After keeping a relatively low profile since the CBS upfront, where the network announced Ashton Kutcher as his replacement on Two and a Half Men, Charlie Sheen is back in the limelight. I hear the troubled actor has been pitched to some networks and studios for a new comedy series. It is unclear if there is a specific premise or the pitch is only for Sheen’s acting services. According to TMZ, Sheen’s camp is in “deep negotiations” with a broadcast network for a new sitcom that would go straight-to-series. CBS is out of the picture, and sources indicate that ABC and NBC are not happening either. That leaves Fox, where the actor took an exploratory meeting in March, as the only broadcast possibility, though the network loaded up on comedies for next season with three new half-hour series ordered and two more pilots — Family Album and Little in Common — in serious contention for midseason. Present at the March meeting were Fox Sports president David Hill as well as Fox entertainment chairman Peter Rice and alternative president Mike Darnell. At the time, there was a lot of speculation about a Sheen show at Fox or a sibling cable network, but nothing materialized. Also never happened: Sheen’s Corner, the comedy series Sheen was “going to do” on HBO. Or his proposed show on HDNet. Industry insiders are skeptical that a major network or studio would jump in to sign Sheen for a regular series gig. “He is uninsurable,” one top studio executive said. A guest spot on a comedy series is a different story. That could be ratings gold, and I hear many shows are interested.
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