Could we take a minute to talk about what a good actor Mark Harmon is?

If you want to see a terrific example of economic acting — few words, underplayed expression — look at the one on in the "NCIS" season finale where Gibbs calls Ducky with the news that Shepard is dead. I have this image stuck in my head of Harmon going through scripts and trimming lines, constantly thinking, "Too many words. Don't need 'em." It's not a tic in the show's writing overall; other characters get to yak. But Gibbs doesn't, and with Harmon playing him, he doesn't need to.

It was no great surprise that Shepard, played by Lauren Holly, was the dead character; what was, was how she died. It had already been established that the director was gravely ill, so it was a nice touch to let her go out in a hail of bullets — and take down four bad guys before she bought it herself. And the way the other characters handled her passing was very nicely done; I really liked the scene with Pauley Perrette talking about the way Shepard dressed — and expanded that into touching, funny thoughts about the other characters' wardrobes.

As for the big cliffhanger, with a new director and the team split up, I'm not getting overly worried. I am sure we'll see more of the new director (well played by Rocky Carroll), although I don't know if he'll become a series regular. Could that shredded document indicate trouble? As for the team being split, well, this is a show that ended a season with Gibbs quitting — and he came back. And "House" found a way to break up its core group and still keep them in the show's mix.

"Reaper" certainly set the stage for a lot of stuff when it comes back midseason. The closing shot of Sam's parents certainly suggested that Sam's powers may not come from being the devil's son; other forces are on the loose. But there has been a shift in Sam's relationship with the Devil. And we got another taste of what it will mean to have Andi in on Sam's secret — can't wait to see her keep pushing for more method in the madness. (Sort of reminds me of when Cordelia went to work for Angel.) The show really feels as if it has a roadmap for next season and beyond, and a good map at that.

Before I leave Tuesday's shows, I have a long post below about "American Idol" and why I think David Archuleta sealed the deal. Which makes the analysis over at Dialidol.com very intriguing, since it has David Cook winning easily. Not sure if I trust the numbers, but I wouldn't mind being wrong on this one.

Sliding back to Monday night, "House" finished its two-part finale and I thought it did very well something I absolutely hated them for doing. Amber had become a strong character, especially because she was so much like House; her ending up with Wilson was precisely on point — giving Wilson a romantic partner with the qualities of his best friend. And there was no question that Amber and House had some chemistry (and boy, was the chemistry flying in House's fantasy). But if the show felt the need to add to the characters' suffering, it did so with considerable skill. I just wish the need hadn't been there.

Disappointing finales from "How I Met Your Mother" and "Two and a Half Men." The best thing in either episode was Marshall's battle with lice — silly, but inspired silliness. Beyond that, not much to offer, and the Stella melodrama was implausibly stretched. As I said after last week's "Men," we've already seen plenty about Charlie's women and Charlie's mother issues; the finale just played out a bit that probably shouldn't have been bothered with.

By the way, Susan Blakely — who played Angie — is 55 or 59, depending on the reference. Seeing her did provide some measure of nostalgia — "Rich Man, Poor Man," anyone? — although judging from IMDB she's been working fairly regularly, just in shows I don't pay much attention to.

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

I would have preferred to see "Reaper" back in the fall, but I'll take the midseason order (see the CW announcement below) as better than cancellation. Once again this week the show demonstrated how smoothly it can operate. Yay, they didn't get rid of Gladys! Boo hoo, Lucy Davis is on the run. And I am not sure how I feel about Sam as the devil's son, even though there have been plenty of signs of it in the first season. A lot will depend on how it's handled in next week's season finale.

