One of the problems with signing on for a show like How I Met Your Father as a fan is there is an expectation for a major reveal down the line. Despite a fun cast and solid premise, the HIMYM spinoff only got two seasons before unceremoniously axing what I would argue was one of Hulu's most notable original shows. Obviously, this leads to one main question: Who is the father?

When those of us with a Hulu subscription first met Hilary Duff’s Sophie in the pilot, we were also introduced to several gentlemen who could ultimately be the father. At the end of the first episode of the series, older Sophie mentions the night she met the love of her life was the same night rehashed in the pilot. So unlike How I Met Your Mother, it’s unlikely the Hulu series would be introducing a new character late in the game, particularly when we met the majority of the How I Met Your Father cast, including Ian, Sid, Jesse Charlie and Drew, very early on. 

Now How I Met Your Father is canceled, its creators, cast and Hulu aren’t spilling the deets. Will we ever learn who the father is? Plus, why keeping their lips sealed might be a good thing. 

What HIMYF's Fancia Raisa Has Said About The Father

Listen, it’s not just the audience who is champing at the bit to know who the father is. In fact, as soon as the cancelation call was made by the streaming service, other series lead Francia Raisa says she immediately asked, “Who’s the dad.” But the show’s producers told her they weren’t going to tell her? Why? Well...

I mean really, that's a slight bit of good news in a sea of bad news. Raisa's comments to Hollywood Life seem to indicate How I Met Your Father isn’t totally dead in the water yet. Where there is an avid producer actively pitching a series to find a new home, sometimes there is a streamer actively looking for said series. 

But even if that isn't to be and Hilary Duff and the rest of the cast move on to new projects, there's a still a reason why we may not learn who the father is anytime soon. 

The Gilmore Girls Conundrum

This leads me to what I will henceforth affectionately refer to as The Gilmore Girls conundrum, which also sort of sounds like an episode of The Big Bang Theory, but I digress. Gilmore Girls originally made it for seven seasons mostly on the CW and while it ended on a note that I felt worked for the series, the final season also did not feature original creators Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Sherman-Palladino and thereby did not end on the note the former had hoped the series would end on. 

Gilmore Girls over time continued to land more and more of a cult following. Fans like myself rewatch it frequently, and eventually it became a big prize for a streaming service. Presumably the same is true for How I Met Your Mother, which is why How I Met Your Father was likely greenlighted, but if it does hold true, there could also be Gilmore Girls-esque strategy in keeping the answer a secret. 

Amy Sherman-Palladino always knew the four-word note she wanted Rory and Lorelei to end on in Gilmore Girls and it's not the note the CW show actually wrapped on during its first run. Years later, she got the chance to finish out that storyline in Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. While it was more than a decade later, it was sort of satisfying (and also wild) to see Rory end without revealing the father in the way Sherman-Palladino wanted, even if it was maybe not what the fans had expected for Rory at that point. 

I know I've been going on about Gilmore Girls for a while, but the point is, the great thing about How I Met Your Mother and subsequently How I Met Your Father is the journey to unraveling the mystery. I'd like to see it play out one day, and clearly the creators do too. I hope the series gets that chance, because it's gonna be hella annoying if I have to wait 10 years or more for this TV answer. 

Hulu has announced the cancellation of the How I Met Your Mother spinoff series, How I Met Your Father, after two seasons. The show starred Hilary Duff and featured cameo performances from stars from the original series like Neil Patrick Harris and Colbie Smulders. The show gained a following throughout its short-lived run, and fans are devastated by the cancellation. 

HIMYF was similar to its predecessor, where it follows a character's anecdotes about their youth and friendships while they reveal to their children the story of how they met their partner. It's an effective story mechanism that made people fall in love with How I Met Your Mother in the aughts. Season 2 of HIMYF ended on a cliffhanger with a major revelation about Duff’s character. Unfortunately, the cancellation means fans never seeing their questions answered short of the series being rescued. 

Fans took to Twitter to express their frustration. One clearly wanted a resolution to the titular mystery, saying:

Another fan was also clearly invested in the storyline, asking for a Season 3 to wrap up the plot and the character arcs:

Yet another viewer expressed the same sentiment, saying one major storyline in particular needs to be handled before the show goes away for good:

One viewer also highlighted the ambiguity the cancellation caused about how the series was supposed to end, using a popular Kanye West meme.

Lastly, a fan reiterated how premature the cancellation feels, and that a five-season run would’ve been more appropriate for the Hulu series.

Unfortunately, HIMYF fans never may get to see the desired ending for the spinoff. Hope isn’t all lost, as several canceled shows have been picked up by other networks or streamers in the past. For example, Arrested Development and Lucifer got their endings on Netflix after being canceled by Fox. A fan campaign could theoretically save the show, but for now, viewers may have to come to terms with Season 2 being the final season for the sitcom. 

It seems like there are a lot of shows being given the ax in recent weeks. A League of Their Own was canceled by Amazon recently despite initially being renewed for a second season. Hulu also recently decided not to move forward with a fourth season of The Great even after multiple Emmy nominations for its existing three seasons. HIMYF may be the latest to be on the chopping block, but it certainly isn’t alone. The show was a sweet take on the familiar premise, incorporating the modern dating era into the sitcom format. It will be very missed.

Fans of the series can still check out the first two seasons of How I Met Your Father with a Hulu subscription. You can also revisit the original How I Met Your Mother, which is also available on the streamer. For more information on what other comedies to available on the platform, consult our feature on the funniest shows on Hulu right now. 

If there’s any content-related news that TV viewers dread hearing, it’s cancellation news. Unfortunately for them, we’ve reached a point in the year where such reports surface somewhat frequently. Some may believe Netflix to be the streamer that’s most commonly axing programs but, as of late, Disney-owned streamers have been cutting series. Around this time last week, it was confirmed that Disney+ had cancelled two-season show Doogie Kameāloha, M.D. Now, its sister service, Hulu, has followed suit by pulling the plug on an original series with the same length – How I Met Your Father.

The multi-camera sitcom’s demise was ultimately confirmed by TVLine. How I Met Your Father, which starred Hilary Duff in the lead role, just finished up its 20-episode second season earlier this summer. Hulu has not publicly commented on its decision to cancel the show, as of this writing. With that, it’s unclear just why the comedy has been canned after running for 30 episodes. Considering that viewership numbers haven’t traditionally been shared by the streaming service, one also can’t truly speculate whether that factored into the matter. 

How I Met Your Father served as a sequel series to the hit show How I Met Your Mother, which ran for nine seasons on CBS. The off-shoot was a long-gestating production and entered development in earnest following the creation of the spinoff pilot, How I Met Your Dad, which starred Barbie director Greta Gerwig. It was in spring 2021 that the series was officially greenlit with Hilary Duff attached to play the lead. The comedy ultimately premiered on Hulu in early 2022 and was met with mostly negative reviews at the time. It did, however, score two Primetime Creative Arts Emmys for cinematography and editing last year and is currently nominated for three more of the gold statues. 

Set in the same universe as How I Met Your Mother, the show focuses on Sophie Tompkins, who – in the present day – is a single woman living in Manhattan alongside her friend group. The entire series is framed as a long story that an older Sophie is telling her son in the year 2050, to explain how she met his father in 2022. Along the way, the show also featured cameos from HIMYM alums. For instance, Cobie Smulders and Neil Patrick Harris appeared as Robin Scherbatsky and Barney Stinson, respectively. The producers brought in surprise characters sparingly and, during the series’ run, fans expressed interest in seeing other franchise alums like Josh Radnor and Jason Segel.

HIMYF’s cancellation comes on the heels of the news that Hulu axed The Great after three seasons. This news also arrives months after the streamer and Disney+ cut content, resulting in a bloodbath for both services. Considering just how everything has panned out as of late, one has to wonder if the Hilary Duff-led comedy is not at risk of being removed entirely for cost-cutting purposes. 

There are currently a number of other comedies on How I Met Your Father’s streaming home that are currently awaiting renewals. Among them are Ramy, This Fool, Imprisoned and Koala Man. Time will tell whether those series are picked up for new episodes, and the same goes for series that are still awaiting word over at Disney+. At present though, what fans will have to reckon with is the fact that the How I Met universe seems to be over, for now. 

You can still stream How I Met Your Father in its entirety using a Hulu subscription, and check out other offerings that are on the 2023 TV schedule.

While it is easy to understand why the costumed vigilantes like Tony “Iron Man” Stark and Natasha “Black Widow” Romanoff are the characters that get the most attention in the Marvel movies in order, I often like to shine a spotlight on the unsung heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Perhaps the most recognizable of this bunch, however, would have be S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson, who is played by Clark Gregg.

