Last year, Charlie Sheen’s professional and personal meltdown quickly went from comical to cause for serious concern, though probably not quick enough. Adweek reported on how Sheen and FX are planning his comeback from this breakdown. For Sheen, his new show represents a chance to both distance himself from his vats of tiger blood and that shitty sitcom he used to be on. Sheen told FX President John Landgraf, “I don’t want Two and a Half Men to be my legacy. I want to do something that I can be really proud of on every level—creatively and personally.†In particular, he aspires the portrayal of women to be more fully formed and less exploitive. Landgraf loved the idea offering Charlie a 10/90 deal, without even needing to see a pilot. That deal means if the first 10 episodes hit a ratings threshold, the show will instantly be promised 90 more, which is nutz. Landgraf really believes in the show and Charlie:
“What an actor chooses to play tells you a lot about where they’re at emotionally. If you think about Charlie on Two and a Half Men, he was bulletproof, gliding through life with no responsibilities or consequences. [In Anger Management], this character’s entire life is structured around the consequences of his anger. Charlie’s decision to play a character struggling with consequences is directly connected to his desire to struggle with those issues in his personal life.â€
The article goes on to address how Charlie has worked with brands to make light of his image and make them tons of money. The show debuts in almost exactly a month so the hype machine will soon fire up for it. Consider its trailer’s trainwreck obviousness, it’s hard to say if it will live up to the publicity. If not, he can always go back to his vats of tiger blood. I’m sure there are plenty of tigers looking for blood transfusions.