Anger Management (TV series)

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Anger Management

Genre

Sitcom

Created by

Bruce Helford
Charlie Sheen

Starring

Selma Blair
Shawnee Smith
Daniela Bobadilla
Noureen DeWulf
Michael Arden
Derek Richardson
Barry Corbin
Brian Austin Green
Laura Bell Bundy

Opening theme

"Anger Management Theme" by Raney

Shockne

Composer(s)

Raney Shockne

Country of origin

United States

Originallanguage(s)

English

No. of seasons

No. of episodes

92 (List of episodes)

Production
Bruce Helford

Executiveproducer(s)

Dave Caplan
Mark Burg
Vince Totino
Joe Roth
Bob Kushell
Robert Maron
Running time

22 minutes
Mohawk Productions

Productioncompany(s)

Revolution Studios
Estevez/Sheen Productions
Twisted Television
Lionsgate Television
Distributor

Debmar-Mercury
20th Television
Broadcast

Original channel

FX

Picture format

480i (SDTV)
1080i (HDTV)

Original run

June 28, 2012 present

External links
Website

Anger Management is an American television sitcom that premiered on FX on June 28, 2012.
[1]
The series is based on the 2003 film of the same name and stars Charlie Sheen in a role
similar to that of Jack Nicholson from the 2003 film.[2][3] Anger Managementbroke a ratings
record with 5.74 million viewers on its series debut night, which ranks as the most-watched
sitcom premiere in cable history.[4][5] On November 7, 2014 FX announced that the series would
end after its 100th episode.[6]

Premise[edit]
The series revolves around Charlie Goodson (Sheen), a one-time minor league baseball player
who struggled to take the next step due to recurring anger issues. Thanks to a female

therapist, Dr. Kate Wales (Selma Blair), Charlie was able to get his issues under control and
finally make it to the major leagues. But he had a relapse during a big league game, breaking a
bat over his knee in anger and causing a career-ending injury. The incident inspired Charlie to
return to school and become an anger management therapist. Charlie is divorced from his onetime wife, Jennifer (Shawnee Smith), on whom he cheated multiple times during his baseballplaying days. The two still see a lot of each other, mainly due to having joint custody of their
teenage daughter, Sam (Daniela Bobadilla), who has her own issues with OCD. Charlie has a
complicated relationship with Kate, who is not only his therapist, but also his best friend and a
sex-only love interest. He holds regular group sessions in his home for anger management
patients, and also does anger therapy at an area prison. [7]

Cast and characters[edit]

Main[edit]

Charlie Sheen as Charles (a.k.a Charlie) Goodson, a former professional baseball

player turned anger management therapist.[8]
Selma Blair as Dr. Kate Wales, Charlie's extherapist-colleague and friend with
benefits. (episodes 152, 57 and 63)
Shawnee Smith as Jennifer Goodson, Charlie's ex-wife. [note 1]
Daniela Bobadilla as Sam Goodson, Charlie and Jennifer's teenage daughter. (episodes
152, 54, 57 and 63)

Noureen DeWulf as Lacey, Charlie's spoiled, shallow and destructive anger

management patient.

Michael Arden as Patrick, Charlie's gay passive-aggressive anger management

patient.

Derek Richardson as Nolan Johnson, Charlie's unassertive anger management patient.

Barry Corbin as Ed, Charlie's elderly politically-incorrect anger management patient. [9]
(episodes 3present; recurring previously)

Brian Austin Green as Sean Healy, Charlie's nemesis who has also dated Jennifer.
After Jennifer leaves him over his infidelity, Sean and Charlie become friends and tomcat
around together. (episode 45present; recurring previously)
Laura Bell Bundy as Dr. Jordan Denby, a new psychologist in Charlie's life.
She is a recovering and sometimes relapsing alcoholic.

(episode 47

present)[10]

Recurring[edit]

Brett Butler as Brett, the bartender at a tavern Charlie frequents.

Michael Boatman as Michael, Charlie's neighbor and friend who is in the real estate
business. He is always mooching things while listening to Charlie talk about his romantic
pursuits. He is especially unlucky at love.[11](episodes 155)

James Black as Cleo/Derek, a "gay" member of Charlie's prison anger therapy group.
In "Charlie's Patient Gets Out of Jail", Cleo is released on parole and reveals to Charlie
that his real name is Derek and that he had a wife before going to prison, claiming he's
only "prison gay".

