How I Met Your Mother

Starring: Josh Radnor (208 episodes), Jason Segel (208 episodes), Cobie Smulders (208 episodes), Neil Patrick Harris (208 episodes), Alyson Hannigan (208 episodes), Lyndsey Fonseca (65 episodes), David Henrie (65 episodes), Cristin Miloti (25 episodes), Marshall Manesh (21 episodes), Joe Nieves (19 episodes), Charlene Amoia (17 episodes), Ashley Williams (17 episodes), Wayne Brady (14 episodes), Jennifer Morrison (13 episodes), Chris Elliott (12 episodes), Sarah Chalke (12 episodes), Becki Newton (11 episodes), Kal Penn (10 episodes), Bob Odenkirk (8 episodes), Kyle MacLachlan (7 episodes), Joe Manganiello (7 episodes), Ray Wise (6 episodes), Alan Thicke (5 episodes), Rachel Bilson (4 episodes), John Lithgow (4 episodes), Martin Short (3 episodes), Bryan Cranston (3 episodes), James Van Der Beek (3 episodes), Michael Gross (3 episodes), Danica McKellar (2 episodes), Enrique Iglesias (2 episodes), Britney Spears (2 episodes), Will Forte (2 episodes), Chris Kattan (2 episodes), Eva Amurri Martino (2 episodes), Jorge Garcia (2 episodes), Abigail Spencer (2 episodes), Katie Holmes (2 episodes), Jennifer Lopez (1 episode), Morena Baccarin (1 episode), Mandy Moore (1 episode), Busy Phillips (1 episode), Amanda Peet (1 episode), Carrie Underwood (1 episode), Chi McBride (1 episode), Katy Perry (1 episode), Seth Green (1 episode), Jane Seymour (1 episode), Kevin Heffernan (1 episode), Scoot McNairy (1 episode), Malin Akerman (1 episode), Peter Gallagher (1 episode), Joe Lo Truglio (1 episode), Keegan-Michael Key (1 episode), Doug Benson (1 episode), Judy Greer (1 episode), Dave Foley (1 episode), Ralph Macchio (1 episode), Jon Bernthal (1 episode), Kendra Wilkinson (1 episode), Jon Heder (1 episode), Jason Priestley (1 episode), Megan Mullally (1 episode), Bob Saget (voice- 208 episodes)
Directed by: Pamela Fryman (196 episodes), Rob Greenberg (7 episodes), Michael J. Shea (4 episodes), Neil Patrick Harris (1 episode)
Rating: TV-14
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
2005-2014

Seasons Seen:
Tim: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9

Summary: Ted (Josh Radnor) tells his kids the epic love story of how he met their mother.

Review:
Tim: I realize that I have a much harder time writing about television series than I do movies. Movies are compact, with a clear beginning, middle, and end, and they almost always wrap in under 4 hours. I can sit, experience the movie, and then write about what I think and feel. Television series are different, especially a series like "How I Met Your Mother", which offers up 208 episodes over the course of 9 years. It's much harder to quantify. Do I love this series? Absolutely. It's probably my all time favorite 30-minute TV show. Did I love everything about it? Absolutely not. There were bad episodes, a disappointing conclusion. That just makes it harder to review. In the end, though, I have such joy and happiness from this series that I have no hesitation saying it's one of my favorite TV series ever.

The biggest win from creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas is creating five extraordinary characters that felt both grounded in reality and super cool at the same time. Ted, Marshall, Barney, Robin, and Lilly grew on us over the years, to the point where it truly felt like they were part of our lives. When my wife and I would get ready to watch an episode, I'd usually say, "Let's see what our friends are up to." That's exactly how it felt and it's a huge achievement.

The cast is incredible. I loved Josh Radnor as Ted. Radnor is an underrated actor and he brought such truth and honesty to the role. While I disliked the sissification of his character as the show went on, he's still the heart and soul of the series. Jason Segel and Alyson Hannigan were wonderfully cast as the perfect couple. We all want friends like them. Neil Patrick Harris undoubtedly stole the show with his hilarious, over-the-top portrayal of Barney Stinson. He's got to be one of the best characters of the last decade. Harris routinely delivered exceptional performances. Cobie Smulders is an actress that's grown on me over the years. She always felt like the weakest link of the main cast (and likely still is). However, she has improved over the years and I blame a lot of that sentiment on the writing for Robin, not Smulders' performance. This show has had wonderful guest stars over the years, but it's truly about these five and I loved, loved, loved checking with them.

One aspect of "How I Met Your Mother" that elevated it from other shows is that it's a romantic mystery. The mystery of who is the mother and how did Ted meet her was the driving force of the entire show. For years, we waited expectantly and anxiously for the mother to finally reveal herself. That made the show incredible, because besides being entertained by whatever weekly hijinks the show delivered, we were always looking for clues as to when Ted would meet the mother and who she was. The show did a very good job of passing little details to us to make sure our appetites stayed whetted. This combination proved irresistible. Each episode would deliver with some of the funniest moments I've ever seen on TV and also hint at the grand reveal of the mother at the end. That's pretty awesome.

Now, I do have to criticize the final season. After building for 8 years, the show fumbled right at the end. There were myriad terrible decisions made. Why would nearly the entire season take place in a few hours before a wedding? Why move our beloved characters out of NYC and to a secluded, unfunny location? There is also the explanation at the end of the mother and how her story wraps up. I get why it was done, but it was one of the biggest disappointments in television history. It was such a stupid, pointless ending and I hated it. I lament that one of my favorite shows ever ended so poorly.

Besides the very weak final season, all the other complaints I have are minor in comparison. "How I Met Your Mother" brought so much joy and laughter to my life, I'll be forever grateful. It might not have ended well, but the series as a whole is legen.....wait for it....

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A



If You Enjoyed This Series, We Recommend: dary