Two and a Half Men

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Television series
German title Two and a Half Men ( AT (on ATV , on ORF eins from 2012)), DE (since 2006)
Mein cooler Onkel Charlie ( CH , AT (on ORF eins until 2011), DE (2005))
Original title Two and a Half Men
Two-and-a-half-men.svg
Country of production United States
original language English
Year (s) 2003-2015
Production
company
Chuck Lorre Productions
The Tannenbaum Company
Warner Bros. Television
length approx. 22 minutes
Episodes 262 in 12 seasons ( List )
genre Sitcom
idea Chuck Lorre
Lee Aronsohn
music Dennis C. Brown
Grant Geissman
camera Steven V. Silver
First broadcast September 22, 2003 (USA) on CBS
German-language
first broadcast
March 12, 2005 on ORF 1 , ProSieben
occupation
synchronization
Charlie Sheen, cast member of Charlie
Jon Cryer (center), cast members of Alan, Lee Aronsohn (left) and Chuck Lorre (right), creator and producer of the series
Angus T. Jones, who played Jake
Ashton Kutcher, who plays Walden, with Jon Cryer, who plays Alan

Two and a Half Men is an American sitcom that first aired on September 22, 2003 on CBS television. The series was developed by Chuck Lorre . The main characters are the two brothers Charlie ( Charlie Sheen ) and Alan Harper ( Jon Cryer ) and Alan's son Jake ( Angus T. Jones ). At the beginning of season 9, Charlie Harper's funeral takes place. He is replaced by the new main character Walden Schmidt ( Ashton Kutcher ). The reason for this change were Charlie Sheen's health problems and an insulting interview, as a result of which the 8th season had already been reduced from 24 to 16 episodes and Warner Bros. Television finally sacked Charlie Sheen.

In contrast to Ashton Kutcher and Jon Cryer, the contract with Angus T. Jones was not renewed for the eleventh season. As a replacement, a new female character was introduced with Charlie Harper's previously unknown lesbian daughter, Jenny. She is played by Amber Tamblyn .

The series was a huge hit with audiences. She has won several Emmys and People's Choice Awards and other awards. Well-known actors appeared in guest roles in several episodes.

In February 2015, the series ended with a double episode as the series finale. Angus T. Jones and many guest stars and supporting actors had one more brief appearance. Charlie Harper also appeared, but was not portrayed by Charlie Sheen, but by a cartoon character and a double from the rear. A total of 262 episodes were broadcast.

action

Seasons 1–8

The series is about the easy-going commercial jingle composer Charlie Harper. He lives a revealing life and has innumerable short relationships with women. However, this life experiences a big turning point when his brother Alan moves in with him, whose wife Judith has separated from him. Alan looks after his son Jake on the weekends, which is why Charlie now has two permanent guests in his large house on the beach in Malibu . Despite this, Charlie tries to keep up his life as a single , which often leads to bizarre situations. Alan is the exact opposite of Charlie in character and has a hard time asserting himself against his ex-wife. He doesn't agree with Charlie's lifestyle at all, but has to adapt because he's allowed to live with Charlie. In addition, Charlie and Alan's unloved mother Evelyn makes life difficult for the three of them. Charlie's housekeeper Berta isn't happy about the extra work because of Alan and Jake, and Charlie's stalker Rose, with whom he slept once, follows and influences events from the background.

Season 9

After Charlie is said to have died in Paris under mysterious circumstances, the plot initially focuses on his brother Alan. This saves the life of the suicidal internet billionaire Walden Schmidt. After Alan and Walden went to a bar together, the latter decides to buy the house in Malibu. Berta then moves into Alan's old room. Alan temporarily moves in with his mother, but finally persuades Walden that he will move back into the house until he finds a place to stay. However, since his old room is occupied, he sleeps in Jake's room. Berta moves out shortly afterwards and Alan can move into his old room again. In addition, Walden asks Alan not to move out because he wants someone he can trust around him - because it was Alan who protected Walden from Charlie's ex-girlfriend Courtney, who wanted to cheat him out of a lot of money. Walden's wife Bridget wants to divorce him, but he still loves her and tries to win her back. In the course of the season Walden met the Englishwoman Zoey, with whom he moved in towards the end. In the last episode, Jake moves out of his home and joins the army.

Season 10

At the beginning of the 10th season, Walden makes Zoey a marriage proposal, which she refuses. Walden begins a relationship with Rose a short time later, which he ends when she tries to move in with him. Jake, who continues to serve in the military, meets Missi, who is staying at Walden's house for a weekend because Walden is friends with her father, and starts a short-term affair with her. After his breakup, Walden meets a woman named Kate, with whom he begins a relationship with his poor newly created alter ego "Sam Wilson". After he tells her the truth, she ends the relationship. Lyndsey ends her relationship with Alan after meeting a new man. At the end of the season, Jake is transferred to a US Army military base in Japan, where he works as a cook.

Season 11

Alan loses his chiropractic license and has to close his practice. Walden then hires him as an assistant to give him financial support. Charlie's lesbian daughter Jenny also shows up to see where and how her father lived. Jenny wants to leave shortly after her appearance, but her uncle Alan and her grandmother Evelyn convince her to stay with them. After she initially lives with Evelyn, Walden offers her to move into Jake's old room, as he sees her, like the other Harpers, as part of his family. Lyndsey also begins an affair with Alan, although she is still with her new boyfriend. At some point, Alan gets to know Lindsey's friend's sister, falls in love with her and begins a relationship with her.

