"Two And A Half Men," "CSI" Start The Big CBS Crossover

If "Two And A Half Men" looks different tonight, that's on purpose. The show will be full of moody blue lighting and grimly hilarious forensic animations - maybe we'll finally get the view from the miniature camera inside Charlie's penis they've joked about. Tonight's episode, "Fish In A Drawer," is the first half of the big crossover between the writing staffs of "TAAHM" and "CSI." Charlie, Alan and Jake will find themselves in the interrogation room with a Marg Helgenberger lookalike, and there's even a cameo by "CSI's" George Eads.

On Thursday, "CSI" will be jokier than usual, with the second crossover episode, called "Two And A Half Deaths." Things get even more inside, because the "CSI" episode focuses on the whacking of a sitcom diva played by Katey Sagal. Chuck Lorre, the "TAAHM" creator who proposed the crossover, has previously worked on sitcoms starring Cybill Shepherd and Roseanne. Although Lorre swears up, down and sideways that's got nothing to do with anything, not for nothing is Sagal's character named Annabelle Fundt. With an F. Right.

Oh and keep your eyes peeled for what USA Today sez is an eyeblink cameo by the TAAHM cast in the "CSI" half of the crossover. Charlie does like going to Vegas, after all. There's been some gnashing of teeth among fans of the various shows who fear the stunt will somehow hurt the shows. But myself I think it's a grand idea which ought to provide some creative fuel for both shows, which are tightly disciplined within their respective formats. And folks, you know, it's "Two And A Half Men" and "CSI," not "Twelfth Night" and "The Seventh Seal." Lighten up already.

Pix by Greg Gayne/Warner Bros. More after the jump.

Katey Sagal guest stars as Annabelle Fundt, a diva sitcom actress who visits Las Vegas to film an episode of her comedy on "CSI."
Photo: Robert Voets/CBS.

Executive Producer  "Two and a Half Men", Lee Aronsohn (left), gets a kick out of visiting actor William Petersen (right) in the autopsy room.
Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS.

Charlie Sheen,greets George Eads, on the set of "Twio and a Half Men."
Photo: Greg Gayne/Warner Bros.

Executive Producers Lee Aronsohn (second from left) and Chuck Lorre (far right) of television's #1 comedy "Two and a Half Men" confer with  CSI Executive Producers Carol Mendelsohn (far left) and Naran Shankar (second from left) on the set of "CSI."

Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS.