'Two and a Half Men': CBS 'assumed' it would be back

While there was a lot of intrigue surrounding who might replace Charlie Sheen on "Two and a Half Men" next season, CBS apparently didn't sweat too much over whether the show itself would be back.

"We kind of worked under the assumption that it would," CBS Primetime senior executive VP Kelly Kahl told reporters Wednesday morning (May 18). "We just thought if we tried to do two schedules" -- one with the show and one without it -- "we'd just be talking all day and all night. So we kind of assumed ... that we'd have a show.

"If we didn't, did we have backup plans? Yeah, we had ideas. But we never really had to go there."

CBS Entertainment president Nina Tassler reiterated that she's "thrilled" to have Ashton Kutcher join the show in the fall. "It's a great move forward, and he's a great addition to the cast," she says. "We're thrilled to have him, and we think it brings Monday night back into its full form."

Tassler also declined to take the bait when a reporter asked how the show would write off Sheen's character, Charlie Harper, and if she "take[s] some relish in thinking of different ways" to do it.

"You know what, we are so excited to have Ashton. We know they have a master plan for the character," she says. "Out of respect for ['Men' creator Chuck Lorre] and the show, all of that is going to be revealed at a later date. But he's cooked up something fabulous, and we'll all wait and see it in the fall."