Two And A Half Men show creator had to fight to cast a main character of the show and no, it wasn’t Charlie Sheen

From 2003 until 2015, the American comedy series Two and a Half Men was broadcast on CBS. The comedy show was written by Chuck Lorre and Lee Aronsohn, and its original cast included Angus T. Jones as Alan's son Jake, Jon Cryer as his upright brother Alan, and Charlie Sheen as Charlie Harper, a carefree jingle writer.

With Alan and Jake moving into Charlie's Malibu estate and upending his hedonistic lifestyle, the series explores the amusing interactions between the three protagonists. When Sheen left in 2011, Ashton Kutcher joined the show’s cast as Walden Schmidt, helped the series to remain successful for several more seasons.

With concerns regarding Jon Cryer's history of short-lived shows, Chuck Lorre had to persuade CBS to cast him as Alan Harper on Two and a Half Men. Through this show, Cryer garnered two Emmy Awards and critical praise during the course of the program's twelve seasons, proving Lorre's faith in him was well-placed.

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Although it wasn't Charlie Sheen who started the controversy, Chuck Lorre encountered strong resistance from CBS when he wished to cast Jon Cryer as Alan Harper, Charlie's stiff-necked brother. This was primarily because Cryer had a history of unsuccessful television ventures, causing the network to be wary of him, believing he would endanger the show's chances of success. Due to this, he was even called a "show killer".

However, CBS's skepticism could not stop Lorre. He thought Cryer could bring something special to the role because he had previously worked with the actor. Lorre persuaded Cryer to try out for Alan Harper in spite of the network's misgivings. After the audition, it became clear that Cryer was the perfect fit for the part, and CBS ultimately chose to cast him.

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Prior to Two and a Half Men, Cryer's career saw quite a few ups and downs. He first became well-known as Duckie in the 1986 film Pretty in Pink, which solidified his status as a teenage idol. He went on to feature in more film, such as Superman IV (1987) and Hot Shots! (1991), and TV shows, including The Famous Teddy Z (1989) and the 1995 sitcom Partners. Unfortunately, a lot of these endeavors failed, and Cryer became known for being connected to projects that ended in failures.

However, his performance as Alan Harper was a watershed moment in his career which garnered him critical acclaim and two Emmy Awards, thus justifying Lorre's battle for casting Cryer . The actor remained an importat reason for the show's popularity throughout its 12-season run.

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