The SESA Mailbag #2
Dear Lee Aronsohn,
I'm not sure if you're the right person to talk to about this but I have some queries about your show Two And A Half Men, and there doesn't seem to be a definitive 'guy' to contact about the show. If you aren't the 'guy', can you pass this on to the 'guy'? Thanks.
Firstly, I'm wondering who came up with that there annoying theme song - if I can call an acapella group singing 'men men men men men men men men men men men men men men men men men men men men men men men men men men men men men men men' for 45 seconds a theme song and not just an aural assault on your audience? It's incredibly annoying - and obviously whoever thought of it thought they were much cleverer than they actually are.
Although, actually a teeny bit cleverer that the fool who heard it and decided that a refrain of 'meeeen!' should be inserted between each scene.
Yeah, I know. It's a show about men, and so the theme song is about men. But it would have been much cleverer and less offensive it the theme song was 'men men me-'
Get it? Two and a half men! And over in a heartbeat, resulting in a greatly reduced annoyancy quotient.
Secondly, I am confused as to why the 'man' who isn't Charlie Sheen keeps talking about women.
Isn't he gay? I always assumed he was gay. Isn't that the whole point of the show - guy loses wife and gets gay brother to move in and help raise cute kid?
If he's not gay, why did you cast Jack McFarland's less charismatic twin for the role? And - more importantly - if he's not gay, what's the difference between your show and - oh, I don't know - My Two Dads? Where's the 'modern-day twist on the standard sitcom format'? Why do you even have a show?
Finally (because I don't think even you can explain to me how Charlie Sheen went from tolerable film actor in such cheesy 80's awesomeness as Major League and Men At Work to boring, squinty sitcom star, so I won't even bother) - I have some problems with the 'half'.
Now, you've done a lot of sitcom work - you wrote for Who's the Boss?, for heavens sake - so I'd assume that you know the 'children=cute' rule. You must know that the whole point to children in sitcoms is to add cuteness. We want sacchrine sweet. We want adorable. We want a catchphrase. Most of all, we want 'awwww'. That is what children are there for.
Which is why this was a very risky casting decision. Sure, he seems to bring the cute. I can picture dorky one-liners coming out of that mouth, and I can even picture 'awwwing' them. But unless you're going into this show assuming you'll only get the one season, it's really worth rewatching The Wonder Years and taking note of what happened to adorable little Fred Savage before you make the final call.
Otherwise four years later you end up with this.
And, you know, it's ok for your regular viewers. They know. They know that he was once adorkable and now we're watching a particularly painful adolescence play out on screen. But us casual viewers just end up scratching our heads.
'Hang on, wasn't the kid on this show supposed to be cute? I swear I watched this show once and the kid was cute. What is that?'
But on the other hand, you're obviously all very lovely people. Less lovely people would have traded him in for a cuter, younger model.
It's too bad your show is still really crap.
Yours,
Chesty LaRue
I'm not sure if you're the right person to talk to about this but I have some queries about your show Two And A Half Men, and there doesn't seem to be a definitive 'guy' to contact about the show. If you aren't the 'guy', can you pass this on to the 'guy'? Thanks.
Firstly, I'm wondering who came up with that there annoying theme song - if I can call an acapella group singing 'men men men men men men men men men men men men men men men men men men men men men men men men men men men men men men men' for 45 seconds a theme song and not just an aural assault on your audience? It's incredibly annoying - and obviously whoever thought of it thought they were much cleverer than they actually are.
Although, actually a teeny bit cleverer that the fool who heard it and decided that a refrain of 'meeeen!' should be inserted between each scene.
Yeah, I know. It's a show about men, and so the theme song is about men. But it would have been much cleverer and less offensive it the theme song was 'men men me-'
Get it? Two and a half men! And over in a heartbeat, resulting in a greatly reduced annoyancy quotient.
Secondly, I am confused as to why the 'man' who isn't Charlie Sheen keeps talking about women.
