CBS Boss Talks Angus T. Jones Kerfuffle, HIMYM's Renewal, Jennifer Esposito's Blue Exit!
As expected, Angus T. Jones epic anti-Two and a Half Men rant this past fall was a hot topic at CBS’ portion of the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour Saturday in Pasadena.
CBS entertainment president Nina Tassler declared that the network “would like to have an 11th season” of Men — and yes, Angus T. Jones may very well be back. “We’d like him to be part of it next year,” she said. “I think he would like to come back, too. [Exec producer] Chuck [Lorre] would like him [back], Warner Bros. would… He made his public apology and we’ve moved on. He’s [back on set] next week.
“This is a happy cast,” she later added. “These are happy people. We had a little bit of a glitch, but… what else is new? The kid’s 19 years old. I have a 24-year-old. Between the ages of 19 and 24, there’s been plenty of things my kid has come out and said that I wish he hadn’t. But I think the bottom line is cooler heads prevailed. He’s been a beloved member of that cast for years and years and years.”
FYI: Tassler also noted that there’s no deal in place for Ashton Kutcher to return… yet.
Other highlights from CBS’ exec session:.
* Regarding Jennifer Esposito’s controversial exit from Blue Bloods, “We’re sorry to see her go,” said Tassler. “We tried to resolve it. It didn’t quite work out. We wish her the best.”
* How I Met Your Mother‘s official Season 9 renewal announcement is imminent. “I will be very happy to report in a very few days that things will be resolved,” confirmed Tassler. “We’re very confident and excited that things will work out. Almost everything is completed.” Asked whether Season 9 would be the show’s swan song, Tassler said, “It’s funny, we talked the other day [about], ‘[Will] people watch the show beyond knowing the mother?’ I bet there are a lot of people that would continue to watch after that. But right now, it’d be the end as designed by [co-creators] Carter [Bays] and Craig [Thomas], and I wouldn’t want to even attempt to undermine what their creative goal was.”
* Elementary was “the best choice” for the post-Super Bowl slot,” said Tassler. “We felt it was a better fit in terms of appealing to all the viewers.”
* Tassler gave a shout-out to Rules of Engagement (returning Monday, Feb. 4) for being the “best utility warrior on television.”
* Tassler confirmed that Eddie Murphy makes an appearance in CBS’ in-the-works Beverly Hills Cop series and added, “He wants to come back multiple times.”
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