Anger Management (TV series)

Anger Management

Company type	Television series
Industry	Entertainment
Founded	June 28, 2012 (2012-06-28)
Founder	Bruce Helford (developer)
Headquarters	United States
Products	Television comedy series

Anger Management is a U.S. multi-camera comedy series developed by Bruce Helford that debuted on FX on June 28, 2012. The show draws inspiration from the 2003 movie and features Charlie Sheen in a role reminiscent of those portrayed by Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson in the original film.

Its premiere attracted 5.74 million viewers, setting a new benchmark as the highest-rated sitcom launch in American cable television history. On November 7, 2014, FX confirmed the series would end following its 100th episode, which aired December 22, 2014.

Premise

The narrative centers on Charlie Goodson (Sheen), a former minor league baseball player whose career was derailed by anger problems. After receiving guidance from therapist Dr. Kate Wales (Selma Blair), he advanced to the major leagues but sustained a career-ending injury due to an outburst during a game. This event led Charlie to pursue a new path as an anger management counselor.

Charlie is divorced from Jennifer (Shawnee Smith), with whom he shares custody of their teenage daughter Sam (Daniela Bobadilla), who struggles with obsessive-compulsive disorder. His relationship with Kate is multifaceted, as she serves both as his therapist and occasional romantic partner. Charlie leads group anger management sessions held at his home and within a correctional facility.

Main

• Charlie Sheen portrays Dr. Charles "Charlie" Goodson, a former professional baseball player who becomes an anger management therapist.
• Selma Blair plays Dr. Kate Wales, Charlie's former therapist colleague and casual romantic interest. (episodes 1–52)
• Shawnee Smith appears as Jennifer Goodson, Charlie's ex-wife.
• Daniela Bobadilla acts as Sam Goodson, the teenage daughter of Charlie and Jennifer. (episodes 1–52, 54, 57, 63)
• Noureen DeWulf features as Lacey Patel, an indulgent and temperamental patient in anger management.
• Michael Arden takes on the role of Patrick, one of Charlie's passive-aggressive patients.
• Derek Richardson portrays Nolan Johnson, a patient characterized by his lack of assertiveness.
• Barry Corbin plays Ed, an older redneck patient who finds satisfaction in others' misfortunes. (episodes 3–100; recurring prior)
• Brian Austin Green acts as Sean Healy, initially Charlie's adversary turned ally; also involved romantically with Jennifer. (episodes 45–100; recurring before)
• Laura Bell Bundy embodies Dr. Jordan Denby, a psychologist and Charlie's business associate; also portrays Jordan's twin sister Jessie. (episodes 47–100)

Recurring

• Brett Butler as Brett, the female bartender at the Merry Peasant tavern frequently visited by Charlie.
• Michael Boatman as Michael, Charlie's neighbor and real estate acquaintance who often freeloads while eavesdropping on Charlie's romantic endeavors. (episodes 1–55, guest episode 95)
• James Black as Cleo/Derek, a member of Charlie's prison anger therapy group known as the "prison gay," who reveals his true identity and previous marriage after parole.
• Darius McCrary as Donovan, Cleo/Derek's partner within the therapy group; displays effeminate traits in prison but adopts a masculine demeanor outside. (episodes 1–42)
• Stephen Taylor portrays Wayne, a seemingly philosophical participant in therapy who is later uncovered as a serial killer.
• Aldo Gonzalez appears as Ernesto Sylvia, another member of the therapy group.
• Martin Sheen portrays Martin Goodson, Charlie’s father. (episodes 10–100)
• Steve Valentine acts as Dr. Moore, a rival psychiatrist to Charlie. (episodes 13–44)
• Anna Hutchison plays Sasha, a prostitute and occasional girlfriend who briefly marries Charlie following a night in Las Vegas. (episodes 49–92)
• Ajay Mehta appears as Sanjay Patel, Lacey’s father.
• Meera Simhan portrays Mira Patel, Lacey’s mother.
• Schuyler Helford acts as Sateen, Lacey’s competitive sister.
• Michael Gross plays Dr. Randy Warren, a "psychic psychologist" exposed by Charlie; he later joins the prison therapy sessions. (episodes 77–80)
• Elaine Hendrix features as Warden Hartley, overseeing the prison where Charlie and Jordan conduct therapy sessions. (episodes 79–83)

Production

The development of a television series inspired by the 2003 movie Anger Management—which originally starred Jack Nicholson and featured Charlie Sheen in the lead role—commenced on July 18, 2011. This project marked Sheen's first acting endeavor after his dismissal from CBS's Two and a Half Men.

On October 27, 2011, FX placed an initial order for ten episodes with intentions to extend the series by an additional 90 episodes based on its performance, following a syndication strategy managed by Debmar-Mercury. This extended order of 90 episodes was officially confirmed by FX on August 29, 2012. FX president John Landgraf revealed on January 9, 2013, plans to produce "45 new episodes annually" and announced that Martin Sheen would join as a regular cast member in the second season; however, Martin Sheen appeared only sporadically rather than as a full-time regular.

The licensing fee paid by FX was $600,000 per episode. To counteract a decline in viewership during the second season, FX broadcast four episodes—including two premieres—on its parent channel Fox in June 2013.

Casting

Casting efforts began in January 2012, with Shawnee Smith and Selma Blair selected for the primary female roles—Smith portraying Charlie's ex-wife and Blair playing his therapist and potential romantic interest.

Several actresses auditioned for these roles, including Julie Benz, Jenica Bergere, Elaine Hendrix (who was later cast in a different part), Kate Reinders, and Nichole Hiltz. Noureen DeWulf was cast as Lacey, a wealthy woman mandated to attend therapy after shooting her unfaithful boyfriend. Michael Arden and Daniela Bobadilla joined the cast as Patrick, an openly gay member of the therapy group, and Sam, Charlie's teenage daughter who struggles with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Barry Corbin took on the role of Ed, a cantankerous Vietnam War veteran; initially appearing as a recurring character, he was promoted to series regular status after two episodes. Completing the main ensemble was Derek Richardson as Nolan, a frequently intoxicated group member dealing with an inability to express anger. Michael Boatman appeared in a recurring capacity as Charlie’s neighbor and friend, reuniting with Sheen from their previous collaboration in Spin City.

Brian Austin Green, originally cast as a guest star, was elevated to a principal role following Selma Blair’s exit. Notable guest stars included Denise Richards, Lindsay Lohan, CeeLo Green, and Kerri Kenney-Silver. A cameo was made by guitarist Slash. Martin Sheen portrayed Charlie’s father during the first season and had an expanded presence in season two, aligning with FX president John Landgraf’s vision for a multi-generational narrative.

Selma Blair's dismissal

On June 17, 2013, reports surfaced that Sheen had informed producers he would refuse to work if Blair remained involved that day, citing her as the most outspoken cast member concerning his issues with punctuality and professionalism. The following day, it was reported that Sheen threatened to quit unless Blair was removed from the show. Lionsgate later confirmed that Blair would not be returning and announced plans to introduce a new female lead to fill her role.

The new character introduced was described as a "by-the-book psychiatrist" collaborating with Charlie on sex research studies, effectively replacing Blair’s character who had relocated to India. On August 5, 2013, FX revealed that Laura Bell Bundy had been cast as Dr. Jordan Denby, Charlie’s new colleague, with production commencing immediately. Following Blair’s departure, Brian Austin Green’s role was also expanded.

Possible legal action

On September 13, 2013, TMZ disclosed that Blair was considering pursuing legal measures against Sheen and Lionsgate, claiming $1.2 million in lost income, while settlement negotiations were reportedly underway. It emerged that the original plan to gradually remove her character across eight episodes was expedited once Sheen became aware of her remarks, resulting in her sudden departure to India.

Scrapped episode

An episode entitled Charlie and Kate Have Sex for Science was slated to air as the twenty-sixth installment on June 27, 2013. However, following Blair's termination, this episode was pulled from the schedule and substituted with Charlie and the Hot Nerd, which was the first episode produced without her involvement. The fate of Charlie and Kate Have Sex for Science remains unclear, as all episodes up to production code 1040—Blair's final appearance—were broadcast. A similarly named episode, Charlie Does It for Science, featuring different plots, aired on December 5, 2013.

Distribution

The show initially premiered on the American cable network FX beginning June 28, 2012, before later airing on Fox during the summer of 2013. In Canada, it debuted on CTV on August 12, 2012, with subsequent episodes shown on M3. Across the United Kingdom and Ireland, the series launched on Comedy Central on September 12, 2012, followed by broadcasts on 4Music. In Australia, Anger Management started airing via the Nine Network from August 14, 2012, while in New Zealand, it premiered on TVNZ's TV2 from August 15, 2012. The program entered traditional syndication within the United States between September 2014 and September 2018 through distributors Debmar-Mercury and Twentieth Television.

Critical response

Overall, Anger Management was met with predominantly unfavorable critiques. On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds a 23% "Rotten" rating based on 35 reviews, averaging a score of 5.20/10; critics summarized it as featuring "thin characters and a few groan-worthy gags for every good one."Metacritic assigned a score of 44 out of 100 derived from evaluations by 33 critics.

Linda Stasi of the New York Post described the show as "not so bad," labeling it conventional but accompanied by an "idiot laugh track." Nancy DeWolf Smith from the The Wall Street Journal regarded it as "usually funny, often clever," commending its concise writing, capable ensemble, and Sheen’s portrayal for delivering a sharp if not particularly innovative experience.

Alan Sepinwall of HitFix remarked that Anger Management represents Charlie Sheen performing his characteristic persona on screen. He acknowledged that while unlikely to be considered artful television, it might be sufficiently appealing to Sheen’s fans to warrant the extended episode order.

Conversely, Maureen Ryan of The Huffington Post criticized the series for its "core ugliness and toxic narcissism," implying that it functions more as a tool for image rehabilitation than as quality scripted programming tailored for FX’s audience.

Home media

Title	DVD Release Dates			Additional Information
	Region 1	Region 2	Region 4
Season One	January 8, 2013	January 14, 2013	April 30, 2014	Complete set of all 10 episodes from the first season Available in DVD and Blu-ray formats in the US and Canada Distributed as DVD only in the UK and Australia
Volume Two	October 15, 2013	October 21, 2013	Template:TBA	Contains episodes 1 through 22 of the second season Released on DVD and Blu-ray in the US and Canada Offered exclusively on DVD in the UK
Volume Three	April 15, 2014	Template:TBA	Template:TBA	Includes episodes 23 to 46 from season two Available on DVD and Blu-ray in the US and Canada only