What became of April Bowlby, Kandi on ‘Two and a Half Men’: from comedy to drama and the DC Universe
We take a look at the recent career of actress April Bowlby, who has moved from sitcom success to the world of superheroes.
Actress April Bowlby is best known to many TV viewers for her memorable turn on the hit sitcom Two and a Half Men, but the 44-year-old Californian has now also made a name for herself in the DC Universe.
Who did April Bowlby play in Two and a Half Men?
Bowlby enjoyed a significant recurring role on Two and a Half Men, appearing as Kandi - a character who initially dates Charlie Sheen’s character, Charlie Harper, before embarking on a relationship with Charlie’s perennially down-on-his-luck brother, Alan (played by Jon Cryer).
Indeed, Kandi becomes Alan’s second wife at the end of season three - but the couple’s ill-fated marriage lasts for just four months before they separate in season four.
A character described on the Two and a Half Men Fandom website as “dimwitted” and “sweet, pretty, and innocent”, Kandi features in some of the most iconic scenes from the show’s 262-episode, 12-year run.
For example, the first time she meets Alan’s first wife Judith (Marin Hinkle) - who is the mother of his son Jake - Kandi opens the front door of Charlie’s Malibu beach house and exclaims: “You must be Jake’s grandma!” Kandi then turns around to Alan, who is dressed up in a minister’s neckband shirt and is wearing no pants, and shouts: “Father Huggy Bear! You’ve got company!”
In all, Bowlby appeared in 16 episodes of Two and Half Men between 2005 and 2015.
What other comedies is Bowlby known for?
Bowlby has acting credits on a host of other prominent American sitcoms, including How I Met Your Mother, Mom and The Big Bang Theory, and is likewise well known for her 2009 to 2014 role as Stacey Barrett on Lifetime’s comedy-drama Drop Dead Diva.
Career changes course with DC role
In recent years, however, Bowlby’s screen career has moved away from the comedy genre. Most notably, she spent five years playing the superhero Rita Farr/Elasti-Woman - first in a brief appearance on the DC Universe series Titans, and then in a main role on the spin-off show Doom Patrol.
A series that ran for 46 episodes across four seasons, Doom Patrol follows “the adventures of an idealistic mad scientist and his field team of superpowered outcasts”, the TV and movie database IMDb says.
In the show’s official synopsis, creators DC add: “Traumatized and downtrodden, the team found their purpose through [... ] coming together to investigate the weirdest phenomena in existence.”
In the show, which concluded in November 2023, Bowlby is an actress playing an actress: Rita Farr is a former Hollywood idol whose cellular structure was altered when she was exposed to toxic gas, leading her to possess superhuman strength and elasticity.
Doom Patrol - watch the trailer:
“You can go as big as you want”
Describing the experience of playing Farr, Bowlby told AwardsRadar in 2023: “It’s fantastic because everything you get to do is, like, exaggerated and for performance, so there’s no over-acting, which I really enjoy. You can go as big as you want, because she’s an actress and that’s what we do.”
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