CBS to Britney Spears: Baby ... One more time

By Steve Gorman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - For anyone wondering whether pop singer Britney Spears might soon return to prime-time television, the answer on Monday from CBS could be summed up in four words: "Baby ... One More Time."

Weeks after she drew glowing reviews and strong ratings as a guest star on the CBS sitcom "How I Met Your Mother," Spears will return to the show on May 12 to reprise her role as a sassy office assistant named Abby.

A network spokeswoman said the episode would be shot sometime this week in Los Angeles.

In her March 24 debut on the series, Spears' character fell for the show's leading man, Ted, played by Josh Radnor, only to end up angry at Ted when he started dating her boss.

In her return appearance, Abby tries to get even with Ted by pairing up with his estranged pal, Barney (former "Doogie Howser, M.D." star Neil Patrick Harris), who "pops a surprising question to Abby," according to a CBS synopsis of the plot.

Spears' first appearance on the show last month drew 10.6 million viewers, up sharply from the show's season-to-date average audience of 8.1 million.

The mostly positive reviews also gave the performer a rare burst of upbeat headlines amid a torrent of highly publicized personal problems in recent years.

Spears, 26, rose to fame as a teen star with a series of chart-topping singles, starting with "Baby ... One More Time." By 2002, she was named the world's top celebrity by Forbes magazine after earning $39.2 million in a single year.