FX orders 90 'Anger Management' episodes

This June 26, 2012 file photo shows actor Charlie Sheen attending the FX Summer Comedies Party at Lure in Los Angeles. The FX channel says on Wednesday, Aug 29, 2012, it's ordered 90 more episodes of the Charlie Sheen sitcom "Anger Management".[Photo/Agencies]

FX is ordering 90 more episodes of "Anger Management," Charlie Sheen's TV comeback vehicle after being fired from "Two and a Half Men".

The unusually large order reflects the original agreement that FX made for the sitcom that stars Sheen as a therapist.

As part of the deal, FX set a ratings target for eight of the first 10 episodes of "Anger Management". The show reached the threshold, earning an automatic 90-episode order, the channel said.

The round figure of 100 episodes is the benchmark for series syndication, and that's the future for episodes that have shown first on FX, said producer Debmar-Mercury, a Lionsgate subsidiary.

"Anger Management" will go into syndication in September 2014, the company said Wednesday. It's a model that Debmar-Mercury used with the Ice Cube sitcom "Are We There Yet?" and on "Tyler Perry's House of Payne" and "Meet the Browns".

FX Networks executive vice president Chuck Saftler said he's confident the producers and cast will be able to produce the full order during the next two years after quickly turning out the first 10.

In July, Sheen said the prospect of continuing is as "exciting as hell," and added, "I don't think 90's gonna be enough".

FX called "Anger Management" cable's highest-rated new comedy series this year, averaging 4.5 million total viewers.

The number reflects the show's initial strong showing after its June debut, when it attracted more than 5.5 million viewers.

The show's viewership dropped to below 3 million for some later episodes and was hard-hit by the Olympics in August, averaging just under 2 million, according to Nielsen Co.

But "Anger Management" remained a healthy performer among advertiser-coveted young adult viewers, which was key to FX's decision to place the big-ticket order.

Sheen, who was replaced by Ashton Kutcher on CBS' top-rated comedy, was fired in 2011 by studio Warner Bros. Television because of his erratic personal life and public ridicule of the show's producer.

With "Anger Management," Sheen answers in part to himself with what FX has called a "significant ownership stake" in the show. Bruce Helford is the executive producer.