Two and a Half Men (season 1)

Two and a Half Men (season 1)

DVD cover art
Country of origin United States
No. of episodes 24
Release
Original network CBS
Original release September 22, 2003 (2003-09-22) – May 24, 2004 (2004-05-24)

The first season of Two and a Half Men, an American television series created by Chuck Lorre and Lee Aronsohn, that aired its pilot episode on September 22, 2003, at 9:30 p.m., ET/PT, on CBS, a U.S. broadcast television network. The pilot received great reviews and an Artios Award nomination for Best Casting for TV, Comedy Pilot (Nikki Valko, Ken Miller).[1] In the week of October 1, 2003, the series was ranked 7th highest in the top ten shows of the week according to Nielsen Research, with an average 12.1/18 rating.[2] Thanks to this, the series was able to air another 23 episodes, and was renewed for a second season in 2004.[3] The DVD set was released on Region 2 on September 12, 2005, and on Region 1 on September 11, 2007. Its bonus material included: a blooper, outtakes, a backstage tour with Angus T. Jones and a behind-the-scenes special, with the cast and crew of Two and a Half Men.

Production

The series is set in a large oceanfront home in Malibu, California, although most of the series is filmed in Burbank, California at the Warner Brothers Burbank Studios at 4000 Warner Boulevard.[4] The show features Charlie Sheen as Charlie Harper, Jon Cryer as Alan Harper, Angus T. Jones as Jake Harper, Holland Taylor as Evelyn Harper, Melanie Lynskey as Rose and Marin Hinkle as Judith Harper. Conchata Ferrell as Berta had a recurring role in the first season, but became a main cast member in the following season. The song, "Manly Men", was written by the show's creator Chuck Lorre,[5] and the signature opening intro features the theme being lip-synced by the show's three main actors, but they are not the original performers. One of the performers is Elizabeth Daily.[5]

Casting

Originally, actress Blythe Danner was cast to portray Evelyn Harper, but when she started to suggest changes to scenes, she was dismissed by the producers; one of the bosses commented: "Blythe is a wonderful actress who was put in a part that was not a good fit for her."[6]

"Most Chicks Won't Eat Veal", the original pilot, with Danner as Evelyn, remained unaired.[7][8] According to the Internet Movie Database, Sheen was cast because the creators saw him on Spin City, in which he also portrayed a lonely bachelor afraid of commitment. The show was becoming a huge hit, and breathed much needed life into Sheen's fading career. Before their reunion on the series, Cryer and Sheen had both appeared in the comedy Hot Shots.[9] Other connections between the actors are that Taylor, Sheen and Cryer have each appeared in a John Hughes film (Sheen in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Cryer in Pretty in Pink and Taylor in She's Having a Baby),[5] and that Jones, Ferrell, Taylor and Hinkle have all made guest appearances in ER. Additionally, Sheen and Cryer each made guest appearances on the animated series Family Guy.

Cast

Main

Recurring

Awards and nominations

Two and a Half Men was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards but lost all three of them. The show won the People's Choice Awards for Best New Comedy Series and was nominated for two Young Artist Awards for Best Family Television Series (Comedy or Drama) and for Best Performance in a TV series (Comedy or Drama) and won one for Angus T. Jones for playing Jake Harper. It won the ASCAP award for Top TV Series and it also won BMI Film and TV Award for Best Music in TV. It was also nominated Casting Society of America for the casting of a series.

Episodes

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
11"Pilot"
"Most Chicks Won't Eat Veal"
James BurrowsChuck Lorre & Lee AronsohnSeptember 22, 2003 (2003-09-22)18.44[10]

Carefree bachelor Charlie Harper (Charlie Sheen)'s life is turned upside down when his divorced brother Alan (Jon Cryer) and nephew Jake (Angus T. Jones) move in with him. After returning from a meal trying in which he failed to reconcile with his wife, Judith (Marin Hinkle), Alan finds Charlie to be an irresponsible caretaker for Jake after Charlie allows him play poker, so he takes Jake to move in with his mother, Evelyn (Holland Taylor) instead. But when Alan learns that Jake likes Charlie more, he decides to move back in with him and stay there. Meanwhile, one of Charlie's one-night stands named Rose (Melanie Lynskey) is stalking him. Alan lets her into the house thinking that she is Charlie's housekeeper and she glues all his cabinets shut.

