I’m not going to lie. I’m kind of addicted to television. However, I like to think that I watch television of a pretty high quality (mainly sitcoms that are actually funny, documentaries with the occasional Haunted Insert Noun Here, and smart dramas that don’t involve horny doctors in fictional hospitals).

So when I found out that Britney Spears had been cast on my second favorite sitcom (behind The Office), How I Met Your Mother, I was a little perturbed to say the least.

How I Met Your Mother has succumbed to stunt casting before, giving guest spots to stars like Mandy Moore, Enrique Inglesias, and in one episode, Heidi Klum and a bevy of Victoria’s Secret models. However, these cameos were mainly a way to try and reign in more viewers, as HIMYM has often had low ratings, despite the inherent hilarity of the show.

But now the makers of the show have gone too far. I try to avoid Britney Spears columns like the plague, considering that I really don’t like voluntarily hearing about a person’s psychological meltdown. Schadenfreude really isn’t my thing. So when I saw the headline announcing this guest spot, I was thisclose to skipping over the article entirely. Imagine my horror when I realized the sitcom gig in the headline was referring to my beloved, pure, funny, and original How I Met Your Mother.

So now I just wait in horror for next Monday. The reports from the set seem to be…positive, I guess. And I believe that any scene with Neil Patrick Harris as Barney can be hilarious, even if Britney is in there sucking up all the funny. So fans of HIMYM, keep your fingers crossed for zero to minimal southern accent, bad comedic timing, and inane references to Britney’s former glory.

If anyone can salvage something from the wreckage of Britney Spears’ current situation, let’s hope that the writers and actors of How I Met Your Mother can do it. And considering that the show almost didn’t get renewed for another season, I guess I’m willing to let the gazillion or so new viewers tune in just to see Britney speak in coherent sentences…as long as it keeps How I Met Your Mother on the air as long as possible.