Still, there are a lot of possibilities in Andi's more pro-active approach to dealing with Old Scratch, not all of them good; it reminds me some of what "My Name Is Earl" has done with Earl and Billie — getting them together but not making them compatible. I had really lost interest in "Earl" during the coma episodes, and found myself fast-forwarding through Earl's sitcom dream. But when I caught up with two post-coma episodes, the show was back in gear, And the coma, the dream sequences make more sense. Not enough to justify so many of them, but the idea indicated what a romantic Earl is, and how difficult it is for him to fit his fantasy life with a reality where Billie takes his potato chips, prefers Van Halen with Sammy Hagar and took a lackluster approach to The List. Much better than the coma misfire.

And "Earl" the last couple of weeks was decidedly better than what the folks at "How I Met Your Mother" and "Two and a Half Men" were up to. I generally like both comedies, but this week was not good. "HIMYM" squeezed in another Britney Spears appearance — and ensured its renewal by doing so — but it felt way too contrived. Spears's first appearance as Abby was a logical piece of the show, a case of having a character written that Spears could play; this time, it was more of a "we have to get Abby back into the story but, oh, mercy, how will we do it?" And the answer was a half-thought-out idea too rapidly executed. Nor was the Marshall/Lily stuff all that good.

"Men," meanwhile, should have rebounded from the "CSI" crossover episode from a week ago with something much stronger than yet another look at Charlies's mother issues. And not an especially inventive one.

As for "Bones," steady work hurt only by the stalker-shoots-Booth ending. On the plus side, they didn't do that in the season finale, so I give them credit for avoiding a cheesy brand of finale cliffhanger (well, until we see what they have in mind next week). On the minus, this sort of scene has been beaten to death on TV — I think David E. Kelley alone has done a zillion or so — and my reaction at this point is basically, "Oh."

I posted before about the "Two and a Half Men" episode written by folks from "CSI." I've now caught up to the "CSI" written by the big guys from "Two and a Half Men," and the "CSI" came out better.

That's not to say it was strong as a "CSI" episode per se. I've already heard from one fan of the show who thought it demonstrated a distinct fall-off from the drama at its best. But the show was a great deal of fun for other reasons, including "Men's" Chuck Lorre working out old issues.

Lorre famously served on the sitcoms "Roseanne," "Cybill" and "Grace Under Fire" and reportedly had his conflicts with their respective stars — Roseanne, Cybill Shepherd and Brett Butler, of course. And the sitcom diva/murder victim in "CSI," played with great skill by Katey Sagal, is an amalgam of stories told about each of those shows: Both Roseanne's and Butler's extreme behavior; Roseanne's relationship with Tom Arnold (the "CSI" version is a bonehead played by the master-of-playing-boneheads Diedrich Bader); Cybill's feuds with co-star Christine Baranski (here embodied by a phonetically similar character played by Rachael Harris). And, considering how much trouble Lorre has had with female stars, it's pretty funny to see him (with "Men's" Lee Aronsohn, also a veteran of "Cybill" and "Grace") writing an episode where the investigation includes a discussion of how tampons work.

But beyond the roman-a-clef elements, Lorre and Aronsohn also made sure to have fun with the conceits of "CSI" itself, specifically the show's love of pun-laden jokes. Their "CSI" script shoehorned them endlessly, making clear what an annoying contrivance the joke-telling can be; there's also an undercurrent of "leave the comedy to the professionals." Harris's episode-ending monologue was a cutting breakdown of the bits and pieces of TV murder mysteries, and I don't think they were excepting "CSI" in the analysis.

Of course, as I said earlier, it wasn't exactly a "CSI," not even tonally. Even the music felt a little more comedic than it usually does, and the lightning seemed brighter. Or maybe it was just that the plot and the characters were a little lighter than usual; for all the blood, it felt bloodless. In any case, I enjoyed it.

(It took me a few minutes to realize that's Jamie Rose of "Falcon Crest" fame with Charlie Sheen. She's looking well.)

I expected a better episode (with spoilers) …

I had some fears about this "CSI"/"Two and a Half Men" writing crossover, simply because shows acquire their own style and it can be difficult to replicate. Also, because I still painfully remember that "St. Elsewhere" episode where the doctors ended up drinking in the "Cheers" bar. Did. Not. Work.

