Let’s hope Charlie Sheen has kept some of his millions away from the hookers, booze and blow because it’s unlikely he’s going to find a big job in the near future.
After weeks of mounting Major League craziness by the part-time comic actor/full-time aging hedonist, CBS and Warner Bros pulled the plug today on the rest of the current season of “Two and a Half Men.” Chances are good that the hit sitcom will be placed on permanent hiatus, no matter how strong the ratings currently are.
Those of us who’ve followed this story are as exhausted as Sheen should be. We’ve watched him enter a world-class level of meltdown lately: increasingly bizarre and angry public statements, including claiming some wacky overnight home rehab fixed him (at other times, claiming he never needed rehab to begin with). He’s whipped himself up into a high school-grade frenzy against the series’ creator. He’s made silly surprise public appearances and set up publicity stunts. He’s sporting gold teeth.
And my favorite is his alleged plan to buy a compound of L.A. houses for himself and, depending on the time of day, either his ex-wives and kids or his current porn pals. Or all of them. Sheen seems to fancy himself a Beverly Park version of Kody Brown.
And days before he was finally allowed to return to work (and get his crew paid) after a forced month off, something he’s whined about for weeks, he embarked on a little adult vacation to the Bahamas with a few minimally-dressed, physically-enhanced ladies. We all remember how well those weekend jaunts have worked for him in the past.
Most of all, we might not be studio and network chiefs, but we knew a firing was inevitable. And we couldn’t figure out why CBS and WB continually refused to grow backbones – or a more appropriate body part – and finally cut the cord.
Why that didn’t happen, and now it did, might be due to four reasons.
1. MONEY
The series has earned the two companies a gazillion dollars. For its network primetime run, TAAHM ranks #2 among all current TV series in terms of ad dollars. According to Kantar Media, it generates over $3 million for CBS per each half-hour show. That translates to more than $155 million in ad revenue for the network from last season alone.
That’s pocket change for WB, which sells the show in domestic syndication. The studio has deals that could bring in a reported $2 billion – that’s with a B – for repeats through 2020-2021. And that excludes international sales and DVDs. The shutdown of this season’s remaining shows and the question mark attached to next season translates to at least a $250 million loss for WB.
These executives have to consider such decisions against the interests of a board and stockholders (as well as their own: their year-end bonuses are tied to program performance). Networks and studios have propped up lesser stars who delivered a good revenue stream.
