TV Revivals: Should ‘Two and a Half Men’ come back for redemption with Charlie Sheen?
We know that if you ask many people out there what their least-favorite series finale is in recent memory, the majority of them will probably tell you that it is either “Dexter” or “How I Met Your Mother.” Maybe a few out there will say “Lost.”
We’re not going to necessarily tell you that these opinions are wrong, but at the same time we do feel pretty strongly now in our viewpoint that there is one series finale that is worse than almost any other that we’ve seen: “Two and a Half Men.” While we understand that the show was never Shakespeare, it was at one point a reasonably funny sitcom. It had great moments with Charlie Sheen as the lead; we also liked some episodes of the polarizing Ashton Kutcher era. Yet, the finale remains a blight on the series, an ego ploy that needs to be drastically corrected. This is what we’re intended to resolve in our latest TV Revivals article now.
How it ended – After thinking that his brother Charlie (Sheen) had been killed, there was some evidence that the character had survived the whole time and that he was living in Rose’s basement. From here, Charlie supposedly was toying with / threatening Alan (Jon Cryer) and Walden (Kutcher). Eventually we saw a cameo from Jake (Angus T. Jones), and in the end, “Charlie” (Sheen never actually appeared in the finale) was defeated by show creator Chuck Lorre dropping a piano on him before saying “winning” … before a piano also falls on him.
How it could continue – The series finale was some sort of odd meta-commentary of how Sheen, and maybe even Lorre himself, desecrated and destroyed the show. However, Sheen and Lorre were never characters in the show; there was only Charlie Harper. What we’d really like to see is some evidence that this was all some sort of terrible dream, and maybe the rest of this final episode could be re-done in a way where there is actual character development (Alan grows up, Walden finds real love), and a proper tribute to Sheen’s time on the show. You can still leave Charlie Harper dead and have him show up as a ghost if need be. There were fans who really liked this show, so don’t ruin it by thumbing your nose at them.
Can it be brought back? – It could in theory, since the show always got very good ratings at CBS, and we’re sure that they would jump at the chance to do something that got Sheen back involved for just an episode if nothing else. The problem is that we’re not sure we see everyone working together again, especially when everyone has other things now to focus on. Also, maybe there’s a sentiment that it is hard to undo what’s already been done.