Goodbye Charlie

I'm not going to talk about Charlie Sheen's stormy marital history. I'm not going to mention his alcohol and drug use. I'm not even going to get into his anti-Semitic comments or his insistence that he can cure his alcoholism through mind control. I'm just going to talk about how glad I am that production on "Two And a Half Men" has been canceled for the rest of the season.

I never liked "Two And a Half Men," as I've made clear on this blog several times before. I've never found much if any humor in a prurient, creepy sitcom about a hedonistic jingle writer sharing his beachfront house with his dweebish brother and dealing with his brother's crude and dimwitted son. I've never been comfortable laughing at characters who deserve to be bitch-slapped for the simple distinction of being themselves. It's hard to find any redeeming value in watching Jon Cryer recreate his Ducky persona from Pretty In Pink in his middle age. It's harder still to contemplate the fact that this is the most popular sitcom in America today. So I was obviously pleased when Sheen's behavior caused "Two And a Half Men" to suspend production and maybe even get canceled as a result.

Whatever charm Charlie Sheen had as an actor in the eighties, he managed to lose on this show by playing what turned out to be a variation of his own libidinous, excessive personality. I don't particularly feel sorry for him for potentially blowing his gig as Charlie Harper (the fact that he and his "Two And a Half Men" character have the same first name should make clear that the role doesn't require Sheen to do any acting), especially when syndication royalties for the reruns will continue to help pay for his destructive habits. I feel even less sorry for CBS's Leslie Moonves, who caved to Sheen's demands for more money just to keep this show on the air.

And I take back anything negative I might have said about Emilio Estevez.