Starring: Josh Radnor, Jason Segel, Cobie Smulders, Neil Patrick Harris, Alyson Hannigan
Original Airdate: 2005-2011
★★★★ (out of ★★★★)
Whenever I catch a movie after everybody else there's always this feeling like I'm the last person to the party and much of the conservation has already passed. There's no such problem with TV. With Netflix and syndication it's easier than ever to catch up on missed shows, which could help explain the sudden surge in popularity for CBS' How I Met Your Mother, which in its seventh season (hardly a creative peak for any sitcom) is currently boasting its strongest ratings since its 2005 debut. It was always one of those shows I'd flip past on Monday nights, but despite feverish recommendations could never really get into enough to make it a weekly viewing priority. Now, after indulging in a 126 episode binge, I get it. On the surface it seems to only be a conventional multi-camera, laugh-track laden situation comedy that wouldn't seem out of place sandwiched between Growing Pains and Family Ties in the mid '80's. But if CBS justifiably gets flak for stacking their entire primetime lineup with grim, uninspired crime procedurals, they also deserve credit for making room on their schedule for a show that resurrects the traditional sitcom format in a non-traditional way.
Watching all six seasons worth at once creates a different perception than weekly viewing. When everything's condensed it's easier to immerse yourself in the universe that the writers create as flaws tend to be less noticeable jumping from episode-to-episode at a rapid pace than having 7 days to dwell on little things that went wrong. And who would have guessed that HIMYM is a show that actually needs to be watched in chronological order to get the full effect? It is conventional, but often uses flashbacks and flashforwards and is peppered with callbacks and inside jokes related to the show's mythology that couldn't be easily picked up on unless you're a regular viewer. I wouldn't go as far as to compare it to Arrested Development or Parks and Recreation in that regard, but if you just watched casually every once in a while you'd definitely be missing a lot. A Friends comparison is valid only in the sense that this is about "friends," since that sitcom, despite its popularity, was actually pretty terrible. A better starting point might be Seinfeld with its distinctly New York setting and quirky observations of everyday life, though it's not quite as laugh-out-loud funny in the same way. Its reliance on a future narrator recalls The Wonder Years. But with the unusual framing device it employs to tell its story, it may as well be considered the Lost of situation comedies, in both how it milks the central Mother mystery and how its rabid fanbase obsess over every clue and detail related to it. The show's equally addictive, but saying that's only because of that hook or a resemblance to anything else would be selling short the originality of co-creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas. Drawing on their own experiences living in New York City to launch the show seven years ago, they said their main goal was to write about the best friends anyone could have and all the "stupid stuff" they did that brought them closer. Regardless of whatever minor faults are sometimes evident or how the series eventually signs off, there's no debating they've already met that goal ten-fold.
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| The Gang celebrates "Blitzgiving" in one of the many holiday themed episodes |
Whether you care greatly about that eventual Mother reveal or not, the writers still face a challenge in making all of Ted's relationships feel important since we already know in advance none of these women will turn out to be the mother, but instead bring him a step closer to meeting her. Given the insane amount of dates and failed conquests Ted's racked up and the enormous pressure he's put on each to be "the one," he could almost be considered as much a womanizer as Barney at times, if not for the fact his intentions are always unflappably sincere and the final destination is the altar. Consider him the slightly older version of Tom Hansen from (500) Days of Summer, if not even more earnest and hopelessly romantic. Throughout the course of the six seasons he has four relationships crucial to his journey. His on again, off again relationship with future member of the gang Robin, whom he embarrassingly declares his love for on their first date. "Girl next door" Victoria (Ashley Williams), who would have been the best fit for him if his lingering feelings for Robin didn't put a premature end to it. Witty dermatologist Stella (Sarah Chalke) seems to have everything going for her, at least until she shockingly leaves Ted at the altar in Season 4, sending him into an emotional tailspin and humiliatingly providing the inspiration for a fictional feature-length romantic comedy written by her ex-husband. Then there's the scheming, nearly bi-polar Zoey (Jennifer Morrison) who's arguably the worst match of all, as their rocky love-hate battle over his career defining architecture project provides the lengthy story arc for a Ted-centric Season 6.