Season 12

Walden suffers a minor heart attack on Halloween . After he is released from the hospital, he realizes that he wants to adopt a child. Since this is only allowed for married couples, he marries Alan. Towards the end of the series there is evidence that Charlie is not dead, but was held captive by Rose. In the following episode, all former friends and acquaintances receive a large sum of money from an anonymous (most likely Charlie) - except for Alan and Walden. The two only receive threats that Charlie wants to finish them off. They then go to the police and file a complaint. You tell the officer ( Arnold Schwarzenegger ) the whole TAAHM story. At the end of the episode it turns out that the police found someone, but the wrong one ( Christian Slater ), which Alan and Walden don't know. Apparently Charlie met and hired this guy in the bar. At the end Charlie appears again: Standing in front of the front door, he is hit by a falling wing. However, it is not about the actor Charlie Sheen , but a double . After zooming out from the set, Chuck Lorre is also killed by a grand piano. All recaps in the season finale, which deal with Charlie Harper's story after the eighth season, were shown as animations.

characters

main characters

Charlie Harper

Charles Francis "Charlie" Harper is a bachelor in his forties who is a very successful composer in the advertising jingle business and earns a lot of money with it. From the fifth season he starts a new career as a composer of children's songs, since the advertising jingles no longer generate sufficient income. Charlie, like many other things, simply falls to this. He owns a house on Malibu Beach. He drinks alcohol regularly regardless of the time of day and has an obvious gambling problem. Typically he wears bowling shirts and shorts . However, his relaxed way of life does not prevent him from taking responsibility for the family. For example, he has offered his brother Alan and his son Jake to live with him indefinitely, because he does not want to expose them to their mother Evelyn. He is claimed to be a chauvinistic womanizer . He has a funny comment ready in every situation. As he is very self-confident, he usually has no problems dating women, unlike Alan. He cares little about the feelings of women and is only interested in sex, which often puts him in embarrassing situations, to which he occasionally reacts with a " mea culpa ". The only women Charlie sacrificed things for and to whom he bonded longer were Lisa ( Denise Richards ), who also lived with him for a long time, the ballet dancer Mia ( Emmanuelle Vaugier ) and Chelsea ( Jennifer Taylor ). Charlie even has plans to marry Mia and Chelsea, but these are rejected for various reasons. Another woman in Charlie's life is neighbor Rose, his stalker, with whom he is connected in a kind of love-hate relationship (which he rarely admits - see episode 100: A blonde with coffee ).

Charlie's father died when he was very young. He and Alan had some stepfathers as a result. His mother Evelyn has always dominated and humiliated their husbands. Because of these experiences, Charlie tends to avoid close ties with women in order to protect himself. In addition, with the exception of his relationships with Lisa, Mia and Chelsea, he is reluctant to reveal his feelings towards women. Despite repeated statements to the contrary, he is glad that Alan and Jake live with him, as the two bring variety to his actually lonely life.

At the end of the eighth season, he becomes engaged to Rose in Paris. The ninth season begins with his funeral service. In Rose's speech there, it is implied that she pushed Charlie in front of a subway in the metro because he had previously cheated on her with another woman.

At the beginning of the eleventh season, it is learned that Charlie has an illegitimate daughter named Jenny. The last time he saw her was on her fourth birthday; however, he did send her monthly checks to ensure her a good life and a good education.

In the finale of the twelfth season it turns out that Charlie is not dead, but has been held captive by Rose in a cellar dungeon since her return from Paris. After he manages to escape, he sends Jake, Jenny, Berta and his former playmates generous checks to apologize or thank them. However, he begins to threaten Evelyn, Alan and Walden. When he stands in front of his former house at the end of the episode, he is killed by a falling piano.

Alan Harper

Alan Jerome Harper has to move in with his brother at the beginning of the series because his wife Judith divorced him, threw him out of the common house and he now has to pay her maintenance . He earned a doctorate as a chiropractor in Mexico and runs his own practice. Since the beginning of the first season, his then ten-year-old son Jake has been living with Charlie on weekends. Alan is the complete opposite of his brother Charlie - a conservative, very controlled and almost stingy person who receives little attention from most women. He also looks a little clumsy. He is not looking for a woman for one night, but a steady relationship and thus the love of his life. Alan also suggests that he is a little jealous of Charlie's way of life, and increasingly envies him. Charlie's housekeeper Berta gave him the nickname Zippy, which refers to a chimpanzee known from American television in the 1950s and 1960s. In addition, he often has to pay for his brother Charlie's mistakes. An example of this is Charlie's affair with Alan's divorce attorney ( Heather Locklear ), which Charlie began and quickly ended , who takes revenge by making surprisingly extensive financial and material concessions to Alan's ex-wife. In the following years as a single Alan suffers from his sexual unattractiveness and shyness. However, this changes when he falls in love again. At the end of the third season, he married the much younger Kandi, from whom he divorced after four months (beginning of season 4).

When his ex-wife Judith finally remarries in the fourth season, he is happy because he will never have to pay maintenance to his wife again. He has his last alimony check for 3875 dollars enlarged so that he can be photographed by Charlie with Judith. Since season 5, Alan has had better luck with women than in the previous seasons, which is probably because Charlie gives him and Jake some tips about women in the episode The Woman Thief. However, Alan is getting quirkier and more childish at times.

In the sixth season, Alan sleeps with Judith. However, she throws him out later. Judith later informs him that she is pregnant. However, it is currently unknown whether the baby is from Alan or from Herb, Judith's current partner. Only in season 9, in a dream sequence, will this topic be addressed again.

His alter ego is called Jeff Starkman.

In season 11, Alan loses his chiropractic license and begins working as a personal assistant for Walden. He later marries Walden.

Jake Harper

Jacob David "Jake" Harper (born March 14) is the son of Alan and Judith Harper and ten years old at the beginning of the series. After Alan and Judith divorced, he visits his father on weekends at his uncle Charlie's house. He is a below average intelligent, unmotivated student who is more interested in food and television . Occasionally he is called a “cloudy cup”, which is probably due to his more passive nature, or as a “pumpkin head”, which is probably due to his below-average intelligence and his plump, round face. In addition, he lets himself be influenced very easily by his uncle, because he admires him quite a lot, although Charlie loves him for his inexperienced, rascal and his "dry sense of humor" and likes to have him at home. Jake also plays the guitar, which creates another connection to Uncle Charlie. Charlie gives him advice about women in later seasons, which Alan doesn't always like. Jake puts these tips into action and, despite his average appearance, has more dates with girls. After Jake already distanced himself from his father Alan in season 4 with a "Dad, you can tell me", he seems to get a looser mouth in the later seasons. In the final episode of the ninth season, Jake and Eldridge are recruited by the US Army and leave his family. In the final episode of season 10, Jake goes to a US Army base in Japan, where he works as a cook. In the series finale, Jake receives $ 250,000 from Charlie and takes it to Las Vegas and wins $ 2.5 million. We also learn that Jake has since left the US Army and lives in Japan with his wife and children.