I was already familiar with this Boston-born actor from his days on CBS’ The New Adventures of Old Christine and was cool seeing him pop up in some of the best superhero movies ever made as a character who proved to be very important to the MCU timeline. Nowadays, I relish the idea that I am just one of many people who love seeing him in other, eclectic, projects, which I will cover in the following list of some of the best Clark Gregg movies and TV shows, along with where to find them on streaming or as a digital rental. Of course, his tenure as a comic book movie character is where we shall start.

Clark Gregg's Marvel Movies (2008-2019)

A special agent (Gregg) works for an elite defense organization that works with individuals who posses extraordinary skills and abilities to protect earth from more strange and otherworldly threats.

Why they are some of Clark Gregg’s best movies: Gregg steals the show as Agent Coulson in some of the best Marvel movies — five, to be exact, and namely Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, The Avengers, and in the 1995-set Captain Marvel from 2019 — which are all available to stream with a Disney+ subscription now.

Stream Clark Gregg's Marvel Movies on Disney+.
Buy Iron Man on Amazon.
Buy Iron Man 2 on Amazon.

Rent or buy Thor on Amazon.
Rent or buy The Avengers on Amazon.
Rent or buy Captan Marvel on Amazon.

Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013-2020)

In the aftermath of the Avengers’ world-changing battle with the Chitauri in New York, the mysteriously resurrected Agent Coulson assembles his own team of operatives and superhuman individuals to help keep earth safe in a more covert manner

Why it is one of Clark Gregg’s best TV shows: After it seemed like Gregg’s tenure as Coulson had ended with his heartbreaking death scene in The Avengers, he was brought back as the lead character of a spin-off TV show, aptly titled Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., but never had the chance to reunite with the Avengers, unfortunately.

Stream Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on Disney+.
Buy Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on Amazon.

The New Adventures Of Old Christine (2006-2010)

A single mother (Emmy winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus) struggles to maintain a civil relationship with her ex-husband (Gregg), who has begun to date a new woman with the same first name as hers.

Why it is one of Clark Gregg’s best TV shows: Before joining the MCU, Gregg was best-known for playing the onscreen former husband of sitcom queen and Seinfeld star, Louis Dreyfus, on the CBS sitcom, The New Adventures of Old Christine, which he did for five seasons.

Buy The New Adventures Of Old Christine on Amazon.

How I Met Your Father (2023)

In the future, a woman (Kim Cattrall) reveals to her son the full story of how her younger self (Hilary Duff) met the love of her life, complete with several anecdotes involving her closest friends while living in New York.

Why it is one of Clark Gregg’s best TV shows: In addition to its many awesome How I Met Your Mother character cameos, Gregg would make one of the most exciting appearances on the second season of the Hulu-exclusive spin-off, How I Met Your Father, as a hot dog chef named Nick, whom Sophie discovers is her long-lost father.

Stream How I Met Your Father on Hulu.

Florida Man (2023)

A former cop and Florida native (Édgar Ramirez) is forced to return to the Sunshine State to track down a mob boss’ missing girlfriend (Abbey Lee), which turns out to be just the beginning of a long, troubling ordeal.

Why it is one of Clark Gregg’s best TV shows: Also in 2023, Gregg had an even bigger part in the Florida Man cast as a disgruntled police sheriff in this Netflix original TV show with offbeat humor and fun thrills.

Stream Florida Man on Netflix.

We Were Soldiers (2002)

The heart wrenching hardships of the Vietnam War are seen through the eyes of military officers of various ages and ranks.

Why it is one of Clark Gregg’s best movies: Also one of Sam Elliott’s best movies and one of the more realistic depictions of war in cinema is writer and director Randall Wallace’s adaptation of Lt. Col. Harold G. Moore’s memoir, We Were Soldiers, in which Clark stars as Capt. Tom Metsker.

Stream We Were Soldiers on Paramount+.
Rent or buy We Were Soldiers on Amazon.

One Hour Photo (2002)

A lonely, middle-aged employee of a supermarket photo development department (Academy Award winner Robin Williams) becomes increasingly and disturbingly obsessed with a frequent customer and his family. 

Why it is one of Clark Gregg’s best movies: Gregg had the honor of working with the late, great Williams (giving one of his most underrated performances) in writer and director Mark Romanek’s tense psychological thriller, One Hour Photo, in the role of a detective tasked with investigating Williams’ character and his questionable behavior.

Stream One Hour Photo on Hulu.
Rent or buy One Hour Photo on Amazon.

(500) Days Of Summer (2009)

A greeting card writer (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) looks back on his romance with a beautiful, free-spirited woman (Zooey Deschanel) to try to figure out where everything went wrong.

Why it is one of Clark Gregg’s best movies: Gregg has a few great romantic comedy movies on his resume, and one of the best is director Marc Webb’s inventive and oft-debated favorite, (500) Days of Summer, in which he plays Mr. Vance — the boss of JGL’s character.

Stream (500) Days of Summer on Max.
Rent or buy (500) Days of Summer on Amazon.

Choke (2008)

In order to finance his ailing mother’s medical bills, a sex addict (Academy Award winner Sam Rockwell) pretends that food is clogging his windpipe and takes advantage of the sympathetic people who “rescue” him.

Why it is one of Clark Gregg’s best movies: In the same year he made his MCU debut, Gregg made his debut as a writer and director with this funny adaptation of Fight Club author Chuck Palahniuk’s wild satirical novel, Choke, in which he also plays an uptight fellow employee at the colonial theme park where Rockwell’s character works.

Rent or buy Choke on Amazon.

Trust Me (2014)

A former child star (Gregg) struggling to make it as a talent agent believes he has found his chance for a breakthrough when he befriends a gifted aspiring young actor (Saxon Sharbino).

Why it is one of Clark Gregg’s best movies: Gregg would cast himself as the lead of his next feature-length effort as a writer and director: a charming, star-studded dramedy called Trust Me.

Rent or buy Trust Me on Amazon.

Being The Ricardos (2021)

A dramatized, inside look at the lives of Lucille Ball (Nicole Kidman) and her husband and co-star, Desi Arnaz (Javier Bardem) during a tumultuous week in production of I Love Lucy.

Why it is one of Clark Gregg’s best movies: Writer and director Aaron Sorkin pulls back the veil on the not-so-funny goings-on behind-the scenes of one of the most beloved sitcoms of all time in this Oscar-nominated Amazon original movie featuring the stellar Being the Ricardos cast — including Gregg as a TV executive fearing the show’s fate named Howard Wenke.

Stream Being the Ricardos on Amazon.

Clark Gregg’s career outside of the MCU has been pretty fantastic, but I do agree that it would be a dream come true to see him in a new Marvel movie as Coulson reuniting with some of the surviving Avengers. Until then, streaming these favorites will do!

Spoilers below for anyone who hasn’t yet watched the latest episode of How I Met Your Father, so be warned!

Hulu’s How I Met Your Father hasn’t even reached the midway point of its second season, and has already added a surprising number of big names to its list of How I Met Your Mother character cameos, on top of other famous faces like Judge Judy and Meghan Trainor. But I don’t think even the combined arrivals of Jason Segel, Josh Radnor and Allyson Williams could have set audiences up for the universe-shattering flashback sequence that played out in Episode 207, which featured none other than Hilary Duff’s original claim-to-fame character Lizzie McGuire. What? Is? Happening?

No, it wasn’t a signal-crossing disruption due to Disney servers gaining sentience (which is possibly its own future Hulu project), but rather an intentional slice of crossover wackiness from showrunners Elizabeth Berger and Isaac Aptaker. The episode, titled “A Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Valentine’s Day,” featured the core character group sharing awkward memories of lovey-dovey holidays past. After Sophie’s initial prepubescent anecdote was declined, she flashed back to when she was 13, and viewers were gifted with footage from the Season 2 premiere of Lizzie McGuire, featuring the teenybopping Duff alongside former co-star Lalaine’s Miranda Sanchez. Without a current-day appearance from Miranda, or Lalaine as another character, viewers were left with the admittedly ridiculous question of “Are Sophie and Lizzie the same person?”

Just as ridiculous? Co-showrunner and EP Elizabeth Berger bemusedly staying away from flat-out denying or confirming that to be the canonical case for How I Met Your Father’s central hopeless romantic. Here’s how she put it with Variety:

Gotta love it. Obviously many explanations and fact-morphing would be needed to fully confirm that two of Hilary Duff’s most notable TV characters are, in fact, the same person. Perhaps the biggest one would be whether it was puberty itself that changed her from appearing to be a completely different person and into a more genuine reflection of her current looks.

