.1 The potential upside is huge. If Anger Management can bring a slice of Two and a Half Men numbers to FX, the show would be a game changer. FX’s top-rated comedy is It’s Always Sunny, which draws roughly 2 million viewers. Nobody expects Anger Management to get the CBS comedy’s 15 million viewers, but there’s a lot of territory between those two shows that would certainly be terrific for FX.

2. This is a new Charlie. Not behind the scenes — I don’t yet buy Sheen’s whole humble new media makeover. But his character on Anger Management is intriguingly different than Men‘s hedonistic and callous Charlie Harper, yet still plays off his own image. The character is described by insiders as contrite and self aware about his issues (in this case, anger issues); a man who’s worked hard to gain a measure of self control. He has a 13-year-old daughter and a female best friend who’s also a therapist. The character is like what Charlie Sheen wants to be, as one person familiar with the situation put it. That sort of lead character shading intrigued FX executives and seems on brand for a network that’s always embraced anti-heroes.


3. The ratings for those first 10 episodes? They need to be high. Sources won’t give an exact number, but in order to trigger the remaining 90, FX’s deal with producers require Anger Management to give a very strong initial performance. If the agreed-upon threshold isn’t met, then the comedy becomes just like any other show — and FX can choose to negotiate a short additional order or walk away. The high bar gives a fair amount of insurance that AM can only get the full order if it proves to be a hit.

4. Two and a Half Men: Repeats of Sheen’s previous sitcom are a very solid draw on FX (averaging 800,000 adults 18-49). Adding Anger Management gives FX a potential vehicle for cross-promotion, rejuvenating its investment in Men and helping provide a platform to push AM. “A rising tide…” etc.

5. It’s a total gamble and FX knows it. There doesn’t seem to be illusions on FX’s side about what they’re getting into. Sheen may be contrite and sober for the moment, but he’s still a self-confessed hard drug user with a history of cycling between periods of keeping-it-together professionalism and tabloid-headline mayhem. The network isn’t responsible for insuring the actor (that’s the production company’s bill), yet there are a million other ways the actor can cause FX a major headache (all it takes is Sheen turning on his webcam to ruin your whole day). But as one FX insider put it: Every network series order contains a strong element of risk. Terriers, American Horror Story, Dirt, Sons of Anarchy — all risks. Betting on Sheen has a huge plus (he’s TV’s biggest comedy draw of 2010!) and a epic minus (he’s TV’s biggest disaster of 2011!). But taking risks on programming is part of FX’s image. And the sense seems to be: Since every show is a gamble anyway, why not play with the high rollers? So to speak.

Brett Butler joins Charlie Sheen on new FX show

This either has the potential to be a brilliant pairing — or a colossal hot mess. EW has confirmed that Brett Butler will join Charlie Sheen’s upcoming FX comedy Anger Management.

In the show that will premiere June 28, Butler will play a bartender at Sheen’s favorite haunt. The sitcom is loosely based on the 2003 movie of the same name from Joe Roth’s Revolution Studios and will be written and executive produced by veteran comedy writer Bruce Helford (The Drew Carey Show).

Butler and Sheen have one very big thing in common: Both worked on sitcoms from uber-producer Chuck Lorre and both managed to generate critical praise — and negative headlines — for their work as headliners. Butler was the bombastic star of Grace Under Fire from 1993 to 1998 on ABC, and, well, who doesn’t know how Sheen spent his last decade?

Butler fell off the radar for some time before claiming during an interview recently that she briefly lived in a homeless shelter. She’s been attempting to stage a comeback by doing standup in Garrett Morris’ comedy club in downtown Los Angeles.

Production on FX's "Anger Management" series has been pushed due to the absence of star Charlie Sheen who has missed several days of work in recent weeks. Lionsgate has been using stand-ins for the actor in certain scenes.

The situation has gotten so tense with Sheen's fellow cast members that they are threatening to stop working if the absences persist. The delays are not expected to push the overall end date of production of the series.

Lionsgate and FX are committed to producing 100 episodes of the series with around two-thirds of that number complete. Shooting on the show is expected to finish this fall.

Sheen has been reportedly performing as usual when he is on set, but several have noticed his erratic behavior (even by his standards) of late. Recent health issues have also said to have been a factor.

A lot of money is at stake here. If a 100 episode order is complete, the series could generate between $350-500 million in revenue via network license fees, international sales and syndication revenue.