The Chuck Lorre Phenomenon
Some people might not be familiar with the name Chuck Lorre, but he is, without doubt, one of the most powerful names in the world of American small screen entertainment. He is the father of Two and a Half Men, a show that has not only received a ridiculous amount of air time on free-to-air television here, in Austalia, but it's a show that has dominated nightly viewing for years in the US. Lorre is a forced to be reckoned with; his activity doesn't seem to be stopping either.
The loud, chaotic exit of Charlie Sheen earlier this year off the set of Two and a Half Men has helped further publicise the entry of replacement Ashton Kutcher. Nevertheless, Lorre has, over the course of two decades, experienced widespread success in US television as a director, writer, composer, producer and creator. Have we ever heard of a little show called Roseanne? Well, Lorre has writing credits from that show. Tell me, is anyone familiar with mid 1990s sitcom titles such as Grace Under Fire and Cybill? It might be out of the entertainment timeframe of some people here, but both were shows that he conceived and produced, sitcoms that had between 3-6 years of life each on air. Tell me, who remembers the quirky, "chalk and cheese" sitcom Dharma & Greg? Well, Lorre conceived, produced and wrote it and it went on to see light form 1997-2002. Lorre was - and still is - a strong force in the land of television.
It could be argued, however, that the 2000s have been most kind to Lorre. The Big Bang Theory has wowed audiences since 2007, a science-themed sitcom that Lorre wrote, produced and created. Sure, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco and Jim Parsons are entertainin in their roles, but Lorre is responsible for the show's birth. Then, last year, Mike & Molly appeared. Whilst critics and audiences did not respond overwhelmingly well to the series in comparison to The Big Bang Theory and Two and a Half Men shortly before, the show is still forging on and Lorre is still in action. His consistent but successful activity in US television could be attributed to the knack he has for holding his three-way role as creator, producer and writer on the set of many of these shows. He can direct, but his ability to conceive, fund and script these ideas has made him a mint and earned him a reputation as an , leading member of America's small screen community.
So many of us get into the habit of talking about the Sheen-Kutcher exchange and how much Angus T. Jones has grown up and earned financially over the years when we talk about Two and a Half Men. Rarely, I've noticed, do we discuss Chck Lorre, the genius behind the scenes. He has worked on set of some notable sitcoms in the context of US popuar culture, such as Roseanne and Two and a Half Men, but has also deviated from the glossy, rigid sitcom franework by creating such shows as The Big Bang Theory and <>em. Lorre has a knack for comedy, as well as an understanding of human eccentricity.
By Chris Traficante