Charlie Harper was still alive, yetCharlie Sheenwas nowhere to be seen on CBS’Two and a Half Menseries finale.
Alan: “Yeah, but it didn’t work out”).
For the record, he was offered a role.
Credit: CBS
He would then explain that these dangers only apply to average people.
That he was far from average.
He was a ninja warrior from Mars.
And then we would drop a piano on him.
We thought it was funny.
We thought that was funny, too."
What was the meaning of that inclusion to you?
CHUCK LORRE: Oh, it felt funny.
It felt like the funniest and most succinct way to end the damn thing.
Were you hesitant at all to put yourself on camera for that key moment?
I got to be part of that and I didn’t want to be.
It was never my goal.
I got to live through that.
And having that last moment was like, “hey God, let that be over now.”
Why was the episode so heavily self-referential?
I think the answer to your question is, “Why not?”
It was our last swing at that bat.
We’re not going to find out how he met his mother.
This isn’t about how did they get on the island.
This was a story line we were excited about doing for a long time.
One thing had nothing to do with another.
We reached out to him four, five weeks ago.
He would look in the camera and have his moment.
The whole idea was for him to have a monologue into the camera.
That felt like a radical final moment for the finale.
We were hoping we could make it work.
It was not meant to be.
Your vanity card read like you were concerned viewers might be disappointed.
We were very well aware there was this desire to see him, but it didn’t work out.
And what can you do?
Was there anybody else besides Sheen who you wanted to get but didn’t?
I think we were pretty much able to get everybody we reached out to.
All of our wishes came true, for the most part.
What was it like having Arnold on board?
It was one of the most fun days I’ve ever had in this business.
He was such a game participant in this lunacy.
He showed up and made every moment work.
He had a great sense of humor and was very willing to have fun with his own persona.
We were just having fun.
It just becomes part of the air you breathe for 12 years.
It’s been a strange process of letting it go.
