In a plot twist worthy of Ted Mosby, a How I Met Your Mother spinoff is back in play after CBS shocked the TV industry (and broke the hearts of fans) by passing on How I Met Your Dad two years ago. Deadline reports the new spinoff will be titled How I Met Your Father , and just like the first attempt at continuing the series, it will not feature any of the original characters. Instead, the spinoff will use How I Met Your Mother's unique storytelling techniques, while introducing the world to a new group of pals with stories about dating, career hopping, and friendship all their own. The best part is the pilot is reportedly being penned by two of the most talented This Is Us writers, Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger.
As much as I adore How I Met Your Mother's creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, Aptaker and Berger are the perfect writers to conjure up a How I Met Your Mother spinoff. The duo has proven they know how to write a heartfelt, time-twisting tale with the ability to evoke laughs and tears on This Is Us. Remember the astounding Thanksgiving episode "Pilgrim Rick"? Aptaker and Berger were the duo who wrote the standout This Is Us episode. They have also written for Grandfathered and About a Boy, two other comedies that were all about being funny and emotional. If anyone can bring a How I Met Your Mother spinoff with a female perspective to life, it's these two.
Since the pilot is still being written, there are no plot details for How I Met Your Father to share just yet. Still, just knowing the series will focus on a woman telling her love story this time around should be enough to get fans excited. Having two writers with a proven talent for finding the most human side of comedy and drama on board is a definite bonus. The only thing that could possibly make this news any better would be if the spinoff somehow snagged Greta Gerwig again (she was attached to lead the first attempt).
While How I Met Your Mother had a divisive finale, there is no denying it is one of the best network sitcoms in recent memory. The show worked because the ensemble cast gelled so beautifully, and the idea of a father recounting his formative years in New York City to his children was captivating. The show's model is ripe with possibilities for a spinoff focusing on a new group of friends. Ted, Barney, Robin, and the rest of the gang had an amazing run, and I would love to see a version of the show where a woman takes center stage.
A female lead will completely change the dynamic, and open up new storytelling avenues. How I Met Your Father does not have to be a repeat of How I Met Your Mother. It can be a hilarious examination of what it is like to be a woman looking for love in the 21st century. Bays and Thomas built a framework that is endlessly adaptable, and while they are responsible for the wittiness of the original, Aptaker and Berger feel like a great choice to guide the new show.
How I Met Your Mother was amazing, but flawed. The show was not always the most feminist story, and it was known to include body-shaming, thanks in large part to Barney. Aptaker and Berger's work on the more diverse and accepting This Is Us could lead to a more progressive version of the mothership. As selling points go, that is an excellent one.
Since none of the original characters will be in the spinoff, the pilot could end up at any network (or on any platform). The possibilities for How I Met Your Father truly are wide open at this point. As long as Aptaker and Berger are willing to build a show with a deep history full of their own versions of slap bets, interventions, and maybe even the female equivalent of the Bro Code, this new mother is sure to attract as many fans as Ted and his friends did over the course of nine wonderful seasons.
Images: CBS; Giphy (2)
