# "Two and a Half Men" without Sheen planned



## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

From The Hollywood Reporter:


> With time running out before the CBS upfront presentation in May, the plan to relaunch _Two and a Half Men_ without Charlie Sheen is beginning to take shape.
> 
> Sources tell _The Hollywood Reporter_ that series co-creator Chuck Lorre has hatched an idea to reboot the Warner Bros.-produced sitcom with a new creative direction that does not involve Sheen, who was fired from the series in March. Lorre is said to have presented close associates and Men co-star Jon Cryer with the plan, and the studio and network are aware of his intentions. According to an insider, Lorre has told Cryer this reboot would involve a significant role for him and the introduction of a new, yet-to-be-cast character.
> 
> Sheen, who is suing Lorre and Warner Bros. for $100 million, has frequently expressed his desire to return to the show as he crisscrosses the country on his "Violent Torpedo of Truth/Defeat Is Not an Option" comedy tour. A source tells THR that Sheen is still working behind the scenes to be reinstated, attempting as late as this week to set up meetings with Men cast members, hoping to clear the air and win their support. But Lorre is said to remain uninterested in meeting with Sheen, and Warners sources are adamant that Sheen will not be invited back.


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## AttiTech (Feb 21, 2011)

phrelin said:


> From The Hollywood Reporter:


I think he needs to get his stuff straight before suing anyone or trying to work even behind the scenes. I loved his character and the show because of him, but he messed up on this last one. I do look forward to seeing what direction they take.


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## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

I would like to see Ryan Styles take on a larger role.


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## AttiTech (Feb 21, 2011)

Nick said:


> I would like to see Ryan Styles take on a larger role.


I'll raise my glass to that one.


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## Indiana627 (Nov 18, 2005)

Maybe Alan's ex and Ryan's current wife (sorry can't think of her name - Judith maybe???) divorcees him and he moves in with Alan.


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## DarkSkies (Nov 30, 2007)

Here's whats going to be interesting: How do they write out Charlie Harper? Will he have an off-screen accident? Elope with Rose and never return? Win the lottery and take a world cruise that never ends? 

Or maybe they can pull a Chuck Cunningham: hire a Charlie Sheen body double and have him walk upstairs in the first episode of the Sheen-less new season, and he never comes down again and no one ever mentions him again...


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## Sharkie_Fan (Sep 26, 2006)

Indiana627 said:


> Maybe Alan's ex and Ryan's current wife (sorry can't think of her name - Judith maybe???) divorcees him and he moves in with Alan.


That was a rumor swirling about at one point. Not sure that it was rumored by any "credible" hollywood sources, but fans _definitely_ like your idea.

I'll watch the first few episodes and see how the restructuring works... I'm not sure how well it will work without Charlie (the character... who cares about the actor). They have good writers, so hopefully they can pull off something that's still worth watching.


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## AttiTech (Feb 21, 2011)

DarkSkies said:


> Win the lottery and take a world cruise that never ends?
> 
> Or maybe they can pull a Chuck Cunningham: hire a Charlie Sheen body double and have him walk upstairs in the first episode of the Sheen-less new season, and he never comes down again and no one ever mentions him again...


:lol: That's happened so many times it's ridiculous. Taking the world cruise though....Not sure how much I would enjoy that but it does kind of sound like a Charlie thing to do.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Given how Chuck Lorre feels about Sheen, it wouldn't surprise me to have the first episode open up with a couple of cops at the front door telling Alan that his brother died in an auto accident and had a blood alcohol reading off the chart.

If you missed it, here's Lorre's not very subtle vanity card from at the end of last night's The Big Bang Theory:


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## judson_west (Jun 15, 2006)

phrelin said:


> Given how Chuck Lorre feels about Sheen, it wouldn't surprise me to have the first episode open up with a couple of cops at the front door telling Alan that his brother died in an auto accident and had a blood alcohol reading off the chart.
> 
> If you missed it, here's Lorre's not very subtle vanity card from at the end of last night's The Big Bang Theory:


That's it. Alan will get a call from Charlie that he checked himself into a rehab joint in Malibu and we will never hear from him again.

