, keep this in mind – I hadn’t known about the star that is Melanie Lynsky for a long time. Since I’m so young, I never got the chance to watch a lot of the older projects she was in as a teen and young woman, just because I’m so focused on her new projects – like Yellowjackets on Showtime, or, more recently, The Last of Us. 

But man, I loved seeing her as Rose, and it was so refreshing to see her in something like this after her more current roles that I’ve come to love. She’s so funny. Her comedic timing is constantly on point, and somehow, she always found a way to make me snicker even on my worst days. 

From watching her in Two and a Half Men, Lynsky really cemented herself into my mind as a talented actress with everything she is able to do. I would re-watch this show just to see her as Rose once again, because she really was amazing. 

Hands Down, Berta Is My Favorite Character, Though

However, even if I loved Rose, and the dynamic trio, I loved Berta so much. Oh my god, she was my absolute favorite character. 

There is not another character in any sitcom that has made me laugh as hard as Berta did. I’m talking about Michael Scott from The Office, or Chandler from Friends, or even Schmidt from New Girl. Berta is probably the funniest character I have ever seen on television because she just has no filter. She just says what is on her mind no matter how insulting it is and it is refreshing to see someone who's able to match Charlie’s wit on a daily basis. Love it. 

I swear I had tears of laughter in my eyes every time she was on screen. Such a gem. May the actress who played her, Conchata Ferrell, rest in peace. 

However, The Show Certainly Lost Its More Broad Appeal Around Season 10

You notice how I didn’t talk about anything post-Season 8? That’s because I don’t remember anything from Season 8 or beyond. 

Look, I’ll be honest here and say that Ashton Kutcher was a fine replacement for Charlie Sheen. I know the drama that happened and yeah, maybe replacing him was the best course of action for the show to continue. But, at the same time, it just didn’t feel the same. 

The trio that I cared for was only a duo now with a new person that I hardly knew, Rose wasn’t there to keep things interesting, Berta didn’t feel as impactful without Charlie there because it felt like there wasn’t anyone who was able to keep up with her attitude. It didn’t feel like the same show. 

I still finished it – with that eventful and very aggravating finale – but the last few seasons lost me. That’s just how I feel. 

With Two and a Half Men off the air for nearly ten years now, it felt like the perfect time to watch it. And now, I can at least say I watched the whole series and gave it a shot and enjoyed it somewhat. There were things I would change, but overall, it was a good time. Charlie Sheen and Chuck Lorre are working together again, apparently, so who knows? We might get another show like this, after all. 

Chuck Lorre is easily one of the biggest names in TV and, in recent years, he’s been aiming to make his mark in the streaming world with comedies like The Kominsky Method and Disjointed. Back in October, Lorre also landed his first HBO Max show – a comedy called How to Be a Bookie. The super producer has assembled a cast that’s led by Sebastian Maniscalco and, now, he’s added another familiar face. In a very surprising turn of events, Lorre is reteaming with Charlie Sheen for the sitcom, and it marks a major return to TV for the actor. Said development also comes 12 years after that widely publicized Two and a Half Men hullabaloo. 

The Wall Street star, who is set to serve as a recurring character on this latest offering from HBO Max, which is officially being rebranded as Max this coming May. Variety didn’t reveal any specifics in regard to the actor’s role but, based on the series creator’s knack for creating funny and flawed characters, I’d bet that he has something truly comical in mind.

If I’m being completely honest, I certainly wouldn’t have seen this coming, especially considering what happened over a decade ago. The star began playing devil-may-care jingle writer Charlie Harper on Two and a Half Men in 2003. After the show became a hit, Charlie Sheen would become the highest paid comic actor on TV. Things hit a snag in early 2011 amid the eighth season, however, when the Major League alum entered a rehabilitation program for substance abuse. During that time, Sheen proceeded to make disparaging remarks about Chuck Lorre as well as co-star Jon Cryer, and he was soon fired by Warner Bros. TV and CBS. Alleged details on Sheen’s explosive last day on set have also been leaked in the time since.

The highly paid entertainer would go on to have a public meltdown and, amid that period, he’d mention during interviews that he was “winning” and possessed “tiger blood.” All the while, Two and a Half Men moved forward without him and eventually cast Ashton Kutcher to replace him as a new character. Despite everything, Chuck Lorre and co. did approach their former leading man about returning for the final episode in 2015. However, Charlie Sheen ultimately didn’t appear in the finale because he disagreed with the direction of the story. Sheen subsequently called out the apparent diss that happened in the closing moments, which saw a piano get dropped on him along with Lorre.

Keeping all of this in mind, it seemed very unlikely that the two former collaborators would ever reunite. But as Jeff Goldblum’s Ian Malcolm once ominously said, “Life, uh… finds a way.” (Or in this case, I suppose it was cash and creativity that found a way.) Regardless of why they opted to join forces again, I’m just glad that it’s happening.

