Entertainment

When good things happen to bad shows

The “Today” Show’s Matt Lauer (Peter Kramer/NBC Universal, Inc.)

Nelsan Ellis of “True Blood” (
)

Tori Spelling, with her children. (Albert Michael/startraksphoto.co)

Vinny Guadagnino of “Jersey Shore” (
)

Kristin Chenowith and Leslie Bibb of “GCB” (ABC)

The end of the TV season is upon us and we have to address some hard truths. Which is that some shows are terrible. Stale. Cheesy. But before you put a fork in ’em, there’s at least one good thing to savor about each of them.

2 BROKE GIRLS

Jennifer Coolidge

Only a disciple of director Christopher Guest (“Best in Show”) could elevate “2 Broke Girls.” As the charmingly bawdy upstairs neighbor Sophie Kerchinsky, Jennifer Coolidge takes away the sting of the crude jokes between waitressing roomies Max and Caroline (Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs). Coolidge’s squinty, fur-wearing sexpot is a comedic gem that makes you forget how awful this CBS sitcom really is.

TORI & DEAN: HOME SWEET HOLLYWOOD

The kids

It is worth sitting through a show as pointless as “Tori & Dean” and their various career changes — wedding planners, innkeepers, antique-shop owners — to see their adorable children. We know rambunctious towhead Liam, 6, is a scene-stealer, but lately his little sister Stella, 3, is upstaging her brother with lines like, “Well, sometimes I let my boyfriend kiss me.”

TODAY

“Today’s Professionals”

By now, everyone who watches the “Today” show already knows not to take money out of their 401(k). We also know not to snack after dinner and to wear sunscreen. The segment “Today’s Professionals” is a much-needed break from the common-sense segments that bloat the increasingly stale morning show. The segment is hosted by either Matt Lauer or Savannah Guthrie and the panel includes legal expert Star Jones, media mogul Donny Deutsch and NBC’s chief medical expert Dr. Nancy Snyderman. The trio debates current topics like the Fox News mole and the Greg Kelly rape accusation. These segments have become newsworthy themselves, with news outlets reporting on what the “Professionals” have to say — which cannot be said of the tired “Joy’s Diet S.O.S.” or “Money 911” segments with Jean Chatzky.

TRUE BLOOD

Nelsan Ellis

We’ve always been a fan of Nelsan Ellis, who plays the suave short-order cook Lafayette on the campy hit. As Lafayette, he has had to do a few ridiculous things over the course of the, well, largely ridiculous show — including being possessed by a dead woman who misses her baby — but Ellis always play his scenes with panache.

DAYS O F OUR LIVES

Lisa Rinna

Last month’s return of Lisa Rinna to “Days of Our Lives” won’t course-correct the show’s absurd plot twists. Rinna is keeping the show in the news by dissing her co-stars off-camera, as she did on Andy Cohen’s “Watch What Happens,” when she suggested that “Days” veteran Joe Mascolo was the soap’s worst actor. We predict a behind-the-scenes companion series: “Craze of Our Lives.”

JERSEY SHORE

Vinny Guadagnino

Amidst the muscleheads on “Jersey Shore,” there is one cast member who seems destined for a real future. Vinny Guadagnino graduated college early with a 3.9 GPA and has talked about attending law school if this whole celebrity thing doesn’t pan out — he’s already passed the LSATs. Ten years from now, when his castmates have long faded, it’s easy to believe that Guadagnino will be the most successful of the bunch.

GCB

Leslie Bibb

We’re pretty sure we understand parody, but this caricature of a show has wasted its stars, except for Leslie Bibb, previously best known for starring in Ryan Murphy’s “Popular” on The WB. Whether or not “GCB” will be coming back for a second season is still unknown, but even if it doesn’t, here’s hoping for a long career for the talented and gorgeous Miss Bibb.

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER

Neil Patrick Harris

Since we still don’t know who the mother is, we think this show has gone on a few seasons too long. Still, who doesn’t love Neil Patrick Harris as the smarmy Barney, whose turn-ons include boobs, one-night stands, three-piece suits, and oh yeah, boobs. Everything NPH touches turns to gold — who would have thought a movie about two stoners going to White Castle would become a hit? — and that’s true of the getting-a-bit-stale “Mother” too.

THE BACHELOR

The rings

The only thing that is authentic on ABC’s snoozy dating reality show are the rings made by Neil Lane.