While many are claiming the sitcom is nearly dead, those that are still producing audiences are highly valued. How highly? Just ask CBS, who recently gave multi-year renewals to two Chuck Lorre-produced sitcoms.

The “no surprise” renewal is a nearly-unprecedented three-year renewal for “Two and A Half Men,” the Charlie Sheen-Jon Cryer brother comedy that sits atop the Eye’s sitcom ratings chart. The more Eye-opening renewal was a two-year renewal for one of my favorites, “Big Bang Theory.”

In a time when many shows, including the well-regarded “How I Met Your Mother,” struggle each year for a single-season renewal rather than a pink-slip, coming into such rare air as multi-year renewals has to be a feather in the cap of Lorre and company. With that kind of security in this unstable economy, they’ll be able to check into some fairly unique hotels.

Without Britney Spears and Sarah Chalke to pump up the ratings, CBS’ comedy-on-life-support drew only a 3.4 Nielsen this week in an episode with no guest stars for How I Met Your Mother. Still, the show did build on the ratings lead-in from Big Bang Theory, which drew a 2.9.

While those numbers are on Orovo diets compared to what was considered great ratings 20 years ago, the improvment HIMYM is showing off its lead-in may be just enough to show that the show does not require guest stars every week, and that it has enough oomph to build in the ratings bar set by its lead-in.

A brief prayer wouldn’t hurt, but signs are good that HIMYM’s demise might have been diagnosed a bit prematurely. Like, say, by Dr. Elliot of a certain NBC comedy soon destined to appear on ABC, perhaps?