# Aka Charlie Sheen
**Aka Charlie Sheen** is a two-part Netflix documentary series, directed by Andrew Renzi, in which the actor [Charlie Sheen](https://www.edgepedia.org/charlie-sheen) recounts his rise to Hollywood stardom, his public collapse through addiction, and his recovery, speaking from a period of sobriety.[1](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/aka-charlie-sheen-release-date-trailer-news?inapp=trueOs) It premiered on Netflix on September 10, 2025, the same week as the release of Sheen's memoir *The Book of Sheen: A Memoir*.[2](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/aka-charlie-sheen-netflix-documentary-tv-review-2025)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | Two-part documentary series; "Part One" runs about 93 minutes and "Part Deux" about 88 minutes, just over three hours in total[2](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/aka-charlie-sheen-netflix-documentary-tv-review-2025) |
| Premiere | September 10, 2025, on Netflix[1](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/aka-charlie-sheen-release-date-trailer-news?inapp=trueOs) |
| Director | Andrew Renzi, previously of *Pepsi, Where's My Jet?* and *Untold: Jake Paul the Problem Child*[1](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/aka-charlie-sheen-release-date-trailer-news?inapp=trueOs) |
| Sobriety framing | Sheen had seven years of sobriety behind him at the time of filming; by the film's conclusion he had been sober for eight years[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/aka_charlie_sheen/s01) • [2](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/aka-charlie-sheen-netflix-documentary-tv-review-2025) |
| Interviewees | Denise Richards, Brooke Mueller, Sean Penn, Jon Cryer, Chris Tucker, Heidi Fleiss, Ramon Estevez, Chuck Lorre, and Sheen's former drug dealer Marco, among others[4](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/82024990) |
| Critical scores | 73% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (15 reviews) and 80% on the audience Popcornmeter; a Metascore of 57 on Metacritic[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/aka_charlie_sheen/s01) • [5](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/aka-charlie-sheen/) |
| Audience performance | Reached No. 1 on Netflix shortly after release[6](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/netflix/aka-charlie-sheen-hits-no-1-on-netflix-what-to-know-about-the-documentary) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and production
The series follows a straightforward chronological timeline, from Sheen's upbringing in Malibu as the son of actor [Martin Sheen](https://www.edgepedia.org/martin-sheen) and younger brother of [Emilio Estevez](https://www.edgepedia.org/emilio-estevez), through his 1980s film stardom in *[Platoon](https://www.edgepedia.org/platoon-film)*, *Wall Street*, *Eight Men Out*, and *Major League*, to his years of addiction, his 2011 public unraveling, and his later recovery.[2](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/aka-charlie-sheen-netflix-documentary-tv-review-2025) • [4](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/82024990) The primary interviews were staged in a diner booth, a setting chosen for Sheen's fondness for greasy spoons, and the film combines them with archival footage, film and television clips, home movies, and dramatic re-creations.[2](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/aka-charlie-sheen-netflix-documentary-tv-review-2025) • [7](https://au.variety.com/2025/tv/news/aka-charlie-sheen-review-netflix-27418/)
Director Andrew Renzi spent seven to eight months building a relationship with Sheen before cameras rolled, because Sheen initially did not want to make a documentary. Renzi has said he was determined that the film not be a puff piece, presenting missteps and moments of growth alike.[1](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/aka-charlie-sheen-release-date-trailer-news?inapp=trueOs) The production companies were Atlas Entertainment, Boardwalk Pictures, North of Now, and Skydance.[8](https://jlpeterman.com/aka-charlie-sheen/)
### Content and revelations
Sheen addresses the subjects that defined his tabloid reputation: decades of addiction to pills, alcohol, and crack cocaine; his 2011 HIV diagnosis, which he disclosed publicly in 2015; and the sexual history he had previously declined to discuss, including that he has had sex with men, a disclosure he approaches obliquely and which the director states explicitly.[9](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/sep/10/aka-charlie-sheen-review-netlix) • [7](https://au.variety.com/2025/tv/news/aka-charlie-sheen-review-netflix-27418/) • [1](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/aka-charlie-sheen-release-date-trailer-news?inapp=trueOs) He also says he was blackmailed over photographs of his HIV medication and maintains he never transmitted the virus to anyone.[6](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/netflix/aka-charlie-sheen-hits-no-1-on-netflix-what-to-know-about-the-documentary)
