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:
I have loved working with Chuck. [After Two and a Half Men] I was on Kominsky Method, and his new show [Bookie] really does sound like fun. That being said, I haven’t spoken with Charlie in seven-some plus years, so I have no idea where he’s at.
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:
I don’t close anything off. I loved working with those people when it was great — it was really great, you know? — and I’m sad that it got super-duper weird. But everybody, I think, comes from a place of forgiveness, hopefully. As I said, when the times were good, they were really, really good.
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.