But as I was watching the "Men" written by "CSI" people, I remembered how funny "CSI" can be. Sometimes it's sneaked in, but there's a lot of humor there. Still, there's a difference between sliding in a joke here and there, and building an entire comic piece. You can't just pile jokes, which is what last night's episode did for the most part. You have to create whole structures. The Charlie Waffles infomercials are an example.

In addition, it surprised me that they would use the crossover to get rid of Robert Wagner as Teddy and Jenny McCarthy as Courtney. Not that I wanted to be rid of them at all. Well, McCarthy annoyed me. But Wagner was great fun, and I'm sorry he's gone. And while it felt last week that Courtney was scamming Charlie, the whole con-artist payoff wasn't clever enough by half. The regular writers could have done better.

Interesting, too, that Conchata Ferrell as Berta had a lot more to do than usual in this episode. Hey, if I was writing this show, I would write her lots of scenes. She's a terrific, long acclaimed actress. (Go and see what she does with just a scene in "Network.") But in the context of "Men," Berta works best as a stealth joker, moving in, making her remark and moving on. This episode overused her.

But I did like some lines. And using Jake for the "CSI"-like internal organs journeys was a good touch. But overall this was still a stunt, and stunts are risky business for TV shows. Now we'll have to see how the "Men" writers do with "CSI."

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

– I have caught up with "How I Met Your Mother" and "Two and a Half Men" from Monday night. Some laughs in both, but "HIMYM" took the prize. Interesting, too, to see how it's setting up the Britney II episode (see previous post), since Barney and Ted have now had a falling out. I have issues when comedies try to get too dramatic, but this seems to work. (That also reminds me that I need to post about "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," which — needless to say — was somewhat on my mind while watching "HIMYM." No, not because of that, although I suspect some moviegoers are still traumatized. Because of seeing Jason Segel back as his farcical self after his much more serious work in "Sarah Marshall." But this parenthical has to stop … now.)

Anyway, loved the payoff to the goat story. I want a complete edition of the Bro Code. And the next time I'm in Vegas, I want to stay in the Valderrama Suite. I want to hear no more about the devil's threesome.

– The whole Miley Cyrus/Vanity Fair nonsense irks me. And not just because of the semi-nude shot. This one also makes me uncomfortable:

(Vanity Fair)

And I know at least one mom of a Miley fan who also found it creepy. But back to the photo Miley apologized for, below.

(Vanity Fair)

I have no doubt that she and her family saw it well before it was published and became embarrassed only AFTER they heard the public reaction. So they're trying for damage control. At the time the photo was taken, they clearly thought it was a good idea. It's not some candid posted on TMZ.

In fact, this reminds me of a Miley/Hannah piece I wrote back in February, or at least this part:

The Hannah business is much like High School Musical, another example of Disney marketing tuneful, young stars before age, maturity and scandal make them less Disney-esque.

Cyrus got some unwanted attention recently over naughty photos, including some of her in her underwear, leaked on the Internet. At least one gossip writer wondered whether the photos' availability was not an accident, but a first step toward a more adult image.

And here we are again, with a different photo, and backpedaling by Team Cyrus. But I suspect they're all trying to figure out when to let Miley ease closer to adulthood — but also wary of the consequences where her young-fan base is concerned.

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.

– Bad night on "Dancing With the Stars." I speed-watched, and may go back for another look, but here are my quick impressions: Mario got things off to a good start but some dancers who have impressed me in the past were subpar. Marlee Matlin and Shannon Elizabeth in particular disappointed. Priscilla Presley did not disappoint because I expect little from her, and that's what I got. Kristi Yamaguchi looked great and revealed considerable passion, but I didn't see much in the way of dancing that wowed me. Jason Taylor was fine but not especially memorable. Cristian de la Fuente really did not seem in synch with his partner, and he looked sloppy. Marissa Jaret Winokur was OK, I guess; she still always looks as if she's about to go insane.

