There are plenty of sitcoms that people love to watch over and over again. Maybe they’re a source of comfort, or they have some of their favorite actors, or there's another reason, really. I’m talking about Friends, or maybe even The Office, when it comes to rewatching. Today, though, we’re going to be talking about the famous CBS sitcom, Two and a Half Men.
Running for twelve seasons and enduring plenty of controversy to go with it, the series starred Charlie Sheen (and later Ashton Kutcher) and Jon Cryer, with the premise being about a man and his son who go to live with his bachelor brother when he gets divorced from his wife. Throughout the course of the series, we had some awesome guest stars – but, there were also actors who appeared in the show that you might not even have recognized.
We’re talking about people who have truly made it in the movie and TV industry, but before they hit it big. Here are seven actors that you might have forgotten were on the famous show.
Bellamy Young
First up on this list is Bellamy Young. The actress is primarily known for her role in the famous ABC drama series, Scandal, which ran for seven seasons, as well as her time on the Fox television show, Prodigal Son. She also broke out into the world of movies with films such as The Night Stalker, A Wrinkle in Time, and more. However, there was a time before her breakout where she guest-starred on Two and a Half Men.
The actress appeared in the episode “The Mooch at the Boo” during Season 6 as Diane. While she had been in many recurring roles prior to her guest role, it wasn’t until four years later that she got her big hit in Scandal. So fun to see her here.
Ken Jeong
Ken Jeong was honestly one of the actors I was not expecting to see at all in Two and a Half Men, because I feel like I grew up in a time where he was just always famous. However, there was a time before his big breakout roles.
If you're interested with what Ken Jeong and the rest of The Hangover cast is doing now, click here.
You might know Jeong primarily from his role in the Community cast, or his part in the The Hangover film series, or maybe even his starring role in the sitcom, Dr. Ken – perhaps even from his judging role on The Masked Singer; he’s been everywhere. But he also guest-starred on Two and a Half Men during the second season.
Jeong had a role in the episode, “Woo-Hoo, a Hernia Exam!” where he played "Male Nurse," with no name for his character. Ironically, however, his parts were what I remembered the most from the episode, considering his comedic timing was on point even back then. Nothing quite like Jeong’s character telling Alan that he’s not a real doctor.
Kristin Bauer Van Straten
While Kristin Bauer Van Straten had main roles before her small role on this long-running sitcom, her career began to take off years later, thanks to her excellent work in the field of television. These include main roles in the True Blood cast, as well as portraying Maleficent in Once Upon a Time, and several recurring and guest roles. Before all of that, though, she played Laura in two episodes of Two and a Half Men.
Bauer Van Straten was actually the first woman we ever saw Sheen's character get with (in the pilot episode), and she came back for one more episode before we, as usual, never saw her again, as Charlie isn’t a big “commitment” person.
Paget Brewster
Paget Brewster was a surprise to me when I first saw her in Two and a Half Men, because I only saw her as Emily Prentiss in Criminal Minds, a role she began in 2006 and came back for with the Criminal Minds: Evolution reboot. She also had a part on Season 4 of Friends, where she played Kathy, where a lot of fans saw her.
However, Brewster had a role in the Season 2 episode, “A Lungful of Alan,” where she played Jamie Eckleberry, a young woman who was bullied by Charlie as a kid and wanted to get revenge on him as an adult. Honestly, she was hilarious in this role, and I low-key expected her to come back again, but I’ll be satisfied with her one appearance.
Megan Fox
Megan Fox is primarily known now for her roles in several films, including the Transformers series, the iconic horror film, Jennifer’s Body, and many other thrillers and action movies, but before she was making films, she started in television.
She played the part of Prudence in the Season 1 episode, “Camel Filters and Pheromones,” as the young granddaughter of Charlie’s housekeeper, Berta, who causes problems the moment she steps through the door – problems that older men should not be involved in. It surely is a hilarious guest-role, and one that I really liked.
Noel Fisher
In the same episode as Megan Fox, Noel Fisher actually had a small guest role as well. Fisher is primarily known now for his role as part of the Shameless cast, where he played Mickey Milkovich for several seasons, as well as parts in shows such as Castle Rock, The Calling, The Conners, and more.
But, before all that, he played Freddie on Two and a Half Men. It’s a very quick role but one that I spotted all the same.
Yvette Nicole Brown
Last but not least, we have Yvette Nicole Brown, who is honestly one of my favorites. I’ve followed Brown for many years, as she was a part of one of my favorite childhood television shows, Drake and Josh, but was also a lead in Community, another favorite of mine. Besides that, she’s guest starred on so many shows that I’m sure, somewhere, you have seen her.
Before she started to take over your television, however, Brown started in smaller guest roles, one of which was when she played Mandy in “Just Like Buffalo” (Season 1, Episode 23) as one of Judith’s housewife friends. It’s a small part, but it was so fun to see her have this small role. Even then her personality shined through.
Who do you remember seeing on Two and a Half Men that even we might have forgotten about? With twelve seasons, I’m sure there are plenty of guest-stars we could bring up.