Title quotation from: Charlie, after Alan says that Judith is gay and that they ate veal at the restaurant. ("Most Chicks Won't Eat Veal" was the name of the original pilot episode with Blythe Danner as Evelyn instead of Holland Taylor, and the quotation remained.)
22"Big Flappy Bastards"Andy AckermanStory by: Chuck Lorre & Lee Aronsohn
Teleplay by: Eddie Gorodetsky & Jeff Abugov
September 29, 2003 (2003-09-29)16.18[11]

When Jake starts feeding the seagulls after Charlie (who is afraid of seagulls) warns him not to, the gulls gather all over Jake's room, causing tension between Jake and Charlie. This gives Charlie an idea of what parenting can be like. Meanwhile, Alan tries to win Judith back by repeatedly going over to her house to fix things; after Alan snaps and tells her that he has had enough and that she is free, the two end up sharing a kiss, but Alan eventually tells Judith that the marriage is over.

Title quotation from: Charlie, describing the seagulls as he prepares to clear them out of Jake's room.
33"Go East on Sunset Until You Reach the Gates of Hell"Andy AckermanStory by: Chuck Lorre & Don Foster
Teleplay by: Mark Roberts & Lee Aronsohn
October 6, 2003 (2003-10-06)14.82[12]

Jake brings his pet guinea pig to Charlie's house. Jake becomes ill and wants to go back to his mother's, which upsets Alan. To make matters worse, the guinea pig suddenly dies, which Alan sees as symbolic of the way his life is falling apart. He gets depressed and has a drink with Charlie. After their drinking binge they confront their mother for the way they are, but chicken out. It is later revealed that their drunken cab journey home was taped and put on a TV show.

Title quotation from: Charlie, explaining to the taxi driver the fictional whereabouts of Evelyn's house.
44"If I Can't Write My Chocolate Song, I'm Going to Take a Nap"Andy AckermanStory by: Chuck Lorre & Lee Aronsohn
Teleplay by: Susan Beavers & Don Foster
October 13, 2003 (2003-10-13)14.73[13]

Charlie's housekeeper Berta (Conchata Ferrell) quits because Alan keeps criticizing her housekeeping skills. Alan is willing to take over her duties, but Charlie misses all the little things she did for him, like making his coffee taste "Christmassy". So Alan tries to make peace with Berta by finding her and attempting to bring her back. Meanwhile, Charlie tries to get Jake ready for his mother who is coming to pick him up – but Jake is more interested in fixing his bike's chain.

Title quotation from: Charlie, after losing inspiration because his piano smelled like lemon Pledge.
55"The Last Thing You Want to Do Is Wind Up with a Hump"Andy AckermanStory by: Chuck Lorre & Lee Aronsohn
Teleplay by: Eddie Gorodetsky & Jeff Abugov
October 20, 2003 (2003-10-20)15.24[14]

After spending a wild night in Las Vegas, Charlie decides to live up to his promise that he made to Jake about attending his soccer game. During the game, Charlie hits it off with an unattached soccer mom named Kate. Alan sets up a meeting with Gloria (one of the soccer moms) to write a soccer newsletter, but Gloria has other intentions for the evening, unrelated to soccer.

Title quotation from: Alan, giving one of the soccer moms a back massage.
66"Did You Check with the Captain of the Flying Monkeys?"Andy AckermanStory by: Chuck Lorre & Lee Aronsohn
Teleplay by: Susan Beavers & Don Foster
October 27, 2003 (2003-10-27)15.82[15]

Charlie has dated the daughter of Evelyn's new boyfriend, and tries to avoid meeting her again. Evelyn's boyfriend discovers this and dumps her, not because of what happened with Charlie and his daughter, but because Evelyn's boyfriend leaves her for another woman. This makes Evelyn depressed and she doesn't leave Charlie and Alan alone – spending hours performing songs in front of them and Jake in the living room. Charlie finally fixes this with a long and deep conversation.