Darius McCrary as Donovan, a "prison-gay" member of Charlie's prison anger therapy

group and Cleo/Derek's romantic partner. (episodes 142)

Stephen Taylor as Wayne, a member of Charlie's prison anger therapy group.

(episodes 1

74)

Aldo Gonzalez as Ernesto, a member of Charlie's prison anger therapy group.

Martin Sheen as Martin Goodson, Charlie's hyper-critical father.

Steve Valentine as Dr. Lesley Moore, a rival psychiatrist whom Charlie considers his
arch-enemy.

Anna Hutchison as Sasha, a hooker who is occasionally a real girlfriend for Charlie.

Michael Gross as Dr. Randy Warren, a "psychic psychologist" whom Charlie exposes
as a fraud. He later appears in Charlie's prison therapy group.

Elaine Hendrix as Warden Hartley, the new warden at the prison where Charlie and
Jordan work.

Production[edit]
On July 18, 2011, it was announced that a show based on the 2003 film of the same name was
in development with Charlie Sheen starring in the role originally played by Jack Nicholson from
the film. The series is Sheen's first acting role since he was officially fired from the
hit CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men.[2] On October 27, 2011, it was announced that FX had
picked up the series with an initial ten episode order which, if successful, FX would then order
an additional 90 episodes under a syndication model crafted by Debmar-Mercury. On August
29, 2012 it was announced that the show would be picked up for a further 90 episodes. [12] On
January 9, 2013, FX president John Landgraf said that there will essentially be "45 new
episodes per year". Landgraf also announced that Martin Sheen, who guest-starred in season
one as Charlie's on-screen father, would become a season two regular cast member.[13] While
Martin did continue appearing on the show, it was only in selected episodes and he was not
promoted to season two regular.
FX is paying a $600,000-per-episode license fee for the series.[14] In an effort to boost its
sagging season two ratings, FX announced that four episodes (two of them first-run) would air
on FX's parent network Fox on Monday nights in June, starting June 3, 2013.[15]

Casting[edit]
Casting announcements began in January 2012, with Shawnee Smith and Selma Blair first
cast as the two female leads. Smith was cast as Charlie's ex-wife and Blair was cast as
Charlie's therapist and possible love interest. [16][17] Several actresses tested for the two female
lead roles, including Julie Benz, Jenica Bergere, Elaine Hendrix (who would get a role on the
show), Kate Reinders and Nichole Hiltz.[18]
Next to be cast was Noureen DeWulf, in the role of Lacey, a spoiled rich girl who is sentenced
to join the therapy group after shooting her boyfriend in the testicles when he cheated on her.
[19]
Michael Arden and Daniela Bobadilla were cast as, respectively, Patrick (an openly gay
member of Charlie's therapy group) and Sam (Charlie's teenage daughter who has obsessivecompulsive disorder).[20] Barry Corbin was cast as Ed, a cranky, bigoted Vietnam veteran and
the member of the therapy group who is angry at everyone. Originally billed as a recurring
character, the producers decided after just two episodes to make Ed a series regular. Derek
Richardson was the last actor cast in the series, in the role of Nolan, a frequently stoned
member of the therapy group whose anger issue is that he has no anger.[21]

Denise Richards, Lindsay Lohan, Cee Lo Green, Kerri Kenney-Silver,[22] have made guest
appearances. and Brian Austin Green, who also initially made a guest appearance, was
promoted to a starring role following the dismissal of Selma Blair. Guitarist Slash has made a
cameo appearance.
Charlie Sheen's father, Martin Sheen, who made a guest appearance in season one as
Charlie's on-screen father, has an expanded role in the second season. FX president John
Landgraf said, "I thought it would be a better series if it was also a multi-generational series". [13]

Selma Blair's dismissal[edit]

