Two and a Half Men: The Complete Series Blu Ray Review (Warner Bros.)

Two and a Half Men is a 2003 sitcom created/written/executive produced by Chuck Lorre (The Big Bang Theory universe, The Kominsky Method, Bookie, Grace Under Fire, and Mom) and Lee Aronsohn (Cybill, The Love Boat, Charles in Charge, CSI, and The Big Bang Theory). It was directed by James Widdoes (Mom), Gary Halvorson (Friends), Pamela Fryman (How I Met Your Mother), Jeff Melman (Everybody Loves Raymond), Rob Schiller (The King of Queens), Andy Ackerman (Seinfeld), Ted Wass (Spin City), James Burrows (Frasier), Andrew D. Weyman (Roseanne), and Jon Cryer (Disjointed). It was executive produced by Kim Tannenbaum and Eric Tannenbaum (The Odd Couple, The Last O.G., You Again, Impastor, Acapulco, Home Economics, and Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist). After years of marriage, Alan Harper (played by: Jon Cryer from Pretty in Pink, Dudes, Hiding Out, Supergirl, Superman IV, Went to Coney Island on a Mission from God… Be Back by Five, and Hot Shots!) is kicked out by his wife Judith (played by: Marin Hinkle from Once and Again, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Jumanji franchise, Dark Blue, and Quarantine). He is forced to ask his his older womanizing brother Charlie (played by: Charlie Sheen from Platoon, Wall Street, Young Guns, Anger Management, Major League, Eight Men Out, Money Talks, and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off) for help. Jingle writer and composer Charlie is struggling to change his easy lifestyle to accommodate the presence of his ten-year-old nephew Jake (played by: Angus T. Jones from The Rookie, Bringing Down the House, See Spot Run, Dinner with Friends, and George of the Jungle 2) and neurotic brother. This all causes his mess of a mother Evelyn (played by: Holland Taylor from Bill and Ted Face the Music, The Morning Show, Legally Blonde, Mr. Mercedes, and To Die For) to visit more which is not a good thing. His lazy maid Berta (played by: Conchata Ferrell from Mystic Pizza, Network, Edward Scissorhands, The Ranch, Krampus, Mr. Deeds, and True Romance) doesn’t like this new situation either. Charlie continues to get stalked by his neighbor Rose (played by: Melanie Lynskey from Yellowjackets, Detroit Rock City, Heavenly Creatures, Up in the Air, Sweet Home Alabama, Castle Rock, Rose Red, and Coyote Ugly) that he hooked up with before. These causes awkward scenarios for the entire family. Years later, billionaire Walden Schmidt (played by: Ashton Kutcher from That ’70s Show, Just Married, A Lot Like Love, Dude Where’s My Car?, My Boss’s Daughter, Guess Who, What Happens in Vegas, and The Butterfly Effect) decides to purchase Charlie’s glamerous beach house after almost killing himself when his wife Bridget (played by: Judy Greer from 13 Going on 30, Jurassic World franchise, Ant-Man franchise, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Cursed, Carrie, and Jawbreaker) abandons him but it comes with with a few catches, Alan and Jake!!!! Hollywood star Charlie Sheen gave television another shot after doing Spin City in 2000 and teamed up with TV super producer Chuck Lorre. It’s a well written comedy that deals with what you do for family and the ridiculous stuff that happens with it. It’s a sitcom that isn’t shy about crossing lines and doing whatever they want. It’s very adult and it’s funny as hell because it’s relatable. Co-creators Chuck Lorre, Lee Aronsohn, and lead actor Jon Cryer even got behind the camera to direct for this. TV legend James Burrows directed both pilots, yes they changed so much for it’s re-shoot that everyone knows as the first episode. They replaced the talented Blythe Danner (Meet the Parents franchise, Paul, The Last Kiss, The X Files, and Huff) that was originally playing the mother Evelyn. I think she would have been excellent here. Charlie Sheen shines as the wild Charlie Harper. It’s the perfect role for him, he’s damn near playing himself in a way. His amazing life includes endless women, non stop alcohol, lots of money, and a huge beach house in Malibu. His brother