It looks like Charlie Sheen is back in winning form…
Following its 10-episode summer run, the 46-year-old part-Spanish American actor’s FX comedy, Anger Management, has been granted a 90-episode order.
As part of the network’s deal with Lionsgate, Sheen’s comedy had to hit a certain undisclosed ratings threshold over the course of its run to move forward with 90 more episodes. During its first nine weeks on the air, the series delivered 4.53 million total viewers and 2.5 million in the coveted 18-49 demo. The final weeks took a ratings dive, possibly due to the London Games.
“We set a very high ratings bar that included some additional hurdles for Anger Management to earn its back-90 order, and the series met and exceed those metrics,” said FX Networks executive vice president Chuck Saftler at the time of the renewal. “[Showrunner] Bruce Helford has created a sitcom that works extremely well in our pre-10 p.m. programming lineup. Charlie Sheen and the entire cast did an amazing job in the first 10 episodes, which were produced in a very tight window. I have no doubt that the producers and cast will be able to pull off the Herculean task of producing 90 episodes over the next two years.”
The half-hour series, which co-stars Selma Blair and Shawnee Smith, reportedly sold at the highest CPM rates FX has seen for a first-year series. The studio has sold the series in Canada, Latin America, Germany, Scandinavia and Australia, among other territories, for roughly $600,000 an episode, more than what established sitcoms like Seinfeld and Sheen’s own Two and a Half Men commanded out of the gate.
As the series begins its back 90, Martin Sheen will reprise his role as Charlie’s father on the show. The elder Sheen, who has turned up in one episode already, is expected to appear in some 20 of the 90 episodes, says sources. As Landgraf sees it, the addition will make the series more of a “multigenerational family comedy,” much as Two and a Half Men once was with Sheen at the helm.
Meanwhile, Martin Sheen will reprise his role as Charlie’s father on the show. The elder Sheen, who has turned up in one episode already, is expected to appear in some 20 of the 90 episodes, say sources, which could make it more of a “multigenerational family comedy.”
Production is expected to resume on September 24, with new episodes premiering in January.
