Analysis of HIMYM show

1.
Symbiosis
Institute
of
Media
and
Communication,
Pune
Introduction
To
Media
And
Communication
-­‐Prof.
Radhika
Ingale
TV
Show
Analysis
How
I
Met
Your
Mother
Submitted
By:
Yasmin
Hussain
144
MBA
2013

2.
2

3. TABLE
OF
CONTENTS
About
the
show
4
Production
4
Cast
6
Tie
Ins
7
Books
Websites
Phone
Numbers
Awards
and
Nominations
10
Television
Ratings
Point
11
Neilsen
Ratings
Chart
Analysis
DVD
Releases
12
Survey
13
Sample
Snapshot
Survey
Results
Analysis
Sponsors
16
CBS
Sponsors
(US)
Star
World
Sponsors
(India)
Official
Websites
17
Social
Network
Promotion
18
Facebook
Twitter
HIMYM
Merchandise
on
Sale
20
Product
Placement
21
Applications/Games
24
Final
Analysis
25
3

4. ABOUT
THE
SHOW
How
I
Met
Your
Mother
is
an
American
sitcom
that
premiered
on
CBS
on
September
19,
2005,
created
by
Craig
Thomas
and
Carter
Bays.
As
a
framing
device,
the
main
character,
Ted
Mosby
(Josh
Radnor)
with
narration
by
Bob
Saget,
in
the
year
2030
recounts
to
his
son
and
daughter
the
events
that
led
to
his
meeting
their
mother,
which
explains
the
title
and
allows
for
a
narration
in
the
past
tense.
How
I
Met
Your
Mother
follows
Ted
alongside
his
friends
Lily
Aldrin
(Alyson
Hannigan),
Marshall
Eriksen
(Jason
Segel),
Robin
Scherbatsky
(Cobie
Smulders),
and
Barney
Stinson
(Neil
Patrick
Harris).
How
I
Met
Your
Mother
has
been
a
critical
success,
and
has
received
consistently
strong
ratings
throughout
its
run.
It
has
won
five
Emmy
Awards,
including
several
nominations
for
"Outstanding
Comedy
Series"
in
2009.
In
2011,
CBS
announced
that
the
series
had
been
renewed
for
an
additional
two
seasons,
making
the
current
count
eight.
The
seventh
season
of
the
series
premiered
on
September
19,
2011
with
back-­‐to-­‐back
episodes.
PRODUCTION
Inspired
by
the
idea
"let's
write
about
our
friends
and
the
stupid
stuff
we
did
in
New
York,”
How
I
Met
Your
Mother
is
Bays'
and
Thomas'
idea.
The
two
drew
from
their
friendship
in
creating
the
characters,
with
Ted
based
loosely
on
Bays,
and
Marshall
and
Lily
based
loosely
on
Thomas
and
his
wife.
Thomas's
wife
Rebecca
was
initially
reluctant
to
have
a
character
based
on
her,
but
agreed
if
they
could
get
Alyson
Hannigan
to
play
her.
Fortunately,
Hannigan
was
available,
and
was
looking
to
do
more
comedy
work.
The
bar
MacLaren's,
in
which
some
of
the
show
is
set,
is
based
on
a
bar
in
New
York
City
called
McGee's.
It
has
a
mural
that
Carter
Bays
and
Craig
Thomas
both
liked
and
wanted
to
incorporate
into
the
show.
The
name
for
the
bar
is
from
Carter
Bays's
assistant,
Carl
MacLaren;
the
bartender
in
the
show
is
also
called
Carl.
Usually
each
episode
is
shot
over
three
days
(most
sitcoms
are
typically
shot
in
a
single
day)
in
the
Los
Angeles
based
Soundstage
Studio
22
and
features
upwards
of
50
scenes
with
quick
transitions
and
flashbacks.
The
‘laugh
track’
is
later
created
by
recording
an
audience,
being
shown
the
final
edited
episode.
Co-­‐creator
Thomas
claims
shooting
in
front
of
a
live
audience
would
be
impossible,
and
doing
so
"would
blur
the
line
between
'audience'
and
'hostage
situation'
”.
Later
seasons
started
filming
in
front
of
an
audience
on
occasion
when
smaller
sets
are
used.
The
theme
song
is
a
portion
of
"Hey
Beautiful"
by
The
Solids,
of
which
Bays
and
Thomas,
the
two
co-­‐creators
of
the
show,
are
members.
Episodes
from
the
first
season
generally
started
with
the
opening
credits.
A
cold
opening
has
been
used
since
season
two.
Viewers
then
occasionally
see
Ted's
children
on
a
couch
and
hear
him
talking
to
them,
telling
the
story
of
how
he
met
their
mother.
Alternatively,
scenes
from
previous
shows
or
shots
of
New
York
City
with
Ted
narrating
over
the
top
are
shown.
Thomas
has
explicitly
said
Future
Ted
is
an
unreliable
narrator
since
he
is
trying
to
tell
a
story
that
happened
over
20
years
earlier,
and
therefore
tends
to
recall
events
incorrectly;
this
has
been
a
plot
point
in
several
episodes
such
as
"The
Goat",
"Oh
Honey"
and
"The
Mermaid
Theory".
A
scene
directly
relating
to
the
identity
of
the
mother,
involving
Ted's
future
children,
was
filmed
near
the
beginning
of
season
two
for
the
show's
eventual
series
finale.
This
was
primarily
done
because
the
teenage
actors
portraying
them
will
be
adults
by
the
time
4

