Charlie Sheen doesn't mind if you call his new sitcom Anger Management ordinary or vanilla.
The comedy, which is loosely based on the Jack Nicholson-led film of the same name, may not be quite as edgy as some viewers expected.
His previous top-rated show, Two and a Half Men, was known for its sexually charged humour that openly riffed off his real-life boozing-and-womanizing persona.
Then there was his explosive public meltdown after being fired from the show, which saw him unrepentantly defend his lifestyle choices, including alcohol and drug use and living with his two "goddess" girlfriends.
And when he finally got the Anger Management comeback gig with the U.S. cable network FX, home to boundary-pushing shows like Louie, Rescue Me and Sons of Anarchy, many thought he was ready to push the envelope even further.
But Anger Management is surprisingly safe. In Canada, it'll air Tuesdays on CTV - a repeat of the previously broadcast pilot is set for tonight - and there was no cutting or censoring needed to air it on network TV here.
"If you look at (creator Bruce Helford's) track record and my television track record we're two guys that have never done, like, HBO-type shows, we've always been fans of the traditional sitcom," says Sheen in an interview last month while visiting Toronto.
A critic "called the show ordinary and I went, 'That's a huge compliment.' I don't think it's ordinary, I think it's extraordinary, but sitcoms are supposed to be, like, the reason they still make vanilla, chocolate and strawberry ice cream. Because people like getting back to basics.
"And if the show is 'ordinary' that means it's something people can be surprised by, but not be shocked by, and something they can tune into every week for 20 some-odd minutes and not worry about the rest of the crap going on in the world."
Sheen jumped on board Anger Management when told he'd have more freedom to contribute to the writing and shooting process compared to Two and a Half Men.
"I think it's a slightly smarter show than Two and a Half Men. I don't know, the characters are just a lot more evolved, a lot more colourful. He's not just stuck in a barcalounger drunk and making diaper jokes," Sheen says.
The original Anger Management deal called for 10 episodes to air on FX, with a commitment for 90 more if ratings were high enough. FX recently announced that threshold had been met.
"I'm just so proud of everybody (involved) and that everyone took this leap of faith with me," Sheen said prior to getting the news. "Maybe I wasn't wrong."