How to Be a Bookie, which received an eight-episode order from HBO Max, sees Sebastian Maniscalco play a longtime bookmaker named Danny. Viewers will catch up with him as he attempts to adapt in a world where sports gambling is becoming legal in most spaces. The Los Angeles resident will also have to contend with clients while balancing his work and home lives. Also part of the cast are Vanessa Ferlito, Jorge Garcia, Omar J. Dorsey and Andrea Anders.

Chuck Lorre has an excellent track record, so I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt when it comes to the quality of this latest show. One can’t help but wonder if his relationship with Charlie Sheen will hold steady this time around. But it may be fair to assume that the two men have learned from their past working relationship. Plus, both must’ve really felt passionate about this role and project if they were willing to work together again. Let’s hope they’re able to generate plenty of laughs.

Make sure that you have a Max, or for now, HBO Max subscription so that you can watch How to Be a Bookie when it premieres. You can also stream all 12 seasons of Two and a Half Men using a Peacock subscription.

There are plenty of sitcoms that people love to watch over and over again. Maybe they’re a source of comfort, or they have some of their favorite actors, or there's another reason, really. I’m talking about Friends, or maybe even The Office, when it comes to rewatching. Today, though, we’re going to be talking about the famous CBS sitcom, Two and a Half Men. 

Running for twelve seasons and enduring plenty of controversy to go with it, the series starred Charlie Sheen (and later Ashton Kutcher) and Jon Cryer, with the premise being about a man and his son who go to live with his bachelor brother when he gets divorced from his wife. Throughout the course of the series, we had some awesome guest stars – but, there were also actors who appeared in the show that you might not even have recognized. 

We’re talking about people who have truly made it in the movie and TV industry, but before they hit it big. Here are seven actors that you might have forgotten were on the famous show. 

Bellamy Young

First up on this list is Bellamy Young. The actress is primarily known for her role in the famous ABC drama series, Scandal, which ran for seven seasons, as well as her time on the Fox television show, Prodigal Son. She also broke out into the world of movies with films such as The Night Stalker, A Wrinkle in Time, and more. However, there was a time before her breakout where she guest-starred on Two and a Half Men. 

The actress appeared in the episode “The Mooch at the Boo” during Season 6 as Diane. While she had been in many recurring roles prior to her guest role, it wasn’t until four years later that she got her big hit in Scandal. So fun to see her here. 

Ken Jeong

Ken Jeong was honestly one of the actors I was not expecting to see at all in Two and a Half Men, because I feel like I grew up in a time where he was just always famous. However, there was a time before his big breakout roles. 

You might know Jeong primarily from his role in the Community cast, or his part in the The Hangover film series, or maybe even his starring role in the sitcom, Dr. Ken – perhaps even from his judging role on The Masked Singer; he’s been everywhere. But he also guest-starred on Two and a Half Men during the second season.

Jeong had a role in the episode, “Woo-Hoo, a Hernia Exam!” where he played "Male Nurse," with no name for his character. Ironically, however, his parts were what I remembered the most from the episode, considering his comedic timing was on point even back then. Nothing quite like Jeong’s character telling Alan that he’s not a real doctor. 

Kristin Bauer Van Straten

While Kristin Bauer Van Straten had main roles before her small role on this long-running sitcom, her career began to take off years later, thanks to her excellent work in the field of television. These include main roles in the True Blood cast, as well as portraying Maleficent in Once Upon a Time, and several recurring and guest roles. Before all of that, though, she played Laura in two episodes of Two and a Half Men. 

Bauer Van Straten was actually the first woman we ever saw Sheen's character get with (in the pilot episode), and she came back for one more episode before we, as usual, never saw her again, as Charlie isn’t a big “commitment” person.

Paget Brewster

Paget Brewster was a surprise to me when I first saw her in Two and a Half Men, because I only saw her as Emily Prentiss in Criminal Minds, a role she began in 2006 and came back for with the Criminal Minds: Evolution reboot. She also had a part on Season 4 of Friends, where she played Kathy, where a lot of fans saw her.

However, Brewster had a role in the Season 2 episode, “A Lungful of Alan,” where she played Jamie Eckleberry, a young woman who was bullied by Charlie as a kid and wanted to get revenge on him as an adult. Honestly, she was hilarious in this role, and I low-key expected her to come back again, but I’ll be satisfied with her one appearance. 

Megan Fox 

Megan Fox is primarily known now for her roles in several films, including the Transformers series, the iconic horror film, Jennifer’s Body, and many other thrillers and action movies, but before she was making films, she started in television. 

