''How I Met Your Father'' is an American
sitcom
A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...
created by Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger which premiered on
Hulu
Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television serie ...
on January 18, 2022. It is a
spin-off of ''
How I Met Your Mother
''How I Met Your Mother'' (often abbreviated as ''HIMYM'') is an American sitcom, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for CBS. The series, which aired from September 19, 2005 to March 31, 2014, follows the main character, Ted Mosby, and his ...
''. The series, which stars
Hilary Duff
Hilary Erhard Duff (born September 28, 1987) is an American actress and singer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including seven Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, four Teen Choice Awards and two Young Artist Awards. She began her act ...
,
Christopher Lowell
Christopher Lowell (born Richard Lowell Madden; November 6, 1955) is an interior decorator and former television personality. He is best known for hosting the television shows ''Interior Motives'' and ''The Christopher Lowell Show''. He won a Dayt ...
,
Francia Raisa
Francia Raisa Almendarez (born July 26, 1988) is an American actress. Raisa is known for her roles in '' Bring It On: All or Nothing'', ''The Secret Life of the American Teenager'', and '' Grown-ish''.
Early life and education
Raisa was born a ...
,
Suraj Sharma
Suraj Sharma (born 21 March 1993) is an Indian actor who made his debut in the 2012 film '' Life of Pi''. Directed by Ang Lee, the film was adapted from the novel of the same name, and earned Sharma critical acclaim as well as a BAFTA Rising S ...
, Tom Ainsley,
Tien Tran, and
Kim Cattrall
Kim Victoria Cattrall (; born 21 August 1956) is a British-Canadian actress. She is known for her role as Samantha Jones on HBO's ''Sex and the City'' (1998–2004), for which she received five Emmy Award nominations and four Golden Globe A ...
, follows the main character, Sophie (Duff), and her group of friends in
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
. As a
framing device
Framing may refer to:
* Framing (construction), common carpentry work
* Framing (law), providing false evidence or testimony to prove someone guilty of a crime
* Framing (social sciences)
* Framing (visual arts), a technique used to bring the focu ...
, Sophie (Cattrall), in the year 2050, recounts to her unseen son the events that followed meeting his father in January 2022, and how they ultimately had him. In February 2022, the series was renewed for a second season which is set to premiere on January 24, 2023.
Cast and characters
Main
*
Hilary Duff
Hilary Erhard Duff (born September 28, 1987) is an American actress and singer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including seven Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, four Teen Choice Awards and two Young Artist Awards. She began her act ...
as Sophie,
a hopelessly romantic photographer who is looking for her soulmate. Though believing in true love, she is unaware of her biological father due to her mother having slept with random men.
*
Chris Lowell
Christopher Lowell (born October 17, 1984) is an American actor. He is best known for playing the roles of Stosh "Piz" Piznarski in the television series '' Veronica Mars'' (2006–2007), William "Dell" Parker in the television series '' Priva ...
as Jesse,
an aspiring musician who works as an Uber driver and music teacher, who has become an
internet meme
An Internet meme, commonly known simply as a meme ( ), is an idea, behavior, style, or image that is spread via the Internet, often through social media platforms. What is considered a meme may vary across different communities on the Internet ...
after being left by his ex-girlfriend Meredith after a failed marriage proposal. He lives with Sid in
Ted, Marshall and Lily's old apartment.
*
Francia Raisa
Francia Raisa Almendarez (born July 26, 1988) is an American actress. Raisa is known for her roles in '' Bring It On: All or Nothing'', ''The Secret Life of the American Teenager'', and '' Grown-ish''.
Early life and education
Raisa was born a ...
as Valentina,
an impulsive assistant-stylist who is also Sophie's best friend and roommate and Charlie's
love interest
''Gli Innamorati'' (, meaning "The Lovers") were stock characters within the theatre style known as commedia dell'arte, who appeared in 16th century Italy. In the plays, everything revolved around the Lovers in some regard. These dramatic and pos ...
*
Suraj Sharma
Suraj Sharma (born 21 March 1993) is an Indian actor who made his debut in the 2012 film '' Life of Pi''. Directed by Ang Lee, the film was adapted from the novel of the same name, and earned Sharma critical acclaim as well as a BAFTA Rising S ...
as Sid,
Jesse's best friend and roommate who owns a bar. He is introduced as engaged to his long-distance girlfriend Hannah.
* Tom Ainsley as Charlie,
a British aristocrat who abandons his inheritance to follow his
love interest
''Gli Innamorati'' (, meaning "The Lovers") were stock characters within the theatre style known as commedia dell'arte, who appeared in 16th century Italy. In the plays, everything revolved around the Lovers in some regard. These dramatic and pos ...
Valentina to New York after meeting her at London Fashion Week. He later moves in with Ellen and the two become roommates, before being hired by Sid as a bartender.
*
Tien Tran as Ellen,
Jesse's adoptive sister who moves to New York City to find romance after her divorce from her wife. She owns a produce farm.
*
Kim Cattrall
Kim Victoria Cattrall (; born 21 August 1956) is a British-Canadian actress. She is known for her role as Samantha Jones on HBO's ''Sex and the City'' (1998–2004), for which she received five Emmy Award nominations and four Golden Globe A ...
as future Sophie, who in the year 2050 tells her son the story of how she met his father
Recurring
* Ashley Reyes as Hannah, Sid's longtime girlfriend whom he gets engaged to in the pilot. She works as a surgeon in Los Angeles, and later elopes with Sid in the season 1 finale after learning that her fellowship has been extended.
*
Leighton Meester
Leighton Marissa Meester (; born April 9, 1986) is an American actress, singer, and model. She is best known for her starring role as the devious socialite Blair Waldorf on ''Gossip Girl'' on The CW (2007–2012). She has also appeared in films ...
as Meredith, Jesse's ex-girlfriend who publicly rejected his marriage proposal
*
Josh Peck
Joshua Michael Peck (born November 10, 1986) is an American actor and comedian. Peck began his career as a child actor in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and had an early role on the Nickelodeon sitcom ''The Amanda Show'' from 2000 to 2002. Peck ...
as Drew, the vice principal at the school where Jesse teaches music lessons and Sophie's boyfriend for most of season 1
*
Stony Blyden as Jasper, a bartender at Sid's bar
Special guest stars
*
Michael Barbaro
Michael Barbaro (born October 12, 1979) is an American journalist and host of ''The New York Times'' news podcast, '' The Daily'', one of the most popular podcasts in the United States.
Early life
Barbaro grew up in North Haven, Connecticut. H ...
as himself
*
Paget Brewster
Paget Valerie Brewster (, ; born March 10, 1969) is an American actress and singer. She was first recognized for her recurring role as Kathy on the fourth season of the NBC sitcom ''Friends''. Her breakthrough role came as FBI Supervisory Speci ...
as Lori, Sophie's mother, a notorious party girl who had Sophie when she was young
*
Dan Bucatinsky
Daniel Bucatinsky (; born September 22, 1965) is an American actor, writer and producer, best known for his role as James Novak in the Shonda Rhimes drama series ''Scandal'', for which he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor ...
as Fred, Valentina's boss
*
Kyle MacLachlan
Kyle Merritt MacLachlan (; ' McLachlan, February 22, 1959) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Dale Cooper in ''Twin Peaks'' (1990–1991; 2017) and its film prequel '' Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me'' (1992), as well as roles ...
as
The Captain
*
Cobie Smulders
Jacoba Francisca Maria "Cobie" Smulders (born April 3, 1982) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her starring role as Robin Scherbatsky in the CBS sitcom '' How I Met Your Mother'' (2005–2014) and as S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Maria Hill in the ...
as
Robin Scherbatsky
Robin Charles Scherbatsky Jr. is a fictional character created by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas for the CBS television series ''How I Met Your Mother'', portrayed by Cobie Smulders.
Robin is the on and off love interest of Barney Stinson (Neil ...
, a news reporter whom Sophie encounters
Notable guest stars
* Daniel Augustin as Ian, Sophie's Tinder date. He is a marine biologist who moves to Australia in the pilot episode.
*
Laura Bell Bundy
Laura Ashley Bell Bundy (born April 10, 1981) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for originating the Broadway roles of Amber Von Tussle in the musical version of ''Hairspray and'' Elle Woods in the musical version of ''Legally ...
as
Becky, the Captain's third wife who eventually leaves him
* Joe Nieves as
Carl Carl may refer to:
*Carl, Georgia, city in USA
*Carl, West Virginia, an unincorporated community
* Carl (name), includes info about the name, variations of the name, and a list of people with the name
*Carl², a TV series
* "Carl", an episode of te ...
, a bartender at McLaren's
Episodes
Production
Development
Following the production of the 2014 CBS pilot ''
How I Met Your Dad
''How I Met Your Dad'' is a television pilot of a TV series to serve as a spin-off of ''How I Met Your Mother'', created by original series creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, with Emily Spivey. This series was expected to debut 2014, but wa ...
'', which did not move forward, on December 14, 2016, it was reported that Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger were set to write a new version of the previous spin-off's pilot, re-titled ''How I Met Your Father'', with
Carter Bays
Carter Loard Bays (born August 12, 1975) is an American author, composer and television showrunner.
Bays co-created the CBS sitcom '' How I Met Your Mother'' where he served as showrunner, writer and executive producer for all nine seasons. Th ...
and
Craig Thomas serving as executive producers. It was later announced that, after signing new contracts with 20th Century Fox Television that would see both Aptaker and Berger being promoted to executive producers and co-showrunners on ''
This Is Us
''This Is Us'' is an American family drama television series that aired on NBC from September 20, 2016, to May 24, 2022. The series follows the lives and families of two parents, and their three children, in several different time frames. It s ...
'' alongside
Dan Fogelman
Dan Fogelman (born February 19, 1976) is an American television producer and screenwriter whose screenplays include ''Cars'', ''Tangled'', and ''Crazy, Stupid, Love''. He also created the 2012 television sitcom '' The Neighbors'', the 2015 fairy ...
, the idea would be put on hold until further notice.
On August 8, 2017,
Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
chairman
Dana Walden
Dana Walden (born 1964) is an American businesswoman and the Chairman of Disney General Entertainment Content.
Early life and education
Dana Freedman was born to a Jewish family in Los Angeles in 1964. Her father was in the travel industry and ...
told ''
Deadline Hollywood
''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. The site is updated several times a day, with ...
'' that 20th Television were attempting a spin-off with different writers, for the third time. Three days following the announcement, ''Deadline'' reported that Alison Bennett would write the spin-off, with the same title as the previous attempt with Aptaker and Berger. It was also learned that Bays and Thomas were once again hired as executive producers. This attempt also fell through.
On April 21, 2021, the spin-off series titled ''How I Met Your Father'' was given a 10-episode series order by
Hulu
Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television serie ...
. Aptaker and Berger will serve as creators, writers, and executive producers while
Hilary Duff
Hilary Erhard Duff (born September 28, 1987) is an American actress and singer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including seven Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, four Teen Choice Awards and two Young Artist Awards. She began her act ...
will serve as a producer.
20th Television
20th Television (formerly 20th Century Fox Television, 20th Century-Fox Television, and TCF Television Productions, Inc.) is an American television production company that is a division of Disney Television Studios, part of The Walt Disney Compa ...
is involved with producing the series.
On June 24, 2021,
Pamela Fryman
Pamela Gail Fryman (born 1959) is an American sitcom director and producer. She directed all but twelve episodes of the television series ''How I Met Your Mother''.
Early life
Fryman was born and grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Career
F ...
joined the series as an executive producer and to direct the pilot.
On February 15, 2022, Hulu renewed the series for a 20-episode second season.
Casting
Upon series order announcement, Hilary Duff was cast to star. On June 16, 2021,
Chris Lowell
Christopher Lowell (born October 17, 1984) is an American actor. He is best known for playing the roles of Stosh "Piz" Piznarski in the television series '' Veronica Mars'' (2006–2007), William "Dell" Parker in the television series '' Priva ...
joined the cast as the male lead. In August 2021,
Francia Raisa
Francia Raisa Almendarez (born July 26, 1988) is an American actress. Raisa is known for her roles in '' Bring It On: All or Nothing'', ''The Secret Life of the American Teenager'', and '' Grown-ish''.