The second would be why Elizabeth Berger called her Lizzie and not Sophie, and what that would mean for How I Met Your Father’s entire flashback storyline being told by Kim Cattrall’s Future Sophie…or is it Future Lizzie? Where’s Gordo when you need him?

Considering Hilary Duff was previously partnered up with Disney+ for a Lizzie McGuire revival that was shelved after multiple episodes were filmed, the timing of her HIMYF inclusion is intriguing to say the least. But the actress doesn’t seem to have had any reservations about bringing the throwback moment into her current comedy, saying:

It doesn’t seem like Hilary Duff would be free to take on any long-term Lizzie revivals in the near future, what with How I Met Your Father impressing its streaming home enough to earn a doubled-up second season, with the future looking bright as well. The creative team took a big swing by bringing Neil Patrick Harris’ Barney into the Season 2 premiere, with Alexis Denisof’s Sandy Rivers also making a fun return in Ep 205, so perhaps the showrunners are aiming to squeeze in as many creative surprises while they can, just in case such positive headwinds take a turn. 

Another fun surprise was Hilary Duff herself getting a big career callback, with former Raise Your Voice co-star John Corbett being cast as one of her love interests in Season 2. While waiting to see what shakes out in next Tuesday’s episode of How I Met Your Father, check out all the other shows hitting the small screen soon with our 2023 TV premiere schedule.

Warning! Spoilers ahead for Season 2, Episode 5 of How I Met Your Father, “Ride or Die.” Read at your own risk!

Season 2 of Hulu’s How I Met Your Father has continued to keep fans on the edge of their seats as we wait to see who Hilary Duff's character ends up with, and continue to be surprised by fun How I Met Your Mother cameos. The latest HIMYM cameo brought Alexis Denisof back as the news reporter Sandy Rivers, despite where he was when we last saw him on the CBS sitcom. Luckily, a HIMYF co-creator is clearing the air, and explaining why this reporter's return does not retcon his original story. 

Sandy Rivers had a tumultuous arc on How I Met Your Mother, starting out as Robin’s co-anchor in the first season, and then returning in Seasons 6 and 9. The reporter, who was known to be sleazy and inappropriate at work, was exiled from his American career due to his workplace misconduct, and he was forced to find a job elsewhere, in Russia. However, when he left was never mentioned. So, it makes sense that they'd continue to show the decline of his career in HIMYF.

Now, with Alexis Denisof reprising his role as Sandy Rivers on HIMYF, he revealed that he’s been demoted to the entertainment beat at WWN because of some “unproven accusations.” EP Isaac Aptaker then clarified the reporter's job with TVLine explaining how the anchor's story makes sense for both shows:

Since it was never specified when Sandy went to Russia, it gave HIMYF a chance to bring him on and even continue his inevitable downfall. As for whether or not he will continue to pop up on How I Met Your Father so we can see his declining career, co-creator Elizabeth Berger said that it “probably will” happen if the opportunity presents itself. Since Denisof doesn’t have any current or upcoming projects, it seems likely that we'll see Sandy Rivers again at some point.

Alexis Denisof isn’t the first HIMYM cameo in this Hulu spin-off, and he likely won’t be the last. The season premiere saw the surprise return of Neil Patrick Harris’ Barney Stinson, who previously shared his hopes for the reboot, and wanted to see it stick. Josh Radnor and Hilary Duff have also both opened up about the exchanges they shared about How I Met Your Father, and the possibility of Radnor reprising his role of Ted Mosby. It's been a blast to see all these cameos, and with since Denisof and many other OGs have already come back, I'd assume we'll be seeing more How I Met Your Mother cameos throughout the remaining season.

How I Met Your Father got a supersized episode order for its second season, meaning there are more chances for familiar faces to return, given that the storyline makes sense. Whether it’s a full-fledged cameo, like NPH and Alexis Denisof, or along the lines of renting an apartment that fans recognize all too well, I can't wait to see how the world of How I Met Your Mother intertwines with HIMYF. 

To see who pops into the show next, be sure to watch new episodes of the comedy every Tuesday with a Hulu subscription. Also, check out CinemaBlend’s 2023 TV schedule to see what else is coming out this year.

Hulu’s How I Met Your Father is currently airing its second season, and already there was a major HIMYM cameo. Neil Patrick Harris reprised his role as Barney Stinson in the Season 2 premiere of the Hilary Duff-led series, adding to the list of HIMYM cameos on HIMYF. The big question now is, will we ever see the return of Josh Radnor as Ted Mosby? Duff opened up about the possibility and recalled the exchanges she has had with the actor.

Josh Radnor has spoken about a possible return as Ted on How I Met Your Father, he even revealed that he and Hilary Duff had some nice exchanges via email. Now the actress is proving that those sentiments are true, as she told E! News that the two of them have kept in touch over email, and he’s also somewhat passed the torch to her:

It’s definitely sweet that Radnor and Duff have exchanges with each other, as I’m sure doing a reboot of a beloved series can be a bit overwhelming. It does make me wonder how much, if at all, they’ve discussed Radnor visiting the set and portraying Ted again. Since it sounds like the two have been getting close, the door is always open.

Meanwhile, as Hilary Duff’s friendship with Josh Radnor continues, it wouldn’t be surprising if even more HIMYM alums visit. Like many, the singer is a fan of the original series, which ran on CBS for nine seasons. She praised the cast and their characters, sharing her hopes of having everyone come on the Hulu series at some point:

Since Season 2 of How I Met Your Father is in the beginning of its run, and the season has twice as many episodes as it did for Season 1, there is plenty of time to round up some more original stars. Luckily it’s been looking like a lot of the original HIMYM cast have shown interest in reprising their fan-favorite roles; it’s just a matter of when and how. Fingers crossed that it continues to happen, and maybe we'll even see Ted give Sophie advice on her love life because he definitely understands what she’s going through. 

Meanwhile, HIMYM cameos are not the only guest stars that fans will be looking forward to this season on one of Hulu's hit series. Meghan Trainor appeared in the second episode as a woman about to give birth whom Sophie is photographing. This also coincidentally aired around the same time Trainor announced her IRL pregnancy. There will also be a Raise Your Voice reunion when John Corbett, who portrayed Hilary Duff’s mentor in the early 2000s teen drama, makes an appearance on HIMYF as the actress’ love interest. 

Make sure to watch new episodes of How I Met Your Father every Tuesday with a Hulu subscription to see if more HIMYM alums return. Also, be sure to check out CinemaBlend’s 2023 TV schedule to see what else is coming soon.

Kids, in the Fall of 2023, just a couple months after How I Met Your Father concluded its second season, Hulu decided to pull the plug. For people who enjoyed the sitcom like myself, this cancellation really was a bummer, especially because it meant that we would not see anymore How I Met Your Mother cast members reprising their original roles.

One of the things that made Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger’s spin-off fun — outside of the likable actors in the cast and bursts of clever wit — is when the show provided evidence that it existed in the same universe as its long-running predecessor. The return of fan-favorite How I Met Your Mother characters were the most satisfying hints. The following is a look back at all the cameos we saw. 

Alexis Denisof (Sandy Rivers)

How I Met Your Father provided fans with life updates for two of Robin Scherbatsky's former coworkers — the most recent of which was TV news reporter Sandy Rivers. He made his first Season 2 cameo while interviewing Jesse (Christopher Lowell from the Promising Young Woman cast) and his pop star girlfriend, Meredith (former Gossip Girl cast member Leighton Meester), as they promote their concert tour on his morning show.

The former anchorman would reappear in the two-part Season 2 finale reporting the weather, which he mentions is his latest demotion due to many, unspecified, allegations against him, reminding us once again how much of a scumbag he is. In real life, however, Sandy is played by HIMYM star Alyson Hannigan's real-life husband, Alexis Denisof.

Neil Patrick Harris (Barney Stinson)

The Season 2 premiere of How I Met Your Father featured a flash-forward in which Sophie (Hilary Duff) gets into a minor fender bender with a sharply dressed stranger, whom HIMYM fans immediately recognized as Barney Stinson (five-time Emmy winner Neil Patrick Harris). The exciting cameo was paid off in the mid-season finale, in which Barney initially assumes Sophie is exacting revenge on him for his past as a serial womanizer (for which we learn he is treating himself with shock therapy).

The characters then discover they have a few things in common -- namely commitment issues and growing up without a father. After Barney shares his experience meeting his real father (John Lithgow) and the life-changing birth of his daughter, Ellie, it inspires Sophie to search for her own father, whom she was actually afraid might be her then-boyfriend (John Corbett). This marks yet another wonderful instance of a HIMYM vet helping the spin-off's central character when she needed it the most.