Walden Schmidt

Walden Thoreau Schmidt is a billionaire and has owned the Malibu beach house for season nine. Like Charlie and Alan, he grew up without a father. This left him and his mother when Walden was still very young. Since his mother is a primate researcher, Walden lived with a monkey for the first four years of his life. He dropped out of high school after eighth grade and later married his first love, Bridget. He made his first million at the age of 19. He later sold a website he had built with his business partner Billy Stanhope ( Patton Oswalt ) for $ 1.3 billion to Microsoft . A few years later, Bridget separated from Walden due to his childish behavior and threw him out of the common house. Totally shocked by this separation, Walden tried to drown himself in the sea. However, he did not succeed because the water was too cold for him. Looking for a phone to call Bridget, he came to the beach house where Alan had just received the ashes of his dead brother Charlie. When Alan had managed to calm the soaked forest, the two went into a bar and started talking. Walden decided to buy the house and allowed Alan to continue living there as he wanted someone around who could look after him and whom he could trust. Over time, Walden matures and acts more mature than at the beginning and is also able to take care of himself. He still lets Alan stay with him, because in the meantime a very close friendship has developed between the two and the rest of the Harpers have also become part of his family for him. Even so, he keeps imagining what life would be like in a beach house alone. However, Walden realizes that his life would be pretty bleak and boring without his best friend.

At the beginning of his presence in the series, Walden shows a relatively childish behavior, and he does not yet consciously exploit his attraction to women. It wasn't until after the divorce from Bridget that he began to mature and grow up. He begins several relationships, including with Charlie's stalker Rose, but all of them fail; he also has occasional one-night stands .

Evelyn Harper

Holland Taylor , starring Evelyn Harper

Evelyn Harper is Alan's and Charlie's selfish mother with a tendency to change male acquaintances. She is very disappointed in her two sons because they avoid any contact with her, but at the same time she is so attached to them that she pretends to only see her grandson Jake for each visit. As soon as Charlie and Alan leave them alone with Jake, Evelyn quickly feels overwhelmed and takes flight. As a real estate agent, she is constantly on the move on business. She is also very wealthy, especially since all of her wealthy husbands have died. She often tells of her brief and adventurous affairs with men, which she then deports, in which she resembles Charlie, who seems to have copied this behavior from her. In seasons four and five, she is in a relationship with Teddy Leopold, whom she marries, who - as usual for a husband of Evelyn's - dies soon during the wedding reception and finally turns out to be a marriage fraud with his supposed daughter Courtney . Evelyn is very disrespectful ; so she books z. For example, the honeymoon to Paris, spoiled by Teddy's death, quickly turned into a single flight to Fijis . Evelyn often tries, just like many other women who go in and out of the house, to get Berta to make her meal, which, however , refuses in her usual confident manner. Evelyn pays great attention to her appearance and has had several cosmetic surgeries, even if she repeatedly emphasizes that her appearance is completely natural. She often compares her sons to the devil because they had a bad childhood with her. In season 7 it is noticeable that the relationship between her and her sons or her grandson Jake improves; so z. B. she supports Alan and Charlie with her friends Melissa and Chelsea when they spread out into Charlie's house, want to take over the regiment and even claim Berta for themselves, and Jake wants to finance the college and give him a car in return. After meeting her granddaughter Jenny, she tries to make up for the mistakes she made with Charlie and Alan.

Judith Melnick (formerly Harper)

Marin Hinkle , starring Judith Harper

Judith Harper (later Judith Melnick) is Alan's neurotic ex-wife and Jake's mother. Judith claims to have separated from Alan because she had the feeling of being "suffocated" because of Alan. Furthermore, after the breakup, she describes herself as lesbian or sexually ambivalent for a while , also so that Alan doesn't even try to get together with her again. After Charlie breaks off a relationship with Alan's divorce attorney during the divorce negotiations, she grievedly accepts all of Judith's demands. Judith receives the common house as well as disproportionately high alimony and financial reimbursements. In the further course of the series, the high maintenance payments are often discussed. Judith has a problem with Charlie and his free life. Judith's parents blame her for the breakdown and stand by Alan. In season four, she marries Jake's pediatrician Dr. Herb Melnick. But during the sixth season she throws Herb out of the house and sleeps with Alan. Six weeks after her reconciliation with Herb, she finds out that she is pregnant with a girl whom she will give birth to at the finale of the sixth season. The paternity remains unclear for the time being. In season 10, she leaves Herb after he cheated on her with his office hours assistant. Her parents Lenore and Sheldon are portrayed by Cristine Rose (season 1) and Annie Potts and George Wyner in season 7 , her sister Liz by Teri Hatcher .

Berta

Berta ( Conchata Ferrell ) is Charlie's corpulent housekeeper. She is characterized by her sarcasm and her "loose mouth". She spent some time in jail, which is mentioned repeatedly on the show, intimidating both Charlie and her by claiming that she "lifts the stove with one hand just to kill the mouse underneath with the other." Alan often one. Berta has a drug addict brother who she is very reluctant to talk about. She also does not have a good relationship with her sister Daisy ( Camryn Manheim ), who is similarly built , because she feels disadvantaged by her parents. Berta also disagrees with the lifestyle of her daughters and granddaughter Prudence ( Megan Fox ). She knows Charlie very well and always knows what's going on inside him. She often uses this point to her advantage to coax extra money from Charlie on top of her usual salary. She was in the house before him and was "taken over" by Charlie when he moved in. Berta is also a mother of three and a grandmother and therefore has tips for Alan about his son Jake. Berta has a condescending, sometimes even hostile relationship with Alan, whom she often just calls "Zippy", because he sees him as an intruder due to his living conditions and he and Jake make her work even more. Berta doesn't say very much about herself, but she does reveal some oddities from her everyday life that often surprise Charlie, Alan and Jake. In some episodes, for example in 8.09 ( Beautiful Hours in Central Africa ), it is indicated that she looks at her relationship with Charlie not only on a platonic, but also on a physical level, emphasizing several times that it is between her and her employer " sexually radio “would, which is received again and again with a frown. After Charlie's death in Paris, Walden Schmidt takes over as housekeeper. She also works for Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler .

