Jon Cryer, Angus T. Jones and Ashton Kutcher touted Two and a Half Men. When asked about the prospects of him returning as billionaire Walden Schmidt for a 10th season, Kutcher was cagey. “I haven’t heard from the powers that be yet,” he said.
Kevin ParryAs expected, Two and a Half Men will return to CBS’ 2012-13 schedule.
The 10th season renewal news comes after protracted talks among the network, Warner Brothers TV and the show’s trio of stars, Ashton Kutcher, Jon Cryer and Angus T. Jones. All will return with small raises, according to well-placed sources.
While contract specifics are being kept tightly guarded, source tell The Hollywood Reporter that Kutcher will make slightly more than the $700,000 to $725,000 per episode (or about $15 million to $16 million) he is widely thought to be making this season. Cryer, who is said to make a little less than that, and Jones, who earns about half what Kutcher does, will get similar bumps.
Upfronts 2012: Complete Network Scorecard
Although it dipped during the latter part of the season, Men still managed to post gains in all key demographics, including total viewers (up 13 percent to 15 million), 25 to 54 (up 20 percent to a 6.5) and 18 to 49 (up 27 percent to a 5.2). It will round out its first season without longtime star Charlie Sheen as the No. 3 primetime comedy in the latter demo, behind CBS’ The Big Bang Theory and ABC’s Modern Family.
When Men returns, it will do so with different bosses. Current showrunner Lee Aronsohn is giving up the reins, with writer-producers Don Reo and Jim Patterson being elevated to co-run the series alongside co-creator Chuck Lorre. Longtime Men writer-producer Eddie Gorodetsky will returns as an executive producer, while Aronsohn is said to be segueing into an “executive consultant” role.
A financial cash cow for both its network and studio, Men joins an impressive collection of renewed shows at CBS, including comedies How I Met Your Mother, 2 Broke Girls, Mike & Molly and Big Bang. The network will make its upfront presentation to Madison Avenue buyers Wednesday, when it is likely to pick up such half-hours as Partners (from Max Mutchnick and David Kohan) and Friend Me, which, like Men, hails from the Tannenbaum Co.
Email: Lacey.Rose@THR.com; Twitter: @LaceyVRose
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