Chuck Lorre says goodbye to 'Two and a Half Men'

LOS ANGELES – Welcome to Mr. Lorre's neighborhood.

On an early evening last month, many of TV's biggest stars gathered at a busy section of Warner Bros. Studios for a photo shoot, cocktail party and chance to kiss the ring of the man who made them rich and famous.

The event was loosely tied to the final days of shooting for the sitcom "Two and a Half Men," which after critical drubbings and volatile behind-the-scenes drama is wrapping up a dozen seasons of high ratings Feb. 19.

It also was a chance to pay tribute to Chuck Lorre, a producer with one of the most impressive streaks in TV history. Of the last seven sitcoms he has played a part in creating, none has flopped, a record that includes "Grace Under Fire" (1993-98), "Cybill" (1995-98) and "Dharma and Greg" (1997-2002).

Besides "Men," his current slate of hits consists of "The Big Bang Theory," "Mike and Molly" and "Mom." All three feature actors with busy film careers, but no one appears to be leaving anytime soon.

"As a 38-year-old blonde woman, I'm usually not written as a multidimensional person with a lot of problems," said "Mom" star Anna Faris, who has headlined such Hollywood hits as "The House Bunny" and the "Scary Movie" franchise. "Chuck gives me that, and probably most of the other actors will tell you the same thing."

On the studio lot where his four sitcoms are simultaneously shot, the 62-year-old producer was humble about his success, reminiscing about how even into his mid-30s he had to scrounge up 38 cents to put enough gas in his tank just to get to his second cousin's house for a free meal.

"You know, I can remember getting a ticket for making an illegal U-turn," Lorre said. "It was a $50 ticket, and I broke down and I sobbed because it wiped me out — $50 was unthinkable."

How times have changed. Forbes magazine estimates his net worth at $700 million.

There's no clear-cut formula to his success. Each of his four shows has a distinctive tone.

"The Big Bang Theory" is the sweetest of the bunch, with a group of book-smart friends poking gentle fun at one another. "Mike & Molly" relies on the kind of physical humor associated with "I Love Lucy." "Mom" is a throwback to Norman Lear's socially conscious sitcoms of the 1970s, with characters dealing with contemporary issues such as alcoholism and paying the bills.

Then there's "Two and a Half Men." One of network TV's crassest programs, it has more sex jokes than you'll find in a year's subscription to Playboy magazine.

Identifying the common thread to Lorre's hits is difficult, but one of his most prominent actors took a crack at it.

"They're all built on these obscure, broken, beat-up, messed-up families that are just like yours," said Ashton Kutcher, who joined "Two and a Half Men" four years ago, after Charlie Sheen was unceremoniously dumped for making anti-Semitic comments about Lorre.

"It may be two straight guys acting like gay guys so they can adopt a kid — that's a family. It may be a bunch of kids in a dorm room talking about physics — that's a family. And if you have one and know what it's like, it's fun to laugh at. Ultimately, you sit at home and you laugh at yourself."

Of course, almost every sitcom is about some kind of family. What distinguishes a Lorre show is its fast pace and bottomless appetite for laughs.

Episodes rarely go more than 20 seconds without a comic line. They're all filmed before a studio audience so the cast and writers can feed off the immediate response.

"He's always asking, 'Where are you laughing? Where is the place to laugh?' " said "Big Bang" co-creator Bill Prady. "He'll say, 'You've got a lot of words here. You've got to give people a place to laugh.' "

Lorre's instincts may be tied to his early years as a musician. Before going into television, he was a struggling songwriter whose biggest success was "French Kissin' in the USA," recorded by Deborah Harry in 1986.

"I think one of the common things with all these shows is the rhythm," said "Big Bang" star Jim Parsons, who has won four Emmys for his role as Sheldon Cooper. "I think that's also why these shows repeat well in syndication. You may have seen it three other times, but it's like a good pop song. It's enjoyable to dance to again."

Just how much viewers will enjoy Thursday's finale of "Men" may depend on whether Sheen makes a return appearance. Lorre won't say, although he went out of his way several times to thank his former star for his early contributions to the show, a strong suggestion that the two may have made up, at least long enough for a mini-reunion.

Lorre also said he had a "mystery sandwich" plot that will help tie up story lines from the past and present.

One last hint: The final two episodes are titled "Of Course He's Dead, Part One and Two," a wink to the fact that Sheen's character was supposedly killed by a subway train.

Whatever happens, one thing is for sure: It'll be done Lorre's way.

"You can't presume to know an audience. It's too many people," Lorre said. "You just have to go with what's in your heart."

Neal Justin • 612-673-7431