Kutcher a ratings hit as Sheen is roasted

Ashton Kutcher's debut as Charlie Sheen's replacement in Two and a Half Men became the highest rating episode in the show's history on Australian television last night, attracting a peak of 2.604 million viewers.

The result makes it the highest rating comedy show of 2011 in Australia.

It was aired by the Nine Network last night, along with Charlie Sheen's final episode of Two and a Half Men, which peaked at 2.005 million viewers.

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Meanwhile, Sheen appeared as the "victim" of a Comedy Central roast that reached 1.144 million viewers in Australia.

Both Kutcher and Sheen also had something to brag about during their big nights on American television.

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Kutcher's Two and a Half Men debut was seen by 27.8 million people in the US yesterday — more than any other episode in the show's first eight seasons, when Sheen was the star, according to Nielsen.

Meanwhile, Sheen's roasting was hardly ignored — 6.4 million people tuned in to watch.

It was the biggest audience for a Comedy Central "roast" and was the second most-watched telecast in the cable network's history.

He was subjected to "sometimes brutal" attacks on the show, barely minutes after the Sheen-less Two and a Half Men aired.

"It's amazing — after abusing your lungs, liver and kidneys, the only thing you've had removed is your kids," said actress Kate Walsh, one of those lining up to attack Sheen on the show.

The season-opening episode of Two and a Half Men, television's most popular comedy, was much anticipated.

Producers kept it a secret how they would kill off Sheen's character and introduce Kutcher's.

The show opened with Sheen's character's funeral, with his wife explaining he "accidentally" slipped in front of an oncoming train after she discovered he had cheated on her.

"His body just exploded like a balloon full of meat," said Melanie Lynskey, the actress who plays Sheen's wife Rose.

Meanwhile, Kutcher appeared as an internet billionaire unsuccessful in a suicide attempt over a crumbled relationship. He finds himself standing naked in Sheen's old house with Jon Cryer's character Alan Harper.