So Ashton Kutcher, a guy about my own age, will somehow be shoehorned into CBS' 2 1/2 Men for next season. While I'm not exactly sure how the show's writing staff will work this one, I'm sure it will definitely feel contrived. The weak-ass possibilities to explain Sheen's departure from the dysfunctional, sex-fueled household and endless. Will Sheen's departure be explained away as something at least moderately believable or will it be totally far fetched?
Did Sheen die in a drinking accident? Did he contract a particularly nasty strain of chlamydia from one of his many sexual conquests? Did he tan too much and become so small and dried up that he simply blew away? I have a feeling that the show's creator/producer, Chuck Lorre, doesn't particularly care how Sheen's departure is handled -- but he'll probably opt for the most degrading way possible given the past these two have.
Then what about Ashton's arrival as the lead in the series? Ashton Kutcher, while he played a complete dumbass on "That 70s Show", does definitely have comedic chops as an actor. He's practically a decade removed from his time playing the complete doofus Michael Kelso on the FOX sitcom which makes a new TV role well-distanced from his previous work. I actually liked his work in "The Butterfly Effect" which was, in my opinion, his best dramatic work to date while his comedic roles on the big screen have been downright terrible.
While I'm happy to see Charlie Sheen hopefully gone from television and movies for good, I'm not exactly sure that Ashton Kutcher will be a good fit for today's TV landscape. Sure, "2 1/2 Men" has been a hugely successful show during its nearly decade-long run on CBS but that's also an insanely long time and while we always bitch and moan about wanting things to be fresh and new, people often times run aways screaming from something new.
My best guess is that this season's installment of "2 1/2 Men" will begin to slide in the ratings and while it won't completely fall apart and lose viewers in record numbers, CBS will continue to milk the series because of its value in syndication and DVD sales. Expect to see not only one season with Ashton Kutcher in the cast but a second and final season ending in the Spring of 2013 before the show ends with a total of ten seasons in the books. The 10th and final season won't be Seinfeld-esque because I'm guessing that the show will have become a shell of its former self and will go out at the bottom of the ratings versus its other Monday night comedy teammates.
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