rose

Melanie Lynskey , actress of Rose

Rose is Charlie's neighbor and stalker. She had a one-night stand with Charlie and since then has left no stone unturned to win him over, but Charlie is only annoyed by her sometimes drastic means. She almost always climbs into his house via the porch railing, for example to tape his cupboards shut, to inspect the refrigerator or to watch TV with Jake. Sometimes she is better informed than the others about what's going on in Charlie's house. She comes from a very wealthy and sometimes crazy family that owns a bank and works in the oil business (Rose's father Harvey is played by Charlie Sheen's father Martin ). Rose attended Princeton University , where she graduated after just two years (standard period of study: 4 years). She also has a Masters Degree in Behavioral Psychology from Stanford University, so she always has solutions to Charlie's problems. She often acts as a guardian for Jake and has a very good relationship with Evelyn Harper. In season four, Rose moves to London to work. At the beginning of the fifth season, Charlie repeatedly had the feeling that he recognized Rose in different people, and you can later see these same disguises hanging in her closet. In the further course of the fifth season it returns entirely, but then disappears again soon. In the sixth season she only appears in two episodes: One time Charlie almost proposes marriage to her out of fear of his possible death, but he refrains from doing so after a reassuring call from his doctor, and the other time as a close friend of Chelsea who closes is already engaged to Charlie at this point and spends a night of love with Alan. At the end of the episode it is implied that she is now stalking Alan. In the seventh season, she only has one appearance in the context of a hallucination Charlie, to whom all his exes appear again. During season eight, she fakes marriage to a wealthy, well-known fashion manufacturer, who later turns out to be a mannequin, in order to get Charlie back into a relationship. Season 9 begins with Rose declaring that she was in Paris with him when Charlie died to celebrate their engagement. It seems like she pushed him in front of a subway train out of anger over cheating with another woman. In a later episode she appears again surprisingly in the house and at the end swings in the familiar manner over the terrace railing. In season 10, she briefly begins a relationship with Walden, who ends it after a short time. In the season 12 finale, it is revealed that she has kept Charlie trapped in a cellar dungeon since she returned from Paris.

Jenny Harper

Amber Tamblyn , starring Jenny

Jenny is Charlie's illegitimate daughter. She shares many traits with her father, including alcohol and women. She meets her uncle Alan and her grandmother Evelyn at the beginning of season 11. She also builds a very good relationship with Walden.

Minor characters

Chelsea Melini

Chelsea Christine Melini was Charlie's girlfriend from season six. She eventually moved in with him and changed his house to suit her taste. Her mother is racist and a member of the Ku Klux Klan . Chelsea's father admitted his homosexuality shortly after meeting Charlie , separated from his wife and moved in with his old Navy friend. Chelsea owns a cat named Sir Lancelot and a few houses she rents out. At the end of Season 7, Chelsea broke off their engagement to Charlie.

Herb Melnick

Dr. Herbert (Herb) Gregory Melnick (born February 14) is Jake's pediatrician, who marries Alan's ex-wife Judith over the course of the series. Alan gets on quite well with him, also because he no longer has to pay child support for Judith. Herb has a sister, Myra Lang, who hates Judith and who also had a brief relationship with Charlie. In the tenth season, Judith separates from Herb because he cheated on Judith with his receptionist.

Kandi

April Bowlby , starring Kandi

Kandi was Charlie's affair first and then Alan's girlfriend. She is not particularly intelligent and, at 22, is only about half the age of Alan. He marries Kandi at the end of the third season in Las Vegas and is abandoned by her after four months because she wanted a child and he didn't. A short time later, however, Alan changes his mind and they reconcile, but then Kandi's career as an actress started, which is why she decides for a career and against a child and then signs the divorce papers. While Alan is still together with Kandi, Charlie starts an affair with Kandi's mother Mandi. Her parents Andi and Mandi are portrayed by Kevin Sorbo and Gail O'Grady in episode 3.20 .

Lyndsey McElroy

From the end of the seventh season, Lyndsey is Alan's girlfriend. At the beginning of Season 8, Alan and Jake move in with Lyndsey and their son Eldridge, much to Charlie's pleasure. However, Alan accidentally set fire to Lyndsey's house shortly afterwards, so that in the end all four of them live with Charlie. The relationship doesn't last too long either, on the one hand because Alan burns down the house and on the other hand because Lyndsey is reconciled with her ex-husband and the two get back together. In the ninth season, she gets back together with Alan. In the course of the eleventh season, the two separate again and Lyndsey has a new boyfriend shortly afterwards, but she continues to have an affair with Alan.

Eldridge McElroy

Eldridge McElroy is Lyndsey's son and Jake's best friend from season eight. Together they shoot a Jackass-like show under their pseudonym "Dumb-Ass". At the end of season 9, he and Jake are recruited by the US Army.

Linda Freeman

Initially, Dr. Linda Freeman Jake's child psychologist, but later only Charlie and Alan go to her. The furnishing of her practice is also changing from children's chairs and hand puppets to a typical couch. Despite her self-confident and often sarcastic manner (especially towards Charlie), she always helps the brothers ("One hour costs $ 200. You were here five minutes, then we round up ... so $ 200!"). Later, on Alan's advice, Walden Schmidt also went to her for treatment.

Mia

Mia was Charlie's ex-fiancee and a ballet dancer. Charlie wanted to marry her in the last episode of season 3 in Las Vegas, but the wedding fell through because Mia and Charlie can't agree on whether or not Alan has to move out after the wedding. From season 5 she was seen again and confused Charlie's feelings again, especially since she wanted to win Charlie as a sperm donor for an artificial insemination. From the 6th season, however, Charlie had Chelsea as a girlfriend and finally decided against Mia.

