Troubled pop star Britney Spears may revive her successful cameo on CBS’ sitcom How I Met Your Mother, according to recent reports. Her initial appearance on the show in late March, as ditzy receptionist Abby, drew a record 10.6 million viewers, a sizable spike over the show’s 7.8 million average this season, according to Nielsen Media. This though show co-star Neil Patrick Harris incited a media maelstrom with comments to a reporter calling the appearance “stunt casting”. According to the Associated Press, Patrick Harris, former child star of Doogie Howser, griped to a reporter, "I worry that if they start `Will and Grace'-ing us too much, that the show will suffer.” Patrick Harris later qualified his statements. But the references to the NBC former hit were noteworthy. Toward the tail end of its run, Will & Grace boasted a ludicrous parade of gratuitous pop-diva cameos: Madonna, Cher, Jennifer Lopez and, yes, Britney Spears among them. Critics and fans balked that some of the appearances were more absurd than funny, obvious ratings ploys. Will Britney’s repeater on How I Met Your Mother yield another ratings score or annoy the show’s committed fans?

The pop star cameo is tricky business, as many sitcoms have learned. Some work better than others. Checkout our list of the Best and Worst Pop Star Sitcom Cameos on Television.