La Voz

Issue date: 6/4/07 Section: Buzz

While many awful shows continue to pull in good ratings this year, a few gems just narrowly avoided cancellation as the 2006-2007 television season closes. Sure, audiences turn up in droves to watch well-known, quality programs like "The Sopranos" and "The Office," but they also neglect funny and clever shows such as "Veronica Mars" in favor of crap like "The Pussycat Dolls." Here are some excellent comedies and dramas that deserve more attention this season, followed by a few that definitely deserve less.

Show: How I Met Your Mother (CBS) Time: Mondays at 8 p.m. With shows like "Scrubs" hitting it big, it may seem like the standard-format sitcom is dead, but "How I Met Your Mother" is a great example of how canned laughter and stage sets can still translate into smart programming. The show is essentially one long flashback, as Ted (Josh Radnor) explains to his children the story of their parents' meeting and courtship. GOLD

Show: MI-5 (A&E) Time: In transition As season six of "24" has turned out to be a big disappointment, fans of high-tension spy thrillers should consider giving this BBC import a try. "MI-5," while lacking some American glitz, provides a much more paranoid, cerebral and realistic look at how spies operate on a daily basis, told through the eyes of an intelligence team at Britain's version of the CIA. GOLD

Show: 30 Rock (NBC) Time: Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. Often overlooked in favor of "The Office," "30 Rock" is easily the best-acted show on television, boasting top-notch performances by Tracy Jordan, Alec Baldwin, and Rachel Dratch (in multiple roles). Baldwin, especially, is hilarious as the eccentric, workaholic network executive overseeing the production of a weekly sketch comedy show at the titular studio address. GOLD

Also check out: "The Riches" (FX) and "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" (FX)

Show: 24 (FOX) Time: Mondays at 9 p.m. Consider it a mercy killing. This show, once one of the most creative on television, has been going downhill since the end of season four. Forget nuclear bombs and evil terrorists, Jack Bauer's got bigger problems - namely recycled plot lines, unbelievable scenarios, and lack of overall direction. GARBAGE

Show: Juvies (MTV) Time: Thursdays at 10 p.m. Just when you thought reality TV couldn't sink any lower, MTV rolled out this morally bankrupt "documentary" about kids in prison. Supposedly a chronicle of the family court system, "Juvies" does little more than exploit the stories of troubled youths for entertainment purposes and fails even at that. GARBAGE

Show: CSI: Miami (CBS) Time: Mondays at 10 p.m. Apparently, audiences have decided that they just weren't getting their police-procedural fill with only two "Law and Order" and "CSI" spinoffs, "Without a Trace" and "Cold Case" on the air. For some reason, 18 million viewers show up each week to watch David Caruso talk like a pedophile and an overpaid supporting cast. GARBAGE

Also avoid: "Heroes" (NBC) and "Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search for the Next Doll" (CW)

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