or


[08/03/11 - 10:33 AM]
Tassler: Meet Walden Schmidt, Ashton Kutcher's "Two and a Half Men" Character
By Brian Ford Sullivan (TFC)

LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- "Oh where do I begin," CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler said about the lessons learned from the Charlie Sheen situation on "Two and a Half Men." Tassler was on hand for the network's executive session at the TCA Summer Press Tour, where talk of Sheen and Ashton Kutcher not surprisingly dominated the conversation.

"There is great value in hiring an actor like Ashton Kutcher," she continued with regards to the aforementioned lessons. "He is [an] extraordinarily professional, talented, funny, gifted actor who comes with a tremendous amount of commitment and enthusiasm."

As for specifics about Kutcher's character, Tassler announced his name is Walden Schmidt. "He is a internet billionaire with a broken heart," she added, noting he won't be related to any of the current cast. "He is a unique character."

Tassler also said the season premiere "will be a two-parter over two weeks" and that the show will be "as irreverent as it has always been. Our program practices people are already on high alert."

She however wouldn't confirm or deny that Sheen's character is killed off on the show. "As we said in the whole marketing plan, all will be revealed on [September 19]. The mystery is a part of the marketing. It's going to be a big event."

As for other topics:

-- Tassler revealed Terry O'Quinn's arc on "Hawaii Five-0" will be six episodes. He plays a Navy Seal Lt. Commander who trained McGarrett (Alex O'Loughlin) in Coronado, and served with his father in Vietnam.

-- On how NFL overruns in parts of the country will affect "The Good Wife" in its new Sunday home: "The show will start maybe a little bit later but we have plans certainly in place to accommodate the show when there are overruns [and] for the whole night in general."

-- "We see Saturday night as an opportunity," Tassler says about "Rules of Engagement's" new Saturday time period. "Advertisers like comedies. It's a terrific show. We see this as an opportunity for us."

-- Tassler said they may do another "Jesse Stone" movie but beyond that there are no plans for any more TV movies or mini-series. "The schedule right now is very strong. We just didn't have enough room for them."

-- On the casting of Ted Danson in "CSI": "He's a huge TV star. He's got a tremendous amount of charisma. And it was really what we wanted in the show right now. When his name came up we jumped at it, we were thrilled to have him." When pressed if they considered going younger, Tassler affirmed that "we went for the best actor."

-- "I just don't think it founds its rhythm," Tassler said about the failure of "Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior." "It didn't click."

-- "First I think they should stick to comedy and check their stats a little better," Tassler said with regards to CBS being the frequent butt of comedians' jokes about skewing old. "Because we still have more 18-49 [viewers] than NBC and ABC so maybe they stay with comedy and not worry about demos and ratings so much."

-- As for its midseason plans, Tassler simply affirmed they have "The 2-2," "Undercover Boss" and are shooting a new pilot for "Rob," its Rob Schneider comedy.

-- "We are still actively looking for what is going to be new and different in the performance, competition, elimination, unscripted reality show," Tassler said with regards to CBS not having its own take on the genre. "We have a couple of things in development."

-- "There are no updates beyond 2012," Tassler said about the network's late-night lineup of David Letterman and Craig Ferguson.





  [august 2011]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
 


· CRIMINAL MINDS: SUSPECT BEHAVIOR (CBS)
· CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION (CBS)
· GOOD WIFE, THE (CBS)
· HAWAII FIVE-0 (CBS)
· NYC 22 (CBS)
· ROB (CBS)
· RULES OF ENGAGEMENT (CBS)
· TWO AND A HALF MEN (CBS)
· UNDERCOVER BOSS (CBS)





[02/11/26 - 09:33 AM]
Video: Trailer Debut - "Scrubs" Season One Premiering February 25th
With the show picking up in modern day, the series reunites the original cast for more heartwarming laughs and hijinks while introducing a new generation of interns.

[02/11/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Rental Family" - Trailer - Hulu
The Brendan Fraser-led film streams on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ February 18.

[02/11/26 - 09:00 AM]
Meet the Three New Farmers Ready to Cultivate Real Connections as "Farmer Wants a Wife" Returns Tuesday, April 21 at 8/7c on FOX
Hosted once again by Kimberly Williams-Paisley, season four strips the experience down to the roots, focusing on fewer farmers and deeper connections as a new group of single women leave behind city comforts for muddy boots, early mornings and the promise of forever.

[02/11/26 - 09:00 AM]
Raj Kapoor, Sarah Levine Hall and Jack Sussman to Produce "The 79th Annual Tony Awards"
Kapoor, whose live event work has earned him multiple Emmy Awards, joins the celebratory event for the first time, while Emmy winner Levine Hall and Sussman have a long history contributing to the success of Broadway's biggest night.

[02/11/26 - 08:31 AM]
Netflix's "XO, Kitty" Season 3 - First Look, Date Announcement & Synopsis Debut
The new season of the spin-off series returns to Netflix on Thursday, April 2, 2026.

[02/11/26 - 08:07 AM]
ID's "Hunt for the Missing: Chicago" Looks to Find Answers to Some of the City's Most Haunting Unsolved Cases
Following Retired Chicago Detective Pamela Childs, a fearless and unflinching investigator whose mission is to not let cold cases go forgotten, the series explores some of the city's most haunting unsolved missing persons cases.

[02/11/26 - 08:06 AM]
BritBox Announces March 18th Premiere for "The Lady"
The four-part drama series captures the rise and fall of former royal aide Jane Andrews, and stars Mia McKenna-Bruce as Andrews, Natalie Dormer as Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York and Ed Speleers as Thomas Cressman.

[02/11/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "Vladimir" - Official Trailer - Netflix
When an English professor becomes obsessed with a handsome new colleague, her already complicated marriage and career are thrown into total chaos.

[02/11/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: Prime Video Debuts Official Key Art and Trailer for "Scarpetta," Based on Patricia Cornwell's Bestselling Novels, Premiering March 11
With over 120 million copies sold worldwide since the character's debut in 1990, this adaptation marks the culmination of decades of anticipation as the beloved forensic pathologist finally comes to the screen.

[02/11/26 - 06:00 AM]
The "Descendants/ZOMBIES Worlds Collide: Concert Special" Is Coming to Disney+ and Disney Channel
The special will premiere February 19 on Disney Channel and will be available to stream the next day on Disney+.

[02/11/26 - 01:01 AM]
Video: "Louis Theroux: Inside The Manosphere" - Official Teaser - Netflix
With rare access and no holds barred, the acclaimed documentarian investigates a growing ultra-masculine network and its controversial influencers.

[02/11/26 - 12:01 AM]
Video: The Story Didn't End in Inferno - "Single's Inferno" Reunion - Netflix
The "Single's Inferno" reunion is coming February 14, only on Netflix.

[02/10/26 - 05:01 PM]
Netflix Confirms Production of "Love O'Clock" from the Writers of "Business Proposal" and "True Beauty" Director
Based on a popular webtoon, the series introduces a fresh twist on the body-swap romance: for just one random hour a day, two opposites step into each other's shoes - literally.

[02/10/26 - 04:01 PM]
Video: "Agents of Mystery" Season 2 - Official Trailer - Netflix
The cases have evolved. The investigation has already begun.

[02/10/26 - 03:51 PM]
Super Bowl LX Is Second Most-Watched All-Time with Nearly 125 Million Viewers, Peaking at All-Time U.S. Record 137.8 Million Viewers Across NBC, Peacock, and Telemundo
Super Bowl LX is the most-watched show in the history of NBCUniversal, which celebrates 100 years of NBC in 2026.