quote:
`Christine,' `How I Met Your Mother' back on CBS
By DAVID BAUDER – 7 hours ago
NEW YORK (AP) — CBS has given a new lease on life to Julia Louis-Dreyfus' comedy "The New Adventures of Old Christine" and, perhaps thanks to Britney Spears, the sitcom "How I Met Your Mother."
They were among four series considered on the bubble for renewal that CBS informed producers will be back next season, according to a Hollywood executive who is familiar with CBS' planning and spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid pre-empting a public announcement.
CBS announces its fall programming plans to reporters and advertisers on Wednesday.
The network has announced pick-ups for five returning comedies and two new ones, suggesting it is likely that it will bring laughs to a new night on the schedule in the fall. CBS has concentrated four sitcoms on its Monday night schedule for the past couple of years.
Louis-Dreyfus won an Emmy award for her role as a divorcee who was traded in for a younger wife on "Christine." Despite the acclaim, the show's ratings had not been enough to guarantee success.
"How I Met Your Mother" was boosted by two guest appearances by the troubled pop singer this spring, a role she is reprising.
CBS has also renewed the comedy "Rules of Engagement" and the drama "The Unit."
quote:
Carter Bays confirms that How I Met Your Mother is coming back
Posted May 13th 2008 2:27PM by Joel Keller
Just got off the phone with Carter Bays, co-creator of How I Met Your Mother (Craig Thomas was doing another interview). He confirms that, as earlier reports indicated, the show has been renewed for a fourth season.
"I think we can say it. We got our pickup. We're on the schedule, so we hear," he told me. As far as where the show will be on the schedule, he doesn't know, but "we'll be happy to be anywhere." When I asked him if he was confident that the show was going to be picked up, he said "Call me crazy, but I never really doubted it. I just felt like this show has a lot of creative life left in it, and that it's too good of an environment to up and disappear."
I asked him a lot about Britney Spears' appearance and if it was the reason why the show got picked up. "The cynical answer would be Britney, but I do think that even before that ... during the strike especially, when I managed to get out in the world it felt like enough people liked the show and proselytized for it that it's grown in viewership."
The full interview will be up either tomorrow or Thursday, where I ask Bays about Britney, not making the show guest star-heavy, some info on the finale, and why the heck was that framed letter in Stella's apartment. Stay tuned.
Come celebrate with me, bitches.