Two and a Half Men

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CBS’s durable sitcom has overcome last year’s much publicized shake-up to remain at the top, continuing its enviable run as one of the medium’s most popular series. For its ninth season, uptight Alan Harper and his son Jake find themselves once again obliged to share their living space with someone in far better financial shape than themselves. Enter Walden Schmidt, an Internet billionaire suffering from the collapse of his marriage and in need of some companionship. Ashton Kutcher has stepped into Two and a Half Men’s established format with ease, allowing the show all new directions in which to venture, while creators Chuck Lorre and Lee Aronsohn continue to mine laughs from their often gleefully rude ribbing of the male psyche.