Charlie Sheen's Rehab May Cost CBS $250 Million

When the news broke last week about Charlie Sheen's latest drug and porn star fueled binge we were first told that the highest paid actor on TV had suffered a hernia from laughing too hard.  Seriously.  Reported from the entertainment show Extra:

"He was having severe abdominal pains and went to the hospital," his rep said, and other sources report that his hernia surgery could be happening today.

There was no hernia, at least not one caused by laughing too hard.  As the story unfolded we did learn that Sheen had a 36 hour long party in his Beverly Hills home that allegedly included cocaine, booze and porn stars.  9-1-1 was called by a neighbor who also happens to be TV personality Real Housewife Adrienne Maloof-Nassif.

Sheen ended up in Cedar-Sinai Medical Center and subsequently his management informed the public that Charlie had checked into rehab.  That was not true, instead Mr. Sheen would undergo his rehab treatment in the comfort of his own home.

Sheen has reportedly expressed an interest in getting help while keeping production on his hit show moving as scheduled.  There are apparently eight episodes of "Two And A Half Men" yet to be taped this year.  An extended in-patient rehab, which some have suggested, would mean shutting down production on the show and costing CBS upwards of $250 million dollars.  It would seem that both CBS and Charlie Sheen have strong financial reasons for making this home rehab work.  The same home that just a week before had hosted the party.  Many experts in the rehab world think this is not a good idea.

Dr. Petros Levounis, the director of the Addiction Institute of New York at St. Lukes & Roosevelt Hospitals told the Daily News. "If something goes wrong, there are no resources available."

While home rehab is not unheard of,  one can understand the concerns Dr. Levounis has raised.

Currently Sheen's parents are reportedly considering legal options similar to those taken when Britney Spears' father managed to get a court order putting him in control of her financial empire back in 2008.

As of this writing and entering the important ratings sweep, CBS has only two completed episodes of "Two And A Half Men."  CNBC reports on just how much of an audience draw the Monday night ratings heavyweight is for CBS;

No other comedy has the drawing power of "Men," which even in reruns averages bigger audiences (10.6 million, according to the Nielsen Co.) than first-run episodes of other network comedies, except for ABC's "Modern Family" (14.6 million).

Following fast on the heels of Charlie Sheen's hotel rampage in New York last October that ended in a hospital visit, and combined with the domestic assault charge to which he pled guilty in Colorado last summer, this certainly cannot be discounted as an isolated incident.