Cobie Smulders (Robin Scherbatsky)

In How I Met Your Father’s Season 1 finale, we were treated with a sighting of Cobie Smulders as Robin Scherbatsky, whom Sophie reveals she is a “fan” of. Just like how the character's former husband, Barney, would in the next season's final episode, Robin bumps into Sophie at just the right time.

The TV news star helps Sophie realize that she should not allow herself to make decisions based on fear, which is essentially what she did when she ran away from a long-awaited chance at romance with Jesse. I would have loved to see more of Robin in a future episode, especially for the chance to see more references to her past as a teen pop star in Canada.

Joe Nieves (Carl)

Sophie actually meets Robin at a place that the latter is very familiar with — MacLaren’s Pub — and catches her attention after she spectacularly fails to order a whiskey. The bartender who turns around to let her know that “up, neat, and on the rocks” is “not an order that make sense” is the bar’s owner, Carl — played by Joe Nieves.

Carl is one of the most recognizable recurring characters from How I Met Your Mother, and even played a pivotal role in many of the series’ best episodes, such as when he served Ted (Josh Radnor) five shots of “Red Dragon” in “The Pineapple Incident.” It would have been cool to see another sighting of him at McLaren's on How I Met Your Father, perhaps with a few other original cast members.

Kyle MacLachlan (The Captain)

Before Ted met Tracy, one of his former girlfriends was a woman named Zoey Pierson (Jennifer Morrison), who was actually married when the two first met. Her then-husband’s real name is George Van Smoot, but he is better known by his preferred title: “The Captain,” who is one of Kyle MacLachlan’s most famous TV roles, outside of leading the Twin Peaks cast as Special Agent Dale Cooper.

The eccentric aristocrat made a hilarious surprise return in How I Met Your Father’s debut season, which revealed that he actually has a connection to Sophie, being the owner of the boat that her Tinder date, a marine biologist named Ian (Daniel Augustin), worked on while in Australia. However, we learn after said reveal that the boat will no longer belong to The Captain, but to his now ex-wife, who is also a very familiar face.

Laura Bell Bundy (Becky)

I think I just have to say three words to jog the memory of any How I Met Your Mother fan who may not initially recognize Becky: “Boats! Boats! Boats!” Played by Laura Bell Bundy (who originated the role of Elle Woods in the Broadway production of Legally Blonde: The Musical), this fellow former girlfriend of Ted’s initially rose to fame as the energetic and a bit childish spokesperson for a boating expo in Farhampton before becoming Robin’s co-host on Come On, Get Up New York! It seemed like a match made in heaven when, near the end of HIMYM’s run, Becky was revealed to be engaged to someone who loves boats, The Captain.

However, we would witness their marriage come to an end in the first season of HIMYF, when our first sighting of The Captain’s return reveals he was having an affair, immediately prompting Becky to demand a divorce. During the proceedings, she negotiates ownership of all of his “boats, boats boats,” including the one Ian was working on in Australia, which allowed him to return to New York. So, I guess we can thank Becky for, at least, giving Sophie the chance to reconnect with him.

Josh Radnor previously teased the idea of coming back as Ted Mosby at some point, having discussed the idea with Duff himself. We also would have loved the chance to see Shrinking cast lead Jason Segel and former Buffy the Vampire Slayer cast member Alyson Hannigan as Marshall and Lily, too, but it looks that will not happen on HIMYF. I am at least happy to say that this spin-off was fun while it lasted.

Spoilers ahead for the Season 2 premiere of How I Met Your Father!

Hilary Duff is back for the second season of How I Met Your Father, and this time it has double the episodes as the first season. As her character, Sophie, continues trying to find “the one” on the Hulu series, she is going to be dating guys that you may not expect, and that includes someone a bit older. Now Duff is opening up about having John Corbett play her older lover, after he played a very different role in a movie with her a while ago.

Hardcore fans of Hilary Duff may remember the very underrated movie she did in 2004 called Raise Your Voice. The film saw her teenage character go to a music program after her brother’s death, against her father’s wishes, and John Corbett played her mentor and teacher. Fast-forward 19 years and the two are going to be playing love interests in HIMYF!

In a new interview on Late Night with Seth Meyers, the actress discussed that very topic. The two playing love interests when Duff was a teenager of course didn't happen, but she is now 35 to Corbett's 61. Now that Duff is older, she had a fun response to Meyers pointing out that he'd once played her teacher. She said: 

With Sophie trying to find the love of her life, it was only just a matter of time before she decided to date someone older after finding people her age wasn’t exactly working. The fact that her new beau is someone who used to portray Duff’s teacher is definitely a bit unexpected, but stranger things have happened. What episode he comes in and for how long is unknown, but that is definitely something to look forward to as the season goes on. Check out the full interview for yourself:

Meanwhile, John Corbett is not the only big name worth talking about who will pop up during Season 2 of How I Met Your Father. The premiere episode ended on a shocker when Sophie accidentally hit a car in front of her. The person who stepped out was none other than Neil Patrick Harris as Barney Stinson. It should be interesting to see what will happen when his storyline finally comes into play and if any other HIMYM stars will reprise their roles for the second season.

New episodes of How I Met Your Father drop late Monday nights/early Tuesday mornings on Hulu with a subscription! Check out CinemaBlend’s 2023 TV schedule to see what else is coming out soon in the coming months of the new year.

Spoilers for How I Met Your Father’s Season 2 premiere ahead.

It was a brief moment, but an exciting one nonetheless, as Neil Patrick Harris made a legendary, and shocking, return to the How I Met Your [insert significant other] universe as Barney Stinson. As the second season of How I Met Your Father gets going, it sounds like this small appearance from the legendary character will not be his only one, as the show’s creators recently broke down his cameo and NPH’s future on the Hulu spinoff. 

The show's creators Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger broke down the shocking final minutes of the episode when Sophie reveals that she thinks she’s dating her dad, and then gets into a fender bender with Barney with TV Line. It’s been made clear by the creators that they want to bring back HIMYM characters, and they also have specific goals for when they ask an OG actor to come back to the universe, Aptaker explained their reasoning and the big cameo:  

It will be so fun to see how Barney fits into the greater How I Met Your Father story. I’m sure he’ll bring all the fun jokes and shenanigans back, however, it’s also clear that the more problematic aspects of the character have been left in the past. 

When it came to bringing Barney back, Berger explained that they did talk about how the character’s actions on HIMYM would not fly these days. She said that was something they talked about with Harris, and they ultimately were able to bring back his character in a faithful way, while leaving some of his “antics” -- as Harris called his character’s questionable actions according to TV Line -- in the past. 

Also, while we don’t know much about Barney’s storyline just yet, one thing we know for certain is he’s not Sophie’s dad. The creators were quick to rule that out as an option, partially because Harris' character would have been a teen when Hilary Duff’s character was born. However, they really didn’t reveal much else about how Harris’ character fits into Sophie’s world. Although, Aptaker did tease: 

So, unlike Cobie Smulders’ brief cameo, it sounds like Harris is joining the How I Met Your Father cast for a bit longer than one episode, which is very exciting. Along with Smulders and Harris, Josh Radnor also said he's willing to return if asked, so now all we’d need is Jason Segel and Alyson Hannigan, and we could have the whole gang back together. Hopefully, this all happens someday, but for now, we luckily will get more of Barney Stinson as new episodes of HIMYF drop every Tuesday according to the 2023 TV schedule, and all you need to tune in is a Hulu subscription.   

While Neil Patrick Harris makes headlines a lot these days for being an awesome gay dad who takes his kids to Disney World and on other fun adventures, for a lengthy period of time he was more known for playing Barney Stinson on CBS’ hit comedy How I Met Your Mother. It was no secret that Barney would not let anything get in the way of him chasing tail, but now a funny blooper is running around from filming the series and it’s a case of priceless timing. 

It wasn’t uncommon for NPH’s character Barney to sit next to Cobie Smulders’ Robin when the gang was hanging out at MacLaren’s Pub during episodes of the show. In one scene from later in the series (Robin and Barney were dating later in the show), the two had a discussion in a booth about playing video games naked. The characters mutually consented to said activity, and then Harris reached back to help Smulders out of the booth and accidentally grabbed her chest instead, leading to laughter from the rest of the cast. 

Thanks to FB Reels it’s running around again, but you can see an original look at one of How I Met Your Mother's big behind-the-scenes moments, below. 

