Charlie Sheen Re-Ups for 2 Years of ‘Two and a Half Men’

A big paycheck draws the troubled actor back in for the length of CBS’ deal with WB

Because really, what would "Two and a Half Men" have been — or CBS, for that matter — without Charlie Sheen?

The troubled actor has signed a deal with Warner Bros. TV, which produces the top-rated comedy, to stick around for at least another two seasons. That synchs up Warners' deal with CBS, which calls for two more seasons as well.

"To put a fitting end on the two and one-half months of whirlwind speculation, I'm looking forward to returning to my CBS home on Monday nights," Sheen said in a statement released Monday night by his publicist. "I want to thank (CBS chief) Les Moonves for his support."

Negotiations have been going on for months, with reports that Sheen was asking for $2 million per episode. That would've been more than double the $850,000 he had been making in his original contract, which expired after this season.

While neither Sheen nor Warner Bros. disclosed the terms, Variety reported that the deal was inching toward Sheen's $2 million demands; this, despite that he was already the highest-paid comedy actor on television.

And the deal comes just in time. CBS is preparing for its upfront presentation in New York, scheduled for Wednesday; it would've been in an awkward spot with ad buyers had it not locked in the central star of its showpiece primetime comedy.

Sheen, who was embroiled in a domestic violence case while negotiations dragged on, plans to plead guity to felony domestic violence charges over the Christmas Day incident with wife Brooke Mueller, TheWrap reported last week. A July trial is still on the schedule, however.

"Two and a Half Men," which airs Monday nights at 9 p.m., is the highest-rated comedy on TV, according to Nielsen, averaging more than 14 million viewers.

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