Melissa

Melissa is Alan's receptionist in his practice. Charlie has a short relationship with her, later she and Alan become a couple. When she catches Alan in bed with her mother under the influence of drugs, the two separate, but later become a couple again. After Alan, with Chelsea's help, succeeds in getting Melissa to move into Charlie's house, she and Chelsea drive the two men away for a short time, only Evelyn can divide the women. Melissa soon ends her relationship with Alan, as Alan does not want to find his own apartment for him and her.

Teddy Leopold

Teddy Leopold ( Robert Wagner ) is the fifth husband of Charlie's mother Evelyn. Teddy pretends to be a wealthy businessman with a lot of money and marries Evelyn during the fifth season, which Alan and Charlie were very happy about because they both liked him and respect him as a father. He dies at the wedding party, however, and it turns out that he and his "daughter" Courtney (played by Jenny McCarthy ), who goes into a relationship with Charlie to get his money, were police wanted marriage swindlers or frauds. The real name of Teddy was Nathan Crunk and his alleged daughter was Courtney Sylvia Fishman.

Gordon

Gordon (played by JD Walsh ) is Charlie's pizza delivery guy occasionally in seasons 1 through 4 and has a brief relationship with Rose in season 3 that forces him to dress like Charlie. In the 6th season he reappears and has an amazing story to tell “from pizza delivery boy to stock market millionaire and back again” (including marriage and divorce). In addition, in the eighth season, he tries to make Charlie aware that Rose's husband is just a mannequin. Charlie doesn't understand the hint.

Cast and dubbing

The German synchronization is created for a dialogue book by Andreas W. Schmidt under the dialogue director Martin Schmitz in Cinephon in Berlin.

main actor

role actor German voice actor Main role
(season)
Supporting role
(season)
Guest appearances
(season)
Charlie Harper Charlie Sheen Benjamin Völz 1.01-8.16
Alan Harper Jon Cryer Viktor Neumann 1.01-12.16
Jake Harper Angus T. Jones Adrian Kilian 1.01-10.23 12.16
Evelyn Harper Holland Taylor Astrid Bless (seasons 1–6)
Kerstin S. Dornseif (from season 7)
1.01-12.16
Judith Harper-Melnick Marin Hinkle Christin Marquitan 1.01-8.16 9.01-9.24 10.19, 11.15, 12.16
rose Melanie Lynskey Cathlen Gawlich 1.01-2.24 3.01-4.15 5.04-12.16
Berta Conchata Ferrell Regina Lemnitz 2.01-12.16 1.04-1.24
Kandi Harper April Bowlby Isabelle Schmidt 4.01-4.18 3.09-3.24 10.09, 12.16
Chelsea Melini Jennifer Taylor Schaukje Könning 7.01-7.22 6.08-6.24 9.01, 12.15
Walden Schmidt Ashton Kutcher Marcel Collé 9.01-12.16
Jenny Harper Amber Tamblyn Julia Kaufmann 11.07-11.22 11.01–11.06, 12.02–12.03, 12.16

supporting cast

role actor German voice actor Supporting role
(season)
Guest appearances
(season)
Barwoman Leanne Rebecca McFarland Heike Beeck 1.11, 1.18, 3.10, 4.15, 7.21, 9.08-10.05
Gordon JD Walsh Michael Deffert 3.15-3.17 1.14, 4.09, 6.19, 6.22, 8.04, 8.15
Dr. Linda Freeman Jane Lynch Heike Schroetter 1.20, 1.22, 3.12, 4.08-9.06, 11.21
Dr. Herb Melnick Ryan Stiles Oliver Siebeck 4.05-10.21 2.02, 12.04, 12.09
Mia Adams Emmanuelle Vaugier Ghadah Al-Akel 3.08-3.24 5.15–7.21, 9.01, 12.15
Nathan "Teddy Leopold" Crank Robert Wagner Joachim Kerzel 4.24-5.17
Melissa Kelly Stables Sonja Spuhl 6.04–8.03
Lyndsey McElroy Courtney Thorne-Smith Claudia Kleiber 7.19–8.04, 8.09–8.13, 9.04–12.16
Eldridge McElroy Graham Patrick Martin Constantin von Jascheroff 7.19-9.24
Bridget Schmidt Judy Greer Tanja Geke 9.02-10.01 10.17, 12.16
Zoey Hyde-Tottingham-Pierce Sophie Winkleman Katrin Fröhlich 9.09-10.06 12.16
Kate Brooke D'Orsay Maria Koschny 10.10-11.19
Larry Martin DB Sweeney Nicolas King 11.05, 11.08, 11.12, 11.14, 11.16-11.18, 11.21, 11.22 04/12
Ms. McMartin Maggie Lawson Marieke Oeffinger 12.03-12.06, 12.11-12.16
Louis Edan Alexander Noah David Liebscher 12.05-12.14
Remarks
  1. Mostly irregular appearances in the period mentioned

Guest actor

In addition to the supporting roles, there are always notable guest roles, most of which are also cast by well-known actors and actresses. It is worth mentioning on the one hand Denise Richards , the ex-wife of Charlie Sheen , who played an ex-girlfriend of Charlie in one episode of the first and second season, but also the appearances of Missi Pyle , who embodies Jake's teacher in three episodes, which is now portrayed by Alicia Witt . Other appearances included Kristin Bauer van Straten , Liz Vassey , Krista Allen , Megan Fox , Richard Lewis , Jenna Elfman , Chris O'Donnell , Teri Hatcher , Heather Locklear , Alana de la Garza , Jeri Ryan , Camryn Manheim , Jodi Lyn O ' Keefe , Jennifer Taylor , Paget Brewster , Alicia Coppola , Ken Jeong , Lucy Lawless , Natalie Zea , Martin Sheen , June Squibb , Cloris Leachman , Josie Davis , Jackie Debatin , Jon Lovitz , Kevin Sorbo , Katherine LaNasa , Sara Rue , Brooke Shields , Morgan Fairchild , Judy Greer , Kay Panabaker , Enrique Iglesias , Rachel Cannon , Janeane Garofalo , Jennifer O'Dell , Ming-Na Wen , Richard Kind , Jenny McCarthy , Justine Eyre , Cerina Vincent , Kimberly Quinn , Susan Blakely , Martin Mull , Helena Mattsson , Michael Clarke Duncan , Tinashe Kachingwe , Emilio Estevez , Carol Kane , Emily Rose , Katy Mixon , Diora Baird , Annie Potts , Tricia Helfer , Carl Reiner , Allison Janney , Stacy Keach , John Amos , Sara Sanderson , Erinn Hayes , Krista Kalmu s , John Stamos , Thomas Gibson , Mimi Rogers , Patton Oswalt , Georgia Engel , Kathy Bates , Brit Morgan , Bre Blair , Miley Cyrus , Lindsay Price , Willie Garson , Jaime Pressly , Emily Osment , Scott Bakula , Hilary Duff and Arnold Schwarzenegger too see. Ashton Kutcher's wife Mila Kunis also made a guest appearance.

