Jon Cryer Talks 'Two And A Half Men' Premiere, Ashton Kutcher; Charlie Sheen Will Watch

The slow burn of the mysterious "Two and a Half Men" season premiere licked up the wick a bit more on Tuesday, as Jon Cryer made comments that, depending on interpretation, either confirmed rumors or dashed them entirely.

Since Charlie Sheen's epic meltdown last winter led to his dismissal and subsequent replacement by Ashton Kutcher, the attention has been squarely on the first episode of this season to explain, in sitcom reality, the departure and arrival of the respective stars. Pictures leaked from the set have confirmed that there will be a funeral for Sheen's Charlie Harper character, with TMZ going as far as reporting that he will die in a Parisian train accident that they termed a "meat explosion."

Cryer appeared on Los Angeles TV station KTLA on Tuesday and briefly discussed the just-filmed episode, teasing with the double meaning of TMZ's chosen hyperbole.

"There is no meat explosion, just so you know; it's not some entrée that ends disastrously," Cryer said. Of course, it's never been rumored that a culinary incident would do Charlie in, so depending on the way you read the comments, he could be confirming the train accident plot line, denying the story, misunderstanding TMZ's choice of words or, just maybe, having fun with the audience.

For his part, Sheen himself said he was excited for a train accident death, telling TMZ, "I am honored that it took something as large and violent as an oncoming train to terminate my character."

Whether he's operating from inside knowledge or just the basis of the original TMZ story is unknown.

In any case, looking forward, Cryer was enthusiastic about his new cast mate.

"They've managed to bring in Ashton in a really terrific way," the Emmy-winner said (via The Hollywood Reporter). "I mean, Ashton just did the show on Friday and just tore the roof off the joint. He was amazing."

Their boss agreed.

"We have an extra actor in Ashton Kutcher," Nina Tassler, CBS entertainment president, said over the weekend at the Television Critics Association Fall TV preview. "You have someone who is committed to doing their job and is incredibly professional."