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Is there a feeling more magical than falling in love? Ask almost any character on a television series and they will say falling in love in New York City is the most magical place to do it. From Friends (1994-2004) to Spider-Man, the city is the perfect backdrop for characters to grow up, take chances, and live out their dreams — all of which Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) did from right in front of us from 2005 to 2014.
How I Met Your Mother (HIMYM) quickly became a cultural phenomenon that kept everyone on the edge of their seats for nine years until we met the mother and were hit with one of the most disliked finales in television history. So last year when Hulu announced the spinoff, How I Met Your Father (2022-), fans of the original were wary about what the Hilary Duff-led sitcom might have in store. With the announcement of an impending second season, it appears that the fans are back for more, but why? And can the series keep the momentum going?
How ‘How I Met Your Mother’ (2004-2014) Continues To Break A Broken Mold
The bitter aftertaste of the disappointing finale still lingering in the viewers’ minds, that was not the only hurdle that How I Met Your Father had to overcome. Instead, the biggest challenge is the original series, and most of what drew viewers to it. From slutty pumpkins to Barney Stinson’s (Neil Patrick Harris) playbook, HIMYM was deeply rooted in early 2000s humor — which means it was overflowing with inappropriate jokes and offensive stereotypes.
The success story of HIMYM did not start with Ted Mosby, however. After ten years at Central Perk, there was an opening for another all-white, heterosexual group of 20-somethings to gather at a drinking establishment and navigate adulting in New York City. Enter HIMYM, where lattes were traded for alcohol and struggling actors/waitresses were replaced with semi-ambiguous grown-up jobs.
The humor was almost identical with a slight ‘upgrade’ in terms of adult content. It also featured the addition of Lily (Alyson Hannigan) a woman exploring her bisexuality. But, what set HIMYM for success was that it filled the void the ending of Friends created and essentially had a prepackaged audience ready and waiting. Nearly a decade later, the Friends and HIMYM have aged ungracefully, leaving showrunners and fans alike looking for something to fill the void.
How I Met Your Father (2022-) Supports Representation In The Big Apple
How I Met Your Father does not completely abandon the path that was carved for it by its predecessors, viewers still watch the core cast gather at a drinking establishment to help each other navigate adulting in New York City — with the bonus of one of these characters being waitstaff at said establishment. Six episodes into How I Met Your Father, we are already seeing long-running jokes building hints of “will they/won’t they” romance, which were key features in the shows that came before. The audience even gets to experience some of these moments in Ted Mosby’s apartment, now belonging to Jesse (Chris Lowell) and his best friend Sid (Suraj Sharma).
Where How I Met Your Father stands out begins where HIMYM and Friends struggled: with diversity in its core characters. Instead of an all-white, mostly heterosexual cast, How I Met Your Father features several characters of color and does not shy away from Tien Tran’s character, Ellen, divorced from her wife. While this is not the pinnacle of representation in television, nor should it be what new shows should strive for, it is a notable improvement in comparison to HIMYM.
As the show builds on its characters, it does not neglect the cultural backgrounds of Sid and Ellen, but it also does not make it their sole character trait — in comparison to “fat” characters only being given storylines that center around weight, characters of color stories revolving completely around facing racism, and LGBTQIA+ characters existing only to come out or be the target of homophobia. In addition, Ellen also is seen pursuing romantic interests in a way that is very similar to Sophie’s quest to find love, being a lesbian is a very visible part of her character, but it is not the only storyline she is given. Another place How I Met Your Father varies from the original series is its take on gender stereotypes.
Rather than the misogynistic jokes that drove HIMYM, the spin-off has embraced sex positivity and positive masculinity. Valentina (Francia Raisa) is extremely open about her past sexual conquests and even offers advice to some of the men in the core cast. Jesse is often emotional and vulnerable without being ridiculed for it, just as Charlie (Tom Ainsley) expresses his loneliness openly to both the men and women of the group. Embracing these concepts hasn’t changed the premise of the show or made it less funny, it expanded its audiences by allowing for people who felt isolated from the original to enjoy the spin-off.
Hilary Duff’s Lizzie McGuire (2001-2004): The Picture Perfect Plan?
While there was already a fanbase for the original series, I do not think the success of How I Met Your Father is rest solely on its predecessor’s returning viewers. Again, HIMYM ended on a sour note that made even the most dedicated fan unhappy, so how does one ensure that the spin-off will have an audience to give it a shot? The answer might lie in the reboot that never was: Lizzie McGuire (2001-2004).
In 2019, the Lizzie McGuire reboot was announced and 90’s kids across the country rejoiced. The show that guided so many people through middle school and into high school was gearing up to guide them through adulthood too. And for a little over a year, the reboot was thriving — they even got Gordo (Adam Lamberg) on board! In 2020, the reboot, which was to be centered around Lizzie in her 30s, was canceled and fans were devastated. In an interview following the announcement, Duff alluded to the censorship of authentic problems Lizzie would be facing, due to being a Disney project.
In early 2021 Hulu, announced How I Met Your Father, which focuses on 30-year-old Sophie (Hilary Duff) figuring out life with the help of her friends. Hulu lives comfortably under the Walt Disney Company umbrella after being fully acquired in 2019. The division of content between Disney and Hulu often lies in the ratings and themes of said content, making Hulu the perfect home for a relatively similar concept to the Lizzie McGuire reboot while keeping the family-friendly reputation of the original. The concepts that are playing out in How I Met Your Father are those authentic and modern problems Duff was hoping for in the Lizzie McGuire reboot that Disney could not provide.
Given the foundation of her career is built on being a role model for millennials, the lack of censorship allows for Duff to return her roots and beckons home the same audience she helped through their formative years. There is pressure now on How I Met Your Father to step up and be authentic to the problems that the audience is facing because Duff has already made it clear that is as important to her as is it to us. As much as the fans would have loved to see Lizzie and Gordo reunite, the reboot wouldn’t have had the same effect that the original did and the cancellation left a void to be filled. Like Ted Mosby once said about the universe’s inevitable plans: “A butterfly flaps its wings and it starts to rain.” Sometimes even the most seemingly unrelated moments ripple into one, and another to create something unexpected.
The Future Of Hulu’s How I Met Your Father (2022-)
How I Met Your Father learned from the mistakes of the shows that came before it and ensured a successful first season. In a mid-pandemic world, where lots of people are feeling lonely and in need of friends or even a family, Hulu swooped in and provided a show that is both familiar and strikingly new.
The big sister that was at the helm of millennials’ awkward middle school years decided to help us throw being a grown-up and distract us from the scary things happening in the world with a little help from that one really funny kid that was obsessed with Oprah — did I mention Josh Peck is in it? Don’t worry, there is still more to come and I think it is going to legen–wait for it–dary.