In addition, several guest stars each embodied themselves. These include Steven Tyler , James Earl Jones , Edward Van Halen , ZZ Top , Michael Bolton , Lynda Carter , Sean Penn , Bobby Cooper , Elvis Costello , Christian Slater and Harry Dean Stanton .

Charisma

Season Episodes Broadcast ( CBS ) Broadcast ( ProSieben ) Broadcast ( ORF one ) Broadcast ( SRF two ,
until December 16, 2012 SF two)
season 1 24 September 22, 2003 to May 24, 2004 March 12, 2005 to August 20, 2005 March 12, 2005 to August 20, 2005 May 10, 2006 to June 16, 2006
season 2 24 September 20, 2004 to May 23, 2005 April 1, 2006 to September 9, 2006 March 11, 2006 to May 20, 2006 June 28, 2006 to August 21, 2006
season 3 24 September 19, 2005 to May 22, 2006 September 16, 2006 to February 24, 2007 May 5, 2007 to October 11, 2007 April 13, 2007 to May 21, 2007
Season 4 24 September 18, 2006 to May 14, 2007 December 15, 2007 to May 24, 2008 February 6, 2008 to March 18, 2008 December 30, 2008 to February 4, 2009
Season 5 19th September 24, 2007 to May 19, 2008 February 21, 2009 to October 13, 2009 January 17, 2009 to June 13, 2009 February 5, 2009 to January 20, 2010
Season 6 24 September 22, 2008 to May 18, 2009 October 20, 2009 to June 1, 2010 October 24, 2009 to May 22, 2010 March 4, 2010 to April 8, 2010
Season 7 22nd September 21, 2009 to May 24, 2010 September 7, 2010 to May 3, 2011 September 4, 2010 to February 19, 2011 July 29, 2011 to September 8, 2011
Season 8 16 September 20, 2010 to February 14, 2011 August 30, 2011 to December 13, 2011 August 27, 2011 to December 17, 2011 April 24, 2012 to June 5, 2012
Season 9 24 September 19, 2011 to May 14, 2012 January 10, 2012 to November 13, 2012 January 14, 2012 to December 22, 2012 September 18, 2012 to November 20, 2012
Season 10 23 September 27, 2012 to May 9, 2013 January 8, 2013 to October 29, 2013 January 19, 2013 to November 2, 2013 November 6, 2013 to March 3, 2014
Season 11 22nd September 26, 2013 to May 8, 2014 January 7, 2014 to October 28, 2014 January 11, 2014 to November 8, 2014 June 12, 2015 to June 12, 2016
Season 12 16 October 30, 2014 to February 19, 2015 February 17, 2015 to May 26, 2015 March 21, 2015 to July 4, 2015 October 9, 2015 to January 23, 2016

The German-language dubbed version was broadcast for the first time on March 12, 2005 by ORF 1 and ProSieben under the title Mein cooler Onkel Charlie . In Switzerland it has been running at SF Zwei since May 10, 2006 . Since the beginning of the second season, the series has been running in Germany under the original American title. The old episodes were repeated on workdays from January 5, 2009 to 2012 on kabel eins , while the new episodes could still be seen on ProSieben. Since 2012, ProSieben has also broadcast repeats on weekdays. Since July 3, 2011, the series has been repeated on the Austrian channel ATV, also under the original American title. The ORF remained with the German-language title until the 9th season, since then the series has also been broadcast there under the original American title. On October 10, 2013, ProSieben Maxx began broadcasting the first season. Also, the Pay TV transmitter TNT series repeated the first four seasons of the sitcom from September of 2010.

The broadcast on German-speaking TV has been in the cropped 4: 3 image format since the beginning of the series , although the series is produced in 16: 9 and HDTV . On April 20, 2010, ProSieben broadcast an episode of the 6th season for the first time at 9:15 pm (“The Swell Head of My Son”) in the uncut 16: 9 image format . The following episode from season 4 (“The Sea is a Hard Mother”) was broadcast in the previous image format. ProSieben now also broadcasts older episodes in 16: 9.

On January 31, 2011, CBS, Warner TV and Two and a Half Men developer Chuck Lorre initially announced a break in filming of the eighth season of indefinite length. The reason given was Charlie Sheen's rehab at the time after his last excesses. Filming should resume on February 28, 2011. On February 24, 2011, there was a falling out between Charlie Sheen and Chuck Lorre over interviews in which Sheen Lorre severely attacked. Filming was then stopped by the broadcaster and the eighth season ended.

After Sheen was released in early March 2011, Ashton Kutcher was presented as the new lead actor on May 12, 2011. Kutcher's contract was initially for one year. The ninth season premiered on September 19, 2011 on CBS. The first episode reached the highest reach ever measured in the series with 28.74 million viewers. However, the great success of the premiere was short-lived, so within four weeks the rate fell by almost half to almost 15 million television viewers. The series remained at this level for a long time. The season nine finale on May 14, 2012 was watched by 11.43 million people in the United States. The series finale, which aired on February 19, 2015 in the US, was watched by 13.52 million.

Episode list

DVD

The seasons previously published in Germany were published on the following dates:

  • 0Season 1: May 19, 2006
  • 0Season 2: April 13, 2007
  • 0Season 3: 0December 7, 2007
  • 0Season 4: September 19, 2008
  • 0Season 5: June 19, 2009
  • 0Season 6: February 12, 2010
  • 0Season 7: April 15, 2011
  • 0Season 8: February 10, 2012
  • 0Season 9: December 14, 2012
  • Season 10: 0December 6, 2013
  • Season 11: December 11, 2014
  • Season 12: 0October 8, 2015
  • Complete box for seasons 1–12: October 8, 2015

In the US, seasons 1-4 only appeared after they were released in Germany.