I also heard that the producers are looking into a rotating roommate situation for Alan to fill Charlie's absence.


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## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

You can't milk a dead cow...or, at least, you shouldn't.


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## Sackchamp56 (Nov 10, 2006)

They need to just admit the show is over. There is no point in the show without Charlie. Its a good time to end it anyway. The kid is all grown up, so not only are the missing one of the two men, the half man is also gone. Time for chuck to come up with a new show and start pithing it from scratch or give Charlie the job back.


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## Sharkie_Fan (Sep 26, 2006)

Sackchamp56 said:


> They need to just admit the show is over. There is no point in the show without Charlie. Its a good time to end it anyway. The kid is all grown up, so not only are the missing one of the two men, the half man is also gone. Time for chuck to come up with a new show and start pithing it from scratch or give Charlie the job back.


Even with the age progressing towards adulthood, Jake would most definitely still qualify as the 1/2 man. 

As you said, the show isn't the same without the character of Charlie... if the writers and cast embrace that and make 2 1/2 men into something new and hopefully improved, then the show may go on.

Personally, I've been a proponent of having Judith kick Herb out of the house and move him in with Alan. I think there's alot they could do there with the 2 ex-husbands living together.

I think to survive - or, at least for me to continue watching - they have to take the show in a slightly different direction. If they bring in someone to replace Charlie (either an actual new Charlie, or another character intended to, for all intents and purposes, be Charlie just with a new name), I'll probably stop watching.

I'll at least give the new show a chance, only because I think 2 1/2 men has been one of the funnier shows on TV for a while, and I'll see what direction they try to take things.


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## SamC (Jan 20, 2003)

This is totally predictable. Everybody has already paid for it, most importantly it has already been sold through three levels of syndication. ANYTHING they make if they call it "Two and a Half Men", is worth $$ for the missing 8 shows of this season and for next season, when everybody's contract expires and the show would have probably ended anyway (nobody at CBS is named Jeff Zucker).

What do they do?

- Chuck Cunningham (Happy Days). He simply goes away, no explination.

- Trapper John/BJ Hunnicutt (MASH). Character is replaced by more or less the same character with a different name.

- Darren (Bewitched). New actor, same character.

- Henry Blake (MASH). Kill off the character and replace the slot with someone quite different.

My bet goes back all the way to the early 1960s. The long forgotten Hazel show. Hazel was a maid. One year they just wrote out everybody in the show, except Hazel and said they were "out of the country" and then had her work for a previously unknown brother.

Charlie is quietly written out, probably some totally out of character thing like he goes off to India to study with the Dali Lama. Then is never mentioned again (cannot be too careful due to the suit). Alan, if you remember, was in the middle of a very successful Ponzi scheme thread when the show's plug was pulled. I say that they have to have that go south, because Alan never succedes. So they take up with him getting out of jail after some short sentance. I think the plot mentioned above with they Ryan Styles character becoming the second "man" would work well. That or somebody he met in prison.


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## jadebox (Dec 14, 2004)

"Spin City" survived the departure of it's star, Michael J. Fox. Hmm, I can't recall who replaced Fox ......






-- Roger


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## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

phrelin said:


> Given how Chuck Lorre feels about Sheen, it wouldn't surprise me to have the first episode open up with a couple of cops at the front door telling Alan that his brother died in an auto accident and had a blood alcohol reading off the chart.
> 
> If you missed it, here's Lorre's not very subtle vanity card from at the end of last night's The Big Bang Theory:


Here's a version that can be enlarged for those with vision that can use a boost: (From the "official" website, http://www.chucklorre.com/)

*CHUCK LORRE PRODUCTIONS, #341*

Dear Concerned Viewers,

Thanks to the magic of computer graphics, the monkey in tonight's episode was not actually smoking a cigarette, nor was he ever exposed to secondhand smoke. At all times, every effort was made to make the monkey feel happy and safe. Nevertheless, he proved impossible to work with. During the week of production his behavior became increasingly erratic, to the point of refusing to come out of his trailer to rehearse. It wasn't until after we finished filming his scenes that we learned why. The monkey is a heroin addict. Yes, hard as it may be to believe, the monkey had a monkey on his back. Thankfully, an intervention was staged by the Geico lizard and he is now going through detox and a twelve step program at the Bonzo Center in Palm Springs. Everyone at The Big Bang Theory wishes him well.

