Two and a Half Men scores

As a 40-something male, I greatly admire the reality-TV hedonistic life-style that Charlie Sheen has doggedly forged-out for himself. Sheen seems to have lost the ability to decipher between fantasy and real-life as his much publicised public mid-life crisis accelerates towards an inevitable train-wreck. Along the way, Sheen has been a great supporter of the accommodation industry and seems to be enjoying himself ... I like that.

So it was with interest when sitcom Two and a Half Men's season premiere, that included Sheen's replacement Ashton Kutcher, aired offshore this week.

Replacing Charlie Sheen on Two and a Half Men was always going to be a big ask, however as a positive, Kutcher's selection does have credibility with his previous form as a real-life womanising drunk. 

So how did the first show go down? Apparently very well - by attracting record ratings and rave reviews. It would appear that the longrunning CBS sitcom has done the seemingly impossible and pulled it off by successfully killing-off and replacing Sheen's character.

Ashton Kutcher's new character on the show, simply overlays the ousted Sheen's by continuing the self-absorbed womanising and drinking with copious sexual innuendo one-liners.

So how did the writers portray Sheen's demise? Apparently by using liberal doses of the show's trademark dark humour *Spoiler Alert* From the Washington Post:

"Charlie Harper died a terrible death, off camera, when he slipped on a Metro platform in Paris and fell in front of an oncoming train, and his body exploded “like a balloon full of meat.”

...Harper’s death scene was recounted by eyewitness Rose – Charlie Harper’s longtime stalker, played by Melanie Lynskey – who was the heavily veiled guest at Charlie’s funeral, telling family, friends, and lots of women who came to spit on the body – fooled, them, he was cremated -- that she’d gone to Paris with Charlie, he’d proposed to her, and the next few days were the happiest of her life. Only she came back one day after shopping and found him with another woman. But she forgave him, because she loved him unconditionally. Except that, in one of those unfortunate coincidences, it was the very next day Charlie took his “spill” at the Metro."

OK, before I pass judgement, I need to see the show for myself. This will probably air in New Zealand in the void "after The Rugby World Cup." For now, I can at least console myself in the knowledge that the tasteless, black-hearted humour with smutty school-boy jokes will continue in the new series with Kutcher.

Check-out Kutcher's first scene as he shows up on Alan's doorstep: