I love 2 & a half men. That's one of my weekly favorites. The Big Bang Theory is growing on me more and more. I too like shows that I can miss an episode or two and not be completely lost. A lot of the "series" type shows like ER waste a good 5 minutes in the beginning with a recap from the past couple of shows then cut to commercial, I find that annoying.
When hour long shows started to become the norm I figured American TV watchers are just becoming more complicated.. BUT then I seen reality TV and I though "America is just as stupid as ever" lol.
I used to be a big crime/drama junkie but lately there's enough bad stuff in the world just watch the news who needs a fictional show about about murder, rape, and molestation (L&O & L&O SVU). Lately my TV watching is more "fun" stuff.. Stuff that's good for a laugh and/or positive.