and nephew show up alter his entire awesome existence. He thinks it’s just going to be for a few days but it never ends for the regular party animal. Two and a Half Men was at it’s best when he was the star here for the first 8 seasons. Jon Cryer literally steals the show as the uptight and problematic Alan Harper. He’s top notch as the unlucky loser. He just can’t win no matter what. Later on, he picks up some serious bad habits from his older brother. He does some really unlikable things over the years for Two and a Half Men but they are beyond hilarious. The audience gets so used to his bullshit that it kinda adds to his unique charm. He’s one of those characters that consistently cracks you up with his over the top antics. Despite all of his flaws, he is a fantastic father and he really tries to do good at times but it always backfires. I will say that it’s really not believable for all of the quality girls that he hooks up over the years on this but I understand, it’s all for the entertainment. Both of these roles are beyond unlikable if done by the wrong people but Sheen and Cryer manage to make them likeable somehow. Melanie Lynskey is hysterical as the crazy Rose. She’s mysterious at first, the audience learns more about her later on. She just can’t get over Charlie and their one night stand. She is super important to future subplots and seasons. She leaves for awhile but presence is missed when she’s gone. You basically get to see Angus T. Jones grow up on the small screen as Jake Harper. I’m not going to lie, he’s very annoying early on but his character gets much better later on. He found religion before the 10th season so he stepped away from it all besides a few cameos every once in awhile after that. I’ll be honest, I originally stopped watching Two and a Half Men halfway through Season 9. It just wasn’t the same after Sheen left, I wasn’t a big fan of all of the changes so I moved on from it. I finally gave the entire Season 9 to 12 run a real chance when I got this complete series for coverage. Ashton Kutcher grows on you after a little bit as the wealthy Walden Schmidt. He’s completely different from Charlie but that’s the whole point. He’s a genuine good person unlike most of the people in Two and a Half Men. He loses his shit when his long time wife leaves him. He isn’t used to talking care of himself because he’s never had to do it since he’s loaded with cash. That’s how Alan sneaks back into the beach house and Walden’s life. They are unlikely best friends but it works for the most part. The supporting cast includes Holland Taylor, Conchata Ferrell, Marin Hinkle, Judy Greer, Arnold Schwarzenegger (Terminator franchise), Sean Penn (Mystic River), James Earl Jones (Star Wars franchise), Harry Dean Stanton (Alien), Gary Busey (Lethal Weapon), Emilio Estevez (The Breakfast Club), Judd Nelson (St. Elmo’s Fire), Martin Sheen (The West Wing), Steven Tyler (Aerosmith), Denise Richards (Starship Troopers), Miley Cyrus (The Night Before), Heather Locklear (The Return of Swamp Thing), Mila Kunis (That ’70s Show), Teri Hatcher (Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman), Jaime Pressly (My Name Is Earl), Brooke Shields (Alice, Sweet Alice), Amber Tamblyn (House), Courtney Thorne-Smith (According to Jim), Ryan Stiles (The Drew Carey Show), Sophie Winkleman (Wonka), Jennifer Taylor (Shameless), April Bowlby (Doom Patrol), Emmanuelle Vaugier (Saw II), Jane Lynch (The 40-Year-Old Virgin), Graham Patrick Martin (Major Crimes), D.B. Sweeney (Fire in the Sky), Clark Duke (Hot Tub Time Machine), Jenny McCarthy (Scream 3), Mimi Rogers (Desperate Hours), Kimberly Williams (Father of the Bride franchise), Patton Oswalt (The King of Queens), Carl Reiner (The Dick Van Dyke Show), Jason Alexander (Seinfeld), Cloris Leachman (Young Frankenstein), Chris O’Donnell (Batman and Robin), Michael Clarke Duncan (The Green Mile), Tom Wilson (Back to the Future Trilogy), and Lynda Carter (Wonder Woman). It’s no surprise but Two and a Half Men had some of the biggest cameos in television history. Lots of eye candy throughout it’s run, it has all