Two And A Half Men - Season 1 (2003)

Just when you thought the typical formulaic sitcom had finally come to an end with the finale of show such as Everybody Loves Raymond and The King of Queens, Two and a Half Men proves that there must still be some viewers out there who enjoy watching a plot that's been recycled thousands of times over.

Two and a Half Men stars famed Hollywood rebel Charlie Sheen as Charlie Harper, a well off commercial jingle writer who spends most of his days lounging on the deck of his swanky beach front property, and his nights with whatever bimbet he happens to pick up that day. But his life is soon about to be turned upside down when his brother Alan and nephew Jake come to live with him. Alan's been tossed out of the house by his annoying and controlling wife Judith who's had enough of Alan's compulsive personalty. Now laid back, and morally devoid Uncle Charlie has to try and adapt to being part of a family, albeit a dysfunctional one.

I decided to rent season 1 after catching an episode on television which was quite humorous, but after watching the first season I discovered how quickly it goes from hilarious to mildly amusing in the span of twenty some odd episodes. The neurotic brother, the stalker neighbor, the kid, and of course womanizing Charlie are entertaining for a while, but the show quickly finds itself in a rut of repetition, as Charlies predictable antics, quickly become tiresome. There is no denying the cast manages to fit into their roles quite well, which helps to make the repetition bearable. For Charlie Sheen, this is a role and lifestyle that isn't too much of a stretch, ironically the writers had Sheen in mind for the character prior to even writing the script for the pilot! Overall, Two and a Half Men season 1 manages to be an average sitcom outing that produces future potential if it manages to be able to produce some higher quality story lines that lean towards developing the characters rather than seeing how many women Charlie can sleep with. Since the show has been on air for six years now, it's sufficient to say that it potentially does expand upon a rather mediocre first season and go on to bigger and better things.

7/10