Charlie Sheen as Charlie Goodson and Selma Blair as Kate Wales in a scene from the new comedy "Anger Management."Adam Rose/The Associated Press
Charlie Sheen is back, and this time it's personal.
Roughly 16 months after his noisy departure from Two And a Half Men, the bad-boy actor and self-proclaimed "rock star from Mars" returns to TV in Anger Management, which launches Thursday in the United States before coming to Canada this fall.
Loosely based on the 2003 Jack Nicholson-Adam Sandler movie, the sitcom casts Sheen as a former baseball player turned anger-management therapist, who, as might be expected, has his own rage issues.
The question is: Will the viewing public want to watch Sheen's profligate persona – again? Certainly, his TV comeback could be hampered by the trend that has dogged him his whole life: Every dizzying career high is eventually countered by a crashing personal low. Consider these peaks and valleys.
High
Eight-year-old Charlie makes his debut as "boy under lamppost" in 1973's Badlands (starring his father, Martin Sheen).
Low
Two weeks shy of graduation from Santa Monica High School, Charlie is expelled for poor attendance and bad grades.
High
Sheen lands his significant role in Oliver Stone's 1986 anti-war epic Platoon, followed by the lead in Wall Street.
Low
Sheen accidentally shoots his then-fiancée Kelly Preston in the arm. Soon after, she breaks off the engagement. (Sheen has since said Preston accidentally shot herself, with his gun.)
High
Reinvented as a comedy film star (Hot Shots, Major League), Sheen marries model Donna Peele in September, 1995.
Low
Three months later, Sheen is named as a client at the trial of Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss. Under oath, he admits to spending close to $50,000 on prostitutes. His marriage to Peele ends after 10 months.
High
Sheen tackles his first voice-over role as a lovable pooch named Charlie in the 1996 animated family-film sequel All Dogs Go to Heaven 2.
Low
In 1997, Sheen's girlfriend Brittany Ashland files charges claiming he physically abused her. Sheen is charged with misdemeanour battery and receives a year's suspended sentence, two years probation and a $2,800 fine.
High
Sheen continues to land Hollywood film roles, including a plum role opposite Marlon Brando in the 1998 black comedy Free Money, directed by Canadian Yves Simoneau.
Low
In May, 1998, Sheen is admitted to hospital following a near-fatal cocaine overdose. Soon after, he checks into a drug rehab centre, and checks out after one day. His probation is extended by one year and the court orders him back into rehab.
High
A clean and sober Sheen is chosen to replace Michael J. Fox on the hit sitcom Spin City in 2000. In his first year on the show, he earns a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy.
Low
Sheen finds "true love" in his 2002 marriage to actress Denise Richards. Three years and two daughters later, she files for divorce amid claims Sheen threatened her life, abused drugs and alcohol and frequently visited websites featuring "very young girls." The divorce is finalized in 2006.
High
In 2003, Sheen lands the role of womanizing Charlie Harper on Two And a Half Men.
Low
In 2003, Sheen's only big-screen appearance comes in the slapstick comedy farce Scary Movie 3.
High
In May, 2008, Sheen marries Brooke Mueller, who gives birth to twin sons several months later.
Low
On Christmas Day, 2009, Sheen is arrested in Aspen for assaulting Mueller. Charged with felony menacing, third-degree assault and criminal mischief, he takes a plea bargain sentencing him to 30 days in a rehab centre, 30 days of probation and 36 hours of anger management. Sheen and Mueller divorce.
High
By his eighth season on Men in 2010, Sheen is the highest-paid actor on television, earning $2-million (U.S.) an episode.
Low
In October, 2010, police remove Sheen from a New York hotel suite, which sustains more than $7,000 in damages. Sheen admits to the NYPD that he was drinking and using cocaine the night of the incident. He is released after spending a night in hospital.
High
Sheen returns briefly to his Wall Street character Bud Fox for a cameo role in the 2010 sequel Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.
Low
In January, 2011, production of Men goes on hiatus to accommodate Sheen's attempt to undergo substance rehab, in his home (his third attempt in 12 months). After he repeatedly disparages creator Chuck Lorre in radio and TV interviews, he is dismissed from the show.
High
Weeks after his dismissal, Sheen sets a new Guinness World Record for Twitter as the fastest person to reach one million followers – in 25 hours and 17 minutes – without issuing a single tweet.
Low
In August, 2011, Sheen takes host duties at the annual Detroit music festival known as The Gathering of the Juggalos. He leaves the stage once the audience starts throwing bottles at him.