Charlie Sheen Quitting: a contract negotiation ploy?

Is anyone surprised that all this talk about Charlie Sheen quitting Two and a Half Men may have just been a negotiating tactic?

There are claims that he may be asking for up to 2 million dollars an episode.

From what I've been hearing from a couple people I know who watch the show (because it is on against 24, so I haven't watched episodes during the first run in years), it seems like it should be wrapping up this season anyway based on what is going on with the characters/actors involved. They lost quite a few semi-interesting characters along the way, and the fact that Jake is increasingly irrelevant to the whole series as he grows older means that it should be put out of its misery sooner rather than later.

(And yes, I know there are a lot of you out there who think it should have ended a long time ago. That sentiment is noted.)

But I am just hoping that, like a lot of other people have written since this whole Sheen-is-a-quittin' thing started, I think now is the time for CBS to start really advertising and positioning another series to take the place of Two and a Half Men when it is gone. Some have argued for How I Met Your Mother, while others have suggested what seems to be a better alternative: The Big Bang Theory, a show which is getting great ratings, even in reruns.

If ever there was a time to make this move, now is that time. Even switching the order would likely make the difference for such a transition.

Tags: two and a half men, charlie sheen, how i met your mother, nbc, big bang theory, cbs, transition, contract negotiation, ploy, quitting