With all the insane hoopla surrounding Charlie Sheen is anybody really surprised that he chooses to seek help with his addiction by doing rehab at home? Seriously? That’s even an option? That’s like me wanting to go on a diet but only eat freshly baked bread covered in delicious farm fresh butter. Yeah, that would let me lose those pesky last five pounds. Unbelievable!
It’s even more insane that the producers of Two and Half Men – mainly Executive Producer and Creator Chuck Lorre announce there is no show without the talented Charlie Sheen. Really? So the extraordinary contributions of Jon Cryer (best known as Duckie in Pretty in Pink), the phenomenal character actress Conchata Farrell (I LOVED her in the short lived sitcom ER) and the pubescent Angus T. Jones should be ignored as only moving and funny because of the consistently misogynistic and shallow performance of Charlie Sheen? Please. Let’s be honest. Charlie Sheen plays Charlie Sheen on TV and is only able to deliver a great line because of the comic timing and genius of Jon Cryer and the rest of the cast.
To state there is no show without Charlie Sheen totally discounts the brilliant performances of the hard working and dedicated cast members that make Mr. Sheen look good week after week. It also discounts the talent of the writers of the show that somehow miraculously weave the chauvinistic tendencies of their lead character into new and entertaining stories. So why not create new and exciting stories surrounding Jon Cryer? Maybe because it’s too hard? Maybe because he’s not as vapid and insincere as Charlie Sheen? Maybe because he’s just too talented? Come on guys, there’s got to be reason that you feel the show can’t possible survive without the tepid talent of Charlie Sheen. Be brave and move forward with the tremendous acting talents of your other cast members. No one actor, particularly one that phones in his performance in between late night bouts of violent intentions while under the influence of drugs and alcohol, should be revered as irreplaceable.
The show can survive without him. You just have to acknowledge all the players on the team and stop underestimating the talent of your writers and the expectations of your audience.