Amidst all the hoopla about The Office, My Name Is Earl, How I Met Your Mother, and other comedies, people tend to forget that the highest-rated sitcom on TV right now is Two and a Half Men. Yes, its ratings were helped a lot by its old lead-in, Everybody Loves Raymond. But it's truly a funny show, even if it's in the dreaded multicamera "traditional" format. Again, it's a case of good writing and good acting overcoming a tired premise.CBS knows what it has on its hands; that's why it chipped in to make show star Charlie Sheen the highest paid sitcom actor currently on the air. The Hollywood Reporter writes that Sheen is ready to sign a contract that will pay him between $350,000 - $400,000 per episode, which is twice what he was making before. A network contribution, according to the article, has become common in such high-profile negotiations. No word, though, on if the other one and a half men on the show -- Jon Cryer and Angus T. Jones -- got raises, too. I definitely think Jones should get a big raise; he may just be telling fart jokes, but he's doing it with conviction.
[via Pop Candy]
The TV Squad Podcast: Vik Sahay of Chuck, Oprah talk, brutal timeslots, and more!
TV Squad Ten: Top Ten ESPN shows from worst to first
Andy Richter: The TV Squad Interview
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-28-2006 @ 12:34PM
Chris W said...
That kids is growing (in age and girth) awfully fast. Soon the show might have to change its name to 3 1/2 Men.
^That means the kid would equal 1.5 people
Reply
9-28-2006 @ 12:37PM
Douglin said...
So who was the highest paid current sitcom star before he got this raise?
$400,000 is still a lot less than the Friends guys got(1 million), Kelsey Grammer(1.6 million) or Ray Romano(2 million)
Reply
9-28-2006 @ 1:06PM
Harry Xing said...
Isn't it surprising that the to-be highest paid star does not even get his series reviewed at this site!!!
Reply
9-28-2006 @ 2:02PM
jake said...
why put down the traditional multicamera show????? I much prefer that than the single camera show such as My name as Earl -- it just doesn't lend itself well to comedy in my opinion. At least CBS has got the best and only 4 comedy lineup on the air with How I met your mother and old christine. That's must see tv.
Reply
9-28-2006 @ 2:05PM
Malfoy Roark said...
It was Ray Romano. I feel like when discussing these things, Friends should be seen as #1 since if there was maybe less of them they would have walked away with more money. Friends($6 million to just the stars alone) as a whole probably cost a bit more than Fraiser and Raymond(unless the other cast members were making a million and I just don't know).
Reply
9-28-2006 @ 2:22PM
Campbell said...
Malfoy: Douglin meant current.
The title of highest-paid sitcom star doesn't sound that amazing considering the competition he has right now.
Reply
9-28-2006 @ 3:15PM
MikeA said...
Ironically, Sheen is the weakest part of that show (it's a decent comedy), and he's getting paid that $400k per episode to essentially show up on set and read some lines as himself, because having seen him on talkshows over the years, I feel safe in saying that he's certainly not acting out a character on Two & A Half Men.
Reply
9-28-2006 @ 3:24PM
Jim said...
Ah! More money for hookers and gambling!
Reply
9-28-2006 @ 4:21PM
Earnest Pettie said...
I agree with Sep. The three-camera sitcom, shot before a studio audience, is the closest many people will come to live theatre. The interaction between actor and audience is still something to treasure, and on the best of the three-camera sitcoms that relationship is priceless.
Reply
9-28-2006 @ 5:23PM
John said...
Like: 2 and a half men.
Dislike: The FREAKIN LAUGH TRACK!!!
Chuck! Drop it!!! We *know when to laugh!*
Sorry, bitterness level is high today.
Reply
9-28-2006 @ 4:56PM
Bob Jones said...
Never has a number #1 show puzzled me so much, I sat by Friends and though - heck maybe I can leave 2/22 minutes, Three's Company - well maybe somebody might fall over a couch ... but this is pure crap.
It isn't funny and its so god damn slow, I have fallen asleep after boring fades ... why do we need such a slow paced boring show on TV?
Reply
9-28-2006 @ 6:38PM
Aaron said...
Just another by-product of the stupidity of the viewing public.
Aaron.
Reply
9-29-2006 @ 6:49PM
Jimmy said...
Sheen is so not worth this price. Two and a Half Men was once a funny show, but it is quickly becoming a parody of itself, and Sheen's real life antics make his lead charactet not all that funny.
Reply