Blu-ray Review: Two and a Half Men: The Complete Series

Synopsis: Get set for an extended visit to Malibu's most happening beach house with The Complete Series of one of the longest running live-action sitcoms in TV history, Two and a Half Men. Join brothers Charlie and Alan Harper; their estranged (and strange) kids, Jenny and Jake; gazillionaire Walden Schmidt; and housekeeper Berta for 12 years of hilarious high jinks with bad boys, funny men, gorgeous girls, celebrity neighbors, sexy stalkers, eccentric parents and more.

Main Feature: Two and a Half Men was never a show that gravitated to me. I caught a few episodes here and there when it was starting on air and became a hit sensation, but it never was my jam. Even now, catching it in syndication on occasion, it's a sense of humor that feels outdated by a few decades. Chuck Lorie shows have been ones that gave me that rub. Big Bang Theory is another. Aside from Roseanne, his produced shows were basic milk toast vanilla stereotypical ho-hum recycling. Now that I have been able to see the full breadth of TAAHM, I was thankful to never rush to this. It's not terrible. There are quite a few moments of genuine hilarity, but the premise was more or less a one-trick pony sometimes squeezing out a second or a third trick. Charlie Sheen fit well into the role and overall tone of the series, as did Cryer, but again, being a bit of a single-joke setup, the punchline grew long in the tooth. This was no Norman Lear television, setting a social statement; just a simple show to please the masses. I was not one of them. 

Bonus Features: The standards are found on the discs, primarily from before Sheen ceremoniously (and infamously, at least in his behaviors out the door) exited the show. Gag reels; behind the scenes chats; and various episode commentaries. But none appear to be new from past, individual season disc releases. 

Final Call: Two and a Half Men is a bit of a time capsule for sitcoms that didn't grow up with the times. 

Grade: C