The CSI/Two and a Half Men writers switch was a very clever promotion for CBS. Fortunately, the writers saw the opportunity to change places as more than just a publicity stunt. They really took the scripting seriously and came up with inventive episodes for each program. If this were a competition to see which team would deliver the better show, who would take on the task of writing winning TV in a genre not their own and succeed beyond expectations, the comedy scribes take the gold. Chuck Lorre and Lee Aronsohn's CSI was pure genius, and if it were up to me, CSI should submit it for an Emmy.
But first there was Two and a Half Men. In an episode called "Fish in a Drawer" (and if somebody could explain what that title means, I'd be most appreciative), the story picked up after Evelyn married Teddy. In the teleplay by CSI regular writers Evan Dunsky and Sarah Goldfinger, Charlie and Courtney check out of the reception for a little romp in his room upstairs only to find Teddy's dead bod on the bed. Talk about spoiling the mood. Teddy wasn't only a corpse, he was a corpse with his pants pulled down around his ankles and lipstick stains on his hoo-ha. The cops were called in, a detective who was a dead ringer for Marg Helgenberger -- played by redhead Jamie Rose -- had the vaguely Bondian name of Jagov, Sloane Jagov. Naturally, Charlie had to make a move on her. He couldn't keep his eyes off her cleavage.
The Two and a Half Men episode was written by the CSI staff and is titled "Fish in a Drawer," and I have no idea what that title means. Thursdays CSI episode was written by the Two and a Half Men staff and has a title that's a lot easier to understand: "Two and a Half Deaths." It's about the murder of a despised sitcom star (Chuck Lorre used to work for both Cybill Shepherd and Roseanne Barr - I'm just sayin').
The idea came from Two and a Half Men creator Chuck Lorre, who approached CSI executive producer Carol Mendelsohn about switching teams for one episode of each series. The plot involves the murder of a famous Hollywood comedienne/sitcom diva who is difficult on the set of her show, and Lorre is quick to point out that it's NOT based on Cybill Shepherd, who he worked with on her show (*cough cough wink wink*). The video shows the behind the scenes goings on as the shows meet in the writers room and plan her Las Vegas demise.
We told you a while back about the plan to have the writing staffs of CSI and Two and a Half Men swap places for one episode. Looks like that plan is going forward. Two and a Half Men creator Chuck Lorre even has the plot for the CSI episode: he's going to kill Roseanne Barr or Cybill Shepherd.
OK, they won't be on the show, but Lorre's plot revolves around the killing of a "sitcom diva." Lorre worked for several years on both Roseanne and Cybill (he created the latter), and both shows were notorious for behind the scenes friction and firings and chaos. And who does Lorre want to have play the sitcom diva? Shepherd's costar Christine Baranski, who didn't exactly get along with the star of the show (or vice versa).
Now the only question is: who will the killer be? (Second question: what plot will the CSI writers come up with for Two and a Half Men?)
After 15 consecutive days of Mohammed (TV shows) coming to the mountain (the Beverly Hilton hotel), today the mountain (actually, the TCA membership) went to Mohammed. Two bus loads of TV critics boarded vehicles to hit five sound stages and the offices of TMZ.com.
First up was The Closer at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood. Kyra Sedgwick and other cast members of the TNT drama mixed and mingled on the show's squad room set. Most reporters hovered around Sedgwick to inquire about her Emmy nomination for Lead Actress in a Drama Series, the show's new season and husband Kevin Bacon.
It's that time of year again, when we find out how much more TV celebs make than you and I do. But this year is a huge surprise. The highest paid star on television right now is Carson Daly!
Just kidding.
Actually, it's Oprah Winfrey again, with $260 million. She wins every year. The second place celeb, American Idol's Simon Cowell, doesn't even come close, with a paltry $45 million. One thing I don't understand is, where are late night hosts like David Letterman and Jay Leno? I know they make more than some of these people but they're not on the list.
And you'll never guess who #5 is (though I'm not sure the math makes sense). The list after the jump!
It may sound a little bit like a headline from The Onion, but it's actually in the works, according to CSI producer Carol Mendelsohn.
Speaking at a Banff event in Canada earlier this week, Mendelsohn said she got a call from Two and a Half Men creator Chuck Lorre, who suggested the switch. I'm not sure if it would be permanent, but it's something they could do for an episode or two. CSI will also go on location to San Francisco this season, and next season might go to London.
Maybe the Two and a Half Men writers can have Grissom sleep with a different woman every night, and maybe even hire a wisecracking kid to help with a murder investigation. He can be a prodigy who doesn't do well in school but is a genius at forensics.
Monday nights at 9 has become one of the major time slots on the networks these days. On NBC you have the megahit Heroes. Over on CBS there's the comedy smash Two and a Half Men, and FOX has 24. What do you watch?
The Los Angeles Times has a piece about the battle for viewers in the time slot, and they say that over 45 million people are watching the three shows at that time. The paper wonders if one of the networks will blink next season and move one of the shows to let it breathe a little bit. Though no one is planning that as of yet.
