The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2011–2015
Warner Bros fired TV's highest-paid sitcom star with eight episodes left to film
A studio ended its most profitable comedy star's services mid-season, then watched the show's ratings climb with his replacement.
Warner Bros. Television · Two and a Half Men · CBS · 2011-03-07
What happened
On 7 March 2011 Warner Bros. Television announced it had fired Charlie Sheen, the star of Two and a Half Men, CBS's most profitable sitcom. The statement read: 'After careful consideration, Warner Bros. Television has terminated Charlie Sheen's services on Two and a Half Men effective immediately.' Production had been halted two weeks earlier, with eight episodes of the season left unproduced, after a series of public outbursts in which Sheen attacked the show's creators on air.
Sheen, paid a reported $1.5–2 million per episode, sued for $100 million. In September 2011 the two sides settled: the joint statement said the dispute was resolved 'to the parties' mutual satisfaction', with the lawsuit and arbitration dismissed; reports put the deal at about $25 million, including restoring Sheen's payments from past episodes.
The show returned in September 2011 with Ashton Kutcher as the new lead. The gamble worked: average viewers rose 13% and the 18–49 rating rose 27% in his first season, and the series ran until February 2015, ending after 12 seasons and 262 episodes.
Why it happened
- A comedy built on one star was a hostage situation: eight unproduced episodes sat behind a contract worth over a million dollars an episode, and the studio decided the asset was radioactive.
- The firing had a second bill: Sheen sued for $100 million, and the settlement — reported at about $25 million — paid the franchise's former face to walk away.
- The franchise outlived the star: with Kutcher the audience grew, and the series ran four more years — the format was the product, not the actor.
The lesson
A hit built on one star is a hostage situation: the studio paid eight unproduced episodes and a reported $25 million settlement to end the relationship — and the show grew without him.
Aftermath
The show returned on 19 September 2011 with Ashton Kutcher, whose debut episode drew 28.7 million viewers; average viewers rose 13% in his first season. The series ran until 19 February 2015, ending after 12 seasons and 262 episodes. Sheen's lawsuit and arbitration were dismissed under the settlement, reported at about $25 million including restored payments from past episodes.
Sources
- Charlie Sheen fired from Two and a Half Men — CBS News, 8 March 2011
- Charlie Sheen Fired From Two and a Half Men — ABC News, 7 March 2011
- Official: Charlie Sheen Settles Lawsuit — The Hollywood Reporter, 26 September 2011
- Two and a Half Men — Wikipedia
spotted an error? The club wants to know.
More like this
A Cupshe staffer emailed 'we would not collab with black people' — hired four days earlier
Growth Cave sold 'AI software' that automated almost nothing — the FTC made it pay $48.6M
Equinox's AI ad showed an Asian woman's head mounted on a stand — it ran for months
Somewhere, someone solved the problem this company failed at. 2nd Opinion →
Comments · 0
Sign in to join the comments.