How ‘Two And A Half Men’ Helped ‘The Big Bang Theory’ Become a Hit.
In 2007, the sitcom ‘The Big Bang Theory’ had its first airing on CBS. Back then, it was not assured to be a hit, and due to a writer’s strike, the show nearly ended right at the beginning. But Chuck Lorre, the creator, kept faith in his team, and the show eventually became a big success, attracting close to 20 million viewers each episode.
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Initially, the show didn’t do great. Its ratings were just okay, and according to Variety, it was largely because of Lorre’s reputation that the show continued to be broadcast despite these average figures. Over 12 seasons, the show aired 279 episodes. Interestingly, another Chuck Lorre’s sitcom, ‘Two And A Half Men’, had a crucial part in boosting ‘The Big Bang Theory’s’ popularity.
After Lorre’s successful stint with ‘Roseanne’, his subsequent show on CBS, ‘Frannie’s Turn’, was not successful, making Lorre think that his career was over. However, his fortunes soon changed and he became a renowned TV producer, mainly due to the success of ‘Two And A Half Men’ and later, ‘The Big Bang Theory’. Lorre credits the writing quality of these shows as a key to their success. He was good at picking skilled writers.
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Even though Lorre didn’t always understand the scripts of ‘The Big Bang Theory’, he had faith in his team. The fact that he was a successful producer helped keep ‘The Big Bang Theory’ on the air.
In the third season, Lorre made a significant change by moving the time slot of ‘The Big Bang Theory’ to right after ‘Two And A Half Men’ on Monday nights. This change led to a significant increase in the viewership of ‘The Big Bang Theory’, taking it up to 20 million viewers per episode.
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Lorre had some fun along the way by connecting the two shows’ universes, with instances of crossovers between them. Despite having difficulty in managing one show at a time in the past, Lorre managed to make both shows successful, and they are still popular even after their original run.
Both shows had long runs, with ‘Two And A Half Men’ lasting for 12 seasons and 262 episodes, and ‘The Big Bang Theory’ for 12 seasons and 279 episodes. However, unlike ‘Two And A Half Men’, when Jim Parsons decided to leave ‘The Big Bang Theory’, the entire cast followed suit, marking the end of the show despite its ongoing success.
