Two and Half Men: Still Going Strong!!

Manly Men. Nobody ever said that meant men with good taste. Two and a Half Men has been on the air for six seasons. The combination of actors and excellent writing has kept a familiar them from getting too boring. Jon Cryer, Charlie Sheen and Angus T. Jones have managed to remain in their roles over the years, even as their 1/2 becomes a "man". What makes them so popular? What keeps the show coming back season after season? The answer is a little scary. We as Americans love to be shocked by the immoral behavior of others.....it can be reality, gossip or fun sitcom television. Whatever the case,Chuck Lorre has found the proper mix of writers, actors, guest stars and directors.

Charlie Harper (played by Charlie Sheen) is a ladies' man to the core. He has lived a bachelor life of young, hot women and the sheer luck of making a living that has afforded him a beach house in Malibu. Over 40, Charlie has lived a life of loose women, easy money and luck all the way around. This, obviously, is not the makings for a hilarious sitcom. It needs a foil...... It needs something that comes in and rocks Charlie's world. Oh wait...... family.

Yes, family has a way of coming into our lives and creating chaos like nothing else. What does Charlie have that fits this bill? Well, besides a mother that he can barely tolerate, he happens to have.... a brother.

What kind of brother, you may ask? Well, let's just say that the luck in the family seems to reside solely with Charlie. Alan (played by Jon Cryer) has had opposite luck to that of his wealthy playboy brother. Alan has gone through 2 divorces and several precarious relationships by now, the sixth season. Alan is the antithesis of Charlie. As a chiropractor and single dad, Alan does not possess the charm that comes so easily to his brother. They do, however, share a loathing for their self-centered mother, who has only negative things to say to her boys. The one thing that keeps Charlie from turning Alan to the street is his nephew (Alan's son), Jake.

Now, you may think this is sweet. You may think that it is adorable that Charlie cares so much for his nephew that he harbors his brother in his beach house and allows Jake to stay on weekends. Well, wait till you meet the boy in question.

There was a time when Jake (played by Angus T. Jones) was useful to Charlie as a cute little boy that young hot women found adorable. Now, however, we have a hormone-raging teenager who is none too bright and has the manners of a Neanderthal.

One of the funniest characters on the show is Berta (played by Conchata Ferrell). Berta is Charlie's house-keeper, who basically does as she pleases. Berta has seen the women come and go, and almost quit when Alan and Jake came into the picture. Berta is great for the one-liner wisecracks and no-nonsense way of being brutally honest. She is installed as one of the family, although she is not live in.

So... You've got a playboy, alcoholic womanizer, a socially awkward people-pleasing divorcee and a kid who has repeated virtually every grade twice with the manners of....well, bad manners.

Add to this an irritating ex-wife (Marin Hinkle), her whipped new husband (Ryan Stiles) and a self-centered diva mother..... (Holland Taylor) and you've got a recipe for hilarity.

Recently, needing to change things up in some way, Charlie has gotten a new girlfriend. He's had girlfriends before, but will this be the one?

Two and a Half Men is one of the funniest sitcoms on TV and certainly worth a watch if you haven't yet seen it.