Title quotation from: Charlie, offering up a suggestion when Alan announces their mother is missing.
77"If They Do Go Either Way, They're Usually Fake"Andy AckermanStory by: Chuck Lorre & Don Foster
Teleplay by: Mark Roberts & Lee Aronsohn
November 3, 2003 (2003-11-03)16.02[16]

Judith gets worried when Jake draws the tattooed buttocks of a female surfer friend of Charlie's, who walks around his place half naked. Charlie wants to sleep with her but she only visits his place to shower after surfing. Alan feels concern for Judith when she befriends the surfer girl. Jake begins to learn from Charlie about fake and real boobs and doesn't stop comparing them both.

Title quotation from: Charlie, describing breast implants to Jake while the two watch bikini surfers on the beach.
88"Twenty-Five Little Pre-pubers Without a Snootful"Chuck LorreStory by: Chuck Lorre & Lee Aronsohn
Teleplay by: Eddie Gorodetsky & Jeff Abugov
November 10, 2003 (2003-11-10)15.81[17]

Alan tricks Charlie into joining him and Judith in leading Jake and his classmates in the school's annual music show, which Charlie does not enjoy. Meanwhile, Alan discovers that Judith has filed for a divorce and is not happy. When he and Judith talk about the divorce, Charlie takes over the play; he soon enjoys the ride when the children learn he is the writer who wrote their favorite jingles. The children choose Charlie's songs instead of Alan and Judith's and he turns the show into a disaster.

Title quotation from: Charlie, on why he is preparing margaritas for his afternoon with Jake's school class.
99"Phase One, Complete"Andy AckermanStory by: Chuck Lorre & Lee Aronsohn
Teleplay by: Susan Beavers & Don Foster
November 17, 2003 (2003-11-17)15.98[18]

Charlie wants to dump a female friend that Jake has grown close to, while Alan and Rose bond over a game of Scrabble. It is revealed that Rose bonded with Alan to get closer to Charlie. Jake gets mad at Charlie for letting his girlfriend dump her.

Title quotation from: Rose, when Charlie says he believes that she and Alan are just friends.
1010"Merry Thanksgiving"Jay SandrichChuck Lorre & Lee AronsohnNovember 24, 2003 (2003-11-24)17.14[19]

In an attempt to prove that he is a family man, Charlie invites his ex-girlfriend, Lisa (Denise Richards), over for Thanksgiving dinner. He must also convince his family to join him as well, which also includes Judith and her parents. The atmosphere becomes awkward after Evelyn announces to Judith's parents that their daughter is gay; Judith becomes annoyed when her mother takes Alan's side in their divorce.

Title quotation from: Charlie, greeting Lisa when she arrives for Thanksgiving.
1111"Alan Harper, Frontier Chiropractor"Robert BerlingerStory by: Chuck Lorre & Don Foster
Teleplay by: Lee Aronsohn & Mark Roberts
December 15, 2003 (2003-12-15)14.77[20]

While at the movies, the brothers accidentally bump into Judith and her new boyfriend, who turns out to be Jake's soccer coach. Seeing that Judith has changed her look, and the fact that Jake doesn't think Alan is as cool as Judith, Alan realizes that if he wants to get back into the dating scene he's going to have to change his look as well, with Charlie's assistance. The new look earns him several compliments, but he gives up at the end, confessing Charlie that he is afraid of it.

Title quotation from: The list of superhero names that Alan gives to himself while he and Charlie are at the bar. While not saying the quote, it is implied that this will be his new superhero name after his "transformation."
1212"Camel Filters + Pheromones"Robert BerlingerStory by: Chuck Lorre & Lee Aronsohn
Teleplay by: Susan Beavers & Mark Roberts
January 5, 2004 (2004-01-05)16.75[21]

When Berta is forced to bring her granddaughter, 16-year-old Prudence (Megan Fox), to work with her, the boys find themselves a little preoccupied with her. Jake ends up falling for her. Judith almost catches her walking around in a bikini, but Charlie and Alan manage to hide her. Prudence later shows up with her new fiancee asking to spend the night at Charlie's home before going to Las Vegas to get married, but Berta arrives and stops her.