5. ‘the
final
season’
is
shot.
During
the
2007–2008
Writers
Guild
of
America
strike,
How
I
Met
Your
Mother
shut
down
production,
but
once
the
strike
ended,
the
show
returned
on
March
17,
2008,
with
nine
new
episodes.
A
change
in
timeslot
was
also
announced,
to
8:30
ET/7:30
CT,
flip-­‐flopping
from
the
summer
schedule
with
The
Big
Bang
Theory.
The
show
was
renewed
for
a
fourth
season
by
CBS
on
May
14,
2008,
which
premiered
on
September
22,
2008.
In
September
2008,
it
was
announced
Lifetime
Television
purchased
the
right
to
rerun
How
I
Met
Your
Mother
at
a
rate
of
about
$725,000
per
episode.
The
four-­‐year
syndication
contract
stipulated
the
studio
must
deliver
at
least
110
half-­‐hour
episodes
by
the
year
2010,
and
allows
for
up
to
eight
seasons
of
the
show.
At
the
end
of
the
fourth
season
only
88
episodes
had
been
produced,
and
a
further
22
episodes
were
required
ensuring
there
would
be
a
fifth
season.
On
May
19,
2009,
the
fifth-­‐season
renewal
was
announced.
On
May
20,
2009,
CBS
announced
How
I
Met
Your
Mother
would
move
back
to
8
pm,
leading
into
the
new
comedy
Accidentally
on
Purpose.
On
January
12,
2010,
the
show
hit
the
milestone
of
its
100th
episode.
It
was
also
announced
the
series
would
return
for
a
sixth
season
on
CBS.
In
response
to
being
syndicated,
co-­‐creator
Craig
Thomas
said,
"We're
thrilled
that
it
will
live
on
in
other
forms,"
and
they
were
proud
of
the
show
and
it
was
great
to
see
there
was
a
strong
desire
for
it.
However,
cast
members
have
suggested
the
show
will
run
for
no
more
than
eight
seasons.
On
September
13,
2010,
reruns
of
the
series
began
airing
on
local
U.S.
broadcast
television
stations
and
on
Chicago-­‐based
cable
superstation
WGN
America.
Featured
in
these
airings
are
vanity
cards
previously
unseen
in
the
CBS
and
Lifetime
airings
due
to
marginalized
credit
sequences
used
by
the
two
networks.
Shown
in
between
the
closing
credits
and
the
production
company
credits,
these
vanity
cards
show
portions
of
"The
Bro
Code,"
a
list
of
rules
frequently
referenced
by
Neil
Patrick
Harris'
character,
Barney
Stinson,
on
how
men
should
interact
with
each
other,
with
an
emphasis
on
activities
involving
pursuing
members
of
the
opposite
sex.
The
opening
theme
song
for
the
syndicated
reruns
is
also
slightly
edited,
running
shorter
and
not
using
all
the
pictures
seen
in
the
opening
montage
that
runs
on
DVD
and
the
original
CBS
broadcasts.
The
episodes,
too,
are
edited,
leaving
out
small
details.
One
of
the
series'
ongoing
traditions
involves
giving
guest
roles
to
actors
from
various
Joss
Whedon
productions,
many
of
whom
co-­‐starred
with
Hannigan
on
Buffy
the
Vampire
Slayer.
Carter
Bays
puts
this
down
to
being
"huge
fans",
and
those
casts
representing
"a
big
talent
pool”.
On
March
4,
2011,
CBS
announced
that
the
show
had
been
renewed
for
two
more
seasons,
with
the
seventh
season
scheduled
to
air
with
back-­‐to-­‐back
episodes
on
September
19,
2011.
On
July
27,
2011,
It
was
announced
that
FX
has
picked
up
the
show
for
syndication.
FX
began
airing
the
show
on
September
5,
2011.
5