– Very glad to have "Bones" back. Good interplay among the characters, and decent laughs, especially on the double date. (Nice guest-starring turn by Senta Moses, whom I will long remember for her work on "My So-Called Life." Wish they could figure out a way to bring her back to "Bones.") So-so mystery, but the cases are often the least important reason for watching the show.

– Good work on "Two and a Half Men." Shotgun for eternity, the chain/circle of screaming, Lily's needs, the crowding into Ted's car, different characters standing in for Marshall. But I expected a bigger finish, and the ending joke about the car — painstakingly set up — was too much of a throwaway.

– Also expected a bigger finish on "Two and a Half Men," although it, too, had me laughing. I'm wondering if one of the problems facing shows that have rushed back into production post-strike is that they can think of plots and gags, but they haven't had enough time to think them all the way through. (Over at "My Name Is Earl," the coma/sitcom bits have been terribly flat.) And am now thinking that the chain/circle of screaming on "HIMYM" was a commentary on post-strike writing — sure could be read that way.

(Afternoon adds)
– Because of the people/gossip column I compile four times a week, I'm a regular reader of the often-timely gossip over at TMZ.com. But an item today about Disneyland's It's A Small World ride had cobwebs and mold over it. The idea that the ride was suffering from too many fat people was reported more than five months ago, including here and here

– My column about Gene Wilder and the "Role Model" special airing on TCM can be found here.

I should also mention "New Amsterdam," but I'm something like three episodes behind in watching it. But I did catch up with all of the above last night and this morning. Notes after the jump …

I keep tabs on "The Bachelor: London Calling" because Holly Durst, one of the contenders, is local. And since she got her rose in a one-on-one date, I could have just bagged the rest of the show at that point. Not to mention that the whole red-carpet "premiere" that she and Matt attended was promotional puffery of the worst sort, an obviously contrived bit of make-believe whose primary purpose was to promote the movie (which, conveniently, also had a commercial during "The Bachelor"). And not a very impressive contrivance at that: no crowd outside the theater, with just a few "reporters" along the red carpet. (Yeah, yeah. the show called it a "private premiere." Makes the trappings seem that much phonier.)

But I did eventually watch the rest of the show, which is just Catfight City at this point. And I have to think that Matt is turning into a big old horndog whose interest in love is not nearly as great as his interest in tub time and serial smooching.

I had high hopes for "How I Met Your Mother" last night. The blackboard theft was funny enough, and the Barney-brackets debate pretty good. And who didn't get a laugh out of the "Doogie Howser" homage at the end? But when we got to Barney's Final Four, it dragged, with too many predictable gags (the attempts at being inconspicuous, Barney thinking Robin's friend was the woman sabotaging him). Still waiting for the show to get fully back on game.

"Two and a Half Men," meanwhile, went to one of its most reliable sources of humor: filth. Herb's gardening jokes were fine, the seed payoff even better. Add in Jake's discontent at an R-rated movie (continuing his recent dogging of stuff he has watched with Charlie), the Judith-Herb clinches in every room and Berta's moments, and it's another gem.

A toast to your return, gentlemen!

I don't know if it was to make room for that "Tropic Thunder" trailer or what, but CBS and my DVR were not in sync last night …

Although I had the recorder set for "How I Met Your Mother" and "Two and a Half Men," "HIMYM" obviously started before the 8:30 mark, since the playback began with opening scene already in progress. And had I not gotten "HIMYM" I would have missed the first minute or two of "Men" following it. I don't usually mind the networks playing their don't-change-the-channel games with early starts and overruns as long as the DVR has gotten the correct information, but it obviously did not have it last night. And I won't rule out Time Warner missing it, since I am on the verge of another rant about the current situation. (In my Monday notebook, I grumped about the channel realignment. But I'm also fuming about the glitches in their new DVRs. …)

Anyway, the two new episodes, our first in months, were a welcome return. I wouldn't rank any among the best by either show. And "HIMYM" especially seemed rusty in spots; the sloping apartment didn't work as well as I would have hoped, and it feels as if the show has spun the Ted-changing-character card before. Still, I can't get the word "bro-pocalypse" out of my head, and the sheer glee of Barney in action is always a delight.

"Men," meanwhile, was at its best in the running bit about Jake hating what Charlie liked on TV, although Alan's attempts to dump his latest girlfriend had some good spots. Not in the script so much — we knew this would end badly for Alan — as in the way Jon Cryer so adeptly plays desperate anxiety.

And even as the two episodes seem less good as I think about them (although you should never think too much about comedy), I can't get over how happy I was to have them back. This is where we really feel the effects of the writers strike — not in missing things while they're gone, a feeling that could be put aside, but in the relief felt when they at last return. That tells us that the collective shrugging during the strike was just a defensive mechanism. And now, inside, we're all starting to go, YAY YAY YAY.

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 …

Very good night for both comedies.

"How I Met Your Mother" offered up a fine take on relationships. The spiraling of annoyance from Ted's new girlfriend into the other characters, and the way it took us away from Marshall's password worries and then neatly back to them — it all worked. Also liked the broken-glass sound.

But here's the problem: Are we going to watch the next new episode and wait for Ted to correct Robin, or for Robin to say "literally" or for Barney's high voice?

As good as "HIMYM" was, though, it did not have me as thoroughly amused as "Men." Charlie Waffles, indeed. And believe me, I have not forgotten the Raffi years at my house. Or Sharon, Lois & Bram, for that matter. I would at times make mix tapes — we're going back a few years, folks — with songs that the boys would like but that would not make me nauseous, as an alternative to the kid-targeted stuff.

So I probably would have killed for a Charlie Waffles CD — before the parental impulse began saying, "Oh, that's not really appropriate for a little one, is it?"

Then I might have just gotten it for myself.

If the "Men" episode had a problem, it was that the parts that did not involve Charlie Waffles songs weren't as good as the scenes that did. Still good, but just not as insanely fun.

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

This week's "Heroes," for starter, was another snore, lacking in surprise and badly paced. That's even worse because we were spared the Peter Among The Phony Irish subplot, which has been bad, and Sylar gave a small spark to the story of the Latino heroes, which has also been a drag.

But Claire and the Amazing Flying Boy is really getting tiresome, and I can't shake the feeling that AFB has an unpleasant agenda that will make itself known. The New Orleans stuff was mildly interesting but also very predictable; the wrestling bit was far too obviously set up. As for Molly and Parkman's father, did anyone else think that Molly looked at the picture and recognized Creepy Bob instead of Matt's father? Just a suspicion.

So is it time to set this Monday hour free, or should I keep giving it a shot?

"How I Met Your Mother" wasn't all that swell, either. The Robin stuff snoozed, and Barney is such a sleaze that no regular viewer should have taken it as gospel that he had already slept with the woman in the bet. As for "Men," some good lines (and it is still by far the dirtiest show in network prime time) but I never thought Charlie was imagining Rose, so the wig shot was hardly revelatory.

I don't know if a lot of shows are running on fumes already or if we're just hitting an early part of the Dick Wolf proportions. (That is, every decent show's season is one third great, one third lousy and one third so-so.) But right now none of these shows is making me feel that I must watch every week. So talk me out of it.

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. …

"Two and a Half Men." Still funny. And nice to see Charlie in a situation where he was uncharming to a woman. Of course, we've seen him with women in his age ballpark before — when he was, er, dating Alan's girlfriend's mom. But that was not exactly an attempt at a relationship. And, if there's an early trend this year, it's Charlie's relationships. Not only did we have this dating-a-contemporary story, which will continue in coming episodes, we had him bonding anew with his mother.

Thought "HIMYM" was a nice rebound from a bad episode a week ago. Not enthralled with the Robin stuff, which seemed to struggle just to set up her losing Dr. Awesome to the waitress. But I liked Barney and Marshall in video-game combat, and was thoroughly amused by Ted's adventures among women. Nice touch, too, to have the women be teen-TV icons: Danica McKellar, of course, from "Wonder Years" and Busy Philipps from "Freaks & Geeks." (I know, "Dawson's Creek," too, but I put that aside.) Sepinwall pointed out to me that Philipps did no scenes with former "F&G"-er Jason Segel, bypassing a TV reunion; in the story, I guess it wouldn't have made sense for them to be on-camera together, but I couldn't help wondering if there was some old issue there.

"Criminal Intent" was the episode kicking off its first-run telecasts on USA Network (a corporate sibling of NBC), a Goren-Eames episode that was less of a how-catch-'im with Goren bringing down some smarty-pants than a whodunit, and one full of Eames's past. Very emotional but not too good. I am beginning to understand viewers' reservations about Goren's increasingly sloppy appearance; he's just a mess in these, even when he is supposed to have cleaned up. And "CI" is most fun when it's going full "Columbo," chasing the bad guy we've already recognized. And I've yet to warm to the Chris Noth episodes, so I don't have a lot of reasons to go looking for this, regardless of where it airs.

Besides watching the (not available for preview) "Cavemen" premiere last night, as well as recent doses of "Carpoolers," "Everybody Hates Chris," "Aliens in America," "30 Rock," "The Office," "My Name Is Earl," "How I Met Your Mother," "Two and a Half Men," "Girlfriends" and the overall picture is, well, mixed. …

That list should demonstrate that the sitcom is far from dead. It may be getting tweaked ("Arrested Development" appears to have been as influential as it is unsuccessful). Still, that something as mind-numbingly dreadful as "Cavemen" could get on the air is an argument that networks have faith in the sitcom form.

"Cavemen" actually took a pilot with some interesting edges — cavemen as oppressed minority — and retooled it into a dull, formless mess. (This is not the first time a pilot has been screwed up. "The Wedding Album," a not terrible-seeming show, was revamped into the unrecognizable, dismal "Wedding Bells.") "Carpoolers," which ABC has paired with "Cavemen," is not the next great sitcom but it at least offered a couple of laughs.

But there are alarm bells going off in other parts of sitcom land. "How I Met Your Mother," capable of great style and humor, was a big old lump of boredom on Monday. Well, except for Robin's hair in Guatemala. But after a decent season premiere, this week's show was uncertain — and I'm really puzzled by the seeming shift in Robin toward an overly sexualized creature (the note about Ted's size in the season premiere, the Robin-attracted-to-Robin moment this week — shades of Kira and "Deep Space Nine.")

Then there's "Everybody Hates Chris," a show that I like a lot but haven't watched as much as I should have. During my absence — or possibly just over this summer — Tyler James Williams, who plays Chris, has gotten taller and deeper of voice, and the show's not as cute because of it. I know, young actors get older and change. But when a show still calls upon its main character to run upstairs crying "Daddy!" it doesn't sound as amusing when his voice has deepend. In fact, playing opposite Chris Rock — yes, Chris Rock, not Kid Rock — Williams's voice was deeper than the real-life adult his TV character is supposed to grow up to be.

The show still has its virtues, notably Tichina Arnold and Terry Crews as Chris's parents, but even they are getting pigeonholed. This week's show indicated there are only so many ways you can do a Terry-is-cheap story.

Not so much bad news as iffy news is "Aliens in America," a show that's charming and warm about its characters, but isn't all that funny. I've seen two episodes of it and thought, well, it's nice, and Scott Patterson is almost channeling Joe Flaherty's performance on "Freaks and Geeks." But when I sit down to watch a comedy, especially when I'm in the middle of weary times, I want to laugh. And "Aliens" at best made me smile.

So what made me laugh? Well, tomorrow's "30 Rock," with Jerry Seinfeld as himself, is pretty funny. Don't miss any of the bits from NBC shows, real and fictional, that Seinfeld has been put in. And always listen to Alec Baldwin — especially when he's listing his most recent program concepts for NBC. Pirates, yes! Unfortunately, next week's episode is not as funny. But I have higher hopes of this bouncing back than I do for "HIMYM." Although I hope for it, too.

"Two and a Half Men" knows exactly what it is — often crude comedy of aggravation — and its two shows this year have delivered more of the same. And I still laugh. I was encouraged by the season premieres of "The Office" and "My Name Is Earl," but I haven't seen this week's shows yet, to be sure that they can maintain momentum.

And, among the shows that don't get talked about as much as they should, there's "Girlfriends." I haven't checked in with it in some time, but I still found a sturdy comedy-drama that understands its characters and their follies very well. And it's not afraid to push things. When Joan (Tracee Ellis Ross) was arguing with her fiance Aaron (Richard T. Jones), the intensity was so high that you could almost feel a threat of violence underlying their words.

So where does all this leave us? Pretty much where we've always been with comedies — some good, some bad, some vacillating between two extremes. No reason to kill the form, and plenty of reason to keep trying to make it better.

List is here I expect to have more to say later, including about "Friday Night Lights" getting shafted … and what may be my happiest nomination of the day — for the Andy Samberg/Justin Timberlake "box" song on "Saturday Night Live," in the "outstanding original music and lyrics" category… Tell you what: Since I've been posting more notes in the comments below, comment on what you like/dislike in the nominations and I'll try to respond … if I ever get over the "FNL" oversights that is. CONNIE BRITTON! CONNIE BRITTON!

From a press release about the Oct. 23 episode of "Two and a Half Men":

If there's still any misconception that just because there's a kid on the show, it's a "family" show, this episode should easily clear that up.

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.

In the posting before this, I ranted about the live telecast of "The West Wing," a November sweeps stunt that went awry. Now let me tell you about a couple of others, airing tonight.

"Two and a Half Men" is a pretty sturdy comedy for CBS, and often makes me laugh out loud. Not only are Charlie Sheen (doing some of his best work) and Jon Cryer good leads, they get strong support from the likes of Melanie Lynskey (Rose) and Conchatta Ferrell (Berta). So, when you have a solid team of people and you know how to write for them, what do you do? Of course, you add someone to the mix who doesn't know how the game is played.

The person in this case is Charlie's father Martin, although the show has him playing Rose's dad in a game of who's-stalking-whom. There is some funny stuff at the beginning, but it starts to drag soon enough. While Martin is a good actor, that doesn't mean he's a good sitcom actor — different muscles and all that. So don't count this among the show's great moments; I saw a promo that was funnier than the episode.

"Las Vegas," meanwhile, is using a flashback for its stunt, with Danny (Josh Duhamel) imagining the characters in Vegas in 1962, at work in the casino that preceded the Montecito. There are tired references to the Twist (Chubby Checker makes a brief appearance), lots of smoking and clothes and hair that may prompt giggles. Well, one, anyway — James Lesure's Sammy Davis-like 'do. And you may find it mildly interesting to see the roles assigned to the characters in the past: Sam (Vanessa Marcil) is a pricey call girl, Mary (Nikki Cox) is a waitress, Ed (James Caan) has mob connections and a very ruthless streak.

I still had the same problem I usually have with "Las Vegas," that the show looks a lot more entertaining than it turns out to be. This show is a promo-designer's dream, but too often it feels as if all the good stuff is in the promo and the rest is just filler. But the cast works awfully hard to keep us involved. More than once, I have thought that Lesure, Marcil and Cox each deserve something much better than this — not merely shows of their own, but good shows of their own.

Fans of "Las Vegas" may also be more than a little troubled by Ed and Danny's actions in the '60s. Is the show suggesting they are much badder guys than we have been led to believe? Or does Danny have a nasty streak hiding behind those pretty-boy looks?