CBS CEO: ‘Two And A Half Men’ Suspension Is A Gain For Us

CBS Corp. CEO Les Moonves is opening up to express his views on the recent suspension of the hit show Two And A Half Men…

Moonves says that although he hopes Two And A Half Men will return to the air, it’s suspension is actually good for the network, and he doesn’t foresee any financial trouble due to all the recent chaos caused by cast member Charlie Sheen.

The halt is “actually a gainer for us,” Moonves said. “Going down the road … I don’t know what’s going to happen. I hope it’s back. We’ll see.”

As most fans know already [due largely to news outlets everywhere providing us with up-to-the-minute details, and also Sheen’s countless interviews], CBS and Warner Bros. shut down the top-rated sitcom for the remainder of the season this past Thursday after series creator Chuck Lorre was “bashed and harassed” by Sheen.

Moonves pointed out that though new episodes won’t be airing, devoted fans still tune in regularly to enjoy the re-airing of oldies but goodies [and also added to that fact by revealing that this past Monday’s repeat was the night’s fourth highest-rated show]: “Repeats obviously get somewhat less revenue than the originals, but [Two And A Half Men] is a show that repeats very well. Doing eight [fewer] originals saves us quite a bit of money. … I’m not saying long-term I want this to go on.”

As for Sheen, Moonves seems to think his priority genre seems to be talk shows rather than a respected television series, as he says Sheen is “on the air quite a bit these days,” referring to his appearances on Good Morning America, Today, Piers Morgan Tonight, and TMZ.

The CBS CEO doesn’t seem to find Sheen’s present effort to get his side of the story heard that interesting though, only saying that he wished the actor “would have worked this hard to promote himself for an Emmy”.

Are you still committed to Two And A Half Men on Monday nights, even though the episodes are presently [and in the near future will still be] repeats?