kinds of beautiful women in it including big names that everyone knows. It probably should have ended after Season 8. I do think it’s ironic that it’s called Two and a Half Men because when it comes to Season 10 to 12, it’s just Two Men because Young basically left after 9. I thought 9 through 11 were solid enough but I absolutely hated Season 12 with a passion. They jumped the shark like crazy. They always had the inside joke that Walden and Alan were gay for the remainder of the show because they lived together. So they forced a scenario where they had to get married and it just didn’t work at all. I know when Charlie Sheen left, it was the biggest news in TV and almost everyone thought this was over despite it being the most popular sitcom on at the time. Chuck Lorre and Lee Aronsohn were so petty on all of the later seasons. They awkwardly took shots at Charlie Sheen all the time and it’s finale was ridiculous. It’s a huge twist so I won’t say anything but it was one of the worst endings in the history of television. It should have never be happened. Besides 12, the rest of Two and a Half Men is some of the most entertaining sitcom material ever. It’s nice to see it finally get upgraded to HD on home video after all the this time, STRONGLY RECOMMENDED!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and list the special features from Warner Bros TV! These 1080p (1.78:1) transfers on all 262 episodes look way better than expected on Blu Ray for it’s HD debut in the states for physical media. It’s step above it’s original telecast and airings. It has 2.0 for the first 6 seasons and it has 5.0 for it’s final 6 seasons. It’s definitely a solid upgrade when it comes to the audio, the laughs are non stop. All of the dialogue is crystal clear, the over the top situations are elevated, and the music has a big boost to it. It has English SDH subtitles. Luckily, all of the previous DVD home video release extras seem to ported over for this 25 disc set. Season 1 has the 28 minute “Two Adults, One Kid, No Grown-Ups”. It has the 8 minute “Backstage Tour with Angus T. Jones”. It has the 6 minute “Gag Reel”. Season 2 has the 16 minute “A Day of the Life of Two and a Half Men”. It has the 11 minute “The Serious Business of Writing Comedy”. It has the 9 minute “Gag Reel”. Season 3 has the 10 minute “Gag Reel”. Season 4 has multiple “Audio Commentaries” on episodes 21 and 22. It has the 13 minute “Two Men Talking about Two and a Half Men”. It has the 8 minute “Gag Reel”. Season 5 has the 5 minute “Two and a Half Men at 100”. It has the 5 minute “The Lore of Chuck Lorre: Must Pause TV”. It has the 10 minute “Two and a Half Men: Dying is Easy, Comedy is Hard”. It has the 42 minute bonus episode “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation – Two and a Half Deaths” directed by Alec Smight (CSI: Cyber, Criminal Minds, Dwight in Shining Armor, and MacGyver). It features William Petersen (Manhunter), Marg Helgenberger (Species), Gary Dourdan (Alien: Resurrection), George Eads (Young Justice), Eric Szmanda (CSI: Immortality), Robert David Hall (The Negotiator), Paul Guilfoyle (L.A. Confidential), Stephen Tobolowsky (Groundhog Day), Diedrich Bader (Office Space), and Katey Sagal (Sons of Anarchy) plus uncredited cameos from the original leads from Two and a Half Men. Season 6 has the 13 minute “Two and a Half Men: Growing up Harper”. It has the 16 minute “The Women of Two and a Half Men”. It has the 7 minute “Gag Reel”. Season 7 has the 9 minute “A Charlie Harper Ex Reunion”. It has the 7 minute “Gag Reel”. Season 9 has the 18 minute “Two and a Half Men Version 2.0”. It has the 10 minute “The Billionaire Upgrade: Walden Schmidt’s Malibu House Redesign”. It has the 7 minute “Gag Reel”. Season 10 has the 8 minute “Two Manly Men Singing and Dancing”. It has the 10 minute “Gag Reel”. Season 11 has the 12 minute “Gag Reel”. Season 12 has the 10 minute “Gag Reel”. It comes in a huge slipbox with 2 separate big cases, one that holds Seasons 1-6 and one that holds Seasons 7-12. It’s available everywhere right now including MovieZyng.com, CHECK IT OUT!!!!