Isn't he gay? I always assumed he was gay. Isn't that the whole point of the show - guy loses wife and gets gay brother to move in and help raise cute kid?
If he's not gay, why did you cast Jack McFarland's less charismatic twin for the role? And - more importantly - if he's not gay, what's the difference between your show and - oh, I don't know - My Two Dads? Where's the 'modern-day twist on the standard sitcom format'? Why do you even have a show?
Finally (because I don't think even you can explain to me how Charlie Sheen went from tolerable film actor in such cheesy 80's awesomeness as Major League and Men At Work to boring, squinty sitcom star, so I won't even bother) - I have some problems with the 'half'.
Now, you've done a lot of sitcom work - you wrote for Who's the Boss?, for heavens sake - so I'd assume that you know the 'children=cute' rule. You must know that the whole point to children in sitcoms is to add cuteness. We want sacchrine sweet. We want adorable. We want a catchphrase. Most of all, we want 'awwww'. That is what children are there for.
Which is why this was a very risky casting decision. Sure, he seems to bring the cute. I can picture dorky one-liners coming out of that mouth, and I can even picture 'awwwing' them. But unless you're going into this show assuming you'll only get the one season, it's really worth rewatching The Wonder Years and taking note of what happened to adorable little Fred Savage before you make the final call.
Otherwise four years later you end up with this.
And, you know, it's ok for your regular viewers. They know. They know that he was once adorkable and now we're watching a particularly painful adolescence play out on screen. But us casual viewers just end up scratching our heads.
'Hang on, wasn't the kid on this show supposed to be cute? I swear I watched this show once and the kid was cute. What is that?'
But on the other hand, you're obviously all very lovely people. Less lovely people would have traded him in for a cuter, younger model.
It's too bad your show is still really crap.
Yours,
Chesty LaRue
Labels: Sitcom suckage
posted by MissE at
8:52 am
7 Comments:
A great big truckload of WORD on your front lawn, Chesty.
Until a few weeks ago, I thought that this show was about two gay parents and their unfortunate spawn. It didn't interest me before that illusion was shattered, and it doesn't interest me now. It's so STUPID, and it's not funny at all.
Also, FAT KIDS ARE NOT CUTE. I want to put him on a treadmill before he hits the depressive teenage years and attempts to drug himself out of existence.
AAARRGGHHHHHH!~!!!!!
and yet, bizarrely, MrB seems to enjoy it...
God only knows why.
Grrr.
*applauds*
This is just my opinion but there are some laugh out loud moments in it.
Sheen's character goes to replace his car with the same car after his mother slept with a colleague in it.
When asked why by "Fat kid," he said there was some banging. Fat kid says "I can't hear any banging" Sheen: "I can in here" (taps head)
Fat kid then asks why there are footprints on the roof of the car.
I know, toilet humour, but I thought it was kind of clever
There's this sitcom on after David Letterman, at like one am. I think it's called Out Of Practice, and it's really REALLY bad, even though I sometimes chuckle at it. Has anyone seen that show?
Jacob,
I have. It's the kind of show you laugh at because you should be asleep.
Chesty,
Awesome post. Although to be fair I ADORE Holland Taylor. Ever since Romancing the Stone, I have wanted to be her.
Jacob - I almost feel sorry for the poor kid. He's probably binging because he's so miserable about having to work with Squinty Sheen every day.
And who is going to come and help me clean up this WORD before it goes off?
AB - Meeeeeen!!!
Subline-ation - *curtseys*
GT - See, to me, I get the funny, but it's just the same old sitcom fare that shows have been bringing since that magical day some time in the 80's where TV writers were allowed to admit that sex exists.
But I totally respect your right to enjoy this show. God knows I watch a hell of a lot of crap in my spare time.
Jacob - no. How bad? So bad it's ... good?
GW - I had to imdb her because I never know anyones names. But yes, she can bring the funny. If they gave her her own show, I might actually watch it.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home