6. CAST
Main
characters
▪ Josh
Radnor
as
Ted
Mosby
▪ Neil
Patrick
Harris
as
Barney
Stinson
▪ Cobie
Smulders
as
Robin
Scherbatsky
▪ Jason
Segel
as
Marshall
Eriksen
▪ Alyson
Hannigan
as
Lily
Aldrin
▪ Bob
Saget
(uncredited)
as
Future
Ted
Mosby
(voice
only)
Recurring
characters
▪ Lyndsy
Fonseca
as
the
daughter
(2005–)
▪ David
Henrie
as
the
son
(2005–)
▪ Marshall
Manesh
as
Ranjit
(2005–)
▪ Joe
Nieves
as
Carl
the
bartender
(2005–)
▪ Charlene
Amoia
as
Wendy
the
waitress
(2005–)
▪ Bill
Fagerbakke
as
Marvin
Eriksen
Sr.
(2005–2011)
▪ Ashley
Williams
as
Victoria
(2006,
2011)
▪ David
Burtka
as
Scooter
(2006–2010)
▪ Joe
Manganiello
as
Brad
(2006–2009)
▪ Bryan
Callen
as
Bilson
(2006–)
▪ Taran
Killam
as
Blauman
(2006)
▪ Alexis
Denisof
as
Sandy
Rivers
(2006,
2011)
▪ Wayne
Brady
as
James
Stinson
(2006–)
▪ Sarah
Chalke
as
Stella
Zinman
(2008–2009)
▪ Cristine
Rose
as
Virginia
Mosby
(2006–2010)
▪ Britney
Spears
as
Abby
(2008)
▪ Chris
Romano
as
Punchy
(2008–)
▪ Bryan
Cranston
as
Hammond
Druthers
(2006–2007)
▪ Frances
Conroy
as
Loretta
Stinson
(2009–)
▪ Benjamin
Koldyke
as
Don
Frank
(2009–2010)
▪ Laura
Prepon
as
Karen
(2009–2010)
▪ Rachel
Bilson
as
Cindy
(2010,
2011)
▪ Ben
Vereen
as
Sam
Gibbs
(2010–)
▪ Jennifer
Morrison
as
Zoey
Pierson
(2010–2011)
▪ Kyle
MacLachlan
as
George
"The
Captain"
van
Smoot
(2010–2011)
▪ Nazanin
Boniadi
as
Nora
(2011–)
▪ John
Lithgow
as
Jerome
"Jerry"
Whittaker
(2011–)
▪ Will
Forte
as
Randy
Wharmpess
(2008,
2010)
▪ Enrique
Iglesias
as
Gael
(2007)
6

