Ashton Kutcher will make one of the most widely watched debuts of the new television season when he replaces Charlie Sheen on “Two and a Half Men.” But exactly how he’ll fit in remains to be seen.

Sheen was so integral to the show and his character was so idiosyncratic of Charlie himself, it really is hard to see how Kutcher will fill Sheen’s shoes on “Two and a Half Men, 2.0.”

Half the viewers — Sheen diehards — will be watching to see him flop and the other half will be waiting to see how Kutcher makes the role his own.

Suffice to say, co-creator/executive producer Chuck Lorre has his hands full, according to Hollywood watcher Deadline.com.

He will finally be forced to lay his cards on the table when production of the upcoming ninth season begins this week, the web site reported.

A key question is how to handle the absence of Sheen’s character, Charlie Harper, that allows Kutcher to step into a similar role with brother (Jon Cryer) and nephew (Angus T. Jones).

In one scenario, Charlie Harper’s Malibu beachfront house is put up for sale, according deadline.

A number of real-life Hollywood celebrities, including stars from other current and/or previous Lorre series, may tour the house, possibly joined by Kutcher.

How about this as a possible way to handle Sheen’s departure. Let art imitate life.

Sheen went on a couple drug and alcohol fueled benders with hookers, and Charlie Harper can do the same.

His family will reluctantly send him off to rehab for an extended period, leaving the door open for Sheen to possibly rejoin the cast.

Kutcher, who can be a relative, can show up to help handle the intervention and end up overstaying his visit, picking up where Charlie left off.

According to some reports, all of Charlie’s ex-girlfriends are expected to return to the show in various capacities.

That would work well with Kutcher introducing himself as Charlie’s cousin and taking over from there.

Insread of rehab, of course, Sheen’s character could be killed off, and Kutcher could show up for the funeral. But that would be too maudlin for a comedy series.

The rehab idea would work better and Lorre could draw from Sheen’s real life escapades to flesh out the plot. That would be his ultimate revenge.

So what’s your idea to introduce Kutcher to the show? Let us know in the comments section below.