HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER (HIMYM) was one of the defining sitcoms of my 20s and 30s. Yes, it had a lot of filler, and they didn’t stick the landing nor miss it as big as LOST or DEXTER, but the show got me. Rather than have a group of FRIENDS hang out at a coffee shop in NY, it wisely took place in a bar. But, more importantly, it turned Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) into one of the most quotable TV characters of all time. It was “legend,” wait for it “dary.” And on a personal note, it was the basis for my wedding proposal.
horn from HIMYM
Sadly, HOW I MET YOUR FATHER (HIMYF) fails on all levels. And in Barney Stinson fashion, here are my top five reasons HIMYF sucks:
- I don’t care. In HIMYM, audiences instantly cared about ALL of the main characters. In HIMYF, I have zero emotional attachment to the woman Ted Mosby, Sophie (Hilary Duff), outside of her inability to charge her phone.
- The narrator. Kim Cattrall is not as good as Bob Saget.
- The jokes are all duds. From Tinder, penis crushing, and bad coffee, none of it is funny.
- No hook. Phill Lord and Chris Miller are not involved with HIMYF and it’s noticable.
- FOMO. The second episode is about having FOMO and ALL good TV shows create this relationship with their audience. I have zero “fear of missing out” if I don’t watch any more of this flawed show.
HIMYF is available on Hulu. But instead of watching it, I recommend falling in love with the HIMYM pilot.
