Par for controversial sitcom’s contentious course

JONES. His religious beliefs run counter to his show’s “sexy” style.

The US television world was recently boggled by reports that Angus T. Jones, the teen star on “Two and a Half Men,” railed against the hit series that had made him popular, in effect biting the hand that fed and “made” him.

For his part, before he issued a contrite apology for his feisty remarks, Jones stoutly maintained that he was simply speaking from the heart when he admitted in public that he was no longer comfortable with the “more grown-up” storylines he was being given on the show, now that he’s 19 years old.

He called himself a “paid hypocrite,” because his religious beliefs ran counter to the sitcom’s overly “sexy” style. He even went as far as describing the production as “filth!”

Of course, his apology blunted some of the force and sting of his original statement, but he was still generally criticized for not being appropriatedly grateful to the show that had made him a popular TV personality, and now pays him a whopping $300,000 per episode for his stellar services.

The “filthy” comment quickly went viral, and was subsequently satirized by similarly “dirty” pseudo-attacks on other shows, like Whoopi Goldberg advising fans of her panel talk show, “The View,” because it, too, was “filth!”

More seriously, however, Jones’ comments prompted other stars to discuss what, if anything, they owe the shows or producers who had made them bankable screen luminaries.

Profitable

Some stars observe that all they should owe their producers and fans is simply their best performance. After all, producers also benefit from their portrayals, because they enhance the productions they appear in, and make them financially profitable.

However, other luminaries believe that criticizing the show that made them popular would never be an option for them, so they rap Jones for his acerbic “attack.” If he feels all that strongly about the sitcom’s overly “sexy” thrust, he should just opt out of it, they say.

Other people recall that, only a few seasons ago, the show’s former star, Charlie Sheen, similarly dissed the production, and was eventually fired and replaced by Ashton Kutcher. “Two and a Half Men” survived that risky casting change and is still a hit—so, Jones’ own exit could be just par for the production’s contentious course!