HollywoodIdiocy.com

For a sitcom that was dangling between renewal and cancellation last spring, CBS’ How I Met Your Mother is set to pay off in a big way shortly. Bidding has opened up for the syndication package on the show, which starts season four a week from tonight on September 22, and some industry analysts are predicting that with a number of bidders clamoring for the rights, the show could garner as high as $350 million.

The most high-profile bidders include Tribune Media, CBS and Fox. Twentieth TV produces the sitcom, which stars Josh Radnor, Allyson Hannigan, Neil Patrick Harris and Cobie Smulders as four friends living in New York City, and is the tale of how Radnor’s character met the mother of his children.

Despite the growing popularity of digital downloads that can be stored on a hard drive and DVD complete season collections, there’s still plenty of money to be found in syndication deals; the winning bidder could be announced Wednesday, and the syndication deal, once in place, could help stabilize the future of the show for the next few seasons.

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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?

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You can dress Britney Spears up in equestrian clothing or bury her in a nurses’ garb, and nothing changes; wherever she goes, the Pop Tart causes chaos. Shortly after announcing the casting of the unstable Spears in a small supporting role on CBS’ How I Met Your Mother, Alicia Silverstone, selected recently for a multi-episode arc that may have revealed her as the long-awaited Mother of the show’s title, canceled her commitment to the show.

Silverstone’s reps reportedly fears Spears’ notoriety would overshadow Silverstone’s appearance on the show, which isn’t far-fetched. The latest word is that the female doctor Silverstone was slated to play will now be portrayed by Scrubs’ Sarah Chalke, and the storyline will center more on Spears’ character.

The good news is that Silverstone remains open to appearing on How I Met Your Mother, and the show’s creators have stated they hope to create a different character for her soon. Meanwhile, the doctor who seemed destined to become “Mother” now will be reconceived as just another ship that passes through Ted’s long night of the soul, since Chalke’s schedule was too full to accommodate anything more than one episode, since Scrubs is still in production and may even be renewed for a previously-believed-to-be-unlikely eighth season, be it on NBC or ABC.

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OK, this could just be the grape juice talking, but the word on the street is that actress Alicia Silverstone could become the mother everyone’s been waiting to meet on the CBS sitcom, “How I Met Your Mother.” In fact, I’d almost be willing to wager a month’s worth of sleepnig on a foam mattress on it, and I’m an air mattress addict!

Here’s the clues so far: Silverstone is indeed signed to a “multi-episode arc” when production resumes on the CBS sitcom in a few weeks. The post-strike episodes have a chance of being the last ones to air, because CBS has not yet renewed the show - even though it’s renewed several others so far. Plus, the producers have promised we’ll meet “mother” this season; if the show is indeed canceled for some strange reason, this would also give producers a chance to wrap the storyline up in a tidy way.

So, all that seems to point to Silverstone being the mother in question. And here I was hoping, given the presence in the regular cast of Buffy alumn Allyson Hannigan, that “mother” would turn out to be Sarah Michelle Geller. Oh well.

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In a season with so little original program, it’s a wonder so many shows are rumored to be on the bubble right now. Some of those currently balancing between cancellation and renewal are silly shows to think of cancelling, while others seem long overdue and you’d need a magnifying glasses to see how they’ve lasted as long as they have.

Here’s the lowdown on the “bubble shows.”

CBS’ How I Met Your Mother: Though consistently winning its time slot demographically against stiff competition like NBC’s American Gladiators and Chuck, as well as Fox’ Prison Break and Sarah Conner Chronicles, this is a show ABC should be talking to about a multiseason renewal, not possible cancellation. But it’s produced by Fox, so it’s not their own money on the line. This is one bubble show that must not die.

CBS’ Moonlight: Although it does not involve Joss Whedon or David Greenwalt, the vampire drama has carved out an interesting niche all its own and deserves a full-season renewal.

ABC’s Women’s Murder Club: The James Patterson-based crime drama has a good pedigree and was stirring up some competition against CBS’ Friday night lineup; again, this one should get the “quality television” renewal.

Fox’s Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: A strong reboot of the Terminator franchise, the show has been tossed about the network schedule in the wake of the writers strike, never really given a chance to shine. It deserves another shot.

The rest are shows I don’t care for myself and won’t feel strongly one way or another if they bow after this season: NBC’s Friday Night Lights, CW’s Aliens In America, ABC’s Carpoolers, ABC’s Men In Trees, ABC’s October Road, CBS’s Cane, Shark and The Unit.

Bye and good riddance to all, if you ask me. I just hope The CW keeps Reaper around for a full-season run.

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