Charlie’s Anger gets another run
The first season of the Charlie Sheen sitcom Anger Management, now in its second season on the U.S. cable channel FX, recently aired on CTV.
Summer is a time of experimentation for the major broadcast networks, though. Fox, owned by FX’s parent company, is trying out second-season episodes of Anger Management on the main network, in part to see if more viewers are drawn to Anger than tuned in to see some of the network’s earlier, now-cancelled comedy efforts like Ben and Kate and The Cleveland Show.
FX is one of the fastestgrowing, most talked-about destinations on cable TV, but the major broadcast networks still reach into more homes. That’s where the big profits lie, and if Fox can do with Anger Management over the summer what CTV did with Anger over the winter, Sheen could once again see himself back on prime time in every home that has a working TV set.
In one recent episode, Charlie’s anger issues having spilled over — Charlie Goodson, that is (the sitcom character), not Sheen — his friends convinced him to try a new mental-health professional.
Stressed out from overwork and embarrassed that his friends think he still needs help, Charlie visited his former teacher, Dr. Murphy, played by sitcom vet Marion Ross. Fans will remember Ross as Mrs. Cunningham from Happy Days
FX is hoping that exposure on the Fox network will boost flagging ratings for the cable channel, while Fox is hoping that Anger will reel in summer viewers tired of low-end singing competitions and hidden-camera shows masquerading as social documentaries.
The gamble may yet pay off. When Anger Management first aired, it gained a measure of popular appeal with its warm vibe and good-natured humour. It’s not as laugh-out-loud funny, the way The Big Bang Theory can be, but it’s not as sleazy or off-putting as Two and a Half Men is, either.
Episodes to come in the new season include such self-explanatory outings as Charlie and the Secret Gigolo, Charlie and the Airport Sext, Charlie and His New Friend with Benefits, Charlie and Kate Start a Sex Study.
It’s summer, though. Standards are lower. Compared to the alternatives, Anger Management doesn’t look half bad. (Fox) ■ The Swon Brothers are still in contention on The Voice, proving perhaps that the influence of the recently closed-down website VoteForTheWorst.com lingers long after the fact. The Voice finale is slated for June 18. Vote early, and vote often. (CTV, NBC) ■ The Winner Is … is a new TV talent contest in which would-be singers compete for $1 million. The twist is contestants can gamble on a chance to win the entire pot or else settle for a lesser amount if they feel the judges won’t vote their way. Nick Lachey is the host. (Global, NBC) ■ Every so often, a late-night talk show appearance may prove to be PVR-worthy. Unpredictable firebrand standup comedian and tabloid headline grabber Russell Brand joins David Letterman on Late Show. (Omni, local stations, CBS)