Once Upon a Time

Quote: Tomspur

but John Cryer carries the show .

He always has carried it. Charlie Sheen's part was
very predictable. He was a rich drunk playboy
and not very bright. Alan's character is complicated
and everything plays off him. Also, John Cryer
is talented and Charlie Sheen isn't, particularly.

It's just another take off on the Odd Couple, with
Cryer doing the Tony Randall part. Who was
always more complex and interesting than the Jack
Klugman character. They did the same thing in
Frasier, with Niles and Frasier playing off their rough
and tumble cop father. Oscar and Felix appear over
and over in movies and TV, opposites attract laughs.

Look at this clip. Cryer even looks like Randall. Recognize
the insurance agent? Teri Garr, and boy, she doesn't look
like that anymore. She did not age well.

Quote: Evenbob

John Cryer is talented and Charlie Sheen isn't, particularly.

Chuck Lorre says that CBS executives didn't even want him to meet with Jon Cryer. He had failed at four sitcom leads, and they considered him SITCOM poison. They were sick when Lorre told them that Jon Cryer just nailed the audition and he couldn't imagine anyone else playing Alan Harper.

ABC The Trouble with Normal (Oct 6 to Nov 24, 2000)
FOX Getting Personal (1998– 1999)
FOX Partners (1995-1996)
CBS The Famous Teddy Z (1989–1990)

The Pilot for 2.5 Men aired on 22 Sep. 2003, but they had shot it much earlier with Blythe Danner playing the mother. She was subsequently replaced with Holland Taylor. Unlike the original pilot for TBBT, they kept 90% of the original pilot for 2.5 Men the same, and just reshot the scenes with the mother (with the same dialogue).

Quote: Pacomartin

Chuck Lorre says that CBS executives didn't even want him to meet with Jon Cryer. He had failed at four sitcom leads,

Just the fact he was in four pilots shows how talented
he is. Being selected for one pilot is a huge break in
an actors career. Being selected for four means it was
just a matter of time before the right material found
him. The fact that the show lives on with him carrying
another lightweight actor, Ashton Kutcher, is a real
testament to his talent. The same thing happened in
Frasier. The Niles character carried that show for 11
years. Without him, it would have died after 3-4 seasons.

Quote: Evenbob

Just the fact he was in four pilots shows how talented he is.

Jon Cryer was in four 13-23 episode sitcom series. I don't know how many pilots he made.

I know that George Clooney always jokes that he made 15 television pilots, none of which were picked up. Although GC got his recurring role in Roseanne at age 27, he is the only A list star who did not have a significant TV lead or movie in his 20's.

I'm realizing the worst thing about OUAT is the
evil person behind everything is a woman. It's
just not believable. Have any of the evil leaders
in the world ever been women? Hitler, Stalin,
Pol Pot, Ivan the Terrible. Was Darth Vadar a
woman? Is the devil female?

Women don't make good evil leaders, they just
aren't taken seriously. Especially when they're
beautiful, like the Evil Queen. Their evilness seems
trite and petty, so it makes the whole show silly.

Bloody Mary ruled England for over 5 years. She was pretty scary, but I don't think she was beautiful.

Nor does she come readily to mind. It just never
works when you try and put male traits onto
female characters. Women are just too sympathetic
in their demeanor. It worked with the Wicked Witch
in Wiz of Oz, but she was butt ugly and had no
feminine qualities at all. The Evil Queen is beautiful
and looks damn good it skin tight jeans. When I
see her I'm not too afraid..

Frighteningly attractive.

Quote: Evenbob

The Evil Queen is beautiful and looks damn good it skin tight jeans. When I see her I'm not too afraid..

I think you are expecting too much of Disney. Watch American Horror Story on AMC. That can be genuinely gory for a TV show.

She can do her evil worst to me anytime..