Title quotation from: Berta, describing Prudence's smell to Jake.
1313"Sarah Like Puny Alan"Robert BerlingerStory by: Chuck Lorre
Teleplay by: Lee Aronsohn & Don Foster
January 12, 2004 (2004-01-12)17.86[22]

Charlie finally gets a chance for a double date with a hot neighbor and her sister (who's a hot soap opera actress), and needs Alan to come along. The problem is that Alan catches an illness from a sick Jake, so Charlie takes them to a steam room to help Alan get rid of his flu symptoms. This backfires, as Charlie also gets sick, but he has no intentions of canceling the date, desperate to go to bed with her.

Title quotation from: Alan, imitating a girl he got stuck with while double dating with Charlie.
1414"I Can't Afford Hyenas"Rob SchillerStory by: Chuck Lorre & Lee Aronsohn
Teleplay by: Jeff Abugov & Eddie Gorodetsky
February 2, 2004 (2004-02-02)16.48[23]

After Charlie's credit card gets declined, he decides to visit his accountant. The accountant, Stan (Richard Lewis), tries to explain Charlie's financial woes to him: Charlie spends faster than his royalty checks come in. Alan coaches Charlie on how to live frugally. Alan then suggests that Charlie could borrow money from their mother, but Charlie gets annoyed when Evelyn asks to take them out for lunch, and he refuses. Eventually, Rose lends the money to Charlie, and he promises to pay her back.

Title quotation from: Charlie, realizing he cannot afford what he hopes to buy.
1515"Round One to the Hot Crazy Chick"Andrew D. WeymanChuck Lorre & Lee AronsohnFebruary 9, 2004 (2004-02-09)16.96[24]

Against Alan's judgement, Charlie falls for a seemingly crazy woman named Frankie (Jenna Elfman) whom the brothers find smashing up a BMW in a parking lot with a baseball bat. She reveals that she has nowhere to stay, and Charlie invites her to spend the night at his place. The next day, Frankie says she needs to pick something up, which turns out to be her 8-year-old daughter.

Title quotation from: Charlie, after being told by Frankie she won't have sex with him.
1616"That Was Saliva, Alan"Andrew D. WeymanChuck Lorre & Lee AronsohnFebruary 16, 2004 (2004-02-16)17.39[25]

Frankie tells Charlie and Alan why she and her daughter are on the run. Frankie's daughter has a crush on Jake, who doesn't respond to this. Frankie and Alan end up sharing a kiss, and Alan takes her and her daughter out for a picnic, with hopes of starting a relationship with Frankie. Frankie eventually says that she cannot date Alan, even though she does spend the night with him. As she leaves for San Francisco, she gives him her bra as a memento of her.

Title quotation from: Charlie, after Alan explains the rush of feelings he has for Frankie.
1717"Ate the Hamburgers, Wearing the Hats"Andrew D. WeymanStory by: Jeff Abugov & Eric Lapidus
Teleplay by: Eddie Gorodetsky & Mark Roberts
February 23, 2004 (2004-02-23)16.48[26]

Alan offends Charlie by choosing their cousins from Rhode Island as Jake's guardians in the event of his and Judith's deaths. After Alan goes out, Charlie accidentally injures Jake during a basketball game, but manages to take good care of him by driving him to the hospital. This makes Alan realize that Charlie can take care of Jake and he chooses Charlie to be Jake's guardian when he and Judith pass instead.

Title quotation from: Charlie, as he attempts to cover the fact that Jake has stitches from a basketball accident.
1818"An Old Flame with a New Wick"Andrew D. WeymanStory by: Chuck Lorre & Don Foster
Teleplay by: Lee Aronsohn & Mark Roberts
March 1, 2004 (2004-03-01)17.10[27]

Charlie goes to meet his ex-girlfriend, Jill, who has invited him to the bar, but he is stunned when he learns that Jill is now a trans man (Chris O'Donnell) who calls himself Bill. Berta greatly enjoys the situation, especially when Evelyn meets Bill and they start dating.

