Right about now, CBS would benefit from a few good laughs

This time of year, it’s anybody’s guess which pilots the network chiefs will choose to put on their fall schedules. But CBS might need a comedy or two more than they were initially expecting, because with “Everybody Loves Raymond” long gone programmers have had some trouble finding companions for “Two and a Half Men” this season.

Monday night’s ratings provided a case in point. The once-hot sitcom “How I Met Your Mother” drifted down to its lowest-ever rating at 8:30 p.m. in the adults aged 18 to 49 demographic (2.5 rating/7 share), with 7.6 million total viewers, according to preliminary figures from Nielsen Media Research. True, some of that decline was because “Mother” followed a repeat of “King of Queens.” But it’s clear that a fourth-place finish in the demo is not what CBS is looking for, regardless of the context.

Meanwhile, the heavily publicized Julia Louis-Dreyfus sitcom “The New Adventures of Old Christine” has settled into a solid if unexciting performer at 9:30 p.m. On Monday, it did a 3.8 rating/9 share in the key demographic (12 million total viewers), which is roughly where it’s been the past few weeks. But “Christine” has had increasing difficulty hanging on to the demo audience for “Men,” CBS’ top comedy, which on Monday had a 4.7 rating/12 share (14.7 million total viewers).

The comedy issues may be affecting the “CSI” franchise. “CSI: Miami” has lost 10% of its young-adult audience compared with last season, a decline at least partly attributable to lead-in problems. On Monday, the forensics drama squeezed out a 6.0 rating/16 share (18.2 million total viewers), which is on par for its average this season.

Meanwhile, rivals have had some unexpectedly good fortune building audiences on the night. NBC has found at least a temporary hit in Howie Mandel’s game show “Deal or No Deal,” which easily won its 8 p.m. slot Monday (4.8 rating/14 share in demo; 15.3 million total viewers). And Fox’s thriller “24,” paired successfully this season with “Prison Break,” has grown its demographic audience by 16% this season -- an almost unheard-of feat for a fifth-season show. On Monday, “24” won its 9 p.m. hour with a 5.1 rating/13 share in the demo (12.8 million total viewers).

So what does all this mean? Well, three weeks before the fall-schedule announcements, nothing can be counted on as certain. But CBS honcho Leslie Moonves might want to take a hard look at comedy pilots and pick up a couple that look the most promising.