Two And A Half Men, that modern Agora where we gather to consider the weightiest social issues of the day, will at last tackle the topic of gay adoption—a topic that is no laughing matter, hence its appearance on Two And A Half Men. According to CBS’s Nina Tassler, the upcoming final season of Chuck Lorre’s sitcom will fulfill its purpose here on Earth by having Ashton Kutcher and Jon Cryer’s characters get fake gay-married, so that they may then adopt a baby as a fake gay couple.
“[Kutcher’s character] wants to find a way to add more meaning to his life, so he decides he wants to adopt a child,” Tassler said at the TCAs. “In doing so, he starts the process and he realizes that it’s very difficult, to adopt a child as a single, straight man. So, once and for all, he decides, ‘I’m going to propose to Alan, we’re going to get married and adopt a child as a gay couple.’”‘ Tassler presumably paused as silence filled the room, broken only by a nervous cough. Good, she said to herself. We’re getting people thinking.
Still, while some have already balked at the idea of gay marriage being a part of Two And A Half Men, where it can be unflinchingly addressed without the amelioration of comedy, Tassler said she was convinced the show wouldn’t garner any backlash. “I think it’s a very positive statement that, you know what, I am going to adopt a child as [part of] a gay couple and the reality is, he can do that,” Tassler said of the storyline, which hopes to enlighten those who have loudly resisted equal rights for homosexuals, by having its characters pretend to be gay as a means of scamming others.
Meanwhile, though it declined to comment fully until it had seen the actual episodes, GLAAD has already issued its own statement, saying, “We hope the show will acknowledge not only the progress made in acceptance of gay and lesbian couples, but also the fact that — in many areas of the country — same-sex couples are often under greater scrutiny or still barred from adoption options that straight couples have.” But certainly GLAAD has no reason to worry that all of the nuances of the issue will be thoroughly and sensitively explored. After all, this is Two And A Half Men.