It wasn't the mother of all Slapsgivings, but Monday's "How I Met Your Mother" managed to mine a few more laughs out of the remaining slaps in Marshall's slap bet with Barney.

And how's this for stunt casting: Chris "Cabin Boy" Elliott as Lily's dad? They had me at "Tijuana Slum Lord," even if it isn't really fun for all — or any — ages.

How I Met Your Mother (8pm, CBS) - Marshall gives Ted and Robin one of his "slap bet" slaps to use on Barney (left), and Chris Elliot guest stars as Lily's estranged father, who visits on Thanksgiving.

Big Bang Theory (9:30pm, CBS) - This is always Monday night's other best bet after HIMYM,  and tonight's episode sounds great. Sheldon is humiliated on NPR's "Science Friday" show and vows revenge on Kripke. Ira Flatow makes a cameo appearance. 

Find My Family (9:30, ABC) - ABC begins their "Locator" ripoff tonight with their new show about reuniting long-lost family members. Tonight's show features a Wisconsin couple searching for their daughter, given up for adoption 29 years earlier. 

Castle (10pm, ABC) - Beckett and Castle find a dead man in a garbage chute and both is wife and fiance show up to claim the body. DB Woodhouse guest stars.

Chef Academy (11pm, Bravo) -  I wish this show came on a little earlier, but that's why God made DVRs. Tonight the students have to recreate a dessert demonstrated by Chef Novelli. Let's just hope our Charlotte student doesn't leave another hair in her dish. Ouch.

For too long, the Lorenzos of this world have suffered the stain inflicted on our regal name by Lorenzo "Hot or Not" Llamas. Thank you, Barney Stinson, for restoring pride and dignity to our name.

Because, as Monday night's episode of "How I Met Your Mother" shows us, nothing seals the deal on a one-night stand faster than masquerading as Lorenzo Von Matterhorn, reclusive billionaire and failed recipient of male reduction surgery.

After six episodes setting up the Barney-Robin romance, Monday's night's episode of "How I Met Your Mother" quietly dissolves the relationship. The reason? Apparently these two alpha dogs bring too much awesomeness to the table, so much that they're tired of canceling out each other's awesomeness.

As far as viable reasons to break up go, that argument ranks below more vital issues such as whether the Storm Troopers in Star Wars are robots or diaper-wearing soldiers, but hey, at least we get to see Neil Patrick Harris in a fat suit.

There is nothing metaphorical about Barney and Robin's ill-fated compatibility. As they fall into a rut, Barney's relationship gut morphs into a triple-chinned addiction to buffalo wings that leads him to choose pizza over sex. And we know that the relationship is taking a toll on Robin because of the greasy hair and her even paler, haggard appearance.

House (8pm, Fox) - "House" returns tonight after a few weeks off. The team tries to help a partying team with swollen appendages who won't (and later can't) tell what happened to her. And House tags along with Cuddy and Wilson to a pharmacology conference.

How I Met Your Mother (8pm, CBS) - Barney and Robin go through a rough patch, and Lily enlists Canadian Alan Thicke to help break up the couple.

Cake Boss (10pm, TLC) - A massive cake is created for the U.S. Air Force. 

Lopez Tonight (11pm, TBS) - It's the debut of another new talk show, this one from George Lopez. Lopez is the first Hispanic performer to star in a major English-language late-night TV talk show. Lopez says he wants his show to be inclusive and spontaneous, so he's done away with the standard pre-show interview. I will say that his first guests are bigger than Wanda's first guests: tonight he welcomes Ellen DeGeneres, Eva Longoria Parker, and Kobe Bryant. Carlos Santana performs. 

Faithful viewers of "How I Met Your Mother" know that Barney Stinson loves the word "awesome" and everything it represents. Neil Patrick
Harris' suave man about town craves nothing more than to be awesome at whatever he pursues, whether it's laser tag, suiting up for a one-night stand or whatever the heck he does for Goliath National Bank in his corner office.

So it's no surprise that he thinks he's awesome now at relationships, boasting that he and Robin have supplanted Marshall and Lily as the best couple. Naturally, this leads to the introduction of another indispensable term in the How I Met Your Mother lexicon: New Relationship Smugness.

How I Met Your Mother (8pm, CBS) - Overly confident in his role as Robin's boyfriend, Barney starts giving relationship advice to Marshall, which ends in disaster.

Trauma (9pm, NBC) - A show so much better than its sister show "Mercy," "Trauma" was unfairly canceled last week by NBC, a network which seems to be giving up on dramas. (Maybe "Trauma" can move to cable like NBC's inexplicably canceled "Southland.") While "Trauma" isn't perfect, there's something great here every single week -- at least one moment in each show that stops you dead in your tracks. What will it be tonight? Nancy and Glenn (right) discover what it's like to be on the receiving end of emergency help, while Rabbit gets a big surprise on the job. 

For the Love of Ray J 2 (9pm, VH1) - Hip hop singer Ray J gets a second season to try to find true love. Apparently the contestant he impregnated during the first season wasn't "the one."

Big Bang Theory (9:30pm, CBS) - Sheldon tries to teach Leonard the fundamentals of football, and Raj and Howard have a kite fight.

Castle (10pm, ABC) - A dead rock star is discovered staged in a scene from her own music video, and lyrics from one of her songs finally breaks the case open. 

While Monday night's episode leaves unanswered how many billable hours Marshall wastes uploading slide shows of uncomfortably lame double dates, at least Ted proves he can overcome the romance-killing powers of a professor's tweed jacket.

Call it "Revenge of the Sexless Innkeeper," or "The rare 'How I Met Your Mother' episode where the subplot makes up for an otherwise weak storyline."

When you're floundering in the early stages of a romantic relationship, how cool would it be if your partner had an emotionally secure ex willing to share all the personal do's and don'ts to avoid fights and to keep your partner happy? OK, maybe that would be a bit creepy in the real world, but in sitcom land, that's Comedy 101.

So with Barney still struggling to adjust to his new boyfriend role with Robin on Monday's episode of How I Met Your Mother, no one blinks when he turns to his pal Ted, who dated Robin for a year or so, for a class on dating her. The "no one blinks" goes especially for Robin, who fixes her ex- and current boyfriend with her patented wide-eyed stare of anger after she discovers Barney's secret Robin notebook.

House (8pm, Fox) - James Earl Jones plays an ailing African dictator charged with crimes against humanity who arrives at the hospital for treatment. Also, House gets involved in a feud between his new roomie Wilson and Wilson's neighbor.

How I Met Your Mother (8pm, CBS) - Robin thinks Barney is cheating on her already, but really he's just getting info from Ted on how to be the most awesome boyfriend ever.

Castle (10pm, ABC) - A young model is savagely murdered, leading Castle and Beckett into the ruthless world of high fashion.

CSI: Miami (10pm, CBS) - Calleigh (Emily Proctor) has to testify against Delko, which endangers his CSI future. Cheryl Ladd guest stars.