She played the part of Prudence in the Season 1 episode, “Camel Filters and Pheromones,” as the young granddaughter of Charlie’s housekeeper, Berta, who causes problems the moment she steps through the door – problems that older men should not be involved in. It surely is a hilarious guest-role, and one that I really liked. 

Noel Fisher 

In the same episode as Megan Fox, Noel Fisher actually had a small guest role as well. Fisher is primarily known now for his role as part of the Shameless cast, where he played Mickey Milkovich for several seasons, as well as parts in shows such as Castle Rock, The Calling, The Conners, and more. 

But, before all that, he played Freddie on Two and a Half Men. It’s a very quick role but one that I spotted all the same. 

Yvette Nicole Brown

Last but not least, we have Yvette Nicole Brown, who is honestly one of my favorites. I’ve followed Brown for many years, as she was a part of one of my favorite childhood television shows, Drake and Josh, but was also a lead in Community, another favorite of mine. Besides that, she’s guest starred on so many shows that I’m sure, somewhere, you have seen her.

Before she started to take over your television, however, Brown started in smaller guest roles, one of which was when she played Mandy in “Just Like Buffalo” (Season 1, Episode 23) as one of Judith’s housewife friends. It’s a small part, but it was so fun to see her have this small role. Even then her personality shined through. 

Who do you remember seeing on Two and a Half Men that even we might have forgotten about? With twelve seasons, I’m sure there are plenty of guest-stars we could bring up. 

Out of all the great performances I have seen from HBO’s The Last of Us cast so far — which have ranged from heartbreaking to… well, mostly just that, to be honest — one of the most intimidating has come from Melanie Lynskey. Of course, as soon as I learned that she would star in the series adaptation of the hit video game, I had a pretty good feeling that her participation would be nothing short of powerful.

While not quite a household name, those who would call themselves fans of the New Zealand-born Emmy nominee can usually count on her to bring something grandly memorable to whatever role Hollywood throws in her direction and The Last of Us is only the latest bit of evidence. However, that is where we shall start as we recommend our picks for the best Melanie Lynskey movies and TV shows and where you can currently find them on streaming, as a digital rental, or on physical media.

The Last Of Us (2023)

Twenty years after a strange, deadly outbreak seals society’s downfall, a survivor (Pedro Pascal) becomes the reluctant protector of a teenage girl (former Games of Thrones cast member Bella Ramsey) who may hold the key to a better future.

Why it is one of the best Melanie Lynskey TV shows: One of the most fearsome human antagonists on The Last of Us so far is ruthless resistance leader Kathleen Coghlan — a character who does not exist in the original video games — whose brief, two-episode run is a pivotal contribution to some the show’s most stirring moments so far, with much of the credit given to Melanie Lynskey’s stone cold performance.

Stream The Last Of Us on HBO Max.

The Frighteners (1996)

After a near-death experience gives him the ability to communicate with the dead, a former architect (Michael J. Fox) teams up with ghosts to create a phony paranormal investigation business, until he finds a greater purpose for his gift when his small town begins to fall prey to an evil presence. 

Why it is one of the best Melanie Lynskey movies: After Melanie Lynskey made her stunning feature film debut in director Peter Jackson’s 1994 true crime classic, Heavenly Creatures, the future Lord of the Rings movies helmer cast her in the small role of a deputy sheriff in his entirely different follow-up — and one of the zaniest horror-comedy movies you will ever see —The Frighteners.

Rent/buy The Frighteners digitally on Amazon.
Buy The Frighteners on Blu-ray on Amazon.

But I'm A Cheerleader (1999)

When her devoutly religious parents begin to have suspicions about her sexuality, a high school student (Emmy nominee Natasha Lyonne) is sent away to a gay conversion camp, where she ends up becoming more in-tune with and accepting of her true self.

Why it is one of the best Melanie Lynskey movies: Also one of the best Natasha Lyonne movies and an important moment in actor and filmmaker Clea DuVall’s career, But I’m a Cheerleader — one of the most acclaimed LGBTQ+ rom-coms of all time — sees Melanie Lynskey giving a charming performance (and using her natural accent) as a fellow gay conversion camper named Hilary.

Stream But, I'm A Cheerleader on Showtime.
Rent/buy But, I'm A Cheerleader digitally on Amazon.
Buy But, I'm A Cheerleader on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Sweet Home Alabama (2002)

In order to get married to her wealthy new fiancé (Patrick Dempsey) in New York City, an up-and-coming fashion designer (Reese Witherspoon) is forced to return to her southern hometown and convince her estranged husband (Josh Lucas) to finally sign the divorce papers she sent him years ago.

Why it is one of the best Melanie Lynskey movies: Also one of the best Reese Witherspoon movies and a beloved modern rom-com classic, director Andy Tennant’s Sweet Home Alabama sees Melanie Lynskey donning a southern accent as Lurlynn — a mother of four and an old friend of Witherspoon’s character, who happens to be named Melanie.

