Chuck Lorre’s New Series is Based on His Rift with Charlie Sheen

Two and a Half Men creator Chuck Lorre has written the pilot for a new show based on his rift with actor Charlie Sheen.

The popular sitcom, Two and a Half Men featured Charlie Sheen in the role of a jingle writer, Charlie Harper. His life changes when his younger brother Alan moves in with him after his divorce. Alan shares the custody of his minor son, Jake with his ex-wife.

The show had a successful run for twelve seasons and won nine Emmys. The series finally came to an end in 2015, after several behind-the-scenes charges during the last few seasons.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Chuck Lorre wrote the script for the first episode of a new show, titled Sex, Drugs and A Sitcom. The script, dated past June, is based on his rift with Charlie Sheen. It focuses on Lorre himself along with other real-life characters.

The script features the former Chairman of Warner Bros. Television, Peter Roth who is described as “the most powerful man in television” and “a naughty, naughty boy”. Matt Lauer is described as an “NBC News anchor, back when he was still getting laid at work.” Former CBS head Les Moonves also features in the script.

The script also mentions how Lorre should be depicted in the series. Check out the excerpt below –

In this telling of the story, Chuck Lorre is portrayed as witty and sympathetic. There is another version where he’s arrogant and insecure. Somebody else can write that one.

The rift between Charlie Sheen and Chuck Lorre is one of the most famous scandals in Hollywood history. Sheen’s issues with drugs and substance abuse led to him constantly delaying and neglecting his schedule for filming. This further led to him being dismissed from Two and a Half Men.

Sheen did not take his dismissal favorably and went on to publicly shame Lorre on his own YouTube channel as well as his interviews. Sheen’s criticism accused Lorre of tarnishing his brand and displaying supposed antisemitism.

Sheen also sued Warner Bros. Television and Chuck Lorre for $100 million but both parties resolved the matter quietly after a few months. Lorre too voiced his dislike for Sheen following his dismissal from the CBS sitcom.

He even killed off Sheen’s character, Charlie Harper and introduced the character of Walden Schmidt (Ashton Kutcher) in his place. Alan’s character was however retained in the series. This change was not taken too favorably by long-time fans of the series, leading to its end in 2015.

In the Two and a Half Men series finale, it was revealed that Charlie is still alive. However, Lorre had a piano fall on him in the end. The finale then featured Lorre himself, turning to the audience and saying “Winning” only for a piano to fall on him as well. Lorre ended the chances of a potential revival of the series with the finale.

Though Lorre’s script looks interesting on paper, it is hard to say whether it will ever be made in reality. Sheen’s reputation in the Hollywood industry remains complicated and his rift with Sheen is a sensitive one. Thus, very few filmmakers would be willing to take up such a topic.

Lorre’s ongoing relationship with CBS could also prove to be a setback in the making of the series. However, his connections with Netflix and HBO Max could lead his plan to fruition.

Meanwhile, you can watch all seasons of Two and a Half Men on Peacock now.

About Two and a Half Men

Two and a Half Men is a sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Lee Aronsohn that originally aired on CBS. 

During its first nine seasons, it focused on a hedonistic jingle writer, Charlie Harper, who has to deal with his uptight brother, Alan, and mischievous nephew, Jake, moving in with him. Later, Harper’s character is replaced by billionaire Walden Schmidt. 

Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, Angus T. Jones, and Ashton Kutcher are part of the main cast.