With two months until the networks give their upfront presentations, speculation has begun over which bubble shows will and won’t make it. And it looks like usually steady CBS, which chief Les Moonves has said will have minimal new programming, is considering dropping two veterans.

Reports came out yesterday, first on EW.com, that crime dramas “Without a Trace” and “Cold Case” are on the endangered list due to their high production costs.

The 7-year-old “Trace,” once part of CBS’s dominant Thursday lineup, has seen its adults 18-49 rating slip this season after moving to Tuesday night. It’s gone from a 3.3 rating to a 2.7 rating in the demo, according to Nielsen.

“Case,” while even to last season among 18-49s at a 2.6, has proven a somewhat ineffective Sunday night anchor for the network. It finishes well behind timeslot companion “Desperate Housewives” and hasn’t helped ratings for 10 p.m. lead-out “The Unit.”

According to the reports, the major issue with “Trace” and “Case” isn’t so much their ratings – they still do very well in households – as their production costs. Because they are getting older, with “Case” now in its sixth season, their ensemble casts command a significant combined salary, not to mention the salaries for leads Kathryn Morris and Anthony LaPaglia.

With CBS looking to cut costs, it could probably sub in less-expensive procedurals that get similar ratings. The network has already instituted a salary freeze at many of the dramas that its studio produces.

Still, it would seem unlikely that CBS, the only network to see ratings climb this season, would get rid of two proven shows at once. More likely is that one would be canceled, giving the network more minimal turnover.

Meanwhile, the future is looking bright for another former bubble show at the network. Comedy “How I Met Your Mother” received an order for four additional episodes that will air next year, after hitting series highs this season.