Stream Sweet Home Alabama on Apple TV+.
Rent/buy Sweet Home Alabama digitally on Amazon.
Buy Sweet Home Alabama on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Shattered Glass (2003)

The once-promising career of one of the most successful reporters at The New Republic Magazine (Hayden Christensen) starts to unravel after his appointed editor-in-chief (Peter Sarsgaard) begins to suspect that some of his most noteworthy articles are either partially or entirely made up.

Why it is one of the best Melanie Lynskey movies: Based on the shocking true story of one of the most notorious peddlers of fabricated journalism — and also featuring one of Christensen’s best performances — director Billy Ray’s Shattered Glass is a thoroughly engrossing cautionary tale in which Melanie Lynskey plays a writer named Amy Brand, who begins to grow jealous of Stephen Glass’ success.

Stream Shattered Glass on Tubi.
Stream Shattered Glass on Freevee through Amazon.
Buy Shattered Glass on DVD on Amazon.

Two And A Half Men (2003-2015)

A single, successful commercial jingle writer (Charlie Sheen) finds his comfortable existence upended by his new housemate: his recently divorced, neurotic younger brother (Jon Cryer), who has partial custody of his young son (Angus T. Jones).

Why it is one of the best Melanie Lynskey TV shows: One of the brightest highlights from the entire 12-year run of Two and Half Men on CBS (which later brought in Ashton Kutcher to replace Sheen after his firing in 2011) is Melanie Lynskey’s performance as Rose — one of Charlie’s one-time girlfriends who became a more constant presence as his stalker/friend and, eventually, his wife/suspected murderer.

Stream Two And A Half Men on Peacock.
Buy Two And A Half Men digitally on Amazon.
Buy Two And A Half Men on DVD on Amazon.

Up In The Air (2009)

A single, successful corporate downsizing expert (Academy Award winner George Clooney) finds his solitary life of constant air travel upended when he meets a beautiful woman (Academy Award nominee Vera Farmiga) who leads a similar existence.

Why it is one of the best Melanie Lynskey movies: Also one of Clooney’s best movies and, of course, one of the best titles from Farmiga’s career, co-writer and director Jason Reitman’s inspiring adaptation of Walter Kirn’s novel, Up in the Air, stars Melanie Lynskey as Julie — the younger sister of Clooney’s character, Ryan Bingham, whom he reunites with at her wedding in Wisconsin.

Stream Up In The Air on Paramount+.
Rent/buy Up In The Air digitally on Amazon.
Buy Up In The Air on Blu-ray on Amazon.

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower (2012)

An introverted, grief-stricken high school freshman (Logan Lerman) finds his lonely existence suddenly interrupted after he makes friends with an openly gay senior (Ezra Miller) and his equally free-spirited stepsister (Emma Watson). 

Why it is one of the best Melanie Lynskey movies: Stephen Chbosky both wrote the screenplay for and directed the acclaimed adaptation of his 1999 novel, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, in which Melanie Lynskey appears through flashbacks as Helen — the aunt of Lerman’s character, Charlie, whose tragic death has a profound and distressing effect on him.

Stream The Perks Of Being A Wallflower on Hulu.
Rent/buy The Perks Of Being A Wallflower digitally on Amazon.
Buy The Perks Of Being A Wallflower on Blu-ray on Amazon.

I Don't Feel At Home In This World Anymore (2017)

After she discovers that her house has been broken into and a precious family heirloom is missing, a woman suffering from depression (Melanie Lynskey) teams up with her overly zealous next door neighbor (a fellow Peter Jackson collaborator, Lord of the Rings cast member Elijah Wood) in an effort to take matters into their own hands to track down the culprit and bring them to justice.

Why it is one of the best Melanie Lynskey movies: Lynskey is charmingly grim as the lead star of I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore — a darkly comedic, Netflix original crime thriller from writer and director Macon Blair.

Stream I Don't Feel At Home In This World Anymore on Netflix.

Castle Rock (2018)

The discovery of a young man (Bill Skarsgård) secretly held captive in a local prison for decades, a group of 17th Century French setters who come back to reclaim their town by possessing the bodies of those buried under an abandoned house, and other strange phenomena plague a small town in Main with an infamous reputation.

Why it is one of the best Melanie Lynskey TV shows: One of the best horror TV shows on Hulu is Castle Rock — an unfairly short-lived seasonal anthology series inspired by the work of Stephen King in which Melanie Lynskey stars in the first season as a type of character that appears in many of the authors’s stories: a woman with psychic abilities.

Stream Castle Rock on Hulu.

