How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother
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How I Met Your Mother

"A love story in reverse."

8.1
Yr 2005
Status Ended
Comedy
Series Brief

Overview

A father recounts to his children - through a series of flashbacks - the journey he and his four best friends took leading up to him meeting their mother.

Why fans love it

The structural hook of this 2005 comedy lies in its long-form mystery. Rather than a static look at a group of roommates finding their way in the city, the show frames every act of self-discovery and every romantic miscalculation as a necessary piece of a larger, years-long puzzle. By rooting the narrative in memories, the characters are allowed to evolve alongside their shifting perspectives on what dating and friendship actually mean.

Neil Patrick Harris anchors a dynamic ensemble that stays remarkably consistent even as the story stretches across long timelines. This isn't just a collection of sitcom tropes about searching for love. It treats the mundane details of social life—the specific bars, the recurring inside jokes, and the gradual drift between friends—as monumental life events. It manages to be both a lighthearted comedy and a surprisingly grounded meditation on how people grow up, drift apart, and eventually settle down.

Featured Players

Cast 75

Alyson Hannigan
as Lily Aldrin
208 episodes
Kal Penn
as Kevin Venkataraghavan
10 episodes
Chris Elliott
as Mickey Aldrin
11 episodes
Taran Killam
as Gary Blauman
6 episodes
Katie Walder
as Shannon
3 episodes
Tim Gunn
as Tim Gunn
4 episodes
Marieve Herington
as Betty
4 episodes
Alan Thicke
as Alan Thicke
5 episodes
John Lithgow
as Jerry Whittaker
4 episodes
Josh Radnor
as Ted Mosby
208 episodes
Neil Patrick Harris
as Barney Stinson
208 episodes
Jason Segel
as Marshall Eriksen
208 episodes
Cobie Smulders
as Robin Scherbatsky
208 episodes
Cristin Milioti
as Tracy McConnell
25 episodes
Abby Elliott
as Jeanette Peterson
5 episodes
Becki Newton
as Quinn Garvey
10 episodes
Jennifer Morrison
as Zoey Pierson
13 episodes
Suzie Plakson
as Judy Eriksen
15 episodes
Kyle MacLachlan
as George Van Smoot
7 episodes
Marshall Manesh
as Ranjit Singh
22 episodes
Show all 75 cast
Frances Conroy
as Loretta Stinson
9 episodes
Michael Gross
as Alfred Mosby
3 episodes
Robert Michael Morris
as Lou
3 episodes
Darcy Rose Byrnes
as Lucy Grafanello
5 episodes
Monique Edwards
as Producer
4 episodes
Virginia Williams
as Claudia
5 episodes
Jason Jones
as Tony Grafanello
3 episodes
Bryan Callen
as Bilson
6 episodes
Benjamin Koldyke
as Don Frank
6 episodes
Chris Romano
as Punchy Punciarello
4 episodes
Martin Short
as Garrison Cootes
3 episodes
Ellen D. Williams
as Patrice
12 episodes
K Callan
as Grandma Lois
3 episodes
David Burtka
as Scooter
7 episodes
Harry Groener
as Clint
3 episodes
Alexis Denisof
as Sandy Rivers
10 episodes
Laura Prepon
as Karen
3 episodes
Cristine Rose
as Virginia Mosby
7 episodes
Matt Boren
as Stuart
7 episodes
Ashley Williams
as Victoria
15 episodes
Vicki Lewis
as Dr. Sonya
3 episodes
Bob Odenkirk
as Arthur Hobbs
9 episodes
Bill Fagerbakke
as Marvin Eriksen
12 episodes
Robert Michael Ryan
as Marvin Eriksen
6 episodes
Michael Trucco
as Nick Podarutti
7 episodes
Joe Manganiello
as Brad Morris
7 episodes
Tracey Ullman
as Genevieve Scherbatsky
3 episodes
Nazanin Boniadi
as Nora
10 episodes
Mark Derwin
as Greg Fisher
3 episodes
April Bowlby
as Meg
4 episodes
Rachel Bilson
as Cindy
4 episodes
Sarah Chalke
as Stella Zinman
10 episodes
Laura Bell Bundy
as Becky
5 episodes
Roger Bart
as Curtis
5 episodes
Charlene Amoia
as Wendy
17 episodes
Tanner Maguire
as Young Barney
3 episodes
Renée Taylor
as Mrs. Matsen
3 episodes
Ned Rolsma
as Marcus Eriksen
9 episodes
Koby Rouviere
as Marshall Eriksen
4 episodes
Artemis Pebdani
as Anna
3 episodes
Riley Thomas Stewart
as Young Barney
3 episodes
Milynn Sarley
as Ferrari
3 episodes
Ron Nicolosi
as Mike
10 episodes
Robert Belushi
as Linus
11 episodes
Edward Rudolph Flores
as Food Guy
4 episodes
Lou Ferrigno Jr.
as Louis
3 episodes
Jim Nantz
as Jim Nantz
3 episodes
Ray Wise
as Robin Scherbatsky Sr.
6 episodes
Ben Vereen
as Sam Gibbs
4 episodes
Wayne Brady
as James Stinson
13 episodes
Sherri Shepherd
as Daphne
8 episodes
William Zabka
as William Zabka
7 episodes
Bruce Gray
as Yuthers
4 episodes
Lyndsy Fonseca
as Daughter
65 episodes
David Henrie
as Son
65 episodes
Keyword Cloud

Keywords

roommates self-discovery group of friends sitcom searching for love