The cast of HIMYM from left to right: Lily is played by Alyson Hannigan, Marshal is played by Jason Segel, Ted is played by Josh Radnor, Robin is played by Cobie Smulders, and Barney is played by Neil Patrick Harris. Photo courtesy of www.fanpop.com.
How I Met Your Mother (HIMYM) is an American sitcom produced by CBS. The show first aired in 2005. It is a comedy that takes us through the lives of five friends who are toughing it out and living it up in New York City. Sounds familiar already, doesn't it?
Alright, I'll just make it clear from the beginning that I am a huge fan of HIMYM and I was and still am a fan of F.R.I.E.N.D.S as well. There are a lot of similarities between the two shows and when you have a sitcom that is such a huge hit like F.R.I.E.N.D.S, you will always find critics comparing every other sitcom to it.
However, while they may seem very similar, HIMYM has several completely different twists than F.R.I.E.N.D.S, therefore it is by no means a copy of the it. Its definitely not here to replace it either.
HIMYM revolves around the lives of Ted Mosby, Marshal, Marshal's college sweetheart and wife Lily, Robin the reporter, and last but not least their eccentric and sexually liberated friend Barney Stinson, played by Neil Patrick Harris.
Ted is going through several dates with different girls every now and then. In fact, he dates their friend Robin for a long time. Later on, after only dating her for a few months, he gets engaged to a girl named Stella, played by Scrubs' Sarah Chalke. Eventually, she ends up leaving him at the alter for her jerk ex-husband. He is also searching for the perfect career, even though he is 30 years old, which is quite normal these days as many people today go back and forth whether its because of confusion or the current job crisis.
Barney, who is your typical player goes through hell and back just to pull tricks on girls in order to sleep with them with no strings attached. But, he finally falls for Robin, dates her, and they end up breaking up later on. Finally, Marshal and Lily are the cheesy couple that make every other couple gag because of how emotionally dependent they are on one another.
The story revolves around the hopelessly romantic Ted as he goes through the life experiences that he faces before meeting his future wife. All throughout the show, we don't actually have any idea who his wife is. Each episode begins off with the voice of the older version of Ted as he is telling the crazy stories of his dating experiences and his friends' lives to his children, a teenage boy and girl.
HIMYM actually portrays relationships and friendships very realistically. The sitcom shows how every one goes through the ups and downs of life before they find a comfortable spot and a comfortable partner. Whether these tough times happen with family, relationships, or work, they hit everyone and you always have your closest friends there with you through it all. Yeah, that last part did kind of sound like F.R.I.E.N.D.S, didn't it? Well, Although the two shows have some similarities, they are still very different. You'll find a different taste of comedy in HIMYM.
Aside from the comedy and the crazy shenanigans that the cast goes through, people can easily relate to the experiences of the cast. And, the fact that the show is based in New York City just makes it even more lovable.
