Ashton Kutcher will replace troubled star Charlie Sheen in the hit CBS comedy "Two and a Half Men" next season because of Sheen's personal problems, the network and producers Warner Bros. Television said on Friday.

The deal apparently came together quickly, following reports earlier this week that negotiations with film actor Hugh Grant to join the show had fallen through. Kutcher is familiar to television audiences through his role on Fox's "That 70s Show," film roles like the romantic comedy "No Strings Attached" and for producing and hosting the prank show "Punk'd."

Kutcher said he believes that "we can fill the stage with laughter that will echo in viewers' homes."