Two and a Half Men it was an undeniable sitcom juggernaut in terms of ratings the whole way through. It reportedly generated $3.4m per half hour in 2012, even after Sheen's departure. Its success paved the way for all the Chuck Lorre shows that followed, most notably The Big Bang Theory. Despite its impressive commercial performance, it was never a perfect show, with tons of lame jokes and a grating laugh track. Plus, it probably jumped the shark long before Charlie Sheen left. Despite Ashton Kutcher's charms, the reinvented version also continued to offer diminishing returns.

That said, the series definitely had its moments and served up a few good laughs over the years. The big finales and the episodes with Charlie's wildest antics tend to get the most attention, but there are also a few episodes that may have been less memorable but are still solid. Here are the most underrated Two and a Half Men episodes.

10 "The 9:04 from Pemberton"

Season 10, Episode 18

"If there was a freeloader's Hall of Fame, my dad would be living in it... for free." In this one, Walden and Alan (Jon Cryer) have a fight, causing Alan to move out and begin living with his "ex-wife's ex-husband in his ex-house". The ex-husband in question is Herb (Ryan Stiles of Whose Line Is it Anyway? fame), and he's a real oddball. He's obsessed with model trains, makes up disturbingly complex backstories for the characters inhabiting his model towns, and his best friend is the mustache he drew on his bathroom mirror.

The result is one of the better episodes from the show's second era, featuring an actual plot in addition to the gags. There are several humorous moments, like Berta (Conchata Ferrell) describing Alan as a "human boomerang", and it all builds up to a sappy but wholesome reunion between Alan and Walden. Their scenes demonstrate how their dynamic is different from the one between Alan and Charlie.

9 "Damn You, Eggs Benedict"

Season 6, Episode 3

"You did not make hollandaise sauce." 'Damn You, Eggs Benedict' is a pretty straightforward episode: Alan starts dating two women at once, invariably leading to trouble; Jake (Angus T. Jones) gets drunk for the first time, and Charlie gets into cooking. Alan is just as surprised as the viewer, saying, "In the 6 years I've been here, I've only seen you turn on the stove to light a cigar."

The plot may be nothing special, but it still makes for a reasonably funny and enjoyable 22 minutes. Charlie delivers some witty wordplay and while Cryer doesn't get many memorable lines, he does turn in a committed physical performance in the scene where he gets tasered. He flops and vibrates on the ground with gusto. The episode also humanizes Charlie a little, showing him in a slightly less misanthropic light. He's the one who goes to pick up a puking Jake from the mall, for example - and only mocks him a little.

8 "My Tongue Is Meat"

Season 3, Episode 15

"Charlie, you ain't just whipped. You're roped, saddled, and gelded." In 'My Tongue is Meat', an out-of-shape Charlie begins dating the health-conscious and athletic Mia (Emmanuelle Vaugier). He tells her that he's sworn off alcohol, read meat, and all the rest of his vices, but secretly hides cigars and beer in a tin of paint in the garage, sneaking them when Mia isn't around.

Naturally, Charlie's dishonesty gets out of hand and threatens to blow up the relationship. This episode is another one that places the hedonistic jingle writer in a weaker position. He doesn't have the guts to stand up to Mia and tell her the truth, so he skulks around nervously, acting more like Alan than the Charlie audiences are used to. Fundamentally, he genuinely likes Mia and is worried that she will leave him if he falls short of her expectations, hence the deceit. This is a welcome change of pace, and it's enjoyable to watch him flounder.

7 "Santa's Village of the Damned"

Season 3, Episode 11

Alan begins dating Sandy (Josie Davis), who quickly begins taking control of the household and fattening up the two brothers with her delicious cooking like a witch from a fairy tale. They develop ridiculous pot-bellies and become borderline addicted to Sandy's meals. Charlie, in particular, begins treating her almost like she's his new mom. Sandy's presence has its perks, but her influence grows too strong, and she reveals herself to be a little too wacky. For example, she genuinely believes that Santa is real.

When Sandy freaks out because she hasn't left cookies out for Father Christmas, Alan gets one of the episode's best lines, replying, "I see you believe in the vengeful, Old Testament Santa." Charlie also gets a good one when Sandy asks, "What's Christmas without caroling?" and he responds, "Hanukkah?" The last few scenes concern Alan's hapless attempts to get rid of Sandy, which obviously do not go as planned.

6 "I Can't Afford Hyenas"

Season 1, Episode 14

"I can't do this anymore. I quit." Like 'My Tongue is Meat', 'I Can't Afford Hyenas' also shows Charlie in a difficult position. In this one, he runs into serious financial trouble and must turn to Alan and their mother (Holland Taylor) for help. There's an especially funny scene where Charlie goes shopping for the cheapest groceries he can find. He buys a large bottle simply labeled 'vodka', lamenting that it looks like something Fred Flintstone would drink.