Yellowjackets (2021-Present)

A group of women continue struggling to put their lives back together more than two decades after their high school soccer team became stranded in the northern wilderness after suffering through a plane crash.

Why it is one of the best Melanie Lynskey TV shows: Melanie Lynskey earned her first Emmy Award nomination for her lead performance as Shauna in Showtime’s Yellowjackets cast, in creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson’s harrowing, yet addictive, coming-of-age survival drama. 

Stream Yellowjackets on Showtime.
Buy Yellowjackets digitally on Amazon.
Buy Yellowjackets on Blu-ray on Amazon.

There are plenty of other great movies and TV shows that feature great performances by Melanie Lynskey, such as Heavenly Creatures (which is, unfortunately, unable to stream, rent digitally, or even purchase on physical media at the moment). These are just a few favorite examples that are currently available to watch. What are some of yours?

After finishing up his time as the scary Lex Luthor on Supergirl, it was announced that Jon Cryer would be making his way back to comedy, specifically network comedy. It’s now confirmed that the Two and a Half Men veteran will make his way to NBC to star in Mike O’Malley’s new half-hour comedy. 

According to Deadline, the untitled series will star Cryer, Donald Faison and Abigail Spencer, and it’s reported to come out next fall. All three of these actors have been on mainstay network television shows, so seeing them all come together will be fun. 

Cryer, is best known for starring in Two and a Half Men, but also co-starred with Molly Ringwald in the John Hughes, ‘80s classic Pretty in Pink. Much like Cryer, Faison has played a principal character in a classic sitcom and starred in some nostalgic movies. Most, likely know him from his 9-year run as Dr. Turk on Scrubs, however, he also had supporting roles in the ‘90s classic Clueless and co-starred with Denzel Washington in Remember the Titans. As well as her new co-stars, Spencer has an extensive TV career. Most recently, she had a recurring role on Grey’s Anatomy as Owen Hunt’s sister Megan, and has also starred in iconic dramas like Mad Men and True Detective. 

While there is not a title for the show just yet, the announcement did explain a bit about the plot. The series is set to follow the divorced couple Jim (Cryer) and Julia (Spencer), whose split was apparently “amicable,” and instead of the kids traveling between two homes, the parents take turns staying in their home with them. This all takes a turn when the owner of Jim’s favorite basketball team, the Boston Celtics, starts dating Julia. A perfectly normal situation on all counts, no?

Along with starring, Cryer is also an executive producer on the show. He will be working with O’Malley, who is currently the showrunner of Heels who also created Survivor’s Remorse. Also, The Connors EP Tom Warner, who owns the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool FC, and Wyc Grousbeck, who is the majority owner of the Boston Celtics, are set to produce. The sports connections behind the scenes definitely make sense.

What’s exciting about this project is it marks Cryer’s return to comedy. Though Two and a Half Men went through some major controversies, almost coming to a rocky ending early on, it’s still one of Cryer’s most iconic roles, and to see he’s coming back to his comedy roots is super exciting. 

Before this, though it was awesome to see him as Lex Luthor in Supergirl, so we could see a different side to the actor. From the freaky first look, all the way until the end fans loved Cryer as Supergirl’s big bad. With The CW show over though, it will be fun to see Cryer return to him comedy roots. 

While his new NBC comedy won’t be here for a while, you can check out the other comedies premiering this fall on the 2022 TV schedule, or you can go back and check out his chilling performance in Supergirl with a Netflix subscription.

Two and a Half Men was a hit for CBS from the early days, with sitcom veteran Charlie Sheen headlining opposite Jon Cryer. The two anchored the series for the better part of a decade, before Sheen’s very public departure. He was fired in 2011 after eight seasons, with the eighth season cut short after Sheen entered rehab and made some controversial comments. The show ultimately continued with Ashton Kutcher joining Jon Cryer, but Cryer has now explained how close Two and a Half Men came to actually ending early. 

Speaking with ET, Jon Cryer revealed that the show was “going so smoothly” in the early years (which you can revisit streaming with a Peacock Premium subscription), and Charlie Sheen had been sober for two years before starting. Things changed over the years, however, when Sheen started going “off the rails.” Cryer – who would go on to land a memorable role on Supergirl – reflected:

Charlie Sheen went through his divorce from Denise Richards during his time on Two and a Half Men, which lasted from 2003-2011. Their split was finalized in 2006. He married Brooke Mueller in 2008, but they too divorced in 2011. According to Jon Cryer, Sheen’s personal life began to affect his work on the CBS sitcom, and the issues that ultimately led to his firing were “very subtle” to start.

The ultimate decision to cut Season 8 short and fire Sheen came after what was reportedly an erratic final day of filming. At that point, the odds seemed in favor of the show ending rather than continuing without the star. As much as Jon Cryer was a co-lead with Sheen, the premise of Two and a Half Men seemed to require both Charlie and Alan Harper. 

