Chuck Lorre: Ashton Kutcher Saved 'Men'

It was once inconceivable that Two and a Half Men could survive the loss of its star Charlie Sheen, but as we near the anniversary of his infamous boot, executive producer Chuck Lorre speaks candidly with Entertainment Tonight about those much-speculated months and the man he calls Men's savior, Ashton Kutcher.

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"If Ashton hadn't come along the show would be over," Chuck Lorre admits, recalling the tumultuous period of early 2011 wherein times were so tough, he offered to quit the show. "[Kutcher] really did save the day. It really was mighty mouse to the rescue time."

As many had their reservations about the 33-yr-old filling some pretty big shoes, so did Lorre, who tells ET he too was not so hot on altering the age dynamic between his two leads. "My main concern was that the character would be a peer to Jon," he says, revealing that it was none other than CBS President Les Moonves who made the unusual casting suggestion.

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"There was a moment when Mr. Moonves called me at home and said you need to meet with Ashton," Chuck remembers. " I've known him for a long time and I could tell by the tone of his voice that I needed to meet with Ashton and this was not something I should dig my heels in over or cling to any old ideas about how old the character should be."

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"I haven't spoken to Charlie since last January…There's been a characterization of a feud between the two of us. I never felt like I was in a feud. I felt like he was my friend. I really love the guy. I loved working with him…I more often than not had a great time and I enjoyed the experience and so I had a lot of affection for the guy. It was devastating how it ended, devastating. So I hope he's well... Moving forward."