As an actor, Josh Radnor has drawn comparisons to Zach Braff, which probably stems more from the type of overly sincere and earnest characters they play than any similarities in acting style or appearance. But Radnor (who actually reminds me more of Jimmy Fallon) is warmer and more accessible, so even when the writers seemingly go out of their way to make Ted look like an idiot, his performance makes it impossible to not root for the guy. He'll never get the credit NPH and Segel do for the show's success, but as the straight man to all the hijinx around him, he's done a great job holding it all together with underrated comic timing and the ability to be believably serious when necessary.
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| Marshall doles out a slap to Barney as "Slap Bet Comissioner" Lily looks on |
Of all the leads the one that took the longest for me to warm to was Robin, which is kind of understandable considering she isn't your traditional female buddy sitcom character, albeit in a good way. Raised as a boy growing up, the former Canadian teen pop star known as "Robin Sparkles" and current TV news anchor is as afraid of commitment as Ted is obsessed with finding it. Of all the actors, Smulders has probably improved most since the series' start, doing her best work in moments when her character is forced to let her emotional guard down. It's kind of surprising Smulders hasn't blown up as a huge movie star off her work on this show, but less surprising when you consider how better developed a character this is than any she could be asked to play on the big screen.
What's most impressive about the writing is not much the characters have changed and grown over the course of the six seasons, but how little. That's especially true in the case of the show's most valuable asset, Barney, who's played by Neil Patrick Harris in a series-stealing supporting performance that ranks as one of sitcom's greatest. After five seasons you'd figure the character's womanizing schemes (so elaborate it's accompanied by web sites and handbooks) would grow tiresome but NPH never let's it, carrying all of the series' funniest episodes ("Game Night," "Slap Bet," "The Playbook").
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| Barney executes his legendary "Scuba Diver" pick-up from "The Playbook" |
No discussion of the series would be complete without addressing not only the mystery of the mother, but the wide variety of big-name guest stars who have passed through. Chris Elliot, Wayne Brady, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Enrique Inglesias, Bob Odenkirk, Alan Thicke, Regis Philbin, Alex Trebek, Maury Povich, James Van Der Beek, Bryan Cranston, Danica McKellar, Laura Prepon, Mandy Moore, Katy Perry, Ben Vereen, Rachel Bilson, Kyle MacLachlan, Will Forte, Chris Kattan, Will Sasso, Amanda Peet, Malin Akerman, Stacy Keibler, Alexis Denisof, Nicole Scherzinger and Jorge Garcia have all made appearances in one capacity or another with some obviously faring better than others. The show's always taken heat for its perceived over-reliance on guest stars to pop a rating and while there's no question some have fared better than others, what always impresses me is the producers' ability to cast them accordingly in ways that accentuate their strengths as a performer or hide their weaknesses.
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| Robin Sparkles' hilariously embarrassing video for "Let's Go To The Mall" |
The show's is at its weakest when the the five core characters aren't together or their lives diverge in such wild directions that the action wanders out of NYC. It's a testament to the chemistry between the actors and how well the city is utilized as a setting that it's even an issue (although in fairness it doesn't start to become an issue until Season 7). And right there is the trap the series has set for itself that Bays and Thomas will have to contend with in the final seasons. These characters who are joined at the hip will eventually have to move on and Ted will eventually have to meet the mother so that means some changes to the show certain to be jarring for longtime viewers. That they're far stronger and more interesting together than apart could make that eventual transition a rocky one as the series heads into the final stretch. There's also the lingering issue of Barney and Robin, which created one of the show's few creative hiccups in its fifth season. Their relationship (if you could even call it that, and I liked that not even the characters could) was mostly a disaster. Whether it was just a case of bad timing or uninspired follow-through the whole plot didn't click, even if the show quickly rebounded from it. Here's hoping it was just bad timing since the writers still seem intent on returning to a storyline that could harm the show's final lap if it's not executed properly. I hope they throw a curveball or two at viewers because it's really this, not the payoff to The Mother mystery, that seems more likely to lead to an unfulfilling result.
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| The infamous yellow umbrella belonging to The Mother |
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