This sort of incident may not always be funny, but given the accidental context --he's reaching for her hand -- and what the characters were talking about just prior, it led to a lot of giggles, here. It’s clear this was a blooper, though the timing couldn’t have been any funnier given the context of the dialogue the two actors were attempting to get through to wrap the episode. Even Smulders seemed amused by what accidentally transpired, making a face at the camera as if to say, “what just happened?!"

I love when moments from the making of TV shows go viral because they give fans a little insight into how long days of filming can be. The actors do the same bits of dialogue over and over in order to capture the right camera angles and the right cadences and sometimes goofy stuff ends up happening. Recently another BTS blooper from the making of Friends also ran around. In that one, Aniston took a real phone call during a Friends scene, and it led to another amusing moment.

As for Neil Patrick Harris and Cobie Smulders, the two have left their HIMYM days behind, but they are probably still filming some classic bloopers on occasion. NPH has an exciting Doctor Who episode coming up and Smulders is still doing a ton of work for Marvel, including upcoming gigs in Secret Invasion and Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. 

Should the two cross paths onscreen again, there will likely be no accidental groping… but one can hope there would still be a lot of laughter. But the bloopers should certainly live on as Hulu is set to premiere the second season of the classic sitcom's sequel, How I Met Your Father. Let the accidental errant moment continue when episodes of that series hit the TV schedule for those with a Hulu subscription on Tuesday, January 24. 

In January 2022, the How I Met Your… universe was expanded with the Hulu spinoff series How I Met Your Father, which took the basic premise of the original CBS comedy series but with Hilary Duff’s Sophie taking on a role similar to that of Josh Radnor’s Ted Mosby (with Kim Cattrall providing the narration like the late Bob Saget did years earlier).

Despite mixed reviews from critics ahead of its debut, the show was quickly picked up for a second season in February 2022, which was great news for How I Met Your Father’s fans and all their theories and wish lists for the series’ future. As we prepare for the return of the Hulu original comedy, we have put together a list of quick things we know about How I Met Your Father Season 2, including its release date, the trailer, cast, and so much more.

How I Met Your Father Season 2 Premieres January 24th On Hulu

The world, or at least those with a Hulu subscription, first met Sophie and her New York City friends when How I Met Your Father debuted on the streaming service in 2022. And fans of the show won’t have to wait much longer to experience another round of romance and comedy, as How I Met Your Father Season 2 is slated to kick off Tuesday, January 24, 2023.

The How I Met Your Father Season 2 Trailer Is Full Of New Beginnings And Fresh Relationships

In January 2023, around two weeks before the How I Met Your Father Season 2 premiere, Hulu released the trailer for the show’s sophomore outing, which offered a glimpse into the lives of the main characters as they enter uncharted territory. Set to The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven,” the admittedly brief trailer packs in a lot of information in a short amount of time, while not feeling overstuffed in the slightest.

New beginnings, new relationships, and even new characters are on full display throughout the How I Met Your Father Season 2 trailer, but at the heart of it is still the core cast viewers fell in love with a year ago. 

The Main How I Met Your Father Cast Is Back For Season 2

The How I Met Your Father cast we met in January 2022 will be the same for the most part when the show returns, as the core group of actors is back for another season of romance, life lessons, and comedy. Hilary Duff will once again lead the cast with her portrayal of the hopelessly romantic Sophie. Joining her once again will be Francia Raisa as Valentina, Chris Lowell as Jesse, Suraj Sharma as Sid, Tom Ainsley as Charlie, Tien Tran as Ellen, and Kim Cattrall as the future Sophie telling her son about how she met the boy’s father years earlier.

On top of all those returning characters, as well as Josh Peck’s Drew, How I Met Your Father Season 2 will also see at least a couple additions. This includes Sex and the City alum John Corbett, who showed up in the Season 2 trailer and Love, Victor star Michael Cimino, who was spotted in a post by the show’s Instagram account.

How I Met Your Father Season 2 Plot

Although exact plot details have yet to be revealed by Hulu, we can piece together what How I Met Your Father Season 2 will be about by looking at the recently released trailer and comments made by series creators Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger following the conclusion of the first season in March 2022. In the season roundup, Aptaker told Deadline that the show’s second season will focus a lot on the female characters living as single women in New York City, with a major emphasis on Valentina following her breakup with Charlie:

And as seen in the trailer above, there will be a lot of new adventures for the single ladies, even if there are a few detours (like Valentina and Charlie trying to keep their hands off one another) along the way.

How I Met Your Father Season 2 Will Have 20 Episodes, Giving Some Stories More Room To ‘Breathe’

The first season of How I Met Your Father played out over the course of 10 episodes, which might not have given the writers and actors a lot of room to try a whole lot without sacrificing crucial plot elements. Well, Hulu has doubled the length with a total of 20 episodes, something co-creator Isaac Ataker was excited about when speaking with TVLine in March 2022, stating:

In addition to giving the cast more time to just hang out and have a “crazy night together,” this expanded episode count will also give the show the chance to explore ideas that didn't make it into How I Met Your Father Season 1, as Elizabeth Berger noted:

The expanded order also puts the Hulu show up there with How I Met Your Mother which had seasons featuring anywhere from 20 to 24 episodes apiece, which included some all-time classics as well as a massive number of inside jokes.

There’s No Word On If There Will Be Another How I Met Your Mother Cameo, But Hilary Duff And Josh Radnor Have Discussed It

Ever since Cobie Smulders reprised the role of Robin Scherbatsky with a brief cameo in the How I Met Your Father Season 1 finale, fans of both shows have been wondering if, or when, Josh Radnor’s Ted Mosby will follow suit at some point in the future. Well, when speaking with Newsweek in early January 2023, the Fleishman is in Trouble actor admitted that he and Hilary Duff have been in contact about that very thing:

Later in the conversation, Radnor admitted that he “wouldn’t turn down an invitation,” from Duff or the producers of How I Met Your Father to portray Ted again after all these years. But we’ll just have to wait and see.

How I Met Your Father Season 2 is set to premiere January 24th on Hulu. If you want to know what other shows are coming to the small screen (and streaming devices) throughout the year, check out our 2023 TV schedule. 

Barney Stinson once exclaimed: “Have you met Ted?” on How I Met Your Mother, and now many fans of the classic sitcom are asking the same question, as they wonder if the cast of How I Met Your Father will ever meet Josh Radnor. Well, there might be an answer to this question, as Radnor recently weighed in on if he’d ever reprise his role as Ted Mosby on Hilary Duff’s HIMYM spin-off series. 

While Radnor was promoting his new series Hunters – which you can watch with an Amazon Prime subscription later this month – he was asked about returning to the world of How I Met Your significant other. He revealed to Newsweek that he’s spoken with Duff about the idea, saying: 

While chatting, Cobie Smulders' cameo in the How I Met Your Father Season 1 finale came up. While the actor admitted he hadn’t seen it, Radnor did say he is down to do something similar.

I know when I saw the return of Robin Scherbatsky on HIMYF, I immediately added the possibility of more cameos to my list of things I wanted to see in Season 2. It seems likely that it could happen, considering Smulders’ cameo, Radnor’s willingness to return, the showrunners being open about the future of guest appearances, and the heartfelt tribute HIMYF paid to Bob Saget during Season 1. 

Considering how Season 1 of How I Met Your Father ended, I think it’s safe to say that Duff’s character might be in need of advice from the man who went through an incredibly similar situation years ago. While she tries to figure out which boy to choose, despite HIMYM’s controversial ending, I think Ted would be the perfect person to help her navigate the murky waters of dating in New York City. 

Lucky for us, we’ll get to see the return of Hilary Duff and co., because How I Met Your Father is right at the top of the 2023 TV schedule, and it is set to return to Hulu on January 24. Hopefully, that means we’ll see some OG How I Met Your Mother cast cameos, Sophie will make a choice about which man she loves, and we’ll eventually find out how she met her kids’ father. 

While we’ll have to wait until late January to see if Sophie ever meets Ted, you can catch Radnor in Hunters on January 13, and you can always go back and watch How I Met Your Mother with a Hulu subscription. 

Hilary Duff has been a well-known face on our screens since Lizzie McGuire won our hearts while navigating the struggles of adolescence over 20 years ago. Since then we’ve continued to watch the actress, as she moved on to movies and shows including two Cheaper by the Dozen flicks, Younger, Gossip Girl and most recently as part of the How I Met Your Father cast. The mom of three shared some fun pics last week from a swimsuit photo shoot, prompting one Twitter user to proclaim that she’s “still looking great” at 35. 