7. TIE-­‐INS
BOOKS
▪ The
Bro
Code,
cited
by
Barney
many
times
throughout
the
series,
is
a
set
of
written
rules
for
bros
to
follow,
and
has
been
published
as
a
tie-­‐in
novel
and
an
audiobook.
Barney
alleges
it
was
written
by
Barnabas
Stinson
(an
assumed
relative
of
Barney),
a
contemporary
of
George
Washington
and
Benjamin
Franklin.
▪ Bro
on
the
Go:
a
companion
to
The
Bro
Code,
released
in
2009.
▪ The
Playbook,
(based
on
the
fifth
season
episode
of
the
same
name),
by
Barney
Stinson
and
Matt
Kuhn.
WEBSITES
▪ Barney's
Blog
—
Throughout
the
series,
Barney
makes
references
to
his
blog.
The
blog
is
written
by
Matt
Kuhn
and
hosted
by
CBS.
▪ Barney's
Twitter
—
CBS
also
updates
a
Twitter
account
for
Barney.
▪ Internationalsuitupday.com
-­‐
International
Suit
Up
Day
2011
▪ Swarley.com
—
At
the
end
of
the
episode
“Swarley,”
Barney
tries
to
pretend
he
loves
his
new
name
to
avoid
being
called
Swarley
again.
Though
not
shown
in
the
episode,
there
used
to
be
a
website
called
swarley.com
about
it.
▪ TedMosbyIsAJerk.com
—
In
the
episode
"The
Bracket",
it
is
revealed
one
of
Barney's
former
one-­‐night-­‐stands,
whom
he
told
his
name
was
Ted
Mosby
(in
"Ted
Mosby:
Architect"),
created
a
website
denouncing
him
called
TedMosbyIsAJerk.com.
There
is
also
TedMosbyIsNotAJerk.com.
▪ Marshall
and
Lily's
Wedding
—
A
website
with
videos
and
pictures
of
Marshall
and
Lily's
honeymoon,
never
shown
on
the
program
(the
honeymoon
part
was
never
shown)
but
available
as
a
special
feature
on
the
Season
3
DVD.
▪ LilyAndMarshallSellTheirStuff.com
(archived)
—
In
Season
3,
Episode
19
(Everything
Must
Go)
Marshall
made
a
website
so
Lily
could
sell
her
clothes
to
pay
for
a
contractor
to
fix
the
floor
in
their
new
apartment.
The
site
was
promoted
at
the
end
of
the
episode,
as
an
actual
online
auction
of
memorabilia
from
the
show.
The
proceeds
were
given
to
the
Children's
Hospital
Los
Angeles.
The
site
was
shut
down
after
the
auction
was
completed.
▪ GuyForcesHisWifeToDressInAGarbageBagForTheNextThreeYears.com
—
Lily
proposes
this
name
for
their
clothing
auction
website,
after
Marshall
suggested.“LilyAndMarshallSellTheirStuff.com.”
To
their
surprise,
Lily’s
name
has
already
been
taken.
▪ Mysterious
Dr
X
—
The
website
of
Ted’s
mysterious
identity
when
he
was
in
college,
as
seen
on
the
episode
"The
Possimpible".
▪ Barney’s
Video
Resume
—
In
the
episode
"The
Possimpible",
Barney
reveals
he
has
created
an
online
video
resume.
▪ The
Wedding
Bride
—
In
the
episode
"As
Fast
as
She
Can",
it
is
revealed
Tony
wrote
a
screen
play
entitled
"The
Wedding
Bride"
that
became
a
big
hit
and
has
an
"official"
website.
This
is
the
tie-­‐in
site
for
the
movie,
with
a
trailer
featuring
Chris
Kattan,
Malin
Åkerman,
and
Jason
Lewis,
who
play
movie
versions
of
Ted,
Stella,
and
Tony,
respectively,
in
this
movie.
▪ canadiansexacts.org
—
In
the
episode
"Old
King
Clancy",
Barney
reveals
this
site
as
the
source
7

8. of
his
knowledge
of
Canadian
sex
acts
and
has
it
bookmarked
on
his
laptop.
Except
for
the
Lily
&
Marshall
interactive
wedding
album,
this
is
the
most
extensive
of
all
the
HIMYM
fake
websites.
Canadian
actor
Alan
Thicke
makes
several
cameos.
▪ slapcountdown.com
(archived)
—
In
the
episode
"Wait
For
It"
(and
again
in
"Slapsgiving")
Marshall
debuts
this
website
to
torment
Barney
by
counting
down
the
days
until
he
next
gets
slapped,
the
result
of
their
Slap
Bet.
Visiting
the
website
prior
to
the
airing
of
Slapsgiving
displayed
the
same
countdown
as
featured
on
the
show,
albeit
counting
down
until
the
air
time
of
the
episode;
after
the
episode
aired,
the
site
redirected
to
CBS'
How
I
Met
Your
Mother
YouTube
channel.
▪ itwasthebestnightever.com
—
In
the
episode
"The
Sexless
Innkeeper",
Marshall
made
this
website
after
he
and
Lily
went
on
a
couples
date
with
Barney
and
Robin.
It
features
a
photo-­‐montage
of
the
evening
and
a
music
video
of
Marshall
and
Nuno
Bettencourt
of
Extreme
called
"Best
Night
Ever",
in
which
Marshall
describes
what
a
great
time
he
and
Lily
had
with
Robin
and
Barney.
The
video
was
a
parody
of
Extreme's
"More
Than
Words"
video.
▪ bigbusinessjournal.com,
extremitiesquarterly.com
and
balloonexplorersclub.com
—
Part
of
one
of
Barney's
schemes,
The
Lorenzo
Von
Matterhorn,
to
"pick
up
chicks"
▪ grademyteacher.net
—
In
episode
4
of
season
6,
Marshall
mentions
this
website
to
Ted,
who
goes
looking
for
his
own
evaluation
on
it,
and
is
disappointed
by
the
result.
▪ notafathersday.com
-­‐
Episode
7,
Season
4.
Barney
creates
this
website
as
part
of
a
new
holiday
for
single,
childless
men.
Phone
numbers
▪ 1-­‐877-­‐987-­‐6401
—
During
the
Super
Bowl
XLIV
telecast,
a
clip
of
Neil
Patrick
Harris
was
shown
holding
up
a
sign,
ostensibly
in
the
stadium's
stands,
with
the
words
"Call
Barney
Stinson
(CBS)"
and
this
phone
number.
In
the
episode
"Rabbit
or
Duck",
which
aired
the
week
after
the
Super
Bowl,
the
same
clip
from
the
Super
Bowl
with
Harris
was
shown
with
the
number
on
the
sign
changed
to
a
555
number.
This
occurrence
became
a
plot
point
within
the
episode.
When
the
number
is
dialed,
a
message
recorded
by
Harris
in
character
as
Barney
is
played.
8

