Hulu Canceled How I Met Your Father Ahead Of Season 3

Spoilers ahead for HIMYF Season 2. The second season of Hilary Duff’s sitcom How I Met Your Father concluded in July 2023 after an impressive 20 episodes, a rarity for any streaming series — but the show wasn’t as lucky when it came to a third season. That September, Hulu shocked fans when they canceled HIMYF, deciding not to renew the How I Met Your Mother spin-off for a third season and ending the show without revealing the answer to its central mystery.

Given fans’ reactions to viral Season 3 moments like this Lizzie McGuire reference and guest stars like How I Met Your Mother actor Neil Patrick Harris, John Corbett, Judge Judy, and even a mini *NSYNC reunion, it’s safe to say they wanted a third season. Fans even tried to save the show by protesting Hulu’s decision on Twitter, using the hashtag #SaveHIMYF. Executive producer Craig Thomas spoke out about the cancelation on Twitter, thanking everyone who made the show happen. “Thanks to the wonderful cast and crew who worked so hard on #HIMYF, and to all who checked it out, sometimes this is how it goes in this crazy business...” he wrote.

While the cast is limited on how much they can speak about HIMYF due to the ongoing actors’ strike, some stars responded in subtle ways. Chris Lowell shared behind-the-scenes pics with his castmates on his Instagram Story, without tagging or mentioning the show by name. Duff also responded to a troll who criticized the show in an Instagram comment, simply writing, “You have 63 followers” with a smiley blush emoji.

If HIMYF was renewed for another season, it’s safe to say that Duff would’ve returned as Sophie alongside her crew of friends, like Valentina (Francia Raísa) and Ellen (Tien Tran), and potential baby daddies, including Jesse (Lowell), Sid (Suraj Sharma), and Charlie (Tom Ainsley). Kim Cattrall would’ve returned to play the older version of Sophie, while Josh Peck was likely to appear once again as school principal and Sophie’s ex Drew, given his character’s unlikely twist in the Season 2 finale. The status of Leighton Meester and Corbett’s characters was unclear, given how their storylines somewhat conclude in the first half of Season 2.

In the July 11 season finale, which was filmed in front of a live studio audience for the first time, Sophie and Jessie shared a picture-perfect kiss in a hurricane and finally became an item, while one of the contenders for Sophie’s baby daddy was ruled out. With that, the now-series finale left viewers with many unanswered questions that would’ve been answered in a subsequent season.