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CHUCK BARNEY: As shows slowly return, it's time to bond again

Posted on Thu, Mar. 20, 2008

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Contra Costa Times

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It was just about the time I spotted Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) dispensing inane dating advice to Ted (Josh Radnor) in a crowded tavern during the CBS sitcom "How I Met Your Mother" that I knew all was right with the world. Well, almost right.

Barney and Ted back together again. Spouting tossing out fresh jokes and lame pickup lines. On my TV screen.

Talk about a welcome sight.

Monday's hilarious episode of "HIMYM" was the first new one in more than three months, thanks to the dreadful writers strike that thrust much of television into a deep freeze. It was sandwiched by new episodes of "The Big Bang Theory" and "Two and a Half Men," which were back in fine, if not completely uproarious, form.

No more stale stuff. No more regurgitation. No more moaning about there being nothing good to watch. And apparently viewers were in the mood to celebrate. All three comedies generated their largest audiences of the season, with "Two and a Half Men" setting the pace at 14 million.

Rejoice, people. Slowly but surely, new episodes are returning to the airwaves and CBS is ahead of the pack. In addition to the aforementioned comedy block, the network soon will revive "CSI: Miami" (March 24) and "Cold Case" (March 30). But the majority of your favorite network shows won't roll out until the early weeks of April.

And not a moment too soon. During the work stoppage, we were forced to subsist on a steady diet of reruns and reality TV. It tasted awful. It made me cranky.

I know what some of you are thinking: TV is a weakness. TV is a nuisance. It's an addiction. An evil-doer. A destroyer of morals. It has ruined mealtime in America. It has warped our attention spans. It has made our kids obese. So who needs it? Who missed it?

Well, a lot of us did. And we don't have to apologize for it.

Admittedly, there were some unexpected benefits to the writers strike. I had time to go see all those fine Oscar-nominated films. I mowed the lawn once or twice. I picked up a couple books. I learned that my oldest son actually had a girlfriend.

But, still, I missed my television - not that there's anything wrong with that.

Despite what the anti-TV grumps would have you believe, it is not the enemy. TV, ultimately, is what you make of it. And there are those of us who feel that there's absolutely nothing wrong with coming home after a brutal day at work, slipping off your shoes and counting on "The Office" and "30 Rock" to provide us with a few laughs.

Along the way, we form bonds with those people on the screen. We relate to them. We care about them. Will Meredith and Derek ever make their relationship work on "Grey's Anatomy"? How and when are Jack and Kate ever going to get off that blasted island on "Lost"?

It matters to us. Hopefully, it doesn't matter way too much, but it does matter.

That's why the strike was so frustrating. It disrupted our dependably satisfying routine. It messed with our flow. It robbed us of our prime-time companions.

And so this week it was immensely gratifying to see a CBS promo spot proclaim, "America, it's time to laugh again." Smug and presumptuous? Yeah, sort of - especially considering that "Big Bang" and "Men" displayed a little post-strike rust.

But the message was clear: Things are finally returning to normal.

And that is worth celebrating.

CHANNEL SURFING: Tween TV fans can now breathe a sigh of relief. Miley Cyrus returns March 21 in the first new episode of "Hannah Montana" (7 p.m., Disney Channel) since mid-January ... Madonna gets her props on Saturday during the 23rd Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies (11 p.m., VH1). Other honorees on the program, which was taped on March 10, include John Mellancamp, the Dave Clark Five, the Ventures, Leonard Cohen, Little Walter and producers Gamble and Huff ... On Sunday, fans of "Futurama" (8 p.m., Comedy Central) get a rare treat with a block of four new episodes originally produced for DVD. The voice talent includes Sarah Silverman and Al Gore.

Chuck Barney: cbarney@bayareanewsgroup.com

The divorce-ometer: What the stars have paid - by the hour - for their broken marriages

By CLAUDIA CONNELL - More by this author » Last updated at 08:47am on 19th March 2008

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So it's finally over. After two years of legal wrangling, Heather Mills has learned she will get a £24.3 million divorce settlement from Paul McCartney - a staggering £700 for every hour they were married.

But she's not the only showbiz spouse to reap huge rewards after an often short marriage. Britney Spears's first ex-husband Jason Alexander netted £300,000 for just 55 hours of wedded bliss - that's £5,455 an hour.

Here, CLAUDIA CONNELL looks at celebrity marriages that started with a walk up the aisle and ended with someone laughing all the way to the bank.

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