Lorre throwing love in direction of Charlie Sheen

BURBANK, Calif. (AP) - Chuck Lorre won't clear up the mystery about whether Charlie Sheen's character will return from the dead for next month's "Two and a Half Men" series finale, but he's throwing a lot of love Sheen's way.

The television megaproducer said Thursday he has "nothing but good feelings" for Sheen, who was kicked off the sitcom in 2011 during a spectacular meltdown that included calling Lorre a "contaminated little maggot."

Lorre, producer of "Two and a Half Men," ''The Big Bang Theory" and "Mom," said it was important to acknowledge the extraordinary success the show had with Sheen. His character was killed off and replaced as leading man by Ashton Kutcher.

Once television's most popular comedy, "Two and a Half Men" has faded with age. Its one-hour finale is scheduled for Feb. 19. Lorre, in a meeting with reporters, said there will be a "cast of thousands" for the final episode but is keeping their identities a secret not to spoil things for viewers.

He also said he hoped to find a way to honor the Sheen and post-Sheen versions of the sitcom.

"I think we're going to have a finale that you're going to be very pleased with and that's all I'm going to say about it," he said.