Charlie Sheen to Return to CBS Comedy `Two and a Half Men,' Ending Dispute

Charlie Sheen will return to CBS’s “Two and a Half Men,” according to the actor’s publicist, ending a contract dispute that threatened the highest-rated comedy on network television.

“To put a fitting end on the two and one-half months of whirlwind speculation, I’m looking forward to returning to my CBS home on Monday nights,” Sheen said in a statement. “I want to thank Les Moonves for his support.”

CBS, which plans to announce its schedule for next season tomorrow, can count on “Two and a Half Men” to anchor its Monday night comedy line-up. The New York-based network is home to eight of the 10 highest-rated scripted programs on broadcast television this season, according to Nielsen Co. data.

Terms of the agreement weren’t disclosed. Chris Ender, a CBS spokesman, declined to comment, as did Tammy Golihew, a spokeswoman at Time Warner Inc.’s Warner Bros. Television, the series producer.

CBS and Warner Bros. Television halted production of the show in February, when Sheen, 44, sought treatment at a rehabilitation facility. He was arrested on Dec. 25 in Aspen, Colorado, for alleged domestic violence.

CBS, controlled by Chairman Sumner Redstone, fell 34 cents to $14.91 at 4:02 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. The shares have climbed 6.1 percent this year. New York-based Time Warner fell 1 cent to $30.62.

To contact the reporter on this story: Andy Fixmer in Los Angeles at afixmer@bloomberg.net