Now, Cryer has shared that as his co-star’s public behavior grew more and more unpredictable, he and the creator considered ending the show altogether. He said: 

A show running for eight seasons is pretty impressive as is, so Two and a Half Men wrapping at the close of even the shortened eighth season wouldn’t have been terrible. Cryer was evidently willing to let it happen if it was best for Charlie Sheen’s health, but Chuck Lorre (who recently opened up about watching the show again after the drama) came up with a different kind of fix: seemingly killing off Charlie Harper and bringing in Ashton Kutcher as the new co-lead. He and Cryer would star in the final four seasons of the show before it finally ended for good in 2015, with a finale that revealed Charlie Harper was alive after all.

In the years since the end of Two and a Half Men, Jon Cryer evidently hasn’t kept in touch with Charlie Sheen, but said that he is “glad that his health has rebounded” and hopes for “nothing but success for the guy.” Recently, he took to Twitter to pitch a reunion with Sheen for another Hot Shots! movie. The first Hot Shots! was actually the first time that the two actors appeared in the same project, more than a decade before they’d reunite for Two and a Half Men. Whether or not they truly ever reunite for another project remains to be seen, but Cryer is heading back to TV comedies following the end of Supergirl.

When it comes to sitcom controversies, it’s hard to think of a more suitable and unique example than the latter years of Two and a Half Men’s twelve-season run on CBS, largely as they relate to the ousted star Charlie Sheen, his stints in rehab, his firing, and his public responses to it all. But as hectic as it all was at the time, we’re now more than eleven years beyond Sheen’s erratic exit, which has helped to give the sitcom’s creator Chuck Lorre enough time and distance to feel comfortable watching the show again without the negative memories and emotions of that clash.

Following the glut of major cancellations and noteworthy TV finales, Chuck Lorre spoke with Variety about his lengthy and successful career on the small screen, and after he brought up rewatching older episodes of Two and a Half Men, the Big Bang Theory creator was asked if all things Charlie Sheen played into how he currently feels about the show as a whole. Admitting there was a point when it wouldn’t have been enjoyable, Lorre said:

Thankfully, Chuck Lorre has been able to get around the more uncomfortable and negative emotions in order to still view Two and a Half Men from a more objective perspective. It’ll likely be impossible to completely remove all Sheen-related memories from the creator’s brain, but so long as he feels okay about taking in reruns from the earlier seasons, good on him. I know I have a couple of far more dumpy jobs from my own early life that I don’t like to think of due to troublesome co-workers, so I can imagine it takes some mental tap-dancing to get to a more content place. 

Clearly the work stands for itself with or without Charlie Sheen’s personal life mucking things up. After all, the show’s fanbase hasn’t exactly dissipated, with reruns available to stream with a Peacock subscription, and that’s in part to how the cast works as a full ensemble, as opposed to everything relying just on Sheen’s performances. Nobody can deny Jon Cryer’s talents, nor that of the late Chonchata Ferrell and others, so someone who might not be aware of Sheen’s issues over the years wouldn’t be taken out of the narrative at all.

Given that the show debuted back in 2003, and that Chuck Lorre has created or helped develop roughly 1,000 TV series in the meantime, it tracks that he wouldn’t have every single episode’s story beats committed to memory. And he reflected on that notion by saying his and the creative team’s goal was to create a show that stood the test of time, as opposed to a flash in the pan. In his words:

For his part, Charlie Sheen hasn't exactly been quite as cool and calculated over the years when it comes to everything that went down on Two and a Half Men, and I doubt we'll be seeing him co-starring with Ashton Kutcher anytime soon. (Even though Jon Cryer has a fantastic idea for a reunion project with Sheen that seems super-timely.) In 2021, he seemed to offer up some regret over how he handled things, shedding a negative light on his "#Winning" approach. But only a few years earlier in 2017, he shared some particularly rabid thoughts about Chuck Lorre, calling him “the most talentless fucking sack of shit of fucking stupid this side of La Brea.” So it’s obviously hard to know where his head is at now.

As much as fans might want to see more from the Two and a Half Men-verse, it's safe to say we'd all be better off just watching already existing eps. But it does look like Jon Cryer has another network comedy on the horizon, as he's been tapped to star in a pilot created by Heels' Mick O'Malley. 

Saying Charlie Sheen’s firing from CBS’ Two and a Half Men was eventful would be an understatement, and there was an abundance of drama following Sheen’s exit, especially between him and Jon Cryer, as well as with his replacement Ashton Kutcher. It’s been more than a decade since Cryer and the Wall Street actor shared the screen. Things appear to have cooled down since then, though, and the Supergirl vet even suggested an idea for a reunion with his former Two and a Half Men co-star.