9. AWARDS
AND
NOMINATIONS
9

10. RATINGS
POINT
Ratings
point
is
a
measure
of
viewership
of
a
particular
television
program.
One
single
television
ratings
point
(or
TVR)
represents
1%
of
viewers
in
the
surveyed
area
in
a
given
minute.
As
of
2004,
there
are
an
estimated
109.6
million
television
households
in
the
USA.
Thus,
a
single
national
household
ratings
point
represents
1%,
or
1,096,000
households
for
the
2004-­‐05
season.
When
used
for
the
broadcast
of
a
program,
the
average
rating
across
the
duration
of
the
show
is
typically
given.
Ratings
points
are
often
used
for
specific
demographics
rather
than
just
households.
For
example
a
ratings
point
among
the
key
18-­‐49
year
olds
demographic
is
equivalent
to
1%
of
all
18-­‐49
year
olds
in
the
country.
Nielsen
Media
Research
(NMR)
is
an
American
firm
that
measures
media
audiences,
including
television,
radio,
theatre
films
(via
the
AMC
Theatres
MAP
program)
and
newspapers.
NMR,
headquartered
in
New
York
City,
is
best
known
for
the
Nielsen
ratings,
an
audience
measurement
system
of
television
viewership
that
for
years
has
been
the
deciding
factor
in
canceling
or
renewing
television
shows
by
television
networks.
Nielsen
ratings
10

11.
Analysis:
The
highest
viewed
episode
was
the
season
1
episode
"The
Pineapple
Incident,"
watched
by
12.27
million
viewers.
The
lowest-­‐viewed
episode
was
the
season
6
episode
"Landmarks”,
watched
by
6.41
million
viewers,
approximately
48
percent
lower
than
the
show's
series
high.
HIMYM
is
a
show
that
has
been
aired
for
6
seasons
now.
It
has
the
same
jokes
and
punch
lines
every
time
and
the
plot
has
been
stretching
for
6
years
without
showing
the
actual
title
of
the
show
even
once.
But
still,
the
number
of
viewers
has
remained
almost
same.
11

12. DVD
RELEASES
12

13. SURVEY
There
were
50
responses
of
the
survey.
A
screenshot
of
a
response
from
the
survey
:
Following
are
the
results:
Do
you
watch
HIMYM?
Yes
No
13

14. Do
you
like
the
show?
Yes
No
Who
is
your
favourite
character?
Ted
Mosby
Barney
Stinson
Robin
Scherbatsky
Lily
Aldrin
Marshall
Ericksen
How
often
do
you
watch
it?
Never
miss
it
even
once
Sometimes
14

15. Have
you
visited
any
websites
related
to
the
show?
Yes
No
Analysis:
Sample
size:
50
Age
Group:
13-­‐38
(mostly
20-­‐25)
According
to
the
results
of
the
50
surveys
that
I
got,
I
can
say
that:
• 96%
of
the
people
watch
the
show
–
How
I
Met
Your
Mother
and
like
it.
• The
most
watched
season
is
Season
2
and
then,
Season
1.
• More
than
half
of
the
people
don’t
miss
it
even
once
and
watch
it
every
time
whereas
the
rest
are
not
regular
viewers
of
the
show.
• About
50%
people
have
visited
websites
and
blog
related
to
HIMYM.
• ‘Barney
Stinson’
is
the
favourite
character
of
90%
people.
• The
most
common
responses
to
the
question
:
One
thing
that
you
would
like
to
change
about
the
show
were:
 “Nothing.
It’s
perfect!!”
 “It
should
come
more
frequently.”
15