Many of Duff’s fans didn’t appreciate the implications of the comment and fired back with some roasts of their own. Let’s take a look at what went down:

Hilary Duff Posted Some New Pics. Then A Tweet Went Viral  

The whole thing started when Hilary Duff shared some photos to her Instagram from a Women’s Health Magazine cover shoot that she did earlier this year. She thanked all who had been involved, even saying she’d gotten to keep the blue one-piece. Check out the pics: 

Too bad she admitted that she can’t find the swimsuit! There were lots of complimentary responses to the fun post, but one comment started getting attention for an unfavorable reason. 

Fans Could Not Stop Roasting The Hilary Duff Tweet 

The Twitter account Daily Loud reposted a couple of shots, commenting that the actress was “still looking great at age 35,” with fire and exclamation point emojis. Many people seemed to take issue with the sentiment, and particularly the use of the word “still,” with one commenter pointing out that 35 isn’t as ancient as the comment made it sound: 

In fact, a number of people responded to the viral tweet, blasting the Twitter user over the perceived shock at Hilary Duff’s photos: 

• Why do you say that like 35 is some super old age ? – @ClassicFresca
• wow, 35, incredible, the field of geriatric aesthetics continues to amaze – @DoubleEmMartin
• This question exactly. Why is ‘still’ used on a woman who is 35 but we'd never do the same to a man like say Leonardo DiCaprio? – @valhallaone1
• Do you think women dry up like raisins at 35 ?? What headline is this? – @gothbabyxoxo
• Jesus I didn't even know people lived that long – @nickthorpe888

The original poster of the comment saw the backlash the tweet was causing and chose to address it. However, instead of possibly admitting they’d made an error or acknowledging the complaints of the commenters, they decided to go a different route. 

Twitter User Doubles Down After Viral Duff Comment 

The Daily Loud poster seemed to have missed the point of their critics, and in response to the viral attention, they doubled down and added more qualifiers to the comments about Hilary Duff. The comment read: 

That, of course, did nothing to ebb the flow of comments, as Twitter users continued to try to explain their frustrations, with one saying: 

A word of advice: Nobody should try to answer that question. As for Hilary Duff, fans will be able to see more of her on the small screen, when How I Met Your Father returns for Season 2. The first season is available to stream for those with a Hulu subscription, and be sure to check out our 2023 TV schedule to see what else is coming up in the new year. 

Hilary Duff has spent a long time in the public eye, from her Disney Channel and Lizzie McGuire teen years to updating on social media about her journey as the mother of three children and most recently, the star of Hulu’s How I Met Your Father. For a new magazine cover interview, the singer and actress posed nude and got real about her journey with her body image over the years in the face of Hollywood.

In the past, Hilary Duff has shared that when she was a Disney Channel star and young pop star she struggled with an eating disorder to fit in with the “image” of big names like her. At 34, the actress is feeling “proud” and “powerful” in her own skin, as she bared it all for Women’s Health Magazine. Check out the photos: 

The actress took to Instagram to share the photoshoot, admitting that it was “scary” to pose in her birthday suit for the front cover of the magazine. However, as she shared, it turned out to be the “best time,” citing that only women were invited to the shoot. And as the issue is revealed, she loves the photos and is grateful that a moment in time, in which she “felt both completely vulnerable but powerful,” could be captured. 

During the actress’ interview, she was quick to debunk the image she's putting out with her own tastefully nude magazine cover images. In her words to Women’s Health Magazine: 

Hilary Duff looks comfortable and confident in her own skin in these magazine images, but she wanted viewers to know that it's the product of a group of people helping her look the most flattering for the camera. The actress gave birth to her third child, Mae, with husband Matthew Koma just a little over a year ago in March 2021. And as she should be, she’s proud of her body right now. So why not show it off? She also said this: 

The actress, who will return to How I Met Your Father for Season 2 following its exciting renewal, shared that therapy has become a vital part of her life alongside her hard work on her appearance. She said she has made it a continuous goal to show up for her appointments at least twice a month. 

Hilary Duff is working on thriving inside and out on the daily – she looks like she could play a Marvel character! You can watch the actress on How I Met Your Father with a Hulu subscription. Also, be sure to check out CinemaBlend's 2022 TV schedule for more on other new and returning shows.

Kids, in the winter of 2022, Hulu expanded on the How I Met Your Mother universe with a spin-off following a woman (Hilary Duff) searching for love, as well as her friends and their own romantic misadventures, in New York, called How I Met Your Father. Surprisingly, its 10-episode first run proved to be fun, enjoyable, and relatable enough to earn a second season, which was officially announced in February.

I, a self-proclaimed HIMYM obsessive, am one of the many looking forward to How I Met Your Father Season 2, especially after the memorable moments and intriguing (let alone heartbreaking) revelations that occurred in the Season 1 finale. That game-changing episode actually helped inspire a few of my own ideas for what show runners Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger might want to consider incorporating into the sitcom when it returns, if they up to accept the challenge.

More Head-Scratching Clues And Clever Misdirects Regarding The Father’s Identity 

In the pilot, narration from Future Sophie (former Sex and the City cast member Kim Cattrall) confirms that she met her eventual husband on the night the episode takes place - meaning that it could be any one of the male characters from the How I Met Your Father cast. It was already an intriguing set-up that led to some interesting plot twists in later episodes, such as the discovery that Drew (Josh Peck) was also at Sid (Suraj Sharma) and Hannah’s (Ashley Reyes) engagement party that night and the surprise return of Ian (Daniel Augustin) at the end of the finale.

It was these brainteasing details regarding who could be the titular father that kept me most engaged in the story, much like how its predecessor kept its fans eager to learn the identity of Ted Mosby’s (Josh Radnor) future bride. However, if I am being honest, I think How I Met Your Mother did a much better job at keeping its more mysterious elements strong and more prevalent, which is something I hope to see in Season 2.

More Jason Momoa Look-Alikes

Allow me to make up for voicing one of my less favorable opinions of How I Met Your Father so quickly by talking about one of my favorite things from Season 1: the humor… Well, not all of it, to be perfectly honest. However, one gag that really had me chuckling in the second episode was how Sophie and Ian, whom she had only been on one date with before he had to move to Australia, would send each other pictures of people they spotted that bear a resemblances to Jason Momoa.

Well, now that Ian is back in New York and, apparently, ready to revive their romance, maybe this could also mean a revival of that funny bit, but with the couple spotting the faux Momoas together in person instead of sharing them through photos. This could be How I Met Your Father’s equivalent of Ted and Robin’s (Cobie Smulders) running gag of saluting anytime another would unintentionally use a military rank in a sentence (i.e. “General Knowledge” or “Major Buzzkill”).

Keep Charlie And Val’s Split Permanent

To point out another way that How I Met Your Father “borrows” from its predecessor, it ends its first season with two romantically linked main characters breaking up. British model Charlie (Tom Ainsley), who followed Sophie’s fashion designer friend, Valentina (Francia Raisa of The Secret Life of the American Teenager fame) to the States after falling in love with her, revealed that he was not interested in having children, leading to their decision to end things. While it might have been upsetting, I also think it was necessary.

I think we all saw that split coming, given how their relationship - which was pretty spur of the moment already - was constantly put to the test by (mostly) easily avoidable obstacles. On top of that, I think the naive, fish-out-of-water Charlie and the otherwise charming Val are the two HIMYF characters most in need of some room to grow. That being said, I hope Season 2 does not pull a “Marshall and Lily” and make their split temporary, because I am more interested to see how they will struggle to remain friends than struggle to make their romance work.

More HIMYM Cast Member Cameos 

However, I would like to see HIMYF borrow more from the original How I Met Your Mother cast for Season 2. We have already seen how fun this can be in Season 1 with the return of Kyle MacLachlan as George “The Captain” Van Smoot and Becky “Boats Boats Boats” Van Smoot (Laura Bell Bundy) in the final two episodes. Most notably, however, was the sight of bartender Carl (Joe Nieves) and Robin Scherbatsky at MacLaren’s, where Sophie visits just in time to receive some sound advice.

At the risk of really letting my HIMYM fandom show here, seeing Cobie Smulders reprise her best known role was truly my favorite moment of How I Met Your Father’s first season and it made me hope we see more of the original gang. For instance, how about an update on how Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) and his daughter, Ellie (who would be a toddler by now based on the show’s timeline), are doing, or one last glimpse of Tracy (Cristin Milioti) before she passes in 2024. Or, maybe we can keep things simpler with the gang renting a limo chauffeured by Marshall Minesh as Ranjit.

A Reunion Between Hilary Duff And The Lizzie McGuire Cast 

I also think that it would be really fun to see HIMYF play host to a cast reunion for a show that exists outside of the HIMYM universe. As some may recall, star Hilary Duff was, at one time, set to lead a Disney+ original reboot of her career-making Disney Channel series, Lizzie McGuire, before it was scrapped. They even shot two episodes with much of the original cast involved that still have not see the light of day.

