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Brian Lowry
Charlie Sheen and Ben Roethlisberger might seem an unlikely pair. Yet the "Two and a Half Men" star and Super Bowl quarterback both demonstrate an old truth: Bad behavior is seldom enough to keep proven winners sidelined long.
Sheen's latest tabloid run-ins and reported excesses that landed him in rehab have yielded renewed hand-wringing over whether the actor, or
For his part, Roethlisberger served a four-game suspension at the start of the season for violating the league's personal-conduct guidelines, after Georgia officials opted not to prosecute him for an alleged sexual assault. Then again, the Pittsburgh star actually came away relatively clean compared with the
The notion that highly paid entertainers, in whatever field, don't always handle wealth and celebrity well is hardly new. Still, in the frenzy of reporting on talent like Sheen -- which can make
Indeed, "Two and a Half Men's" most recent original episode drew a season-high 15.5 million of viewers. With numbers like that, others might be tempted to encourage their leads to act up just a little -- prompting
Once something or someone has established a bond with fans, it's difficult to alienate them -- even if they insist that this time, really, is the last straw.
This truth goes beyond tabloid behavior. Sports leagues and Hollywood have endured work stoppages in the past and almost inevitably rebounded. Long before Sheen, stars from Roseanne and Brett Butler to Kiefer Sutherland weathered scandals, usually without inflicting permanent harm to their popular series.
Are there exceptions to this calculus? Certainly, especially if the performer's popularity is rooted in a certain image -- think Pee-wee Herman -- that makes returning to work particularly awkward. Yet even Mel Gibson, frankly, would likely be bankable again if cast in the sort of vehicle (think "Lethal Weapon 5," or "Mad Max IV") that initially made him successful.
It's possible to completely torpedo one's career, in other words, but not easy. For every Dave Chappelle -- who abruptly walked away from a hit
Of course, with so many variables to consider, it's often difficult to draw direct lines in such cases. Did the last writers strike deal a blow to the networks? Given steady ratings erosion, that's hard to say. Intuition suggests the disruption didn't help, but cries of "A pox on both their houses" didn't prevent people from embracing "Modern Family" or "Glee" in the strike's wake.
The
Still, those predicting the
It's a good rule of thumb, naturally, not to tempt the fates or mess with success, and any savvy manager would prefer to avoid finding out whether seismic events will upset a profitable franchise. If
Nevertheless, an adage popularized by
Just win, baby.