16. SPONSORS
CBS
SPONSORS
Allegra
American
Express
Bayer
Benefiber
Bristol-­‐Myers
Squibb
Campbell
Campbells
Soup
Cingular
Wireless
Citi
Estee
Lauder
General
Mills
Good
for
America
Brands
Home
Depot
Infiniti
Automobiles
Kia
Automobiles
Kleenex
Ford
Kraft
Foods
Lamisil
Levitra
Lifesavers
Candies
Majestic
Star
Casino
Merck
&
Co.
Morgan
Stanley
Nissan
Novartis
PCS
Pepcid
Complete
Pfizer
Pharmaceuticals
Plavix
PrevAcid
SmartBalance
Popcorn
Splenda
Sprint
TAP
Pharmaceuticals
Toyota
UPS
Store
Viagra
Vioxx
Wellbutrin
Zelnorm
Ziploc
STAR
WORLD
SPONSORS
Axe
Deo
Garnier
Loreal
McVities
Biscuits
Nokia
Octane
Deo
Parachute
Ponds
Reebok
Saffola
Tata
Sky
Tata
Steel
Vaseline
Dove
Docomo
Asian
Paints
New
Clear
16

17.
OFFICIAL
WEBSITES
17

18.
HIMYM
ON
SOCIAL
NETWORKS
18

19.
19

20. HIMYM
MERCHANDISE
ON
SALE
20

21. PRODUCT
PLACEMENT
IN
HIMYM
HIMYM
is
quite
famous
for
its
product
placements.
Product
placement
is
an
alternative
to
advertising.
And
HIMYM
features
a
lot
of
such
ads.
In
a
new
advertising
strategy,
old
episodes
of
How
I
Met
Your
Mother
are
being
digitally
altered
to
include
ads
for
contemporary
items.
Entertainment
Weekly
reports
that
not
only
has
How
I
Met
Your
Mother
promoted
the
movie
Zookeeper
by
putting
an
advertisement
behind
Robin
in
a
rerun
of
an
episode,
but
it
has
also
promoted
Jason
Segel’s
new
movie
Bad
Teacher,
by
digitally
inserting
an
ad
on
a
TV
screen
behind
the
actor
himself
in
the
2006
episode
‘Swarley’.
Here
are
a
few
snapshots:
21

22.
22

23.
23

24. APPLICATIONS/GAMES
HIMYM
also
has
various
games
as
well
as
applications
on
iPhone
Applications
and
Android
Market
too.
There
are
all
sort
of
applications
ranging
from
“HIMYM
quotes”
to
“Barney
Sounds”
to
“Bro
codes”.
A
lot
of
revenue
is
also
generated
from
the
paid
apps,
but
many
fans
have
also
developed
some
of
the
applications
as
it
is
a
very
popular
show.
Here
is
a
screenshot
of
a
few:
24

25. FINAL
ANALYSIS/
CONCLUSION
It’s
hard
to
describe
the
charm
of
“How
I
Met
Your
Mother”
especially
since
in
many
ways,
the
sitcom
formula
it
follows
might
turn
people
off
who
are
weary
of
sitcoms.
What
makes
it
different?
Something
that
distinguishes
a
lot
of
intelligent,
quality
contemporary
TV
—
it’s
self
aware,
and
a
little
meta-­‐theatrical.
It
doesn’t
hand
the
audience
plot
arcs
that
alienate
us
if
we
join
midstream.
It
keeps
the
focus
on
the
characters
and
the
environment
they’re
in
—
but
also
does
something
more,
by
presenting
each
episode
as
an
“episode”
of
Ted’s
young
life,
replayed
to
his
children
as
a
story.
It’s
this
reflexiveness
that
contributes
to
the
joy
of
watching
the
exploits
of
these
characters
—
it
instills
everything
that
happens,
even
the
quirky,
random
New
Yorky
things,
with
significance.
In
this
universe,
everything
is
turned
into
a
something.
It's
good
to
see
a
show
like
this
on
television
that
isn't
afraid
to
take
chances
and
strays
away
from
the
typical
way
to
tell
a
story.
There
really
are,
as
Shakespeare
says,
only
a
handful
of
plots
left
in
the
world.
How
I
Met
Your
Mother
tells
the
love
story
plot-­‐only
in
reverse
and
in
a
funny
way.
25