Produced by: Chuck Lorre Productions Inc., Tannenbaum Company
Network: CBS
Scheduled: Monday, 9:30 p.m.
Reviewed on: CBS West Coast HD feed via Dish Network
Channel: 9484
From the network that brought you the wardrobe malfunction kerfuffle, CBS’ Two
and a Half Men is the highest-rated sitcom on broadcast television, at least
since Everybody Loves Raymond ended. Then again, there aren’t too many other
sitcoms left these days. Featuring Charlie Sheen as bachelor Charlie and Jon
Cryer as his divorced brother Alan, the show brings the two together in
Charlie’s home along with Alan’s young son Jake and occasionally hits a high
note with some real situational comedy.The HD picture quality is good, with great lighting design, colorful sets, and full use of the 16:9 widescreen frame. The audio is merely average, with virtually no surround sound, and with the laugh track mixed in with the front channels, which is an annoyance. As CBS still provides only Dolby Digital 2.0 sound with its prime-time HD shows, this isn’t surprising, but then again, most sitcoms don’t do any better in terms of sound, even with full Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack capability.