It came as a surprise when CBS announced that they were going to continue with their hit series “Two and A Half Men” after Charlie Sheen had his “bi-winning” meltdown. Most critics predicted that CBS was going to can the series, but CBS has reeled in a star who knows how to keep an audience laughing.
“Punk’d” creator Ashton Kutcher is now the new lead character of “Two and a Half Men,” replacing Charlie Sheen for good. Ashton is excited about his new opportunity, but it came as a surprise that he’s getting paid less than Charlie’s $2 million an episode.
Today, Charlie had lots to say about Ashton Kutcher replacing him on “Two and a Half Men.” Charlie told reports that he “thinks Ashton is a real sweetheart,” but “won’t appeal to the audiences’ demographic.” Guess we’ll have to wait and see.
Check out other sitcoms that needed replacements on the next few pages!
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The hit series “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” was an immediate success on television, but the sitcom stirred up a little drama when the character Aunt Vivian was replaced by another woman 5 shades lighter and noticeably different. The new Aunt Viv fit right in and show continued to be a success.
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“Spin City” was in its fourth season when Michael J. Fox announced he would be leaving because his Parkinson’s Disease symptoms were worsening and he wanted to spend his time raising money for Parkinsons’s research and awareness. Guess who his replacement was? None other than Charlie Sheen. Charlie Sheen somehow managed to win a Golden Globe before the show was canceled after it’s eighth season.
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Topher Grace left “That ‘70s Show” after its seventh season, to focus on his movie career, and Ashton Kutcher followed, returning for a few guest spots during season eight. Josh Meyers, former MADtv star was brought in as Randy Pearson, the newest member to the central group of friends. “That ’70s Show” fans weren’t buying the switch and the show was canceled at the end of that season.
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“A Different World” was a spin-off of “The Cosby Show” that Bill Cosby created for Lisa Bonet, who played his daughter Denise, after he was tired of clashing with the actress on set. “A Different World” centered on Denise and her fellow students at Hillman College, but Lisa Bonet left the series at the end of the first season when she became pregnant.
NBC didn’t want to lose a hit, so they retooled it to put the focus on Jasmine Guy’s character and the rest of the students. “A Different World” ran for a few more successful years before its cancellation and Lisa Bonet returned to “The Cosby Show” after her maternity leave.
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“Clueless” the movie was a hit amongst teenage girls across America. The movie starred Alicia Silverstone who played the character Cher, Stacey Dash, who played Dionne, and Brittany Murphy, who played Ty. The movie was such a hit that producers wanted to do a TV spin-off version. Most of the cast of “Clueless” was down for the TV switch, but Alicia Silverstone and Brittany Murphy decided to keep pursuing their Hollywood big screen dreams.
“Clueless” the TV show did fairly well. It aired on ABC for a year and the UPN picked up the show which lasted two more seasons before being cancelled.
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Shelley Long, who played Diane Chambers, was an instrumental part of the “Cheers” cast and losing her could have been detrimental to the show. Shelley Long left to focus on her movie career and to spend more time with her newborn baby in a move that Time Magazine called “one of the greatest career stumbles in show business history.”
Kirstie Alley proved to be an apt replacement, with her character Rebecca Howe filling in for Diane Chambers as the female foil to Ted Danson’s Sam Malone. “Cheers” ran for several more years with Kirstie Alley in the co-pilot’s seat and stayed a hit until the cast and crew decided to call things off after eleven seasons.