Title quotation from: Berta, about Charlie's ex-girlfriend who has had a sex-change.
1919"I Remember the Coatroom, I Just Don't Remember You"Gail MancusoStory by: Chuck Lorre & Lee Aronsohn
Teleplay by: Don Foster Eddie Gorodetsky
March 22, 2004 (2004-03-22)16.43[28]

Judith's sister Liz (Teri Hatcher), whom Charlie slept with at Alan's wedding, hits on now-free Alan at Jake's birthday party. In order to keep her sister separate from his ex-husband, Judith does claims she's going to seduce Charlie, a tactic which works successfully. Elsewhere, Evelyn prefers alcohol to cake and becomes inebriated during Jake's party.

Title quotation from: Liz, after Charlie asks her about the time at Alan and Judith's wedding reception.
2020"Hey, I Can Pee Outside in the Dark"Gary HalvorsonStory by: Chuck Lorre & Lee Aronsohn
Teleplay by: Jeff Abugov & Mark Roberts
April 19, 2004 (2004-04-19)14.58[29]

Judith believes that Jake is having a hard time dealing with his parents' divorce, when he starts annoying everyone with his non-stop guitar playing (he only plays one song over and over). She suggests that they send Jake to a therapist (Jane Lynch). After the adults make many futile attempts to speak with him, Jake comes downstairs in a cheerful mood. When they question each other about it, Berta reveals that she spoke to Jake and gave him prune juice; he was constipated. The episode ends with a jam session of Charlie, Alan, and Jake, with Jake running off to the restroom thanks to the prune juice.

Title quotation from: Alan after Charlie discovers he saw a therapist as a child.
2121"No Sniffing, No Wowing"Rob SchillerStory by: Lee Aronsohn & Susan Beavers
Teleplay by: Chuck Lorre & Don Foster
May 3, 2004 (2004-05-03)16.20[30]

Charlie jeopardizes Alan's divorce settlement by sleeping with his attorney, Laura (Heather Locklear), who takes a liking to Charlie and blackmails him with Alan's settlement if he breaks up with her. After Charlie stupidly breaks up with her, Laura spitefully grants Judith with most of Alan's personal possessions. Though Alan fires Laura and has her decisions negated, he furiously chases Charlie around the house.

Title quotation from: Alan, giving Charlie explicit instructions not to have anything to do with the attorney.
2222"My Doctor Has a Cow Puppet"Gail MancusoStory by: Lee Aronsohn & Don Foster
Teleplay by: Chuck Lorre & Eddie Gorodetsky
May 10, 2004 (2004-05-10)16.00[31]

Charlie attempts to cure Alan of his recent bout of sleepwalking. Jake sees his therapist, who ends up treating Alan, too.

Title quotation from: Jake, explaining to Evelyn about his therapist.
2323"Just Like Buffalo"Rob SchillerStory by: Chuck Lorre & Susan Beavers
Teleplay by: Lee Aronsohn & Don Foster
May 17, 2004 (2004-05-17)15.20[32]

Judith has her support group over, and Jake repeats Charlie's negative comments about women, in which Charlie said that as long as you have a woman for sexual pleasure and another for cleaning, there should be no reason to get married. Furious, Judith prevents Jake from going to Charlie's the following weekend, until Charlie manages to woo her support group by having them, too, spend some time at his house.

Title quotation from: Charlie, describing the women of Judith's support group.
2424"Can You Feel My Finger?"Rob SchillerStory by: Chuck Lorre
Teleplay by: Chuck Lorre & Lee Aronsohn
May 24, 2004 (2004-05-24)18.16[33]

A woman with whom Charlie has had sex thinks she is pregnant, but turns out not to be. Following this close call, Charlie attempts to get a vasectomy. At first he seems okay with the idea after witnessing how troublesome babies can be, but after seeing how happy his doctor, Dr. Sperlock (Terry Rhoads), is when he learns he is going to be a father, Charlie decides against the operation – and scores a date with the doctor's assistant.

Title quotation from: Dr. Sperlock, making sure the anesthetic is working.

References

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General references
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