**Sheen's own framing.** He describes his adult life in three acts, which he labels "Partying," "Partying with Problems," and just "Problems," a structure the filmmakers did not adopt for the two-episode cut.[7](https://au.variety.com/2025/tv/news/aka-charlie-sheen-review-netflix-27418/) Among the anecdotes he shares are that he was once offered the lead in *The Karate Kid* but honored a prior commitment, losing the role to [Ralph Macchio](https://www.edgepedia.org/ralph-macchio), and that [Clint Eastwood](https://www.edgepedia.org/clint-eastwood) phoned in during his first intervention.[6](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/netflix/aka-charlie-sheen-hits-no-1-on-netflix-what-to-know-about-the-documentary) The moment that pushed him toward sobriety, he says, was a missed hair appointment with his daughter Sami that forced him to confront his drinking.[6](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/netflix/aka-charlie-sheen-hits-no-1-on-netflix-what-to-know-about-the-documentary)
## Participants and absences
The supporting interviews come from ex-wives [Denise Richards](https://www.edgepedia.org/denise-richards) and [Brooke Mueller](https://www.edgepedia.org/brooke-mueller), with whom Sheen shares two children each; his brother [Ramon Estevez](https://www.edgepedia.org/ramon-estevez); his daughter Lola and son Bob; childhood friend Sean Penn, who grew up with the Sheen children in Malibu; Chris Tucker; Jon Cryer, his co-star for eight years on *Two and a Half Men*; the show's creator Chuck Lorre; and Heidi Fleiss, the so-called Hollywood Madam against whom Sheen testified in court.[2](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/aka-charlie-sheen-netflix-documentary-tv-review-2025) • [7](https://au.variety.com/2025/tv/news/aka-charlie-sheen-review-netflix-27418/) • [9](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/sep/10/aka-charlie-sheen-review-netlix) His longtime friend Tony Todd, a neighbor who grew up with the Sheens, also appears.[9](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/sep/10/aka-charlie-sheen-review-netlix)
Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez declined to participate on camera, though the director says they remain supportive of the project; the film substitutes their shared scenes with Charlie over the years for their absence. [Nicolas Cage](https://www.edgepedia.org/nicolas-cage) also declined, writing to Renzi that Sheen was "one of the greatest screen actors of my generation" while expressing hope for a future collaboration.[2](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/aka-charlie-sheen-netflix-documentary-tv-review-2025) • [1](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/aka-charlie-sheen-release-date-trailer-news?inapp=trueOs)
## Reception
The series reached No. 1 on Netflix within days of its release.[6](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/netflix/aka-charlie-sheen-hits-no-1-on-netflix-what-to-know-about-the-documentary) Critical response was mixed. On Rotten Tomatoes the season holds 73% among 15 critics, with 11 fresh and 4 rotten reviews, and an average of rated reviews of 6.10/10, while audiences rated it 80% on the Popcornmeter.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/aka_charlie_sheen/s01) Metacritic recorded a Metascore of 57, labeled mixed or average, based on 6 critic reviews, against a generally favorable user score of 6.5.[5](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/aka-charlie-sheen/)
**Common criticisms.** Several reviewers judged the film too long and too gentle toward its subject. [Richard Roeper](https://www.edgepedia.org/richard-roeper), the [Chicago Sun-Times](https://www.edgepedia.org/chicago-sun-times) columnist and former co-host of *Ebert & Roeper*, wrote that the material would have been more effective as a feature-length documentary.[2](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/aka-charlie-sheen-netflix-documentary-tv-review-2025) The Guardian's Lucy Mangan found too little contrition or self-examination, and noted how lightly the accusations of domestic violence, restraining orders, and claims that he exposed girlfriends to HIV are passed over.[9](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/sep/10/aka-charlie-sheen-review-netlix) Variety called it a frustrating self-portrait that pads out scarce insight with leading questions and endless clips, skipping chapters such as Sheen's FX series *Anger Management* and his reconciliation with [Chuck Lorre](https://www.edgepedia.org/chuck-lorre).[7](https://au.variety.com/2025/tv/news/aka-charlie-sheen-review-netflix-27418/) More positive responses highlighted Sheen's forthcomingness and charm; Dónal Lynch of the Sunday Independent wrote that Sheen "somehow makes a disreputable character loveable."[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/aka_charlie_sheen/s01)
The series received nominations for a 2026 Producers Guild Award for Outstanding Producer of Non-Fiction Television and an Eddie Award for Best Edited Documentary Series.[10](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/aka-charlie-sheen/1060524630/)
## References
1. [Charlie Sheen True Story Revealed in New Netflix Documentary, Netflix Tudum](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/aka-charlie-sheen-release-date-trailer-news?inapp=trueOs)
2. [AKA Charlie Sheen movie review, Richard Roeper, RogerEbert.com](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/aka-charlie-sheen-netflix-documentary-tv-review-2025)
3. [aka Charlie Sheen: Season 1, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/aka_charlie_sheen/s01)
4. [aka Charlie Sheen, Netflix Media Center](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/82024990)
5. [aka Charlie Sheen Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/aka-charlie-sheen/)
6. ['aka Charlie Sheen' hits No. 1 on Netflix, Tom's Guide](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/netflix/aka-charlie-sheen-hits-no-1-on-netflix-what-to-know-about-the-documentary)
7. [Netflix's 'aka Charlie Sheen' Is a Frustrating, Salacious Self-Portrait: TV Review, Variety](https://au.variety.com/2025/tv/news/aka-charlie-sheen-review-netflix-27418/)
8. [AKA Charlie Sheen, Jeff Louis Peterman, Cinematographer](https://jlpeterman.com/aka-charlie-sheen/)
9. [AKA Charlie Sheen review, Lucy Mangan, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/sep/10/aka-charlie-sheen-review-netlix)
10. [Aka Charlie Sheen, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/aka-charlie-sheen/1060524630/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Unscripted, reality, and web-native series › Documentary, docudrama, and lifestyle series › Music, arts, and biographical docuseries*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license