<< >>
1st Aired: 28 April 2011


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## AttiTech (Feb 21, 2011)

Laxguy said:


> Everyone at *The Big Bang Theory* wishes him well.
> 
> << >>
> 1st Aired: 28 April 2011


Fantastic show!


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## ffemtreed (Jan 30, 2008)

The show is dead without charlie and everyone knows it.


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## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

Opinions are like noses...everybody has one and most of them are fairly obvious. :sure:


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## SamC (Jan 20, 2003)

ffemtreed said:


> The show is dead without charlie and everyone knows it.


And not the point. The show's "missing" 8 episodes from this season and all of next season have already been sold to CBS (and other networks in other English speaking countries), and through three levels of US syndication (and similar deals elsewhere). Hundreds of millions of dollars, and the contracts are signed and ironclad. They could have the above mentioned smoking monkey replace the Sheen character and the channels that bought it have to pay up.


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## Getteau (Dec 20, 2007)

Looks like it's Ashton Kutcher
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/sources-confirm-ashton-kutcher-will-188048

"Two sources close to the deal-making tell The Hollywood Reporter that the actor is putting the final touches on a deal to replace Charlie Sheen as the star of TV's No. 1 comedy. CBS, studio Warner Bros. and Kutcher's reps at CAA declined to comment on the situation but a deal is said to be all but signed. The exact dollar figure he will be paid is not known but a source says Kutcher is getting a "huge payday" to join the hit sitcom"


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## brian188 (Oct 13, 2007)

Getteau said:


> Looks like it's Ashton Kutcher
> http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/sources-confirm-ashton-kutcher-will-188048


That's funny, right there. I don't care who ya are.


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

Laxguy said:


> Thanks to the magic of computer graphics, the monkey in tonight's episode was not actually smoking a cigarette, nor was he ever exposed to secondhand smoke. At all times, every effort was made to make the monkey feel happy and safe. Nevertheless, he proved impossible to work with. During the week of production his behavior became increasingly erratic, to the point of refusing to come out of his trailer to rehearse. It wasn't until after we finished filming his scenes that we learned why. The monkey is a heroin addict. Yes, hard as it may be to believe, the monkey had a monkey on his back. Thankfully, an intervention was staged by the Geico lizard and he is now going through detox and a twelve step program at the Bonzo Center in Palm Springs. Everyone at The Big Bang Theory wishes him well.
> 
> << >>
> 1st Aired: 28 April 2011


That is priceless. :lol:


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## AttiTech (Feb 21, 2011)

Getteau said:


> Looks like it's Ashton Kutcher
> http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/sources-confirm-ashton-kutcher-will-188048
> 
> "Two sources close to the deal-making tell The Hollywood Reporter that the actor is putting the final touches on a deal to replace Charlie Sheen as the star of TV's No. 1 comedy. CBS, studio Warner Bros. and Kutcher's reps at CAA declined to comment on the situation but a deal is said to be all but signed. The exact dollar figure he will be paid is not known but a source says Kutcher is getting a "huge payday" to join the hit sitcom"


Not sure how I feel about him replacing Sheen. He always seems to fit the characters in Valentine's Day and Guess Who, I don't see that fitting well in the series if they went that direction and he's very good at playing the 'smooth talker'. He's to goofy!


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## jadebox (Dec 14, 2004)

It's been officially announced now:

Ashton Kutcher Joins Two and a Half Men

http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/05/13/official-ashton-kutcher-joins-two-and-a-half-men/

-- Roger


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

Okay... I haven't watched "new" episodes in about two season. 

