Sorry, Walden Schmidt fans. There's still no word if "Two and a Half Men" or Ashton Kutcher will be back for what would be the series' 10th season.
"I have no idea," Kutcher told fans Monday night at "Men's" PaleyFest panel moderated by TV Guide Magazine's Michael Schneider. When Charlie Sheen was fired last year, Kutcher signed a one-year deal in May.
"I don't think the show's been picked up for another season yet," he continued. "I absolutely adore the time that I'm having. I'm having a great time on the show. There's some work I have during summer. I haven't heard from the powers that be yet."
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The actor is echoing his own noncommittal sentiments from two months ago at the Television Critics Association winter previews. Series creator Chuck Lorre couldn't confirm the show's return either, but offered some optimism: "It's unusual when they cancel a show that's in the Top 10. I think there's hope [of renewal]."
While they wait, the series will keep chugging along with its brand of raunch and revelry. In the new episode on Monday, March 19 (9/8c, CBS), Alan's mom Evelyn (Holland Taylor) meets Lyndsey's mother Jean ("The Mary Tyler Moore Show's" Georgia Engel) for the first time. "Jean is very passive-aggressive, very subtle as a parent," Lorre told TVGuide.com. "It's very different from Evelyn's approach to parenting. The line is that she's like a hamster: cute and cuddly, but eat their young."
Perhaps it's a case of "opposites attract," but as previously reported, sexual sparks fly between the two ladies. "They really get involved. Evelyn's always been the character who would do anything for a box of chocolates," Taylor said. "One gets the sense that there isn't anything that she hasn't done at least once or several times. So it's keeping in her character in a way to do something unexpected."
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In addition, the producers are hoping to see the return of guest stars Judy Greer, who plays Walden's ex Bridget, and Patton Oswalt, whose character Lorre described as "a great partner in crime for Walden."
Lorre also revealed that cast member Angus T. Jones (Jake) will have a meatier plot beyond his usual pothead shenanigans. "There are some milestones coming up at the end of the season for the show, including Angus' character graduating high school," he said. "What's next for the young taterhead? We're starting to explore that now because it's a huge transition for this young man: what's going to happen to him afterwards and how terrifying it is for his parents."
And although the evening's festivities were a celebration of the show's survival despite Sheen's departure the previous year, he was not forgotten. "It's in our DNA. He's very much a part of our show, part of our lives," Lorre said. "We've had wonderful years together and I'm not going to pretend they didn't happen."
"Two and a Half Men" airs on Mondays at 9/8c on CBS.
View original "Two and a Half Men" Bosses, Ashton Kutcher Vague About Returning Next Season at TVGuide.com
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