The last time Cryer and Sheen shared the screen ended with an explosive final day, according to the Supergirl actor. He recalled their last day on set being filled with erratic behavior on Sheen’s part, stemming from the latter's personal issues at the time. But time must’ve healed old wounds, as he hopped onto Twitter to suggest the former two co-stars revisit one of their most excellent earlier outings. To see the Pretty in Pink alum’s throwback suggestion for a possible Sheen-tastic reunion, you can check out his Twitter post below.

Cryer and Sheen doing another Hot Shots! movie together? Where’s the studio and writing team ready to get this sequel off the ground? Seriously, someone find them. Long before they starred in the CBS sitcom, the two actors co-starred together in the initial Top Gun parody, with Sheen as Lt. Sean "Topper" Harley and Cryer as the wall--eyed Lt. Jim "Wash Out" Pfaffenbach. While the latter didn’t return for the 1993 sequel Hot Shots! Part Deux, Sheen was back in action for the A+ follow-up. Doing another film may be the perfect opportunity for audiences to see Topper and Wash Out back together again, and could spark a new wave of quality spoof flicks.

As Cryer pointed out, the success of Top Gun: Maverick proved there’s a market for nostalgia done right, and that shouldn't be limited to non-parodies. Another sequel within the Hot Shots! franchise would make sense, and it could even play into the idea of legacy-quel spoofing, similar to how 2021's Scream approached its own history. And there obviously wouldn't be a better time to capitalize on Maverick’s monumental success than while that success is happening. 

Cryer’s idea seemed to signal that he and the former Anger Management actor are in a better place than they were a decade ago. After being ousted from the series, Sheen called the CBS comedy a “steaming pile of ass” when Warner Bros. sent him a cease-and-desist letter to stop using photos of himself as Charlie Harper while promoting the aforementioned FX comedy.

While the Supergirl actor and his longtime co-star essentially stopped speaking to and of one another for a spell, Sheen saved much of his vitriol for his replacement. After Kutcher stepped in for Sheen as internet billionaire Walden Schmidt for the series’ final four seasons, Sheen harassed him the entire time and was in constant attack mode when the That '70s Show vet's name came up. It even got so bad that Kutcher had to address the attacks on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Of course, Sheen ended up apologizing to him, so anything can happen. Including a new Hot Shots! movie.

If you want to see Jon Cryer and Charlie Sheen as Alan and Charlie Harper once more, you can binge seasons of Two and a Half Men with a Peacock subscription. If you want to revisit the original Hot Shots!, you can stream it by subscribing to Apple TV+.

Jon Cryer’s impressive acting career took an interesting turn in 2019 when he was cast as the villainous Lex Luthor of The CW’s Arrowverse. The Two and a Half Men vet may have seemed like an unexpected choice for the iconic role, but he ultimately made it his own and received praise in the process. While he’s more than made his mark in the superhero genre since, the actor’s roots are in comedy, and it’s been quite some time since he’s been a regular on a sitcom. It sounds like that’s about to change, though, as he’s apparently circling a new TV comedy following his stint in the DC Comics-based world. 

The 57-year-old star is reportedly in talks to join a pilot that’s been ordered by NBC. According to Deadline, the currently untitled project is a multi-cam comedy that’s being developed by Mike O’Malley, who’s best known for creating the Starz sports dramedy Survivor’s Remorse. O’Malley, who also serves as a writer, is set to produce the purported show alongside Tom Werner (of The Cosby Show, That ‘70s Show and The Conners fame), Wyc Grousbeck, Emilia Fazzalari and George Geyer. Additionally, Lionsgate Television is the company behind the series.

Per the trade, the project centers on a former married couple, Jim (presumably played by Jon Cryer) and Julia, who decide to raise their kids in their family home following their civil breakup. As the two navigate their new reality, things are shaken up in a big way when the owner of Jim’s favorite sports team steps in and begins to charm his ex-wife. Given his history with athletic-infused storytelling, that last bit is incredibly on brand for Mike O’Malley and could add an interesting layer to the series. 

It pretty much goes without saying that Jon Cryer has more than his fair share of experience with situation comedies. From the late ‘80s to the ‘90s, the actor appeared in a plethora of shows, either in starring or recurring roles. (Cryer even almost starred in a fan-favorite sci-fi series.) Most of his gigs were short lived, though his big break would come in the early 2000s when he was cast as Alan Harper in Chuck Lorre and Lee Aronsohn’s Two and Half Men. Cryer’s 12-year stint as the penny-pinching chiropractor would earn him two Primetime Emmys, amid seven nominations. 

