There's no denying the success of "Two and a Half Men." The show enters its seventh season this year and the ratings number shows viewership is still incredibly strong. I myself was a fan of the show from day one, but early into season four, the show became cringe worthy: major plots had begun to show signs of being rehashed, Alan (Jon Cryer) became absolutely intolerable, and the once risqué humor sunk to a blatantly obscene level. Fortunately, the fifth season showed a return to form, but was still nowhere near the great entertainment featured in the first two seasons and to a lesser extent, season three. One question still remains unanswered, how does the sixth season fare?

Fortunately, as a whole package, season six of "Two and a Half Men" maintains the renewed steam built up from its predecessor and maintains a steady pace (that is not without bumps) to a season finale that has once again given me reason to catch the series in its first run. Charlie Sheen continues to deliver a seemingly effortless performance as Charlie Harper, who is 10x the womanizer both Henry Blake and Hawkeye Pierce could ever aspire to be if melded into one single entity. I was initially apprehensive when I saw an old plot thread rear its head mid season, but this time around, Charlie's new steady girlfriend, Chelsea allows for a much more relaxed character development of the show's star. Her introduction and eventual role in the new season leaves viewers with issues that aren't as cut and dry as in years past.

On the lesser side of things, Jon Cryer continues to stand out as one of TVs most whiny and generally irksome characters. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as Alan is intended to be the polar opposite of his laidback, carefree brother, but when episodes call for the viewer to sympathize with him, it's a very difficult task. I would easily compare this characterization to that of Marcy D'Arcy from "Married with Children." Like Alan, Marcy is the downer for other characters and intended to draw the hatred of viewers, but at the end of the day, she's still an enjoyable character. The easiest solution I see to Alan is for the writers to try and freshen up the character. More than a few Alan-centric episodes felt like a chore to watch since it's painfully obvious what the end result will be.

Rounding out the season is the usual band of day one, supporting characters. The always-dependable Conchata Ferrell steals numerous scenes as Berta, while Jake (Angus T. Jones) has fully evolved from precious pre-teen, to what one could easily imagine as a denser young Charlie. The season also adds a new face through the previously mentioned Chelsea.

Lastly, the style or more specifically, the level of humor demands attention. Despite a primetime timeslot, "Two and a Half Men" has never been family friendly entertainment, but the (de)evolution of the humor, namely the no longer, subtle double entendres is still a very troubling aspect of the show. I'm by no means a prude, but some of the quips uttered by the characters are insultingly vulgar and really push the boundary of the TV-14 rating slapped on the show. I know the show can be clever without scraping the bottom of the barrel and this is why I largely cry foul over the direction the writing has taken over the course of the series.

The 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer faithfully reproduces the color atmosphere of Charlie Harper's world, but not without some noticeable color bleeding. The detail level is a bit muted and shows some signs of DNR. Overall, it's transfer slightly below par for modern television.

The Audio

The English Dolby Surround track is more than suitable for a dialogue driven comedy. Dialogue is clearly reproduced and well balanced with the supporting transition score. A Portuguese audio track is available as well as English, French, Spanish, Chinese, and Portuguese subtitles.

The Extras

"Two and a Half Men" has never been huge in the extras department and season six is no exception. Two short featurettes and a brief gag reel make up the contents this time around. The first featurette, "Growing Up Harper" is a brief look at Angus T. Jones and how he and his character, Jake have changed (very noticeably) over the course of the series. The other featurette, "The Women of Two and a Half Men" focuses on the importance of women, most specifically the established female co-stars on the series.

Final Thoughts

If you're a fan of "Two and a Half Men" this season is a no-brainer must buy. For casual fans, it's solid addition to the series, but still falls short of early year greatness. I'm crossing my fingers that season seven will prove to continue to try new things with the characters and deliver consistent laughter from week to week. Recommended.