RENEWAL ALERT: How I Met Your Mother

CBS has renewed the popular Monday night comedy How I Met Your Mother. But the surprise here is that it's been renewed for the next two seasons. In the past, the show has always been a bubble show until May but it has firmly established itself as the lead off for CBS's Monday comedy block and with all the uncertainty surrounding their flagship show Two and a Half Men, it appears CBS was anxious to get some stability. The show will now run through at least the 2012-2013 season, which will be its' eighth. Through 18 episodes this season, it has averaged 9.1 million viewers and a young-skewing 3.6 in the demo.

Mother joins NCIS, The Big Bang Theory, and (until recently) Two and a Half Men as confirmed renewals for next season. Other shows that are sure to be renewed on this stable network include Mike & Molly, Hawaii Five-0, NCIS: Los Angeles, Survivor, Criminal Minds, CSI, The Mentalist, 60 Minutes, The Amazing Race, and Undercover Boss. Other likely renewals include The Good Wife, Rules of Engagement, and Blue Bloods. On the bubble is Mad Love, Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior, CSI: NY, and CSI: Miami while $#*! My Dad Says, The Defenders, and Live to Dance are likely goners. Still to premiere is the drama Chaos.