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)





[07/28/26 - 10:01 AM]
National Geographic Documentary Films Greenlights New Film from Oscar and Multi BAFTA Award-Winning Director James Marsh
Brought to the screen by Magna Studios for release in 2027, the film brings to life the gripping true story of Aron Ralston, who inspired the Academy Award-nominated Searchlight Pictures film "127 Hours," directed by Danny Boyle.

[07/28/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Below" - Official Teaser - Netflix
Josh Hartnett stars in the suspenseful new thriller, coming to Netflix on October 8.

[07/28/26 - 08:01 AM]
HBO Max Launches New Mobile Features for Enhanced Content Discovery
"HBO Max Shorts" is designed to help users discover something to watch by highlighting iconic and memorable scenes from the HBO Max library in a vertical, scrollable feed.

[07/28/26 - 08:01 AM]
A Killer Comeback Awaits as Paramount+ Reveals First-Look Images of "Dexter: Resurrection" Season Two
The new season is coming later this year on Paramount+.

[07/28/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Rory Kennedy and her Emmy-nominated producing partner Mark Bailey continue their urgent investigation into the once-iconic aviation giant, uncovering startling new revelations and capturing voices from the inside.

[07/28/26 - 07:31 AM]
AMC Global Media's Acorn TV Renews Critically Acclaimed Crime Drama "Art Detectives," Starring Stephen Moyer, for a Second Season
Production begins in Belfast and across Northern Ireland this July and will premiere with a two-part special this December, followed by a full six-episode season in 2027.

[07/28/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "The Last Sunrise" - Official Trailer - Prime Video
Based on the beloved novel, The Last Sunrise follows Ry (Maia Reficco), a college student with a chronic illness, on a summer escape to Mallorca with her mother (Eva Longoria).

[07/28/26 - 06:01 AM]
Video: "Here the Whole Time" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Felipe just wanted a quiet summer with his artsy mom and every musical he could binge... when his childhood crush knocked on his door to join the party.

[07/28/26 - 06:01 AM]
MGM+ Picks Up Action Thriller Series "Embassy," Starring Anna Kendrick, Sam Heughan and J.K. Simmons from AGC Television, Ascendant Fox, and Turbine Studios
When armed mercenaries storm the U.S. Embassy in London, Layla (Kendrick), a sharp and resourceful American diplomat, faces an impossible choice: protect the U.S. Ambassador (Simmons) or follow his orders to exfiltrate a high value asset being held at the embassy.

[07/28/26 - 06:01 AM]
Video: Apple TV's Emmy Award-Winning Series "Ted Lasso" Returns to the Pitch in Season Four Trailer
"Ted Lasso" returns with its 10-episode new season on Wednesday, August 5, 2026 with one episode, followed by new episodes every Wednesday through October 7 on Apple TV.

[07/28/26 - 06:00 AM]
The CW Network and ESPN Set August 4 Launch for CW Sports Live Streaming on the ESPN App
More than 800 annual hours of CW Sports will be broadcast live on The CW Network as well as stream live on the ESPN App for viewers with an ESPN Unlimited subscription plan.

[07/28/26 - 12:01 AM]
Video: "Mourinho" - Official Trailer - Netflix
This trophy-packed, insider-fueled documentary charts José Mourinho's iconic rise as one of the world's top footballing managers of the most elite clubs.

[07/27/26 - 04:01 PM]
Lee Chang-dong's "Possible Love" Sets November 6 Netflix Release Ahead of Venice and Toronto Premieres
The film follows two married couples - a laid-off worker and his wife, and a documentary filmmaker and her husband - whose paths cross when the filmmaker sets out to film them, bringing both marriages face to face with their different lives and hidden desires.

[07/27/26 - 02:00 PM]
ABC Announces Fall 2026 Premiere Dates
The news comes following a successful season where ABC delivered 10 of the Top 20 programs in the 2025-2026 broadcast season across Adults 18-49, more than any other broadcast network.

[07/27/26 - 12:56 PM]
"How to Catch a Dirtbag" Premieres August 5 on Discovery Channel
A new series featuring the "investigations" of internet sensation Michael McWhorter, aka "Tizzy Ent", who has popularized the art of internet crowd sourcing to help identify those who appear to do horrible things in public and seem to get away with it.