But I will watch next season's premier... just to see how this is written in, and what swings they take at Charlie.

The Monkey on Big Bang Theory was AWSOME... and I can only imagine what they are going to do on the actual show.


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## DarkSkies (Nov 30, 2007)

From what I've read, Kutcher will not replace Sheen in the sense of taking over the role of Charlie Harper. Instead, Kutcher will play a new character.


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

jadebox said:


> *It's been officially announced now:
> 
> Ashton Kutcher Joins Two and a Half Men*


Winning.


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## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

Charlie Sheen replaced by Ashton Kutcher who gets to sleep with and do it to Demi Moore -- now that's _winning!_


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## spartanstew (Nov 16, 2005)

Well, it was a good show while it lasted.

LOSING


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## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

Nick said:


> Charlie Sheen replaced by Ashton Kutcher who gets to sleep with and do it to Demi Moore -- now that's _winning!_


The latter is a prize?? Ugh! I can't stand that woman, but to each his own. Now, Kate Beckinsale, there you have something....


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

Someone tweeted that they went from tiger blood to cougar blood.


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## RunnerFL (Jan 5, 2006)

So Ashton is "replacing", their word not mine, Charlie. How are they going to convince people that Ashton, who is younger than Jon Cryer, is Alan's older brother?


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## makaiguy (Sep 24, 2007)

RunnerFL said:


> So Ashton is "replacing", their word not mine, Charlie. How are they going to convince people that Ashton, who is younger than Jon Cryer, is Alan's older brother?


My guess is they won't be continuing the Charlie role with an actor swap (a la Darren in Bewitched) but will be a character replacement.

Maybe this will force them to actually do something with their "half man".


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

Wonder how they plan to bump off the character?


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

Drucifer said:


> Wonder how they plan to bump off the character?


Maybe he leaves to go to rehab and never comes back?


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## DarkSkies (Nov 30, 2007)

The word "replace" is used simply to indicate one star is out and another is in.

Kutcher is not playing Charlie Harper. It's in several articles already, with attribution to Chuck Lorre.


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## RunnerFL (Jan 5, 2006)

makaiguy said:


> My guess is they won't be continuing the Charlie role with an actor swap (a la Darren in Bewitched) but will be a character replacement.


Well I would think that too but if that were the case why would CBS use the word "replace"? If it were going to be a new character I'd think the announcement would be that Ashton was "added to the cast".


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## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

RunnerFL said:


> Well I would think that too but if that were the case why would CBS use the word "replace"? If it were going to be a new character I'd think the announcement would be that Ashton was "added to the cast".


One's Marketing-speak, and the other, more precise wording appeals to the erudite.


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## Herdfan (Mar 18, 2006)

Laxguy said:


> The latter is a prize?? Ugh! I can't stand that woman, but to each his own. Now, Kate Beckinsale, there you have something....


Not sure how old you are, but Demi is my generation's Kate.


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

Men men men men...
Men men men men men...

...just trying to refresh my memory on the show... 

It sems its been in rerun mode for ages. 

There tends to be 3 kinds of comedy - funny comedy, silly comedy, and stupid comedy.

Many folks I know can't stand Ashton Kutcher - but we'll give him a chance and see if he can make the transition.


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## Scott Kocourek (Jun 13, 2009)

I'm not an Ashton Kutcher fan either, my wife thought this was great news because she hates the show and is convinced I won't watch it anymore.


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## n3ntj (Dec 18, 2006)

Should be interesting to see how they add Kutcher to the show and get rid of Charlie's character. I hope Rose stays on..


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## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

Herdfan said:


> Not sure how old you are, but Demi is my generation's Kate.


Well, let's just say I am old enough!:hurah: Way older than Ms. Moore. Heck, I remember when Brigitte [BB!] was in the spotlight. She, Demi, was cute in her early 20's, but, uh, just not my taste. Some found Lauren Bacall great; I still turn off the channel when she appears.

