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Charlie Sheen's 'Anger Management' Lands at FX

The News Corp. cable network will pair the actor's comeback comedy with reruns of "Two and a Half Men."

The former Two and a Half Men star's comeback comedy Anger Management has found a home on the News Corp.-owned cable network, which will air the series beginning in summer 2012. The news comes after two-plus weeks spent pitching the project to a series of cable networks and several of the major broadcast nets. Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that at least three cable networks bid on the project, which has been garnering disproportional media interest given the last year of its subject.

What may seem an odd fit for a net devoted to edgier comedy fare from Louie to Wilfred makes more sense when you consider FX's investment in Two and a Half Men reruns and its desire to have newer Sheen fare to pair with them. What's more, the cable net's parent company and its stations have struck similarly non-traditional deals with Management distributor Debmar Mercury in the past, including those with Tyler Perry's TV projects.

Now that a network is on board, the Anger Management team, which includes showrunner Bruce Helford along with producers Sheen, Sheen's manager Mark Burg, Joe Roth and Debmar co-presidents Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein, will begin to write a script and casting can begin for the initial 10 episodes, according to sources familiar with the project. If those test run episodes reach a certain size viewership, another 90 will be ordered, as has been done with Perry's House of Payne and Meet the Browns at TBS.

The comedy gained significant traction when Helford signed on last month to write, executive produce and run the series inspired by the 2003 film by the same name. He brings experience and cache to the project, given his time at the helm of such sitcoms as Roseanne, George Lopez and The Drew Carey Show. Other experienced comedy writer-producers Tom Straw and Chris Case were being considered for the gig, a process that included meetings with Sheen, as well as Lionsgate chief executive Jon Feltheimer, which is producing the show.

‘Anger Management’ Casting Female Leads Opposite Charlie Sheen: See Who’s Testing

EXCLUSIVE: Charlie Sheen’s new FX comedy series, Anger Management, is moving to cast its leading ladies. Selma Blair, who had been pursued by the show’s producers, is leading the field of actresses expected to test opposite Sheen at tomorrow’s studio test, which also includes Dexter and No Ordinary Family alumna Julie Benz. On the Lionsgate TV-produced Anger Management, which has an initial 10-episode order, Sheen will portray Charlie, a former baseball player with anger issues who winds up as an unconventional anger management therapist. There are 3 other leads on the series — all female — Charlie’s own therapist, envisioned as a love interest for him, his ex-wife and his 13-year-old daughter. If their deals close by the time the studio tests start tomorrow, I hear that there are at least three actresses reading for each of the roles. Blair is someone identified early on for the therapist role. Also testing for the part are Jenica Bergere and Elaine Hendrix. Up for the ex-wife role are Benz, Kate Reinders (Work It) and Becker alumna Shawnee Smith. UPDATE: I hear that Nicole Hiltz (In Plain Sight) will also test for the ex-wife part.

Sheen and Anger Management writer-showrunner Bruce Helford talked about casting the female roles at the recent Fox TCA party. “They’re in their late 30s to mid 40s. So it will probably be someone who had experience and that you’ll know,” said Helford, adding, “Everyone in the world calls to say they want to do that show.” Complicating the deal-making for prospective cast members if the nature of the Debmar-Mercury model employed for the show, where hitting a ratings target with the first 10 episodes will trigger a 90-episode order by FX, which would be produced on an accelerated schedule over 2 years. That represents a big commitment for any actresses who likely won’t be able to take on any side projects for the next 2 years if Anger Management goes the distance. Also, because of the project’s series’ tight schedule, no scripts have been completed yet, something that is expected to be done shortly. At TCA on Sunday, FX president John Landgraf admitted that doing Anger Management was risky but said Sheen deserves another shot. “I believe in redemption,” Landgraf said.

Selma Blair To Star Opposite Charlie Sheen In FX Comedy Series ‘Anger Management’

Selma Blair is set as the female lead opposite Charlie Sheen in his new comedy series Anger Management. On the Lionsgate TV-produced series, which has an initial 10-episode order from FX, Sheen portrays Charlie, a former baseball player with anger issues who winds up as an unconventional anger management therapist. Blair will play Charlie’s own therapist, envisioned as a love interest for him. Shawnee Smith was cast last week as Charlie’s ex-wife. In interviews at NATPE last week, Sheen raved about the possibility of working with Blair, who was among the actresses invited to test for the two roles and one of two finalists for the role. Production is slated to begin in mid-March. Under the model employed by Lionsgate’s Debmar-Mercury, if the 10-episode run of Anger Management hits a ratings target, that will trigger a 90-episode order by FX, which would be produced on an accelerated schedule over the next two years. Blair is with Gersh.