The DVD version of the first season, which was the only one to be released under the title My Cooler Onkel Charlie , was criticized because the 4: 3 aspect ratio was used for the DVDs , although the original version was 16: 9 . To do this, part of the image had to be cut off. The other seasons were published under the title Two and a Half Men in the format 16: 9.

The sixth season appeared in Germany before all episodes of the season had been broadcast on television.

Season 7 was initially released in two half-seasons (11 episodes on December 3, 2010, 11 episodes on February 11, 2011) before the entire season was published.

With the appearance of a new season, so-called “superboxes” are often published, which contain all previously published seasons as a package.

reception

Awards / nominations

The sitcom has won various awards and received many nominations, including 23 Emmy nominations and two Golden Globe nominations .

Audience ratings

  • From 2005 to 2008, Two and a Half Men was the highest-rated sitcom in the United States.

Trivia

  • So far the series has been broadcast in over 40 countries.
  • The title of the episode is often pronounced verbatim by one of the actors as the episode progresses. Therefore, the subsequent German titles are rarely translations of the English titles, but often come from other parts of the German dubbing.
  • Chuck Lorre also uses Vanity cards in this series .
  • For seasons 2-8, the opening credits of the series were updated insofar as Jake of the ten-year-old boy he was at the beginning of the series "grows up" to his current age within a few seconds. This transformation is achieved through morphing . A completely new opening credits were filmed for the ninth season, in which Jake takes over Charlie's place and Walden takes over Jake's place. In the opening credits of the tenth season, Jake takes his old place again, but he is now wearing a uniform of the US Army , while Walden takes Charlie's former place. This part was completely removed from the eleventh season, so that only the Two-and-a-Half-Men lettering appears. At the beginning of the second season, a completely different opening credits were used, but discarded after a few episodes.
  • The cutscenes show the beach houses on western Malibu Colony Road.
  • Almost always when something breaks or the floor gets dirty, Berta says she won't mop it up.
  • Charlie keeps drinking different types of beer, including German brands such as Beck’s , Pfungstädter and Radeberger , which has mainly been drunk since season 5, in previous seasons it was mostly the Mexican Corona . The type of whiskey also changes frequently; single malts in the middle to upper price range are preferred .
  • In older episodes, Charlie drives a Jaguar XK8 , later a Mercedes-Benz CL . In season 7 it is a Mercedes-Benz E-Class . As you learn after Charlie's death, it was a leasing vehicle.
  • Charlie claims several times that he paid off his house and that he had so much money that he could never spend it. After Charlie's funeral, Evelyn claims that the house had three mortgages.
  • Episode 17 of the fifth season - A corpse for a wedding ( Fish in a Drawer ) - is a parody of CSI: On the trail of the perpetrators . The authors of both series wrote a script for the other series. George Eads has a guest appearance on this episode, but does not impersonate his CSI role as Nick Stokes . In the accompanying CSI episode Who is the Star in the Snake's Nest? ( Two and a Half Deaths ) a well-known actress (played by Katey Sagal ) is murdered, and at around 7:10 pm you see the actors of Jake, Charlie and Alan leaning against a trailer, smoking cigars, for about four seconds.
  • Charlie Sheen became the highest paid actor on American television through the series. His earnings on a single episode through Season 7 were $ 825,000, made up of his salary plus other payments from his rights to the series. From season eight, Sheen earned $ 1.25 million per episode, according to the US magazine TV-Guide .
  • In addition, Angus T. Jones was the highest paid child star on US TV until he was of legal age. He earned around $ 250,000 in salary per episode.
  • Jon Cryer has starred in Hot Shots with Charlie Sheen ! - The mother of all films together. In addition, Ryan Stiles played a bad luck jet fighter pilot and played Hot Shots in the second part ! The second attempt at Sheen's side has a major supporting role.
  • Charlie's pharmacist Russell is addicted to cough syrup and is not averse to drugs. When asked about the legality of his business, he always replies as a running gag: "Are you a cop now?"
  • The theme tune of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles , which is passed off as his composition in the series by Charlie , actually comes from Chuck Lorre among others.
  • Since Jon Cryer is often confused with Matthew Broderick , this is also parodied: Once Alan pretends to be Broderick to be let into a discotheque , the other time to get medical treatment for Charlie faster. In episode 10.9, Alan is mistaken for Matthew Broderick's father by the press.
  • Jake was ten years old in the first season. In season six, Alan has lived with Charlie for six years, but Jake is only 14.
  • During the long running of the series, the same supporting actors were occasionally cast for several characters. Conversely, supporting roles were also repeatedly played by two different actresses:
    • For example, Jennifer Taylor had played several smaller roles before her appearance as Charlie's friend Chelsea: She played a supermarket customer named Suzanne in episode 1.01, Tina in episode 2.11 and Nina in episode 5.07.
    • Jodi Lyn O'Keefe can also be seen several times, including as the satanist Isabella (episode 3.06) and as a guest at Charlie's hangout.
    • Jake's (ex) teacher Miss Pasternak is played by Missi Pyle in episodes 2.03, 7.21 and 9.01, but by Alicia Witt in 6.05.
    • Judith's mother is portrayed by Cristine Rose in episode 1.10 , but by Annie Potts in episode 7.03 .
    • Walden Schmidt's wife Bridget is played by Judy Greer in season 9 , who previously played the role of Herb Melnick's sister Myra Lang.
    • Brooke D'Orsay plays a hip conquest of Charlie in season 4 and Walden Schmidt's girlfriend Kate from episode 10.10.
  • Sometimes names of characters were changed afterwards:
    • Dr. Herb (ert) Melnick still has the first name Greg (ory) when he first appeared in the series. After the change, this will be listed as his middle name.
    • April Bowlby plays Alan's wife and friend Kandi in the series. On her first appearance, however, she plays Kim, who has a relationship with Charlie. Later on, Kandi also has a brief relationship with Charlie.
    • The pizza delivery boy was called Ted when he first appeared, but Gordon since his second.
  • Jon Cryer is the only actor who has starred in every episode. Jake appears in episodes 8.06 ( Twanging Your Magic Clanger , superficial, vain and shallow ), 9.05 ( A Giant Cat Holding a Churru , giant cat with a choker ), in various episodes of the tenth season and from the eleventh season no longer appears.
  • In season 8 (episode 167) Charlie mentions the websites www.malibupuddinggirls.com and www.shaunashower.com . When you opened this, the text "The writers of 'Two and a Half Men' think you are one sick puppy." Appeared earlier. "(Eng . The authors of" Two and a Half Men "think you are a perverted guy. ) , but today you will be redirected to the series' Facebook page.
  • Jake's birthday is March 14th. That's what Alan says in episode 3 of season 7. He dictates a door code that is Jake's birthday ("0314"). March 14th is also Albert Einstein's birthday and Pi day . In Japan, where Jake will be from the end of season 10, White Day is celebrated on this day as a complement to Valentine's Day.
  • As a running gag , Alan drops Charlie's urn or something similar in several episodes from season nine. and Charlie's supposed remains are repeatedly vacuumed up.
  • Alan speaks fluent Spanish in episode 8.09 due to his chiropractic training in Guadalajara , but claims in episodes 10.02 and 10.10 that his Spanish is still very shaky or that he does not understand Spanish.
  • In the final episode (12.16) the characters make numerous jokes about their own series and the actors. The officer played by Arnold Schwarzenegger asks Alan and Walden whether Charlie has ever used "Anger Management" (which is the English word for anger management and at the same time the name of the series , whose leading actor Charlie Sheen after the end of his) because of his frequent outbursts of anger Engagements with Two and a Half Men ). Alan and Walden respond that although he tried, it was unsuccessful, referring to the discontinuation of the (albeit relatively successful) series in 2014. The officer also notes that sometimes you just have to stop something that has been going on for a very long time, which he refers to the long running time of Two and a Half Men . Later, Alan and Walden ask themselves after a low-level joke how one can earn so much money with such low-threshold humor - an indication of the great success of the series, whose humor is mainly based on flat jokes . A little later, Walden said goodbye on the phone with the words “Hasta la vista, Baby.” From the officer (Arnold Schwarzenegger), a famous quote by the Austrian actor from the film Terminator 2 - Reckoning Day . He also jokingly notes that he is not the governor of California - an office that the actor held from 2003 to 2011 in reality.