Though comedy is his home, one still can’t deny just how perfect the Pretty in Pink alum was for the role of Lex Luthor. Shortly after the first look at his Luthor was revealed, the star explained that he decided to play the Supergirl villain because of his disappointment with 1987’s Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. In that movie, he played Lenny, the nephew to Gene Hackman’s Luthor. He more than made up for things, however, especially in the final season of Melissa Benoist’s show, which solidified why fans needed more of the actor’s Luthor. While he initially didn’t like the show’s finale (as he wanted Lex to win), he warmed up to the end of his character’s arc and expressed interest in reprising the role at some point. 

Should this new series earn a series order and take off though, Jon Cryer may not have the time to don the maniacal comic book villain’s business suit again. Nothing is totally certain for Mike O’Malley’s show at this point, but what can be said is that it would be great to see Cryer back in the sitcom game. And with an interesting premise and a capable cast, the comedy could truly shine. 

Be sure to check out CinemaBlend’s 2022 TV schedule for information on the various series that are premiering and returning this year.

CBS seems to have a unique gift for creating both family friendly sitcoms as well as dramatic police procedurals that turn into multi-season fan-favorites. Shows like The Big Bang Theory bring families together to the living room, smashing records right after dinner, while darker shows like NCIS have just as dedicated and passionate fan bases. Numerous shows have run for double digit seasons and dominate the evening airwaves. 

Now, thanks to Vudu, you can own seasons or full series' of your favorite CBS shows at a fraction of the regular prices. They have current series like Young Sheldon and FBI, older classics like The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Lost In Space, multiple spin-offs like CSI: Miami and NCIS: Los Angeles, and everything in between. You can find a whole list of CBS shows on sale on Vudu here, or check our some of our favorites below. We've also include some great deals on Roku and TiVo streaming devices so you can also stream your favorite CBS shows. 

NCIS

Find all the seasons of NCIS on sale on Vudu:

• Season 1: $6.99
• Season 2: $6.99
• Season 3: $9.99
• Season 4: $9.99
• Season 5: $9.99
• Season 6: $9.99
• Season 7: $9.99
• Season 8: $9.99
• Season 9: $9.99
• Season 10: $9.99
• Season 11: $9.99
• Season 12: $9.99
• Season 13: $9.99
• Season 14: $9.99
• Season 15: $9.99
• Season 16: $9.99
• Season 17: $9.99
• Season 18: $9.99
• Season 19: $19.99

The Big Bang Theory

Find all the seasons of The Big Bang Theory on sale on Vudu:

• Season 1: $19.99 on Vudu
• Season 2: $19.99 on Vudu
• Season 3: $19.99 on Vudu
• Season 4: $19.99 on Vudu
• Season 5: $19.99 on Vudu
• Season 6: $19.99 on Vudu
• Season 7: $19.99 on Vudu
• Season 8: $19.99 on Vudu
• Season 9: $19.99 on Vudu
• Season 10: $19.99 on Vudu
• Season 11: $19.99 on Vudu
• Season 12: $19.99 on Vudu

Criminal Minds

Find all the seasons of Criminal Minds on sale on Vudu:

• Season 1: $6.99 on Vudu
• Season 2: $6.99 on Vudu
• Season 3: $9.99 on Vudu
• Season 4: $9.99 on Vudu
• Season 5: $9.99 on Vudu
• Season 6: $9.99 on Vudu
• Season 7: $9.99 on Vudu
• Season 8: $9.99 on Vudu
• Season 9: $9.99 on Vudu
• Season 10: $9.99 on Vudu
• Season 11: $9.99 on Vudu
• Season 12: $9.99 on Vudu
• Season 13: $9.99 on Vudu
• Season 14: $9.99 on Vudu
• Season 15: $9.99 on Vudu

How I Met Your Mother

Find all the seasons of How I Met Your Mother on sale on Vudu:

• Season 1: $13.99 on Vudu 
• Season 2: $13.99 on Vudu
• Season 3: $13.99 on Vudu
• Season 4: $13.99 on Vudu
• Season 5: $13.99 on Vudu
• Season 6: $13.99 on Vudu
• Season 7: $13.99 on Vudu
• Season 8: $13.99 on Vudu
• Season 9: $13.99 on Vudu

Two and a Half Men

Find all the seasons of Two and a Half Men on sale on Vudu:

• Season 1: $9.99 on Vudu
• Season 2: $9.99 on Vudu
• Season 3: $19.99 on Vudu
• Season 4: $19.99 on Vudu
• Season 5: $19.99 on Vudu
• Season 6: $19.99 on Vudu
• Season 7: $19.99 on Vudu
• Season 8: $19.99 on Vudu
• Season 9: $19.99 on Vudu
• Season 10: $19.99 on Vudu
• Season 11: $19.99 on Vudu
• Season 12: $19.99 on Vudu

Young Sheldon

Find seasons 1-4 of Young Sheldon on sale on Vudu: