It's been quite a week for struggling cult favorite How I Met Your Mother (Mondays on CBS at 8:30 pm/ET). First it was revealed that Ted's (Josh Radnor) dermatologist crush, Stella, would be played in a multi-episode arc by Alicia Silverstone, leading a lot of fans to theorize that she was indeed the future Mrs. Mosby. Then later in the week we learned that Stella would instead be played by Scrubs' Sarah Chalke, and, in a casting shocker that was truly legendary, one Britney Spears will be playing Stella's Ted-loving assistant, Abby (about which Radnor said, "The only thing 'scandalous' about all of this is how non-scandalous it is"). Before the first post-strike Mother episode airs tonight, we dialed up Ted Mosby, Architect, himself to see what he had to say about catching "the Barney disease," how Mother has expanded his vocabulary, and when we can expect to see that mysterious yellow umbrella again.

TVGuide.com: In the episodes we've seen so far this season, Ted is changing, he's becoming more of a player… getting tramp stamps, riding tricycles. Josh Radnor: You think? Well, everyone evolves, I suppose. [Laughs] In a way there was no way to sustain narratively a guy who's just obsessed with finding a wife… unless he's Amish or something. One of the things I love about the show is that above all it remains committed to a verisimilitude ─ I'm gonna drop that word on you, I rarely use that many syllables, but I did it ─ so I think psychologically they were trying to track the arc of this pretty traumatic breakup with Robin. And it's his reaction to the breakup…. Girls cut their hair off and guys ride the tricycle.

TVGuide.com: So it is a reaction, then? Radnor: I think it is, but I can tell you there's going to be a little course correction in that area. You're not going to be seeing Ted be a rake for much longer. In the episode airing Monday, Marshall gives him a talking-to.

TVGuide.com: Well, Marshall's the man to do it! So the change isn't permanent.Radnor: No, as much fun as I've had with this little phase of Ted Mosby, I think we've seen the end of it. Because ultimately he's a good guy who functions better in a relationship. He hasn't totally caught the Barney disease.

TVGuide.com: You called Barney a disease.Radnor: [Laughs] Well, I'm sure he has a few.

TVGuide.com: Have you or any of the cast members been known to suggest ideas for storylines from your own personal experiences?Radnor: Yeah, I actually asked them if I could keep my beard for a little while because I always grow a beard over hiatus, and Carter [Bays] was like, "A breakup beard, that's great! " And then they wrote all these hilarious jokes about me coming back in these different patterns of facial hair. They do pick up on little quirks ─ like Jason Segel does actually sing songs about himself a lot, although I hope that I don't correct people that much. [Laughs] There is a kind of give and take with the writers…. It becomes symbiotic.

TVGuide.com: Symbiotic!Radnor: [Laughs] You know, I’ve notice that we do a HIMYM vocab word of the week. We always seem to drop some word that's not commonly used… like the word "ineffable," and then we explain what it means.

TVGuide.com: Speaking of your beard, I saw you in the short "The Negotiating Table" during the strike ─ how did you get involved in that?Radnor: Oh, with Seth MacFarlane, yeah. Nick [Kroll] and I had done a parody on Family Guy called "How I Met Your Father," which had us furiously making out with each other… but I knew Seth from that. And I knew Kat [Foster] from my years in New York. But I actually had the beard already, and when Seth MacFarlane saw me the first thing he said was, "You look like someone who could get me some great pot." [Laughs]

TVGuide.com: Do you consider HIMYM a bubble show? Do you think the strike had a negative effect?Radnor: Um, I don't understand your fancy TV terms, "bubble."

TVGuide.com: You understand verisimilitude but you don't understand "bubble"?Radnor: [Laughs] Exactly. I don't know, but I trust that our loyal fans will stage something…. I did hear that we did well in reruns, so I'm not sure [the strike] affected us. But we're a very TiVo'd show, and a very talked-about show, and the people who love the show really love it.

TVGuide.com: A lot of viewers are wondering how it's going to work with the mother — are we going meet the mother in the final scene of the final episode, or will we have a chance to meet her and watch your courtship and marriage?Radnor: That's an option, sure. I'm not in the writers' room and I'm not sure they've fully cracked the meet-the-mother story themselves…. I think they're as taken with the mystery of it as everyone else is. They'll find the mother when it's time to find the mother ─ or when Les Moonves says, "It's time to find the mother." [Laughs]

TVGuide.com: So then they have to have someone set up as an option in that situation.Radnor: Well, the very last scene of the very last episode could be a point-of-view shot, and Ted just opens the door and there she is.

TVGuide.com: Do you have a preference between the meet-the-mother/end-scene scenario, or the watch-your-courtship scenario?Radnor: I don't know that I'd want to go through a wedding, but maybe that's my own fears coming through. [Laughs]

TVGuide.com: Ah, Barney! Radnor: [Laughs] No, it's not that bad, trust me.

TVGuide.com: What about Stella, does she have a chance of wedding Ted?Radnor: You know, anything's possible. I'm not being evasive, I have no idea. I could speculate, but my guess would be as good as yours.

TVGuide.com: Hmmm, does Stella have a yellow umbrella, by any chance?Radnor: The yellow umbrella comes back in Monday's episode, actually.

TVGuide.com: Oh, really! And what about the slapbet, will there be any slapping?Radnor: Slapping? I don't know… but I love a good slap. [Laughs]

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You may have forgotten, thanks to the seemingly endless WGA strike, but this is the "season of the nerd." And inarguably TV's dukes of dorkdom are Sheldon (Jim Parsons) and Leonard (Johnny Galecki) on CBS' The Big Bang Theory (resuming its freshman season tonight at 8 pm/ET). Playing beauty to the geeks is Kaley Cuoco, with whom TVGuide.com chatted about the "new" season ahead.

TVGuide.com: First off, just to be clear, this is not the CBS sitcom guest-starring Britney Spears.Kaley Cuoco: No, it is not. That would be How I Met Your Mother.

TVGuide.com: But you know what you could to do totally trump them? Guest-cast Eliot Spitzer's girlfriend, "Kristen."Cuoco: Oh, you are bad! That’s very funny. I don’t know if anyone would go for that, but I'd sure think it was funny.

TVGuide.com: The last time we spoke, you told me the story of how when the Big Bang pilot first made rounds, [series cocreator] Chuck Lorre originally had some concerns about you being too young to play Penny. But everything is good now?Cuoco: [Laughs] He's happy now, yes. Originally went I went to [audition for the] network for it, Chuck and I fell in love with each other and we had a good connection, but he told me, "Honestly, I think you're a little too young for this role." But then a year passed and a lot of the script changed, and it ended up being perfect for me. It worked out for everybody.

TVGuide.com: Do you feel like you're working a slightly different "comedy muscle" than you did on 8 Simple Rules?Cuoco: It feels the same. I love comedy so much, I love sitcoms, I love working with funny people, so it feels very natural to me. It's always felt like second nature.

TVGuide.com: In this week's episode, Penny plays peacemaker between Sheldon and Leonard....Cuoco: Yeah, they get into a little bitch fight. [Laughs] Penny, she just wants to fix everything and have everyone be happy, so she gets in the way and makes things a lot worse. She herself has become a conflict between the guys anyway. Leonard has switched gears to wanting to be around her and Sheldon could care less.

TVGuide.com: There's definitely some friction between her and Sheldon.Cuoco: Yes, and in the last few episodes we shot, there's even more and it's absolutely hysterical. Penny and Sheldon do not get each other at all.

TVGuide.com: Are there any more beauty-geek hookups coming up, a la Wolowitz and Penny's BFF?Cuoco: [Laughs] We were talking about that. I look forward to her friend coming back. He thinks he "gets" the ladies, but….

TVGuide.com: I get the feeling you're the type who might be prone to "breaking" when taping a funny scene.Cuoco: I do break a lot. It's really bad. The gag reel is going to be me constantly laughing. I'm actually always trying to screw everybody else up. The other night, Jim [Parsons], who never, ever, ever breaks, we totally got him. I said, "Are you laughing?" He was like, "Yes, damn it!"

TVGuide.com: In next week's episode, you're doing a bit of singing?Cuoco: Yes! When we were rehearsing the previous episode, Chuck and [executive producer] Bill [Prady] walked up to me with a CD, and I knew exactly what they were going to say. "I'm going to have to sing, aren’t I?" So Penny does a little singing and it's not rather good, to say the least.

TVGuide.com: Did you have to fake bad singing or did it come naturally to you?Cuoco: Oh no, it’s all natural. I'm naturally bad. I didn’t have to do much acting there.

TVGuide.com: What was more difficult – singing or wearing the kitten costume without any wardrobe malfunctions?Cuoco: Oh my god, wearing that stupid costume. I'll sing any day over wearing that again.

TVGuide.com: Every time you sat down, I winced for you.Cuoco: You and I both, my friend.

TVGuide.com: In one episode, Penny surprised the boys with her aptitude for videogaming. How are your own button-mashing skills?Cuoco: The guys were in that living room set every freaking second that week, and they wouldn’t even let me play me. They were all mean to me and didn’t let me get involved.

TVGuide.com: Do you get any fan mail from Cheesecake Factory waitresses... or hate mail from Cheesecake Factory executives?Cuoco: I haven’t yet, but that would be hilarious. I'm sure there is good and bad mail.

TVGuide.com: While I'm sure they appreciate the shout-out, it's not always in the most flattering context.Cuoco: No, it's not, and I think The Big Bang Theory's version of the Cheesecake Factory uniform is a little different. Just a little!

TVGuide.com: Lastly, what sort of TV did you miss watching during the strike?Cuoco: The Office, definitely. But I've caught up a lot on TLC reality shows. I'm now completely addicted.

TVGuide.com: Really? My wife and I just got hooked on What Not to Wear.Cuoco: My favorite show! I love Stacy London!

