Canadian network picks up Sheen show

TORONTO, Dec. 13 (UPI) -- Bell Media says it has acquired the Canadian rights to Charlie Sheen's new half-hour comedy "Anger Management" from Lionsgate distributor Debmar-Mercury.

The sitcom is loosely based on the hit 2003 feature film of the same name. In the new series, Sheen will play an anger management therapist, "who may need more counseling than his patients, wreaks havoc on the lives of his patients through his unconventional methods," synopsis said.

Production of the new series is to begin early next year.

"You seem like the nicest people in the world," Sheen said in a taped message, which aired Tuesday night on CTV. "But I know the truth. You're holding in a lot of anger. Why else would you drink so much beer, put on shoes with sharp blades, and smack each other around with wooden sticks?"

"Charlie Sheen's 'Anger Management' already has the television industry buzzing and it hasn't even gone into production yet," Phil King, president of CTV's programming and sports, said in a statement. "With the pedigree behind this production, we're confident this program will deliver to both viewers and advertisers alike."

"Charlie Sheen is a global brand name, and Bell Media is one of the first of many blue-chip media companies with whom we will be partnering as we launch this show worldwide," added Lionsgate President of Worldwide Television and Digital Distribution Jim Packer. "Bell Media immediately recognized the show's long-term potential, and we're delighted that Charlie will be entertaining audiences for years to come on CTV, Canada's No. 1 network."

Set to air on FX in the United States, the show is expected to be a comeback vehicle Sheen, who was fired this year from his sitcom "Two and a Half Men" for drug use, erratic behavior and rude remarks he made about series creator Chuck Lorre.