So last night was the first really big Monday night of the new year, with the return of Heroes and Studio 60. And how did those shows fare?
Typical numbers for Studio 60 at 10pm, with around 7.4 million viewers. It was crushed by CSI: Miami, which got 18.7 million viewers. But the big news of the night (well big-ish, I guess) is that Two and a Half Men beat Heroes fairly easily. The Charlie Sheen show got 16.1 viewers, with Heroes getting 14.8 (24 was close, with 14.4). And yes, for you 18 to 49 demographic fans, Heroes won in that race.
That number for CSI: Miami is what I keep thinking about though. My God, almost 19 million for that show? I'm not just saying this because I'm a fan of Studio 60, I'd still say it if it was on Tuesdays at 8 or Saturdays at 9. It just depresses me that this show (and all the CSIs, actually) do that well in the ratings. It must make the network execs scream "hey, we should do more of those shows!"
CBS is making room for a new comedy called Rules of Engagement, which is produced by Adam Sandler. Starting February 5th, Rules will have the 9:30 pm timeslot on Monday nights. That's a coveted spot for a comedy, with top-rated Two and a Half Men as a lead-in. The premiere is also the day after CBS airs the Super Bowl, which means you can expect to see a lot of Rules promos during the game.
Rules stars David Spade, Oliver Hudson (Dawson's Creek) and Patrick Warburton ("Puddy" from Seinfeld). It's about two couples and a single guy who "navigate the jungles of dating, engagement and marriage." Moving it into the 9:30 pm slot during sweeps is a vote of confidence on CBS' part.
The move displaces The New Adventures of Old Christine, which be on a brief hiatus in February (they're pulling it for sweeps!). Old Christine will slide into the 8:30 pm slot after March 5th, when The Class finale airs. And it looks like the series finale of King of Queens will air May 21- but that's not definite.
It hasn't been a good week for television-watching Christians. First, the Parent's Television Council drops the bomb that Fox has gone to number one with a bullet in the Christian-mocking competition, and now, Two and a Half Men has gone and crapped all over a Christmas carol.
On the December 11th episode of Two and a Half Men, Charlie Sheen sang a "vulgar adaptation" of "Joy to the World." The American Family Association is demanding an apology for these altered lyrics:
And I'm not just talking about women. Men can be tramps too (though among guys that's just known as "scoring a lot.") This list at the Houston Chronicle lists the top 10 male and female tramps on TV. I'd say it's a good list, though I would probably put Charlie Harper from Two and a Half Men at the number one slot. I mean, I haven't seen some of the shows on the list, but Charlie seems to have at least one new girl in bed in every single episode. The fact that Julian McMahon shows his ass a lot on Nip/Tuck. Does that make him the #1 tramp? And I think that every other character on the daytime soaps are more trampy (trampish?) than any of these characters.
And for the record, I don't even want to think about William Shatner being a tramp of any kind.
The CSI/Two and a Half Men writers switch was a very clever promotion for CBS. Fortunately, the writers saw the opportunity to change places as more than just a publicity stunt. They really took the scripting seriously and came up with inventive episodes for each program. If this were a competition to see which team would deliver the better show, who would take on the task of writing winning TV in a genre not their own and succeed beyond expectations, the comedy scribes take the gold. Chuck Lorre and Lee Aronsohn's CSI was pure genius, and if it were up to me, CSI should submit it for an Emmy. 
We told you recently about 
We told you a long time ago about 
Just last night, a fan named Kevin sent me this query...
We 
After 15 consecutive days of Mohammed (TV shows) coming to the mountain (the Beverly Hilton hotel), today the mountain (actually, the TCA membership) went to Mohammed. Two bus loads of TV critics boarded vehicles to hit five sound stages and the offices of TMZ.com.
It's that time of year again, when we find out how much more TV celebs make than you and I do. But this year is a huge surprise. The highest paid star on television right now is Carson Daly!
It may sound a little bit like a headline from The Onion, but it's actually 
Monday nights at 9 has become one of the major time slots on the networks these days. On NBC you have the megahit Heroes. Over on CBS there's the comedy smash Two and a Half Men, and FOX has 24. What do you watch?
So last night was the first really big Monday night of the new year, with the return of Heroes and Studio 60. And 
CBS is making room for a new comedy called Rules of Engagement, which is produced by Adam Sandler. Starting February 5th, Rules will have the 9:30 pm timeslot on Monday nights. That's a coveted spot for a comedy, with top-rated Two and a Half Men as a lead-in. The premiere is also the day after CBS airs the Super Bowl, which means you can expect to see a lot of Rules promos during the game.
It hasn't been a good week for television-watching Christians. First, the 
So, who's the biggest tramp on TV right now?
The Upfronts: FOX
Carter Bays of How I Met Your Mother: The TV Squad Interview
The Upfronts: CBS
