Newsmakers

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Kutcher, Sheen both set records

NEW YORK

Both Ashton Kutcher and Charlie Sheen have something to brag about during their big nights on television.

Kutcher’s debut as Sheen’s replacement in the CBS sitcom “Two and a Half Men” was seen by 27.8 million people Monday.

The Nielsen Co. said Tuesday that was more than any other episode in the show’s first eight seasons, when Sheen was the star.

The sitcom’s previous best came in May 2005 after the final episode of “Everybody Loves Raymond.”

Meanwhile, Sheen appeared Monday as the “victim” of a Comedy Central roast that reached 6.4 million people. That is the second- most-watched telecast in the cable network’s history, behind only Jeff Dunham’s holiday special in 2008.

The season-opening episode of “Two and a Half Men,” television’s most-popular comedy, was much anticipated. Producers kept it a secret how they would kill off Sheen’s character and introduce Kutcher’s.

Associated Press