Michael Becker / FOX
Tuned In+Television | January 9, 2012

TCA Roundup: One Way or Another, You Are Stuck with Ryan Seacrest, America

By James Poniewozik

While the Republican candidates were debating twice in ten hours and Tim Tebow was proving the existence of a football-obsessed God in the AFC wild card game, the TV networks continued to preview their midseason schedules at the winter Television Critics Association press tour in Pasadena. Over the weekend, NBC and Fox–and some of their associated cable properties–presented new and old shows and new and old lines of network spin. Among the highlights:

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Tuned In+Tuned In | September 20, 2011

Monday Night Sheen-a-Thon: Ashton Moves In, Charlie Moves On

By James Poniewozik
Ashton_HORIZ

During the Great Charlie Sheen War of 2011, there was a lot of attention on Two and a Half Men as a business — how much it cost, how much it made, how many it employed — and not as much on it as a TV show. Watching its long-delayed return with new star Ashton [...]

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Tuned In+Uncategorized | August 3, 2011

CBS Unveils Ashton Kutcher's New Character: Walden Schmidt, Man of Mystery

By James Poniewozik

America, meet Walden Schmidt. At the introductory CBS session of the TCA TV critics’ press tour, CBS programming head Nina Tassler had some news about Ashton Kutcher’s new character, who will take over for Charlie Sheen on Two and a Half Men this fall. Tassler described Schmidt, who will be introduced in a two-part season [...]

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Tuned In+Uncategorized | July 5, 2011

Comedy Central to Roast the Notoriously Media-Shy Charlie Sheen

By James Poniewozik

File this under Things the World Does Not Necessarily Need But Will Get Ratings Anyway: Comedy Central will air a roast of Charlie Sheen on Sept. 19. That is, coincidentally (which is to say, I assume not coincidentally), the night the new Two and a Half Men lineup with Ashton Kutcher returns on CBS. All [...]

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Tuned In+Uncategorized | May 13, 2011

Reports: Two and a Half Men Minus Sheen, Plus Kutcher

By James Poniewozik

Myriad reports out this morning say that CBS will retool its hit Two and a Half Men by replacing ousted cautionary tale Charlie Sheen with Ashton Kutcher. (Kutcher teased toward a confirmation on his Twitter feed.) One almost wonders whether the network simply decided to twist the knife in Sheen by picking someone, anyone, with [...]

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Tuned In+Uncategorized | April 4, 2011

Detroit Breakdown: Charlie Sheen's Truth Torpedo Bombs in Motown

By James Poniewozik

I have never been so proud of my native metro area. Detroit’s Fox Theater was the first stop on Charlie Sheen‘s Violent Torpedo of Truth Tour (or as I prefer, a la Conan, the Constitutionally Unable to Stop Being Insane on Television Tour), and it got off to a disastrous start by all accounts. Much [...]

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Tuned In+Uncategorized | March 22, 2011

The Morning After: Who's Your Daddy?

By James Poniewozik

I’m in New Mexico for a couple of days: Santa Fe today to interview author George R. R. Martin about the adaptation of his novels into HBO’s Game of Thrones; tomorrow in Albuquerque for a set visit to the fourth season of Breaking Bad. So I was thwarted by the Mountain Time zone and missed [...]

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Tuned In+Uncategorized | March 7, 2011

Charlie Sheen Gets Fired. But Two and a Half Men Could Go On

By James Poniewozik

Confirming something that I suspect most Americans thought had already happened, Warner Bros. Television announced that it is immediately terminating Charlie Sheen from Two and a Half Men, following the actor’s stints in and out of rehab, restraining orders, allegations of violence and rambling weeklong media bender. The decision means a likely bonanza for Sheen’s [...]

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Tuned In+News Media | March 2, 2011

The Two Charlie Sheens

By James Poniewozik

Yesterday and very early this morning, Charlie Sheen continued not going away. The sitcom star / cautionary tale / performance artist started a Twitter account yesterday afternoon; as of this writing, he’s pushing 800,000 followers. And to listen to Sheen, you’ve just got to know that he take the word “followers” literally; that steadily rising [...]

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Tuned In+News Media | March 1, 2011

Charlie Sheen Has a Friend in Piers

By James Poniewozik

After an absence from TV interviews of several hours, Charlie Sheen went on CNN last night to favor Piers Morgan with a last-minute, live hourlong interview. And if you were concerned that Morgan would do the same kind of softball interviews that his predecessor Larry King did, this one proved you wrong. Piers Morgan does [...]

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Tuned In+News Media | February 28, 2011

Interview With the Warlock 2: TMZ in Charlie Sheen's Backyard

By James Poniewozik

I am going to try to limit the amount of Charlie Sheen I bring you at Tuned In, but TMZ just livestreamed a fascinatingly strange interview with Sheen from his own backyard. Above is part one; the whole thing is posted at TMZ. A few thoughts: * I was torn between thinking the interview was [...]

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Tuned In+News Media | February 28, 2011

Interview With the Warlock: Charlie Sheen Puts On Another Show

By James Poniewozik

Did Charlie Sheen hire Rod Blagojevich’s media handler? Over the past week, as you’re well aware, Sheen self-immolated, lambasting CBS and Two and a Half Men creator Chuck Lorre for putting his sitcom on hiatus for the actor to get control of his bizarre behavior (the latest in a long series that included drug abuse [...]

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Tuned In+Uncategorized | April 5, 2010

While I Was Out

By James Poniewozik

I’m back from staycation, and big thanks to Steven James Snyder for going above and beyond the call with a wide-ranging series of guest posts last week, on top of his work at Techland. But party’s over now, kids—it’s back to your regularly scheduled half-assed mediocrity with yours truly. Here’s some of what I missed [...]

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Tuned In+Uncategorized | February 23, 2010

CBS Down to One and a Half Men as Charlie Sheen Heads to Rehab

By James Poniewozik

And he seemed so stable! A publicist for Charlie Sheen released a statement today that the actor would be taking a leave of absence from Two and a Half Men while he checks into rehab for undisclosed reasons. Where, why and for how long are all up in the air. In December, Sheen was arrested [...]