While other sitcoms start to struggle as it nears 100 episodes,
Two and a Half Men faces the exact opposite. The cast and crew of the Emmy-nominated series are confident more than ever to return for a fifth season and to carry on with the comedy for years to come.
Two and a Half Men, which premiered in 2003, centers on a freewheeling bachelor Charles "Charlie" Harper (
Charlie Sheen), whose lifestyle is interrupted when his divorced Chiropractor brother Alan Jerome Harper (
Jon Cryer) movies in, along with his son Jacob David "Jake" Harper (
Angus T. Jones).
"Believe it or not, the last two years we found the story process actually easier than it was the first couple of years," show co-creator Lee Aronsohn said. "In the first couple of years, we were still trying to figure out who these people were and what this show was. And now it's only been I think the last two years we've really hit a stride.”
Co-creator and executive producer Chuck Lorre agrees with Aronsohn's views and gives positive feedback on the production of the upcoming season, which commenced in June.
"This series is alive and well and the stories are coming, and they're great stories because we have great characters. And we've got a young man who's growing up, and he's going to be more challenging," Lorre said referring to Jones who turns 14 on October 8.
"We're putting Jake in junior high, so that's big transition for him," Aronsohn revealed.
"From a writing perspective, it's better for us because the challenges are greater and there's more comedy to play," Lorre explained. "He's going to start bringing home girls. His life gets more complicated. As writers, we're thrilled."
Other cast members of
Two and a Half Men also consider this as a good thing.
"It is amazing to have a kid growing up on a show,"
Holland Taylor, who plays Jake's grandmother Evelyn, said. "On some shows, kids ... don't really change. He's changed tremendously and the writing has shown that. He's growing up and it's a whole different set of problems."
Fans can catch the fifth season of
Two and a Half Men on Monday, September 24 on CBS.
-Kris De Leon, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: Deseret Morning News
(Image courtesy of CBS)
