The antics of Charlie Sheen forced producers of his hit show Two and a Half Men to fire him from his starring role last season. Yet his replacement, Ashton Kutcher, may not have the show “winning” as it was when Charlie Sheen was the star. It appears as though there are mixed reactions to how viewers feel about the new star. Some would say the new actor is great, while others say that they’d rather have the “tiger blood” star back on.
Based on the ratings, according to The Hollywood Reporter, the show had 28.7 million viewers Ashton Kutcher’s first week on the air, and by the second week there were 20.7 million viewers. While this is still a large number, the show is losing viewers. Fast.
This loss of viewers could be because many find the show “less funny” as one viewer put it now that Charlie Sheen is gone. Many Twitter users expressed their opinions on the show after the new season premiere. While the reaction was mixed, positive and negative, a majority of the responses were not in favor of the show’s new leading man.
“Ashton Kutcher disappointed me, Two and a Half Men needs Charlie Sheen,” tweeted Jacob Robinson following the premiere. Tweets similar to his were found all over Twitter after Ashton Kutch2er’s debut.
“Two and a half men has 0 chance with Ashton Kutcher,” tweeted Iamsqueek after the premiere. This reaction was more foreboding, as it insinuates that the show will not even last without Sheen.
“I hate Ashton Kutcher. I won’t watch the show,” said Mr. Tom White. Yet this distaste for the show is not only because of Ashton Kutcher, Mr. White also does not like John Cryer. Mr. White found Charlie Sheen funny and liked the show before because he laughed a lot. Now it seems as though Mr. White will not be tuned into CBS on Mondays at 9 pm.
But not all viewers had this reaction to the change of characters on the show. Charlie Sheen himself watched Ashton Kutcher’s pilot and declared that it was “really good,” and Kutcher was “terrific,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“Ashton Kutcher is hot. I would definitely watch the show now,” said senior Sam Intili. Clearly, she is fond of the replacement, and her reaction was similar to many other teenage girls across the nation.
“I didn’t really watch it before, but now I probably will because Ashton Kutcher is in it and I like him,” said senior Lauren Smith. This notion of newfound curiosity for the show is prevalent as people want to see what the show will be like with the new actor. Some believe that this curiosity will die out and viewers will be lost, based on the viewers dropping from the first week to the second week.
“I’m pumped for Ashton Kutcher,” said Mrs. Christine Sepcie, “but I’m not sure if the show will be good without Charlie Sheen. This statement seems to summarize that people do not know what to think about the changes in the show. For some, it is great and exciting, yet for others, they feel the show will not survive without the old star.
The last season’s premiere, containing Charlie Sheen had 14.6 million viewers, while this season’s premiere, lacking Charlie Sheen, had 28.7 million viewers. Even with its loss of viewers by the second week, the new actor is “winning” compared to Charlie Sheen’s amount of viewers, withstanding the fact that many found the new season to be “laughless.”
It will be intriguing as to whether Two and a Half Men will hold onto its viewers, or if they were merely there out of curiosity. To decide for yourself as to whether the show is in fact “winning” watch Two and a Half Men on CBS at 9 pm every Monday.