How I Met Your Mother is one of my favorite sitcoms on TV right now. Network TV is finally dumping laugh tracks, at least on the better comedies.

I also listed many other factors in addition to production. Production is about much more than special effects. Set design, costumes, etc. I have a hard time watching a show and taking it seriously if it looks like it was filmed by a high school student on the weekend with their DV camera.

The writing and acting were superb on three shows that inspired this thread. In the case of Day Break and Kidnapped the (lead) actors were also predominantly movie actors.

Don't get me wrong (I'll say it again) there are other decent shows on TV. I think NCIS is pretty good, the original CSI, Without a Trace, Criminal Minds and a number of others. I don't watch most of them though. I do watch House and my girlfriend also watches Grey's Anatomy (I see one episode here and there and like it, but don't follow it).