literature

  • Thorsten Wortmann: 111 reasons to love “Two and a Half Men”. A declaration of love to the greatest sitcom of all time. Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, Berlin 2012, ISBN 978-3-86265-151-1 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. a b ORF shows new "Two and a Half Men" episodes with Kutcher in January. In: derStandard.at. November 21, 2011, accessed December 3, 2017 .
  2. Kutcher replaces Sheen
  3. DWDL.de : Scandal: CBS cancels “Two and a Half Men” - forever?
  4. ^ Charlie Sheen Fired From Warner Bros Television. The Hollywood Reporter, March 7, 2011
  5. 'Two and a Half Men: Angus T. Jones extended, Sheen still not . Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  6. http://www.eonline.com/news/437676/charlie-sheen-s-daughter-to-be-a-lesbian-on-two-and-a-half-men-get-the-details Article from July 10, 2013. Retrieved July 26, 2013
  7. Nellie Andreeva: Amber Tamblyn To Play Charlie Harper's Lesbian Daughter On 'Two And A Half Men' . In: Deadline.com . August 8, 2013. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  8. Entertainment Weekly - Ratings: 'Two and a Half Men' delivers huge numbers ( Memento from January 17, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
  9. imdb - Awards for "Two and a Half Men"
  10. http://www.stern.de/kultur/tv/kutcher-spielt-walden-schmidt-er-kam-sah-und-zog-sich-aus-1729770.html
  11. Radardonline.com: Charlie Sheen fired (English).
  12. http://www.augsburger-allgemeine.de/panorama/ProSieben-blas-die-neuen-Folgen-ohne-Charlie-Sheen-id17612501.html
  13. http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/07/11/cbs-announces-fall-premiere-dates/141201/
  14. http://www.serienjunkies.de/news/two-half-men-staffel-44733.html Two And A Half Men: Season 10 starts in January at ProSieben
  15. http://tv.orf.at/program/orf1/20130119/#evening orf.at: TV program from January 19, 2013
  16. kabel eins launches “Two and a Half Men” . Oddsmeter.de . December 11, 2008. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
  17. ATV anchors "Two and a Half Men" in the main evening . derstandard.at. July 5, 2011. Retrieved July 13, 2011.
  18. Another TV station includes "Two and a Half Men" in its program . Shortnews. July 15, 2010. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
  19. Charlie Sheen says hello from withdrawal. Kino.de, January 31, 2011, accessed February 1, 2011 .
  20. Charlie Sheen wants to sue CBS at quotenmeter.de, accessed March 1, 2011
  21. Two And A Half Men: Ashton Kutcher's contract is for one year
  22. CBS Sets Two and a Half Men, How I Met Your Mother Premiere Dates. In: tvguide.com. Retrieved June 29, 2011 .
  23. Monday Broadcast Final Ratings: 'Two and a Half Men', '2 Broke Girls', DWTS Adjusted Up; 'Castle' Adjusted Down . In: tvbythenumbers.com . Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  24. quotenmeter.de: Two And A Half Men stops the downward trend
  25. quotenmeter.de: US odds week 6
  26. US Odds Week 34
  27. Steve Baron: Thursday Final Ratings: 'The Big Bang Theory,' 'Scandal', 'Two and a Half Men' & 'How To Get Away With Murder' Adjusted Up . tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com. February 20, 2015. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
  28. Report on Wishlist.de
  29. Top TV Earners (Engl.) , 16. August 2010
  30. Who Are TV's Top Earners? . TV guide. August 10, 2010. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
  31. Angus T. Jones is the Highest Paid Child on US TV . krone.at. May 11, 2010. Archived from the original on July 8, 2010. Retrieved March 5, 2011.