CBS Green-lights “How I Met Your Mother” Spinoff, Groans Ensue.

A rant by Benji Glowinsky

You would think that after the horrendous response to the ninth and final season of the hit series How I Met Your Mother, creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas would understand that maybe they should have ended the series at eight seasons (or seven, or even six), and better yet, CBS would take advice from the fans and self-loathingly wait out this failure of a final season.

Nope. In fact, instead of reflecting on the torturous ongoing season, CBS has green-lit a spinoff to HIMYM, to be oh so cleverly titled, How I Met You Dad.

Seriously?

I mean, you are joking, right CBS?

Sadly, they are not joking. The presumed premise is that the show will follow Cristin Milioti’s character of the mother (who has surprisingly been the highlight of season nine), and follow her journey leading up to the eventual meeting between her and Ted. Don’t let my praise fool you, that while Cristin Milioti has been praise-worthy thus far, I by no means would like to see her star in a copy of the show I just forced myself to watch for far too long.

The show will also supposedly not directly involve current cast-members Josh Radnor, Neil Patrick Harris, Cobie Smulders, Jason Segel, and Alyson Hannigan, but considering the premise, there is no doubt in my mind that many cameos will be upon us. This constant intertwining of past characters just adds to confusing, mess of a web the writers have created along the series run regarding continuity. But then again, the writers don’t seem to care about that. This last season is so lazily written (what with the “whole season taking place in a weekend” disaster which has presented a season with one decent episode thus far) that it makes me feel as if the writers are tired, and are really reaching for material for episodes. Developing a whole new series with almost the exact same premise as the previous is not a good solution.

One of HIMYM’s factors that kept me grasping on to the series at the tearing seams season after season was Neil Patrick Harris, and Barney’s storyline as a whole. While it has certainly been watered down now that we’re in the final season, when I look back at HIMYM as a whole, I think of Barney and NPH’s essential saving of the series (if you could call it that). This is something I believe How I Met You Dad (HIMYD? Sounds weird.) will suffer from. I do not anticipate the show-runners will have ease casting the new series, but it will be even tougher to cast someone who can come close to matching the impact of Barney on the current series. If (and when) they fail to find a concrete character that can appease the viewers like Barney did, it will be one more issue that makes this idea of a spinoff a true attempt by the show-runners in every sense of the phrase to “beat at a dead horse.”

CBS and HIMYM Producers, this is an intervention.

Well, you know my opinion of How I Met You Dad, but I want to here your opinions! Let me know in the comments if you agree with me that this spinoff will be a total train-wreck, or if you’re excited for HIMYD.