The sitcom How I Met Your Mother aired from 2005 to 2014 and follows Ted Mosby narrating to his children the story of how he met their mother. Ted recalls his memories from 2005 living in New York City with his friends Marshall, Lily, and Barney. The show uses flashbacks and a unique storytelling device of Ted recounting past events. It was praised for breaking conventions and received exceptional reviews. Over its nine season run, the show explored the themes of romance, friendship, and adulthood through the intertwining stories of the main characters.

1. How I Met Your Mother: Media Analysis
The seriesHowI Met Your Mother wascreatedby Carter Baysand Craig Thomasand firstairedon
September192005. The sitcomexploresthe live of TedMosby,astrugglingarchitectandhopeless
romantic,and hisfriendswhotransverse throughNew YorkCity.Setinthe future,the mainscenes
of the showare a recollectionof Ted’smemorieswhorecallsittohis childrenlater.Oninitial
release,the pilotepisode wasgivenexceptional reviewsfor“breakingform”andusinga unique
structural device[1].Airingforalmost10 years,How I Met Your Motherjoinsthe Hall of Fame with
sitcomssuchas FriendsandBigBang Theory.
Bays andThomas developedthe showwhilstbeingwritersonAmericantalkshow Letterman,to
whichtheyalsowrote episodesforAmericanDad andQuintuplets.The theme songfromthe showis
alsocomposedbythe pairs bandThe Solidstowhichtheyhave beentogetherinsince 1996. When
askedwhattheirinspirationforthe show wastheysaid “letsjustwrite aboutour friendsandthe
stupidstuff we didinNewYork”[2].
The main character,Ted Mosby(playedbyJoshRadnor/narrationbyBobSaget) narratesthe series
fromthe year2030 explainingtothischildrenhow he mettheirmother.Thisframingforthe series
worksincrediblywell withthe audiencebeingaflyonthe wall inthe recollectionsof the stories.Ted
tellshisunconventionalstory of howhe methischildren’smotherstartinginthe year2005 and
endingin2014, whenhe finallymether.Throughthis,the storyweavestogetheranintertwined
storyof romance,tragedyand humour,showingthateveryisconnectedandalmostplannedwith
themesof destinyanduniversalcontrol beingalarge factor inthe hopelessnessof Ted’sstory. Items
such as the yellowumbrellaandthe blue Frenchhornare showntobe presentthroughoutthe show
and representdifferentemotionsandmemories.Forexample,the yellowumbrellaisTed’sdirect
connectiontohisfuture wife withouthimeverhavingmetherasit waspreviouslyhersuntilhe
foundat a party theybothattended.The yellow of the umbrellaisasymbol of hope forTed,as he
continuestohope thatwhoeverhe ownsthisumbrella,isconnectedtohisfuture andfindingitwas
hispurpose anddestiny.The umbrella’spurpose isfinallyfulfilledinthe final episode “LastForever-
Part 2” whenTedmeetsThe Motherand theybondoverthe ownershipof the umbrella,bothhaving
ownedit. The Mother wasonlycast in the lastseriesandneverappearsthroughoutthe series;
therefore the significance of the umbrellaistorepresentsThe Motherwithoutevencastingher.
How I Met Your Motheris a true testamenttoromance andtraditional sitcomswithoverarcing
storylinesandlongpayoffs.The maincharactersall representdifferentstagesof adulthoodin
correlationtotheirromanticstatus’.Marshall andLily(playedbyJasonSegel andAlysonHannigan)
representchildhoodsweetheartswhoconquerlife togetherandare a constantremindertoTedof
whathe wantsinlife andthe time tickingpastfor himto obtainit.Throughoutthe serieswe see the
emotional timeline of the couple getmarried,have children andseekcareerprospectsall whilst
beingrefreshinglyhilariousandjugglingtheir commitmenttobeingTed’sbestfriend.
BarneyStinson(playedbyNeilPatrickHarris) isTed’simmature,bachelor-proudandrecklessfriend.
Barneyrepresentsbeingsingleandfree anda differentpathTedcouldtake throughlife if he were
not groundedbythe prospectof future romance.The characters catchphrase “Legendary”andhis
pursuitto make everymomentjustthat. The perceptionof Barney’scharacterismanipulative,sex
obsessedandselfish,howeverthisisharshlycounteredbythe humourthatis providedbythe
character and hisunpredictablebehaviour.Duringthe filmingforseason8,Neil PatrickHarrisWas
interviewedabouthischaracterand how the character is perceivedandsaidhe wasworriedthatthe
character wouldbecome soridiculousthatthe audiencewouldquestionwhyTedwasfriendswith
him[3].Howeverfromthe opinionsof the fans[4] Barneyistheirfavourite character.

2. How I Met Your Mothercrafts a beautiful taleof romance andexistenceinabigcity. Atits rawest
form,the showis justan exaggeratedreflectionof modernlife andculture inreference tolove and
life partners.Ted’scharacteristhe audience intermsof decidedwhichpathtotake and beingtorn
on morality.Storytellingisatthe heartof thisshow withhumourcomingsecondaryhoweverthe
showisalso watchable fromanypointinthe story like asuccessful culthitshouldbe.
Bibliography:
[1]. Variety. 2005. How I Met Your Mother. [ONLINE] Available
at: https://variety.com/2005/film/awards/how-i-met-your-mother-2-1200523089/. [Accessed 1
July 2019].
[2]. Eonline. 2007. TV Summer School: How to Create and Run a Successful Sitcom Read
more:
https://web.archive.org/web/20110629050959/http://www.eonline.com/print/index.jsp?uuid=a
e969501-d9e3-4679-900e-28fd88bbe95d&contentType=watchWithKristin#ixzz5sQgW1tQM.
[ONLINE] Available
at: https://web.archive.org/web/20110629050959/http://www.eonline.com/print/index.jsp?uui
d=ae969501-d9e3-4679-900e-28fd88bbe95d&contentType=watchWithKristin. [Accessed 1
July 2019].
[3]. The National Student. (2012). Interview: Neil Patrick Harris. [Online Video]. 18 October
2012. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmkqlF0sUoQ. [Accessed: 1 July
2019].
[4]. Ranker. 2012. The Best How I Met Your Mother Characters. [ONLINE] Available
at: https://www.ranker.com/list/all-how-i-met-your-mother-characters/reference. [Accessed 1
July 2019].