There's also a terrific cameo by Richard Lewis as Charlie's crooked accountant, and the great Melanie Lynskey has some great lines as usual as Charlie's zany neighbor Rose. It's fascinating to see her in the part again, given her more dramatic recent work in Yellowjackets and The Last of Us. The rest of the episode is fairly standard stuff, but there's something nostalgic about Season 1. The jokes and dynamics hadn't yet become stale.

5 "Go Get Mommy's Bra"

Season 2, Episode 4

"Oh Charlie, that's just sick!" The main storyline here is about Alan's frustration when his ex-wife Judith (Marin Elizabeth Hinkle) begins dating a new man named Greg who Jake instantly admires. Greg has a boat and all kinds of fun skills and Jake enjoys spending time with him. This makes Alan feel like a disappointing dad in comparison. He tries to compensate by indulging Jake's desires, including teaching him to drive even though he's not ready.

This is at least a somewhat interesting problem by the show's standards, and it plays out in some unexpected ways. For example, Judith and Greg split up, and Alan is surprisingly (though bumblingly) supportive of her in her time of need. Plus, there's something charming about the way the show embraces its sitcom-ness, with the blatantly fake soundstages and the obviously stationary cars with backgrounds behind them. At least the show's not pretending to be something it's not.

4 "Baseball Was Better with Steroids"

Season 6, Episode 24

"He's a growing pain in my ass." The audience gets to see Charlie's softer side once more in the Season 6 finale. He's happily engaged to Chelsea (Jennifer Taylor) until he learns that his ex Mia is single and back in town. She calls him up hoping to meet, placing him in a difficult position. He's torn between his devotion to Chelsea and his unresolved feelings for Mia, something that Chelsea immediately becomes suspicious about.

The episode then pivots completely when Judith goes into labor. The whole gang winds up at the hospital, and they all have fun moments. Charlie strikes up a conversation about love with a man holding an ice box with his thumb in it, Alan has a passionate reunion with ex Melissa (Kelly Stables), and Herb has a hilarious scene where he's high on painkillers. Hinkle is also intense as Judith, letting out primal roars in the delivery room.

3 "Lotta Delis in Little Armenia"

Season 11, Episode 20

"I would say, 'Good to see you,' but, of course, when I see you, it's usually 'cause things aren't good." 'Lotta Delis in Little Armenia' is one of the more absurd episodes from the Walden era. In this one, Walden inadvertently becomes a kind of gigolo after he sleeps with one of Alan's clients. Unbeknownst to him, Alan becomes his de facto pimp, charging the women for every visit.

The most memorable moment is the montage where Alan dresses in a variety of outfits befitting his new job, each more outrageous than the last, and fans himself with his stacks of cash. This is the show at its most cartoonish, but the approach works out reasonably well here. Kutcher carries it by playing Walden as sweet and naive, not cottoning on until the very last moment. In one scene, when he realizes Alan's client is into him, he claps his hands like a child and exclaims, "Yay!"

2 "Can You Eat Human Flesh with Wooden Teeth?"

Season 2, Episode 16

"You're evil and selfish, you know that?" This episode sees Alan looking after Jake singlehandedly while Judith is on vacation. He's overwhelmed and struggles to juggle all his responsibilities. Matters get even more complicated when Alan is audited and has to spend resolving the problem. Charlie is unexpectedly thrust into the role of surrogate parent. Naturally, his parenting isn't exactly what Dr Spock would consider ideal. For instance, he sends Jake to school with a frozen pizza for lunch and forgets to pick him up from school after his play.

Indeed, the episode features a running gag of several characters being forgotten and left standing in the rain. On the more touching side, there is also a sweet scene where Charlie stands up for Alan. "Your father works like a dog to provide for you," he tells Jake, which may be the nicest thing he's ever said about his brother.

1 "Merry Thanksgiving"

Season 1, Episode 10

"Look at you. A grown man who can't even commit to long pants." Completing the trifecta of 'Charlie in a bind' episodes, 'Merry Thanksgiving' revolves around Charlie's attempts to win back his ex-girlfriend Lisa (Denise Richards). For a change, Charlie is actually in love with her and desperately wants her to like him again. The usually swaggering Charlie is insecure in this episode, worrying about how he looks, acts, and comes across.

In particular, Charlie tries to pretend that he's a family man, as he thinks this will be the key to Lisa's heart. He orchestrates the perfect Thanksgiving at his home, but things quickly go awry. The episode succeeds because it shows a more sentimental and neurotic side to Charlie. He's still devious, but he's also lonely and in search of genuine connection. From a storytelling perspective, the episode is also solid, smash-cutting between scenes and wasting no time in transitioning from one gag to the next. It's the show doing what it does best.