If scathing anecdotes from some of the most popular TV comedies of the last four decades are your thing, perhaps you’ve noticed that Chuck Lorre released a memoir. The showrunner behind Dharma and Greg, Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, Mom, Young Sheldon and many, many, many other series released Sitcom on Oct. 13.
The book include Lorre’s take on Charlie Sheen’s Two and a Half Men meltdown, a few other sitcom stars who pushed him to the edge (Brett Butler and Cybill Shepherd) and the one who did so while also helping his career (Roseanne Barr).
Naturally, reviving some of these fraught narratives seem to have irked some mentioned in the book. 20th Century curiosity Tom Arnold shot back at Lorre’s claim that Arnold demanded writers add his name to scripts when he was producing then-wife Roseanne Barr’s hit series. Arnold expressed his displeasure with the accusation on X and then called Lorre “a terrible human, an angry dry drunk who lies every time he opens his mouth.” Speaking to THR days later, Barr agreed with her ex-husband’s claim on writing credits — though not the character assassination. But as I learn over a phone call with Lorre, the super-producer does not seem interested in any more back-and-forth with former colleagues now that everything is on the page. (Those who take issue with any of his recollections, he suggests towards the end of Sitcom, can “write your own book.”)
Fully prepared that this book would be full of shit talking, I feared there’d be some damning story about Christine Baranski, who co-starred in the apparently quite problematic Cybill. Thanks for not bursting my bubble.
Oh my god. Christine Baranski is one of the great joys of my life — to have been able to work with her, not just on that show, but on The Big Bang Theory.
Among the more surprising threads in the book is that, internally at CBS, she was referred to as “the death of comedy” during casting — as were Jon Cryer and Melissa McCarthy. Did these executives ever express any contrition when proven wrong?
No. Listen, the big picture is that they’re extraordinarily good at casting dramas, but casting comedies was not their strong suit. You also have to acknowledge that CBS gave me a shot to do a show about quantum physicists. Yes, we disagreed on casting, but it’d be foolish to overlook how many opportunities I had with that company to figure it out and do it right.
If a prophet came to you in 1992, the year you were fired from Roseanne, and said that you’d still be publicly battling over the behind the scenes drama of that show 34 years later… how would you have reacted?
I don’t know how to answer that. It was a singular, extraordinary opportunity to be on that show. While it was difficult, I also benefited from it. I don’t think anybody who worked there didn’t come out a better writer for having been there. It might have crushed their soul in the process, but we all became better. And that’s because Roseanne insisted on honest, truthful storytelling about this family. She would not suffer any glib sitcom bullshit.
You write about your decade in Scientology, sometimes critically and mockingly. In the past, that institution would really go after that kind of criticism. Did you have any discussions about the potential ramifications about how to write about your experience? Because people are rarely this candid about Scientology.
The whole book is an effort to tell the truth of my experience and my journey to where I am right now. But at the same time, it was important for me to put in the book that there were benefits regarding that 10-year bubble that I was in. It’d be ridiculous to ignore the fact that for every mistake that I made and every poor choice that I made… surviving it, you can take a step back and go, “Well, here’s what I got from that.” And I made a point of putting that in the book that it’s not all negative. It’s not all just trash talking this organization. I did benefit in some ways that it would be disingenuous to ignore.
Have you heard from anyone in that camp?
No. I don’t think it’s worth it. I don’t think anybody gives a crap.
You talk about a lot of people in here. Who got a heads up?
I sent the pages about Charlie [Sheen] to Charlie and he signed off on it. And I ran everything past the ex-wives. I wanted to be careful to not hurt people.
There are some passing jokes in the book about Warner Brothers’ many owners since you started there, but one could argue that you’re not just an employee. On the TV side, you’re responsible for a great deal of the studio’s success in the 21st century and arguably a factor in its value. Do you feel a personal stake as it changes hands again?
I just know. I’ve been there now going on 28 years. I went in 1999 and they were going through the AOL mistake. But I’ve been the beneficiary and a lot of support from that company, starting with Peter Roth, who was immensely supportive.
People tend to speak very kindly about Peter Roth.
He loves television. He loves storytelling. He loves to laugh. That’s not always the case with executives. Generally, they’re running scared and they’re trying to figure out how to survive the job. Peter actually loved the job and he loved comedy. He was the one who offered me a job at Fox and that led to Dharma and Greg. He went to Warner Brothers and said, “No, come here.” So I followed him, because there’s an intangible quality that I’ve always gone after — which was to work with people that love what we do. That it’s not just creating content. And I have to say that [Skydance CEO] David Ellison made that very clear to me when I met him. He doesn’t like creating content. He wants to make stories and entertain. And that speaks to me. The idea that it’s content is depressing.
“Content” is a pretty gross term.
It’s loathsome.
I assume this meeting with David Ellison was quite recent.
Maybe a month ago? But when I hear someone in that position say, “I’m not in the content business, I’m in the storytelling business,” that’s meaningful. That’s really meaningful because that’s what I try to do. I keep my job really simple. My job is to make people laugh.
It appears to be memoir season for Hollywood’s great white men: Ari Emanuel’s book, the authorized Larry David biography, Bob Iger is releasing another memoir. Is something in the air?
I don’t know. (Laughs) Serendipity? This was a two-year project for me and I’m glad it’s done. I really am. As I was writing, I was hoping that the book can cause laughter. Otherwise, what’s the point? I’m not in the education business. I’m not in the morality business. I’ve been in the comedy business for a long time and if I’m going to write a book, hopefully it causes laughter, otherwise the book fails.
How did you find the experience of recording the audiobook?
I was told that it’s difficult. “How tough can it be?” It’s actually really hard because you want to perform the book. You want to make sure that the jokes land and that the stories unfold and that it’s an entirely different experience. I wrote the book to be read, not to be listened to, but audiobooks are a big deal. I actually hadn’t considered it until the book was in, really. I did the very best I could.
But you’re a writer of dialogue. Your writing, historically, are spoken. Would you have considered someone else narrating this? You would have had to showrun the recording.
There was no chance I was going to let anybody read this. It made no sense to me to have someone read the story of my life.
Two stories from your personal life really stood out to me. First, the coincidence of buying a guitar at a bar saved your life. I won’t spoil how. Second, an ex-girlfriend prevented you from having to spend your life with a colostomy bag by helping you change your diet. In recalling these strokes of fortune, did you have any grand realizations?
I have a lot of gratitude. I’ve had angels cross my path over and over again. It became very clear in writing this book how lucky I’ve been. Because of the certain people who came along at just the right time to rescue me — sometimes from myself.
Are you keeping as busy as usual?
Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, Leanne Morgan’s show… I still go to work every day and try and cause laughter somehow. That’s not a bad gig, right?
If you write another book in 20 years…
Twenty years!? (Laughs.)
If you write another book in 20 years and reveal that Leanne Morgan ran a really toxic set, it’ll really bum me out.
Leanne Morgan is a magnificent human being and that is not hyperbole. Somebody who’s a successful standup comedian, not everybody can make it acting. It’s a difficult transition. And she’s done that, and it’s a very happy set because she sets the tone. That’s Leanne’s nature.
