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'Two and a Half Men': Les Moonves foresees 'huge numbers' for Ashton Kutcher's debut

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June 2, 2011 3:53 PM ET

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cryer-jones-kuther-2011-upfronts-cbs.jpgNo pressure, Ashton Kutcher, but the head of your network thinks you'll bring a giant audience to "Two and a Half Men" in the fall.

Speaking at a media conference on Thursday (June 2), CBS Corp. president and CEO Les Moonves said that he expects "huge numbers" for the sitcom's Season 9 premiere in the fall. Which doesn't seem out of line -- the hiring of Kutcher to replace the fired Charlie Sheen was one of the bigger TV stories of the past month, and Kutcher's first episode of "Two and a Half Men" should attract a sizable number of curious viewers.

But Moonves also said, according to several reports, that Kutcher's "Men" debut could draw an audience similar to the network's broadcast of the AFC championship game earlier this year. Really?

The AFC title game on Jan. 23 averaged almost 55 million viewers, along with a 19.7 rating among adults 18-49. The last time an episode of any TV series (i.e., not a sports telecast or a special like the Oscars) topped 50 million viewers was the finale of "Friends" in 2004.

When it was in originals during the 2010-11 season, "Two and a Half Men" averaged about 14.7 million viewers and a 4.7 rating in the 18-49 demographic. An AFC Championship-esque audience would mean a roughly fourfold increase in the number of people who watched the show last season, and that's just not gonna happen.

Will "Two and a Half Men's" ratings spike for Kutcher's debut? Most likely. But will they draw the biggest audience for a regular network TV series in seven years? That feels like a pretty big reach.
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in Fall TV Preview, TV News, Two and a Half Men

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 |  Comments (16)

They couldn't just let it die.

Alex | June 2, 2011 4:14 PM

LOLz! I loved Kutcher on That 70s Show and of course I love 2.5 Men, but to expect the ratings to not take a nose dive is kind of stupid.

John | June 2, 2011 4:15 PM

They should let it die because Charlie Sheen has his head up his ***? I think not. Moonves is correct but not really a stretch. A lot of people will tune in just to see how they "start over" with Ashton on board. After all the drama, people will want to watch. However, it will be front loaded and quite a few people will also stop watching after the first episode.

Spis | June 2, 2011 4:35 PM

Les Moonves is ALWAYS a man who now realizes that he's running out of ideas for his network. Greenblatt (NBC) and Lee (ABC) better be warned except for Reilly (Fox).

Kevin | June 2, 2011 4:54 PM

his debut might get huge numbers but the following episodes will most likely have less and less viewers. the tv version of my big fat greek wedding started huge then went down fast and didnt last the rest of the tv season

Estelle | June 2, 2011 5:52 PM

I think the ratings of subsequent episodes will depend on what character Ashton will be playing. Fans are too smart to fall for just any storyline.

mel | June 2, 2011 6:05 PM

I'll have some of what Moonves is smoking, please.

Chas | June 2, 2011 8:23 PM

I can't wait for the fall. 2.5 Men will FAIL. Mr. Julie Chen will have egg all over his face come this fall when 2.5 debuts to about 13 million. Then fall to under 10 million in episode 2. I don't know how far the ratings will fall after that, but my guess is it will stablize at around 7-8 million viewers. To save face, Mr. Julie Chen will keep the show on for the rest of the season and try to spin the end of the show as a series finale and not that they cancelled it.

Justin | June 2, 2011 8:28 PM

I'll have what Moonves is smoking, please.

Chas | June 2, 2011 9:37 PM

They should make Kutcher's character Charlie's illegitimate son.

my2cents | June 2, 2011 9:50 PM
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