Early life and education
Raisa was born a ...
, Tom Ainsley, Tien Tran, and
Suraj Sharma
Suraj Sharma (born 21 March 1993) is an Indian actor who made his debut in the 2012 film '' Life of Pi''. Directed by Ang Lee, the film was adapted from the novel of the same name, and earned Sharma critical acclaim as well as a BAFTA Rising S ...
were cast in starring roles while
Brandon Micheal Hall
Brandon Micheal Hall (born February 3, 1993) is an American actor. On television, he starred as the lead of the ABC sitcom '' The Mayor'' (2017) and the CBS comedy-drama ''God Friended Me'' (2018–2020). Hall also appeared as a series regular on ...
was cast in a recurring role. However, a few weeks later, Hall exited the role due to a scheduling conflict and Daniel Augustin was cast to replace Hall. The next day,
Josh Peck
Joshua Michael Peck (born November 10, 1986) is an American actor and comedian. Peck began his career as a child actor in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and had an early role on the Nickelodeon sitcom ''The Amanda Show'' from 2000 to 2002. Peck ...
and Ashley Reyes joined the cast in recurring roles.
On November 5, 2021,
Kim Cattrall
Kim Victoria Cattrall (; born 21 August 1956) is a British-Canadian actress. She is known for her role as Samantha Jones on HBO's ''Sex and the City'' (1998–2004), for which she received five Emmy Award nominations and four Golden Globe A ...
was cast in a recurring role as the future version of Duff's character Sophie. Upon the series premiere, it was reported that
Leighton Meester
Leighton Marissa Meester (; born April 9, 1986) is an American actress, singer, and model. She is best known for her starring role as the devious socialite Blair Waldorf on ''Gossip Girl'' on The CW (2007–2012). She has also appeared in films ...
is set to recur. On February 3, 2022, it was announced that
Paget Brewster
Paget Valerie Brewster (, ; born March 10, 1969) is an American actress and singer. She was first recognized for her recurring role as Kathy on the fourth season of the NBC sitcom ''Friends''. Her breakthrough role came as FBI Supervisory Speci ...
was cast to guest star on the episode,"The Good Mom", which aired on February 8, 2022.
Filming
Principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...
for the series began on August 31, 2021.
Release
''How I Met Your Father'' premiered on
Hulu
Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television serie ...
on January 18, 2022.
Internationally, the show began streaming on
Disney+
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment
Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and deligh ...
Vía
Star
A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...
and on Latín America on
Star+
A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma held together by its gravity. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night, but their immense distances from Earth ma ...
on March 9, 2022. The second season is scheduled to be released on January 24, 2023, on Hulu.
Reception
Audience viewership
According to Parrot Analytics, which looks at consumer engagement in consumer research, streaming, downloads, and on social media, ''How I Met Your Father'' was the fifth most in-demand new show, during the week of March 12, 2022, to March 18, 2022. According to
Whip Media
Whip Media Group is a private American company selling enterprise software for content distribution, as well as TV- and film-related user data. It operates physical offices in the US, the UK, and the EU.
Background
Whip Media Group is the result ...
, ''How I Met Your Father'' was the 5th most watched original series across all platforms in the United States, during the week of January 23, 2022, as well during the week of January 30, 2022, the 8th during the week of February 13, 2022, the 4th during the week of March 13, 2022, and the 3rd during the week of March 20, 2022.
Critical reception
The
review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
website
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
reported a 38% approval rating with an average rating of 5/10, based on 45 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "''How I Met Your Father'' takes great pains to update its predecessor's formula for a modern audience, but this stilted retread only amounts to a painful slog."
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 49 out of 100 based on 19 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
Accolades
Notes
References
External links
*
*
{{Hulu
2020s American sitcoms
2022 American television series debuts
American sequel television series
American television spin-offs
English-language television shows
How I Met Your Mother
Hulu original programming
Primetime Emmy Award-winning television series
Productions using StageCraft
Television series by 20th Century Fox Television
Television series set in the 2020s
Television series set in the 2050s