"American Idol" and "Dancing With the Stars" have been addressed in previous posts. Notes on these other shows after the jump. …

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Notes on "HIMYM" and on Miley Cyrus, after the jump.

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Not wanting to miss a chance to up the ratings during sweeps, "How I Met Your Mother" has set another Britney Spears appearance for May 12. Here's the announcement:

Singer Britney Spears will return to HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER to guest star in an episode to be broadcast Monday, May 12 (8:30-9:00 PM, ET) on the CBS Television Network. Production on the episode began today.

When Barney and Abby realize that they have one thing in common — their mutual hatred of Ted — the "couple" decides to go to the bar to flaunt their new relationship in Ted's face. Desperate to get a rise out of his former pal, Barney pops a surprising question to Abby.

I guess this means the Barney-Robin hookup will be brief…

I like this clip, too, although the Tiffany cameo in the other snippet may be my favorite part of the video.

Had some family business last night so I didn't get to all the viewing had hoped. Played catch-up this morning. A few notes on various topics after the jump.

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You're in Cleveland. Where's Kid Leo?

Before I talk about the comedies, a brief note about Chuck Lorre's title card at the end of "Men." Usually full of tiny type, this one simply said "United We Stand." Good move, great way to remind viewers (well, at least the detail-obsessed ones) that these shows come from writers, and their issue hasn't gone away.

And so to the laughs …

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I took a few minutes this morning for last night's "How I Met Your Mother." (Hey, I had a dental appointment later. I needed a laugh.) This was a good one, and not only because it shows that horndogs should pay attention in math class, too. (By the way, you can find the episode — and the details of how to use a graph — at CBS.com.)

Monday is beginning to look more and more like a night to catch up on reading …

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I've been in the office most of the day, and last night's viewing is stuffed into a DVR at home. But while trying to find the top of my desk, I hit a USA Network episode of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent." And I did see Monday's "How I Met Your Mother" and "Two and a Half Men" from my recordings, so I have a few thoughts there.

I also have a LOT of thoughts about the next two episodes of "Mad Men" — tomorrow night's and then the season finale — and am trying to decide what to say now and what to save until after you see the telecasts. That's a separate post, in any case, save for yet another recommendation that you tune in.

And so to the jump. …

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Overstatement? See after the jump …

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After watching television most of my life, I like to think that it's hard to shock me. But every now and then that kid who was watching TV in the '50s gets an eyeful or an earful of something that shocks. The "anal" joke on "How I Met Your Mother" on Monday night was one of those. And considering that it was in a show that airs at 8:30 p.m. (7:30 in some parts of the country), I was even more stunned.

I know, I know, "How I Met Your Mother" is not remotely a show aimed at kids. All the characters are adults, and their concerns are very adult. Before we had gotten to that joke, we had endured numerous riffs about prostitutes. (The plot involved Barney setting up Ted with a hooker.) Still, I was thinking, this is what they can get away with before 9 at night?

There was also a shock factor in "Two and a Half Men," only partly of the show's making.  A major part of the episode involved Charlie dating the mother of Alan's ex-girlfriend. Well, dating doesn't exactly cover it. Charle and Mandi (the mom) spent most of the episode in bed, with considerable conversation about what they were doing there.

In another week, I might have just considered this another funny "Men" episode, pushing the laughs while pushing the envelope on describing characters' behavioral extremes. But on this particular Monday, I had been reading the declaration by Denise Richards in her ongoing divorce battle with Charlie Sheen. (You can find a copy, with raw language and descriptions, here.)

Sheen fired back, calling the charges "baseless" in an "Entertainment Tonight" interview; you can find a report here. But Richards has already done her damage, especially to Sheen as a TV personality. If you read her comments, then look at the character he is playing on TV, it's tough to think the small-screen behavior is funny; it's easy to wonder if art is presenting a toned-down version of reality.

I don't know that, of course. And Charlie is not playing Charlie Sheen on TV. But he is playing a character with echoes of his old bad-boy image, one that is more believable because of the accounts of Sheen's behavior over the years. And what I've been reading lately sure mutes the expected laughs.

I've had the viewing blahs the last couple of days. I'm ahead of the game with "The Sopranos," so I had already had the pleasure of seeing Sunday's episode. (And if you haven't seen it yet, please do so.) And I've already complained here about "The West Wing" and "Prison Break."

"Grey's Anatomy" was only all right. OK, so I choked up when the Chief's AA sponsor made it through surgery. But I don't know that I would put it among my favorite episodes; O'Malley should have gotten on with his new possible romance before this, and if they're sending Alex out the door — which felt even more likely based on this episode and the trailer for next week — then let's just get on with it. Last night, neither "How I Met Your Mother" nor "Two and a Half Men" was especially good, either.

So why do I feel good about TV tonight? Well, there is the season finale of "The Shield."

As I said in a previous post, I was somewhat disappointed by tonight's show because it did not seem to be on as high a level as recent episodes. Forest Whitaker has been a stunning addition to the show, and his relentlessness has created a more electric atmosphere for everyone else. Still, tonight takes us to a point that has seemed ever more inevitable as the show has gone along. With the noose closing around Vic and his guys, they have gotten back to a place like the one where the show started, one that asks them if their real goal is doing good or simply surviving.

In answering that question, the show plays absolutely fair with the story it has told. The result may sadden and disappoint some viewers. Still, it is the only place the show could go — unless it wanted to end tonight.

This morning, thanks to bad traffic and the scheduling that comes with a teenage son, I spent more than two hours shuttling between my house, high school and the dentist's office. Granted, the news was worse for my younger son, who will be facing the removal of awkwardly growing wisdom teeth this spring. But after my journeys, I needed to stop and breathe before going about my usual business. I also wanted a laugh. I turned, therefore, to my recording of last night's "How I Met Your Mother."

I did not get as big a laugh as I had hoped. It was not, overall, that great an episode. In fact, the show is pretty uneven, pivoting on a search for love that is really the least entertaining thing about "How I Met." (That relationship is, in other words, what Meredith is to "Grey's Anatomy." More about her in another post.)

But the episode underscored that point with a storyline that was less about the central character than about his best friend, the delightfully overbearing Barney, played by Neil Patrick Harris.

Last night's episode continued Barney's march to the center of the show. Already there have been promos playing up Harris over the lead, currently existing in my memory as whatisname. Yes, the show can be called an ensemble, and there is good work from Alyson Hannigan, Jason Segel and Cobie Smulders, if not whatisname. But last night's show was built around a big gag involving Barney (while whatisname's big moment just involved gagging). Barney told the story that kept people watching. Barney ruled over the other characters as thoroughly and remorselessly as Dick Cheney loaded for quail.

If "Harold and Kumar" was Harris's resurrection, "How I Met" marks his ascent into the top ranks of current TV comedy. He's not alone up there, not as long as "The Office" and "My Name Is Earl" are around. But I'm hoping that when it's time to hand out awards for this TV season, Harris gets more than just a mention.