TVGuide.com: We decided we're going to dress up as Stacy and Clinton for Halloween.Cuoco: That is the funniest thing! But I think you should be Stacy and she should be Clinton. I love that show. Whenever anyone asks me whose styles I like, I always say "Stacy London." So I haven’t missed TV too much – I have all my reality shows!

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You may recognize Keith Robinson as singer-songwriter C.C. White in Dreamgirls, but now he's playing a different kind of writer, working on legal briefs as Chester Grant in Fox's edgy new legal drama Canterbury's Law (Mondays at 8 pm/ET). We cross-examined Robinson to discuss how he turned his singing into an acting career, how Canterbury's stands apart from other lawyer shows and what we can expect from his character this season.

TVGuide.com: Now that we've seen the first episode, what can we expect in the coming weeks?Keith Robinson: You're just going to get a lot deeper into the storylines, and you're going to see more of the shocking ways that we come to conclusions in proving our clients' innocence. I think we up the ante every week with how far we'll go as lawyers to prove our point, even if that means sometimes going outside the lines. My storyline, in particular, doesn't really pick up until the second or third episode. We get into my relationship with my dad, how I became a lawyer so young and issues I have to take on in my own life.

TVGuide.com: We know your character is the son of a congressman who wants nothing to do with his father's politics. Will we get to know why soon?Robinson: To say the least, Chester and his father have butted heads, and he's eager to prove that he's not like his father, when actually he's exactly like him. They both have an intense desire to gain power. Some of his father's antics end up getting him in hot water, and he has to come to Chester for help to get out of it. He has to bite his tongue and swallow his pride, so their relationship becomes very intense and conflicted throughout the course of the show.

TVGuide.com: Since Canterbury is such a strong woman, will that desire to gain power make it harder for Chester to listen while she's barking orders at him?Robinson: I think eventually, some issues definitely come to a head. But in the next episode, they get into an intense discussion of why Chester would even want to study under someone like her. Even though they do have different views, they're alike in a lot of ways and there's a mentor-apprentice respect they both have for each other. It's a hot-and-cold relationship.

TVGuide.com: We've seen previews that depict Chester's father warning him to get away from Canterbury. Will she find herself in trouble?Robinson: I'd say that's it in a nutshell. Chester's father is so well connected and is always one step ahead of him. It's irritating, and he doesn't always give advice that Chester wants to hear, but sometimes it's necessary, even if it comes from his father. In this case, it does involve the woman Chester works for.

TVGuide.com: What about the legal aspect of the show drew you to this role?Robinson: I am a fan of the law. As an actor, I think it's one of those roles you dream of playing — being in a courtroom trying to win over a jury. It's kind of like taking the stage and trying to persuade people to see things your way. You're having to tell a story, which is a lot like being an actor, period. I think lawyers and actors do have a common denominator, an underlying objective.

TVGuide.com: What sets this show apart from other lawyer series?Robinson: We're not afraid to show the imperfections of our characters as lawyers. On a lot of law shows, the lawyers are the ones coming to the aid of the flawed human beings. In this case, we are just as flawed as our clients. And we ourselves even break the law to establish the law, which is kind of a paradox in itself. For me, that makes it really interesting and edgy.

TVGuide.com: You were also in the recent CBS miniseries Comanche Moon. How was that experience?Robinson: It was great. It was different — I got to ride a horse! Again, it's one of those roles you dream about. Being in a Western is like playing cowboys and Indians as a kid, but to get to do it in your professional life is a great experience.

TVGuide.com: Was it hard playing a character Danny Glover created in Lonesome Dove?Robinson: It was a challenge. But more so, I think there was a level of respect and expectation because the character has already been established. It's such a historical piece, and I wanted to make sure I did it justice. So there was definitely a little pressure there.

TVGuide.com: You were once signed to Motown Records. How did you get into acting?Robinson: I was in a band when I was signed, and the deal went south. I'm now a solo artist and have my own album coming out this year. As for acting, I moved to Los Angeles, and — long story short — I walked into an acting class that didn't have enough readers and the teacher suggested I read with them. The teacher liked me and told me to read for a role on a new Power Rangers show, and it worked out.

TVGuide.com: I'm sure your singing past helped you earn your spot in Dreamgirls.Robinson: Yeah, I did all my own singing. I am a vocalist first — that's really why I got into show business in the first place. Dreamgirls was right up my alley, and it let people know who I really was as an artist, so to speak. It opened up a lot of doors.

TVGuide.com: And performing at the Oscars with Beyoncé and Jennifer Hudson's a pretty good gig, right?Robinson: [Laughs]. Not a bad gig at all! I couldn't think of a better one.

TVGuide.com: With the new show and album, it sounds like you've come a long way from the Power Rangers.Robinson: [Laughs] Definitely.

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For more features, news and inside scoop, check out the latest issue of TV Guide, with our exclusive story on the secrets of the American Idol top 12! Plus: A preview of Dancing with the Stars' new season. Try four risk-free issues of TV Guide now!