14 DAY TRIAL // Even though some fans (they of team Charlie Sheen) hoped season 9 of “Two and a Half Men” would also be its last, and despite a dip in ratings in the second half of the same season, the sitcom has been renewed.
All three members of the cast, Ashton Kutcher, Jon Cryer and Angus T. Jones will return to reprise their roles in season 10, The Hollywood Reporter says.
After some negotiations, they have also received minor pay raises. As a side note, Kutcher is still many miles away from the salary Charlie Sheen commanded per episode back in the day, but he's still making a pretty penny.
“The 10th season renewal news comes after protracted talks among the network, Warner Brothers TV and the show’s trio of stars, Ashton Kutcher, Jon Cryer and Angus T. Jones. All will return with small raises, according to well-placed sources,” THR writes.
That a 10th season will be made is a given; that the stars will be paid more for it is just hearsay at this point.
“While contract specifics are being kept tightly guarded, source tell The Hollywood Reporter that Kutcher will make slightly more than the $700,000 [€544,196.5] to $725,000 [€563,632.1] per episode (or about $15 [€11.6] million to $16 [€12.4] million) he is widely thought to be making this season,” the same media outlet says.
His co-stars, though boasting of more “Men” experience, are being paid considerably less.
“Cryer, who is said to make a little less than that, and Jones, who earns about half what Kutcher does, will get similar bumps,” THR notes.
As we noted a while back, even though many fans turned against the show when showrunner Chuck Lorre decided, upon firing Charlie Sheen, that it should go on without him, “Men” was never in any real danger of being canceled.
Indeed, Kutcher's performance and role, and the overall feel of the “new” version of the sitcom have all been harshly criticized, but it still held strong against competition, ranking third.
As THR puts it, it's a “financial cash cow for both its network and studio,” so it would have made no sense to axe it just because some fans wanted Sheen back.