Well, if that is to remain the fate of the Lizzie McGuire reboot, I say that Hulu should help make up for it by inviting the cast to make cameo appearance on HIMYM. How funny and wonderfully meta would it be if Duff’s former onscreen father, Robert Carradine, appeared as Sophie’s absentee dad, along with Hallie Todd as his new wife and Jake Thomas as their son? Bring on “Gordo” actor Adam Lambert and Lalaine, who played Miranda, as some childhood friends and we are in business.

And that, kids, is how you make a great second season of How I Met Your Father, if you ask me. Whether Aptaker and Berger agree is up to them. 

Those of use who came up in the early aughts of the 2000s can easily identify the Disney Channel icons of that era – and spot them, too. Zenon, Cheetah Girls, the Twitches, Cadet Kelly and the list goes on and on. Yet none of the actors on the network were quite as notorious as Hilary Duff, who played Lizzie McGuire for two seasons on the network. She has since gone on to do a bevy of other movies and shows in her career, including the long-awaited How I Met Your Father spinoff that has caused no shortage of critical debate. Nevertheless, Duff's notoriety hasn’t stopped younger kinds of late from mistaking her for Lindsay Lohan (of all people). No worries, the actress has a funny take (or should we say takedown) of the situation.

First, let’s rewind to the egregious TikTok that started it all. In it, a middle school teacher asked her students to identify several big names from the 2000s. Hilariously, they thought Hannah Montana was some cross between Jojo Siwa, Katy Perry and Britney Spears. Ashley Tisdale's Sharpay from High School Musical (the originals) was likewise confused for Hannah Montana. And of course, a pic of Hilary Duff from her old Lizzie McGuire days was believed to be fellow former child star Lindsay Lohan. If you haven’t already seen it, check out the viral clip below:

Now, to be fair, the two actresses did occupy the Disney Channel roughly around the same time period. While HIMYF star was worrying about getting her first bra as Lizzie McGuire, the Parent Trap icon was the lead in the iconic DC original movie Get a Clue in 2002. However, the comparisons stop there – and Duff let the youth know just that. See the response from her Instagram stories here:

What’s sad is, even if the kiddies saw the HIMYF star’s take on their error, they probably still don’t get the references being made. Which must mean I’m probably getting too old… I humbly admit to not knowing much myself about any of Disney Channel’s recent lineups, beyond that Zendaya and Olivia Rodrigo are exports from it for the Gen Z set (to much success). Hilary Duff, clearly though, doesn’t have any further intention of being a saint for those younger audiences anymore.

Despite what the recent whoopsie-daisy suggests, the star remains a prolific actress, as I said. She starred on the TV Land series Younger for seven seasons and just recently got a Season 2 renewal for HIMYF. Similarly, Lindsay Lohan would delve into much more adult subject matter in her subsequent films. She’s lately been on a 2-year hiatus from movie-making but these kids might recognize the actress when her new Christmas movie drops on Netflix. (Or…will they just confuse her with her fellow Disney kid…?)

Either way, for my early 2000s purposes (and apparently educational) purposes, me and the youth are gonna need that defunct Lizzie McGuire revival to finally be released… if nothing else. In the meantime, fans can check out the 5 Marvel characters we think Hilary Duff would be perfect for or get up to scratch on HIMYF with a Hulu subscription.

How I Met Your Father has officially been renewed for Season 2 on Hulu, and the cast members just can’t contain their excitement. Hilary Duff and her co-stars took to social media to celebrate the announcement that the relationship calamities aren't over yet. They shared a sweet photo of the cast, with Duff clearly looking forward to continuing Sophie’s love story.

The spinoff of the CBS hit How I Met Your Mother premiered on Hulu in January, telling the story of Sophie (Hilary Duff) and her close-knit friends in the year 2022, as they figure out who they are, what they want out of life, and how to fall in love in the age of dating apps and seemingly limitless options. And all with Kim Cattrall playing the older and settled Sophie, who is narrating from the future. Check out Duff’s post below: 

Some of the series’ other stars, including Christopher Lowell and Francia Raisa, also joined with Hilary Duff in sharing the happy news on Instagram, with Raisa adding her own feelings to the cast photo.

Christopher Lowell plays Jesse Walker, an aspiring musician who became an Internet meme after a very public failed marriage proposal to Meredith (Leighton Meester). Francia Raisa is Valentina, Sophie's best friend and roommate. 

Tien Tran, who plays Jesse's adopted sister Ellen Gilbert, shared the same photo as her co-stars on her page, but added her own embellishments to show her enthusiasm about continuing to work with the "cuties." 

The series has continued to expand its universe in Season 1, with Paget Brewster recently making her debut as Sophie’s mother, Lori. Lori paid her daughter an unexpected visit in the February 8 episode, and viewers got a peek into Sophie's past and how moving around so much as a child affected her. While Lori and her "party girl" reputation aren't expected to make any more appearances in Season 1, the renewal for Season 2 opens up the opportunity to further explore her and Sophie's complicated relationship.

Kim Cattrall's role as future Sophie narrating her younger days is a continuation of the storytelling style introduced in the series' predecessor, How I Met Your Mother. On the CBS sitcom, Josh Radnor played Ted Mosby, with Bob Saget providing the voice of older Ted as the narrator. Following Saget's death in January, How I Met Your Father paid tribute to the OG narrator at the end of its premiere episode

How I Met Your Father is written by Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger. Executive producers include Aptaker, Berger, Carter Bays, Craig Thomas, Pam Fryman and Adam Londy. Hilary Duff also serves as a producer. 

New episodes of How I Met Your Father debut on Hulu every Tuesday morning, and head to our 2022 TV premiere schedule to see what else is popping up in the coming months! 

Despite only wrapping up its 15-season run on CBS in 2020, the highly popular crime drama Criminal Minds was almost instantly in conversations to return in a somewhat different capacity as a content anchor for Paramount+, with Paget Brewster set to continue Emily Prentiss’ story. In the roughly two years since then, however, there have been far more silent patches than promising updates. Following the latest news, which basically just confirmed that the project is still generally happening, the next big role in Brewster’s non-Criminal Minds career was revealed: she’s playing Hilary Duff’s mom!

To clarify, Paget Brewster is set to appear on Hulu’s universe-expanding comedy How I Met Your Father, where she will portray the mother of Hilary Duff’s character Sophie. (And technically also the mother of Kim Katrall’s future-timeline Sophie.) And what’s more, fans don’t have long to wait to see her in action, as she will appear in Episode 105, appropriately titled “The Good Mom,” which debuts on February 8.

Check out the first look at Brewster’s Lori in the pic below!

As far as what to expect from Lori when Paget Brewster pops into the How I Met Your Father lore, the character is noted as being a single mother and former model, with Sophie’s birth having happened when Lori was still quite young. Her arrival apparently won’t be a long-planned event for Sophie & Co., as the episode synopsis notes:

•  An unexpected visit from Sophie’s mom heightens Val’s concern for her friend. 

Sounds like Paget Brewster’s latest role will see her causing some drama, despite it being set within a comedic narrative. From what we’ve heard about Sophie’s childhood thus far, Lori was referred to early on as a “party girl,” and hasn’t been painted in particularly positive shades ever since. So while I have no doubt that Brewster is capable of joining the fun in hilarious and quirky ways, it may serve Sophie’s story best if Lori isn’t quite likeable.

It doesn’t appear as if Brewster’s Lori will make any other appearances in Season 1 of How I Met Your Father, but one can assume the door will be open for future guest spots if Hulu renews the spinoff comedy for Season 2. And probably also if the actress’ schedule isn’t busy with filming the Criminal Minds revival season, should it ever get an official series order. 

Brewster herself wasn’t so optimistic about that return coming to light on the streaming service, but the latest update at least keeps hope alive that Team BAU will be back on the small screen in the years to come. Granted, it probably won’t be exactly the same, seeing as how Kirsten Vangsness’ Garcia left her post for greener pastures (possibly even with Alvez as her romantic partner), among other details. But any port in a storm to see more flirting between fan-favorite non-couple J.J. and Reid, amirite?

New episodes of How I Met Your Father debut on Hulu every Tuesday morning, with Paget Brewster’s character making her presumably memorable entrance on February 8. You can check out past seasons of Criminal Minds on Paramount+, and head to our 2022 TV premiere schedule to see what else is popping up in the coming months! 