On June 17, 2013, TMZ reported that Sheen had told producers that he would refuse to work
should Blair turn up to work that day as a result of her being the most vocal among the cast
and crew[23] regarding complaints about him being a "menace" to work with specifically his
punctuality and work ethic.[24] The following day, TMZ reported that Sheen had told the
producers that if they refused to fire Blair, then he would quit. [25] Later that day, Lionsgate issued
a statement confirming that Blair would not be returning to the show [26] and that a new female
lead role would be created to fill the void.[23]
The new female lead role was described as a "by-the-book psychiatrist" who joins Charlie to
co-author the sex study research he and Kate had been working on before she left and moved
to India.[27] On August 5, 2013, FX announced that Laura Bell Bundy would be replacing Blair as
Charlie's new colleague, Dr. Jordan Denby, with production on the first episode featuring
Bundy's character beginning that same day.[28] It was also announced that Brian Austin
Green would have an expanded role following Blair's firing.
Blair's final line in the series was that Sheen's Charlie Goodson character was "going to be
very excited he and I can keep working together".
Potential lawsuit[edit]
On September 13, 2013, TMZ reported that Blair was threatening both Sheen and Lionsgate
Entertainment for the $1.2 million she would have earned had she not been dismissed from the
show, but also noted that both sides were talking and attempting to reach a settlement. It was
also reported that a decision had already been made prior to her dismissal to write her off the
show as "America didn't want to see Charlie with just one girlfriend" however the plan was to
phase the character out over eight episodes and that once Sheen heard of Blair's comments,
"that process was accelerated" and the character abruptly moved to India. [29]
Canceled episode[edit]
In June 2013, a press release for an episode titled "Charlie and Kate Have Sex for Science"
stated that the episode was set to air on June 27, 2013, as the twenty-sixth episode of the
season.[30] Following the aftermath of Blair's dismissal, the planned broadcast was canceled
and replaced with "Charlie and the Hot Nerd" - the first episode produced without Blair.[31] The
status of "Charlie and Kate Have Sex for Science" is unknown as all episodes with production
codes up to, and including, 1040 (Blair's final episode) have aired. An episode with a similar
title, but with different storylines, named "Charlie Does It For Science" aired on December 5,
2013.[32]

Episodes[edit]
Main article: List of Anger Management episodes
Season

Episodes

Originally aired

First aired

Last aired

10

June 28, 2012

August 23, 2012

90[33][34]

January 17, 201

3

December 22, 2014

Broadcast[edit]
The original broadcast is within the United States of America on the Pay TV channel FX from
June 28, 2012 and was later broadcast via free-to-air the Fox network from June 3, 2013.
[1]
In Canada the series premiered on CTV on August 12, 2012.[35][36] New episodes now air
on M3. In the United Kingdom/Ireland it premiered on Comedy Central on September 12, 2012.
[37][38]
Anger Management began airing in Australia on the Nine Network on August 14, 2012 and
in New Zealand on TVNZ's TV2 from August 15, 2012.[39][40] In South Africa it began on Comedy
Central on September 24, 2012. [41] In India it premiered on Comedy Central on February 18,
2013.[42] The show is now in broadcast syndication in the U.S.

Critical reception[edit]
Anger Management received largely negative reviews. Based on 33 reviews collected
by Rotten Tomatoes, the first season of Anger Management received an average 21% overall
"Rotten" approval rating; the website's consensus states, "Anger Management is aggressively
so-so, with thin characters and a few groan-worthy gags for every good one."[43]
Metacritic gave the first season of the show a score of 44 out of 100 based on 33 critics'
reviews.[44] Linda Stasi of the New York Post called the series "not so bad", adding "Anger
Management is pretty conventional up to and including an idiot laugh trackand a character
named Charlieagain. But maybe the familiar is what will keep crazy Charlie [Sheen] from
killing himself and others in a blind, drunken, psycho haze on set. Or maybe not."[45] The Wall
Street Journal's Nancy DeWolf Smith thought the series was "usually funny, often clever" and
added "The accomplishment here is that tight writing and editing, a solid cast with good timing
and Mr. Sheen's chops as the ne plus ultra of sitcom performers, make the whole thing feel, if
not entirely freshthen crisp."[46]
Alan Sepinwall of HitFix stated: "Anger Management is Charlie Sheen doing what Charlie
Sheen doeson-screen. It's not artful, it's not elegant ... It will likely give his fans what they
want. And if there are enough of them to trigger the order for the extra 90 episodes, then FX,
Helford and everyone else will feel justified in taking another chance on the guy, despite what
happened in the past."[47]
The Huffington Post's Maureen Ryan stated: "despite the careful attention to image
enhancement possibilities, the core ugliness and toxic narcissism of 'Anger Management' are
impossible to ignore. ... Whoever 'Anger Management' benefits and it certainly won't be
viewers used to FX's usual scripted fare whole enterprise is really just image management.
Nice work if you can get it."[48] Anger Management was renewed for 90 more episodes, and
production started on September 24, 2012.