• by David Goetzl , July 6, 2011

Last month, CBS CEO Leslie Moonves suggested the first episode of the refashioned "Two and a Half Men," now starring Ashton Kutcher, would deliver massive ratings.  High enough that, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Moonves mentioned "AFC championship- type" numbers when speaking about the fall premiere.

That prompted someone to wryly suggest that CBS should first focus on getting a two and a half rating.

With Charlie Sheen's departure, CBS had to announce Kutcher's hiring as the upfront process began to try and persuade advertisers that the show would still have appeal.

But what if CBS had rolled the dice and told buyers "just trust us, you'll be impressed," and then opted to at least try -- despite a leaky Hollywood -- to keep the show under wraps until the premiere? That might have brought some NFL-playoff numbers.

What a marketing campaign the network could have had until September. It wouldn't have quite burrowed into the zeitgeist like "Who Shot J.R.?" -- but there would have been opportunity to build loads of excitement. (That's not to say Kutcher doesn't offer plenty to work with.)

With CBS unable to pull off that stunt, NBC should go for it with the question of who will replace Steve Carell on "The Office."

The network should keep the answer quiet until the new character - the boss of Dunder Miffflin's Scranton branch -- appears on screen Thursday, Sept. 22 at about 9:05 p.m.

Even with leaks, NBC representatives should simply say, "Tune in for the premiere, we're not saying, but it will be a worthy surprise" and let the speculation burn. Soon Charlie Sheen's name will surface and by all means the network should not deny it.

On Wednesday, NBC announced that James Spader would join the regular cast of "The Office" as the CEO of Dunder Mifflin's parent Sabre. That has spurred more interest in who will replace Carell's Michael Scott character.

NBC needs to find a way to keep that building without revealing the actor. The wait should have buy-in from advertisers since, well, they've already bought in and made upfront commitments.

On NBC.com, there's a section about the search, with a chance to cast a vote. Jim Carrey and Ricky Gervais are among the options.

Visitors can also write in a candidate. Charlie Sheen has been officially nominated.