Casts and writers from four hit sitcoms were gathered on the large stage on the Warner Bros. lot, extolling the virtues of the man who created each of the shows. Chuck Lorre sat mostly smiling as nearly two dozen of his colleagues told of his ability to turn what was thought to be an old-fashioned way to make sitcoms — to a live audience with multiple cameras on a set — into repeated hits.
The compliments grew so heavy during the event called “An Evening with Chuck Lorre Productions,” that Simon Helberg of “Big Bang Theory” said “I’m just happy this isn’t a eulogy for you. I keep turning around and expecting you to be gone.”
“This is a real overwhelming experience for me,” Lorre said at the outset. “Im a very lucky guy to be here.”
But he said “It is important before we start, to say…none of this happens without ‘Two and a Half Men.’”
Network support of that show ant its continued success gave them the gall to return “with a straight face that we want to show about physicists.”
The success of “The Big Bang Theory” in turn let them pitch “A Chicago Cop and a school teacher meeting at an Overeaters Anonymous” that became “Mike & Molly” and, “just to test our luck to see how much leverage we had, let’s try a show about a mother and daughter alcoholic, recovering alcoholics and see how that goes.”
“Mom” has become a hit as well, something Lorre is so proud about he showed next week’s episode, bound to surprise fans.
“We’re not breaking new ground, but maybe in this environment we are,” Lorre said.
As the evening continued, culminating in set tours and the dedication of Stage 26 as “The Two and a Half Men Stage” for its longevity, the theories continued as to Lorre’s success.
“These shows work because they’re all built on family,” said Ashton Kutcher, who came into “Two and a Half Men” after the departure of Charlie Sheen. “They’re all built on these obscure, broken, beat up, messed up families that are just like yours.”
“That’s one of the big secrets,” said longtime Lorre writer Eddie Gorodetsky, who currently works on “Mom.” “The Shows are inclusive. No one’s saying, ‘You’re stupid and we’re better than you.’ It’s like, ‘Come in and join us. Look at our screwed up family, and we want you to be part of it.’”
Anna Farris of “Mom” said their show works because the characters are so well rounded. “I’m written more as a very dimensional person with a lot of problems,” she said. “I’ve never gotten to experience that.”
Jim Parsons of “Big Bang Theory” noted that Lorre started as a musician. “And I think one of the common things with all of these shows is a rhythm,” he says. The laughs are inserted like beats. “One of the reasons that all the shows repeat so well in syndication is because of the rhythm,” he said. “I mean, you know what’s going to happen — you saw it three times. But it’s like a good pop song — It’s enjoyable to dance to again.”
“Mike & Molly” star Billy Gardell says Lorre “knows what he thinks is going to work and he’s fearless about trying it. And that always succeeds, even when it terrifies the rest of us.”
There was talk about how to wind up “Two and a Half Men” after such a long time and particularly how it would incorporate show original Charlie Sheen, if at all.
“I think we’re going to have a finale that you’ll be very, very pleased with,” Lorre said curtly at first. “And that’s all I’m going to say about it.”
But later, he relented: “It would be inappropriate here to not acknowledge the extraordinary success we had with Charlie and how grateful I am, and we all are, to his contribution.
“There’s nothing but good feelings for the 8 1/2 years we worked together. But how to wrap the show, it’s tricky,” he said. “Because in a way, the show morphed into something else entirely for the last four years and it’s something we love, and we want to honor both. So how to honor both has been the challenge of this finale. And the other challenge is how to get people watching it without telling them what it is.”