Two and a Half Men (2003)
Two and a Half Men is a 2003 comedy series created by Lee Aronsohn and Chuck Lorre. It stars Jon Cryer, Angus T. Jones and Conchata Ferrell.
Charlie Harper writes jingles, sleeps late, and shares his Malibu beach house with a rotating cast of women and hangovers. His life tips over when his uptight, freshly divorced brother Alan and Alan's ten-year-old son Jake move in. Chuck Lorre and Lee Aronsohn built a broad, joke-dense sitcom around the friction between a bachelor who never grew up and a father who tried too hard. Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer and Angus T. Jones anchor the original run, with Conchata Ferrell as the acid-tongued housekeeper Berta. The laughs are cheap in the best sense.
Quick answers
What is Two and a Half Men about?
Charlie Harper writes jingles, sleeps late, and shares his Malibu beach house with a rotating cast of women and hangovers. His life tips over when his uptight, freshly divorced brother Alan and Alan's ten-year-old son Jake move in. Chuck Lorre and Lee Aronsohn built a broad, joke-dense sitcom around the friction between a bachelor who never grew up and a father who tried too hard. Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer and Angus T. Jones anchor the original run, with Conchata Ferrell as the acid-tongued housekeeper Berta. The laughs are cheap in the best sense.
When was Two and a Half Men released?
Two and a Half Men was released on 22 September 2003.
How many episodes does Two and a Half Men have?
Two and a Half Men has 262 episodes across 12 seasons.
Who made Two and a Half Men?
Two and a Half Men was created by Lee Aronsohn and Chuck Lorre.
Where can I watch Two and a Half Men?
Two and a Half Men is available on DirecTV On Demand, Peacock, Peacock Premium, Philo, YouTube TV and Google Play.
Where to watch Two and a Half Men
Stream: DirecTV On Demand, Peacock, Peacock Premium, Philo, YouTube TV
Rent: Google Play
Buy: Amazon, AppleTV, Fandango at Home, Google Play
Cast
- Jon Cryer as Alan Harper
- Angus T. Jones as Jake Harper
- Conchata Ferrell as Berta
- Charlie Sheen as Charlie Harper
- Holland Taylor as Evelyn Harper
- Marin Hinkle as Judith Harper
- Ashton Kutcher as Walden Schmidt
- Melanie Lynskey as Rose
- Courtney Thorne-Smith as Lyndsey Mackelroy
- Ryan Stiles as Herb
- Amber Tamblyn as Jenny
- Jennifer Bini Taylor as Chelsea
Similar series
Explore Two and a Half Men guides
A few thoughts on Two and a Half Men
The comedy runs on quick, crude one-liners and studio-audience timing. Comedy fans who want that voice in prose can pick up Bossypants for Tina Fey's smart, self-deprecating riffs on work and family. For a rowdy musical companion, Tenacious D brings the same juvenile swagger and mock-rock bravado about being gloriously full of yourself.
Grown men living like nothing has to change
Charlie Harper's entire code is refusing responsibility, and these follow suit. It's Always Sunny's gang, Curb's Larry David, Cougar Town's day-drinking friend circle, Undateable's perpetual bachelors and That '70s Show's basement crew all treat adulthood as optional, mining laughs from people who dig in against growing up rather than embracing it.
Mismatched roommates who never chose each other
Alan and Jake didn't so much move in with Charlie as invade his life, and these shows mine that same forced-cohabitation friction. Malcolm & Eddie and Bottom pair opposite temperaments as flatmates, What I Like About You and Adults throw clashing personalities into one apartment, and Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens and Casual watch a multigenerational or newly split family squeeze under one roof.
Sitcoms that still believe in a laugh track
Two and a Half Men runs on old multi-camera rhythms and jokes timed for a live room. Cheers and Night Court built the same hangout-ensemble template, Are You Being Served and Keeping Up Appearances bring it over from British telly, and Good Times, Growing Pains, What's Happening Now!! and Two Guys and a Girl each mine family or friend banter with the same unhurried, joke-dense pacing.
Comedy this raunchy, outside the sitcom format
Two and a Half Men built its whole premise on innuendo and bad behavior, and these push that same shamelessness into other mediums. The Scary Movie franchise spoofs horror with identical anything-goes vulgarity, South Park: The Stick of Truth carries the irreverence into a game, Tenacious D turns it into comic rock, and Bossypants, Born a Crime and How to Be Really Funny trade raunch for sharp comedic memoir.