Remember when Kathleen Turner was attractive? Some quarter century ago.....


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## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

n3ntj said:


> Should be interesting to see how they add Kutcher to the show and get rid of Charlie's character. I hope Rose stays on..


Yes, I bet it'll be one of the most watched premieres (using the term quite loosely)- season premiere, then- in a long time.


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## DarkSkies (Nov 30, 2007)

DarkSkies said:


> The word "replace" is used simply to indicate one star is out and another is in.
> 
> Kutcher is not playing Charlie Harper. It's in several articles already, with attribution to Chuck Lorre.





RunnerFL said:


> Well I would think that too but if that were the case why would CBS use the word "replace"? If it were going to be a new character I'd think the announcement would be that Ashton was "added to the cast".


I guess I was on ignore! 

It's a new character, not Charlie Harper.

"Chuck Lorre has written a storyline to introduce Kutcher's character that satisfies both CBS and Warner Bros."


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## Indiana627 (Nov 18, 2005)

Maybe Kelso will show up as Charlie's never known about son from one of his early flings. I'm not sure about their age difference in real life, but I'm sure they could pull it off. Then we could hear Alan go on and on about how Kelso acts and behaves just like Charlie did at that age.


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## RunnerFL (Jan 5, 2006)

DarkSkies said:


> I guess I was on ignore!
> 
> It's a new character, not Charlie Harper.
> 
> "Chuck Lorre has written a storyline to introduce Kutcher's character that satisfies both CBS and Warner Bros."


No, you weren't. Your post was after the one I was replying to, sheesh...


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## yosoyellobo (Nov 1, 2006)

Laxguy said:


> Well, let's just say I am old enough!:hurah: Way older than Ms. Moore. Heck, I remember when Brigitte [BB!] was in the spotlight. She, Demi, was cute in her early 20's, but, uh, just not my taste. Some found Lauren Bacall great; I still turn off the channel when she appears.
> 
> Remember when Kathleen Turner was attractive? Some quarter century ago.....


Did somebody say Lauren Bacall? Some of us who first saw her back in the fifties will never forget her.


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## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

With Jake 'maturing', so to speak, they should change the show's intro song to the "Third Man Theme."

Some of you may remember...






:sure:


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

Nick said:


> With Jake 'maturing', so to speak, they should change the show's intro song to the "Third Man Theme."
> 
> Some of you may remember...
> 
> :sure:


They've already done the 3 Stooges...so that's out...


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## Herdfan (Mar 18, 2006)

n3ntj said:


> Should be interesting to see how they add Kutcher to the show and get rid of Charlie's character.


Given his mother's history with husbands, he could easily be a half or step brother. Charlie goes to rehab.


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## spartanstew (Nov 16, 2005)

Indiana627 said:


> Maybe Kelso will show up as Charlie's never known about son from one of his early flings. I'm not sure about their age difference in real life, but I'm sure they could pull it off. Then we could hear Alan go on and on about how Kelso acts and behaves just like Charlie did at that age.


Who's Kelso?


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## Scott Kocourek (Jun 13, 2009)

"spartanstew" said:


> Who's Kelso?


Kutcher's character from "That 70's Show"

Sent from my HTC Desire using DBSTalk


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## gomezma1 (Mar 28, 2006)

What other shows in the past have replaced leading/supporting actors and show still made it. Was sitting here thiking? Help everybody. I know at the beginning people will change the channel but eventually will give him a chance on what ever role he will play. So don't hang him untill he gets a fair trial. Maybe we'll see Demi. It's like James Bond wSen sean Connery was the leading man and changed to Roger Moore. I would not watch 007 movies untill friends told me he was not that bad. I always thought he was conceded(Roger Moore).


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## DarkSkies (Nov 30, 2007)

gomezma1 said:


> What other shows in the past have replaced leading/supporting actors and show still made it. Was sitting here thiking? Help everybody. I know at the beginning people will change the channel but eventually will give him a chance on what ever role he will play. So don't hang him untill he gets a fair trial. Maybe we'll see Demi. It's like James Bond wSen sean Connery was the leading man and changed to Roger Moore. I would not watch 007 movies untill friends told me he was not that bad. I always thought he was conceded(Roger Moore).


