Country of origin United States Original network CBS | No. of episodes 24 | |
Original release September 19, 2011 (2011-09-19) – May 14, 2012 (2012-05-14) | ||
The ninth season of Two and a Half Men premiered on CBS on September 19, 2011, with Ashton Kutcher joining the cast as Walden Schmidt. This season is the first without the show's star Charlie Sheen, as well as the first to feature a rebooted plot, marking a major change in the series by focusing on Alan moving on with his life after the death of Charlie with help from his new best friend and housemate, Walden, a dot-com billionaire who is in the process of being divorced by his wife. The trio bond and form a surrogate family unit. This was the last season to air on Mondays. Walden ends up having a horrible time with his new girlfriend
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Note: The billing for the regular characters changed in the opening credits this season in that Jon Cryer and Ashton Kutcher are listed at the same time and Conchata Ferrell is listed before Marin Hinkle. The Complete Ninth Season DVD cover dropped Marin Hinkle's name and character from the cast list altogether, and CBS press releases for season 9 billed Hinkle as a recurring cast member.
Production
Following Charlie Sheen's firing on March 7, 2011, there was much speculation as to whether the show would be cancelled for good, following the cancellation of the previous season. Chuck Lorre revealed that he'd considered ending the show, but thought that it would've been "such a heartbreaking way to end". On May 13, 2011, it was announced that Ashton Kutcher would be taking over from Sheen, playing new character Walden Schmidt. It was also announced that the writers would kill off Charlie Harper. For a revamped show, the producers re-decorated the main set of the beach house, which was used up until the final season. The theme tune was also revamped, with two new singers used in the opening sequence. The new variation of the theme was used only until the end of this season, before another variation was used for seasons 10 and 11, except for a production error in the third episode of season 10 in which season 9's variation of the theme is heard. Ashton Kutcher assisted Chuck Lorre with the creation of Walden Schmidt and co-wrote the story of "Slowly and in a Circular Fashion", which develops his character. The character of Charlie Harper, despite being killed off, was re-introduced late in the season as a ghost in a woman's body for a guest reprisal, played by Kathy Bates. Chuck Lorre described the casting as a "gender bending role".
CBS president Les Moonves was extremely pleased with the season, saying "This show could last with the current numbers it has for many, many years." Jon Cryer believed that Kutcher had added a new energy to the show and revitalized it.
Critical reception
This season received generally mixed reviews. Lori Rackl of the Chicago Sun Times gave the season positive reviews, saying "filling the void left by a well established character isn't easy, but Kutcher mostly succeeded. At times his character seemed a bit like Lennie petting the rabbits in Of Mice and Men, but give him a few episodes, and he should settle in nicely. After eight long seasons, the show might end up being better off with some new blood – of the non-tiger variety." Kutcher's performance in the show was praised by Hollywood.com saying "What makes Ashton a suitable replacement for Charlie Sheen is that he does not need to be the main attraction every half-hour. If the writers want to play with side characters, they can—and Ashton rises to the occasion, fitting comfortably into the bathroom."