All of this is from memory ...

Charlie Sheen was brought into Spin City as a new character to replace the departing Michael J Fox. The show only lasted one or two years after that.

The role of Darren Stevens in Bewitched was recast, going from Dick York to Dick Sargent. The show had a healthy run after that.

Soap operas recast all the time.

Charlie's Angels had a string of replacements: Farrah Fawcett to Cheryl Ladd to two other names I've forgotten. The show seemed to do quite alright.

Three's Company released Suzanne Somers and brought in a new roommate (Cindy Snow, Chrissy's cousin) and then later someone else replaced that character. I'm not sure if that was a successful decision to get rid of Somers, but the show made it into syndication.

I'm sure there were others.


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## spartanstew (Nov 16, 2005)

Valerie's Family/The Hogan Family (4 seasons after Valerie Harper left)
M*A*S*H (8 seasons after Wayne Rogers and McLean Stevens left) 
Cheers (6 seasons after Sheely Long left)
Happy Days (4 seasons after Ron Howard left)
Chico and the Man (2 seasons after Freddie Prinze died)
A Different World (5 seasons after Lisa Bonet left)
8 Simple Rules (2 seasons after John Ritter died)
Scurbs (1 season after almost the entire case left)

and soon - The Office


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## SayWhat? (Jun 7, 2009)

DarkSkies said:


> All of this is from memory ...
> 
> Charlie Sheen was brought into Spin City as a new character to replace the departing Michael J Fox. The show only lasted one or two years after that.


But it was decidedly better. Sheen trumped Fox all the way.



> Charlie's Angels had a string of replacements: Farrah Fawcett to Cheryl Ladd to two other names I've forgotten.


Tanya Roberts and Shelley Hack



> Three's Company released Suzanne Somers and brought in a new roommate (Cindy Snow, Chrissy's cousin) and then later someone else replaced that character.


Jennilee Harrison and Priscilla Barnes



> I'm sure there were others.


Hill Street Blues; Michael Conrad (Sgt. Phil Esterhaus) to Robert Prosky (Sgt. Stanislaus Jablonski)

M*A*S*H; McLean Stevenson (Col Henry Blake) to Harry Morgan (Col Sherman Potter) and Wayne Rogers (Capt "Trapper" John McIntyre) to Mike Farrell (Capt B.J. Honeycutt) and Larry Linville (Maj Frank Burns) to Charles Ogden Stiers (Maj Charles Emerson Winchester III) and others including a different Capt Francis Mulcahy initially.

Cheers; Shelley Long (Diane Chambers) to Kirstie Alley (Rebecca Howe)

And on and on and on.......


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## SayWhat? (Jun 7, 2009)

spartanstew said:


> Well, it was a good show while it lasted.
> 
> LOSING


(Reading this thread backwards, end to beginning.)

Agreed. Kutcher is a serious downgrade. He was the one character I would have dropped from "That 70's Show" in a heartbeat. Can't stand him. Demi Moore either.

And, yes, Rose needs to stay. If only I could have a crazy neighbor like her.


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## Herdfan (Mar 18, 2006)

SayWhat? said:


> B
> And on and on and on.......


You must be talking about Law and Order.  How many cast replacements did they do and keep going strong?


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## SayWhat? (Jun 7, 2009)

^^ Who knows, dozens maybe.

A lot of shows have done it. I was hoping they'd get Emilio Estevez though.


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## SayWhat? (Jun 7, 2009)

Married, With Children; David Garrison (Steve Rhodes) to Ted McGinley (Jefferson D'Arcy)


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

Herdfan said:


> You must be talking about Law and Order.  How many cast replacements did they do and keep going strong?


But that made it even more real.


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## prozone1 (Sep 22, 2007)

Kind of obscure but Ellen Foley only 1 season replaced by Markie Post on Night Court


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