Most would probably agree that Bob Saget was one of the most recognizable stars in the history of TV. Many knew him as loving father Danny Tanner on the hit ‘80s/’90s sitcom Full House, a role that he would later reprise for the Netflix sequel series Fuller House. Of course, those weren’t the only high-profile sitcom credits he had under his belt. He also notably played the future version of Josh Radnor’s Ted Mosby on How I Met Your Mother, the narrator of the series. With this, the spinoff series, How I Met Your Father, paid tribute to the late actor during its premiere episode. 

How I Met Your Father may not have too many narrative ties to its predecessor, but the producers certainly know how to give respect when it’s due. The series premiere ended with a scene involving new narrator Kim Cattrall and, right after the screen went to black a title card appeared. The text simply read “In Loving Memory of Bob Saget” and was a sweet way to pay tribute to the OG voice of the franchise. You can see the title card down below:

The beloved comic served as the narrator of How I Met Your Mother for the entirety of its nine-season run. In his role, the actor would provide viewers (and his on-screen kids) with context regarding the events that would lead him to cross paths with his future spouse. Through his voiceovers, the America’s Funniest Home Videos host would dish out his signature wit, which was accompanied by his genuine sense of warmth. 

This recent tribute is only one of the many ways Bob Saget’s memory has been honored since he died at the age of 65 on January 9. Many of his Full House co-stars have penned loving messages and shared their favorite memories of the late star. Candace Cameron Bure remembered her TV dad by sharing a set of images and even making a special t-shirt. Meanwhile, Jodie Sweetin shared an emotional tribute and even vowed to make an inappropriate joke at Saget’s well-attended funeral, as she believes the occasionally dirty comic would’ve wanted that. In addition both of Saget’s “daughters” reached out to his widow, Kelly Rizzo, to show their support. 

Famous figures from around the comedy world have also paid their respects, with people like Adam Sandler and Pete Davidson taking the time to memorialize him. Fellow TV personality Steve Harvey also reflected on his relationship with Bob Saget and revealed that he’d actually received an email from the late star just days before his death.

The comedian, actor, and host definitely clearly left an indelible impression on the entertainment industry. So it’s nice to see a show like How I Met Your Father show reverence to him. Though the performer may be gone, his work on the beloved sitcom will surely be remembered for years to come. 

Both How I Met Your Father and its parent series are available to stream on Hulu. Also, be sure to check out our list of other things you can watch in memory of Bob Saget.

Kids, in the early years of the 21st Century, the How I Met Your Mother cast became one of the most beloved sitcom ensembles of its generation. Thus, I am sure the How I Met Your Father cast are aware they have some legen- wait for it… DARILY big shoes to fill with their spiritual sequel series on Hulu. 

Developed by Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger and executive produced by original HIMYM creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, How I Met Your Father has a similar plot to its long-running, CBS original predecessor, but from the point of view of a woman telling her children her own love story, which largely consists of her and her friends’ many adventurous anecdotes while living in New York. I promise that we will not take too long explaining the How I Met Your Mother spin-off’s new characters and where you might recognize the actors who play them, starting with our lead protagonist.

Hilary Duff (Sophie)

While How I Met Your Mother was the story of how Josh Radnor’s Ted Mosby met his wife, How I Met Your Father is the story of how Hilary Duff’s Sophie met her husband. This is the actress and singer’s first leading role on a TV comedy since she played the title character of Disney Channel’s Lizzie McGuire, which spawned a theatrical movie in 2003 and almost spawned a Disney+ revival in 2020.

Before becoming a Disney star, Duff debuted as a young witch in 1998’s Casper Meets Wendy and eventually starred in movies like Cheaper By the Dozen in 2003 or 2005’s A Cinderella Story before offers for more mature films like 2008’s War, Inc. or the more recent (and more controversial) The Haunting of Sharon Tate in 2019. How I Met Your Father is also her first major follow-up to her role on the Younger cast, after the TV Land original had its final season on Paramount+ in 2021.

Francia Raisa (Valentina)

As Valentina, Sophie’s best friend and roommate (or, the Marshall Eriksen to her Ted, essentially) on How I Met Your Father, we have Francia Raisa, whose last experience as a series regular on a spin-off was on Freeform’s Grown-ish as a college student named Ana Torres. This was years after she broke out as a high school student named Adrian Lee on The Secret Life of the American Teenager when the network was still called ABC Family. 

In 2005, Francia Raisa made her debut on FX’s Iraq War-inspired drama Over There, followed by two cheerleader comedies (straight-to-video Bring It On: All or Nothing in 2006 and 2009’s Fired Up!), two made-for-TV The Cutting Edge sequels, and guest spots on hits like CSI on CBS, Season 1 of The Mindy Project, and Netflix’s Dear White People series in a recurring role. In 2018, Raisa also co-starred with Tyra Banks in Freeform’s sequel to Life-Size - a Wonderful World of Disney installment from 2000 that originally starred Lindsay Lohan. 

Christopher Lowell (Jesse)

Playing Sophie’s friend and aspiring musician, Jesse, on How I Met Your Father is Christopher Lowell, whose first experience as a series regular on a spin-off was on Private Practice as Dell Parker - a role he originated on the medical drama’s predecessor, Grey’s Anatomy. His first TV show (and first-ever acting gig) was ABC’s teen drama Life As We Know It from 2004 to 2005 before joining the Veronica Mars cast as “Piz” in 2006.

In 2014, Christopher Lowell starred on Fox’s short-lived military comedy series Enlisted and, two years later, played Nick Nolte’s onscreen son on Epix’s political satire Graves before getting cast on Netflix’s GLOW as Bash Howard. Lowell, who made his directorial debut with the 2013 dramedy Beside Still Waters, has also appeared in several Oscar darlings - namely Up in the Air in 2009, The Help in 2011, and Promising Young Woman as the infamous Al Monroe in 2020 - and is currently filming an adaptation of Grady Hendrix’s horror-comedy novel My Best Friend’s Exorcism.

Suraj Sharma (Sid)

Playing Jesse’s roommate, Sid, on How I Met Your Father is Suraj Sharma, who made a stunning acting debut as the title hero of director Ang Lee’s Oscar-winning survival drama Life of Pi in 2012. His second film -  the biographical, Jon Hamm-led sports movie Million Dollar Arm - came out in 2014, the same year he joined Showtime’s Homeland cast as Aayan Ibrahim until 2015, which saw him the lead the international drama Umrika.

In 2016, Suraj Sharma starred in Burn Your Maps with Jacob Tremblay, followed by a few films set in his native country of India (such as the fantasy-comedy Phillauri, to name one) and American thrillers like Happy Death Day 2U from Blumhouse or Killerman with Liam Hemsworth in 2019. By then, Sharma had already been cast on ABC’s faith-based drama God Friended Me. His upcoming romantic-comedy movie Wedding Season (also starring former Schitt’s Creek cast member Rizwan Manji) is expected to come out in 2022.

Tien Tran (Ellen)

Playing Jesse’s adoptive sister, Ellen, on How I Met Your Father is Tien Tran, whose last experience starring in a spin-off (or sorts) was when she appeared on 2021’s Candyman cast in a brief role. She previously made a guest appearance on Netflix’s Easy in 2017, the same year she landed a recurring role on another web-based romantic-comedy series called Hot Date.

Tien Tran would work with Netflix again as a guest on the satirical comedy Space Force in 2020 and a guest voice actor on the animated, LGBTQ+-themed espionage adventure series Q-Force in 2021. Around that same time, she guest starred on Work in Progress - an LGBTQ+-themed Showtime original comedy she also wrote for - and on South Side for its second season after making the transition from Comedy Central to HBO Max.

Tom Ainsley (Charlie)

As Charlie, a model from England who also happens to be in love with Valentina, we have Tom Ainsley - an actor from England who debuted as a guest star on the country’s long-running, aptly-titled medical drama, Doctors, in 2014. The following year, he became better known to the American mainstream when he scored a recurring role on the E! original series The Royals as one third of an awkward love triangle for four episodes.

Also in 2015, Tom Ainsley had a recurring role on another series about royalty (this time a period piece called Versailles) before starring in a straight-to-video Jarhead sequel in 2016. The next year, he and Sarah Dumont played a husband and wife trapped in a tent with a snake in Serpent and he also led the cast of the war epic/horror movie hybrid Boots on the Ground. His most recent role before joining the How I Met Your Father cast is a romantic drama/horror movie hybrid called Safe Inside, which was released in 2019.

Kim Cattrall (Future Sophie)

The narrator of How I Met Your Mother was the late Bob Saget as the voice of Ted’s older self in the future. The narrator of How I Met Your Father as Sophie’s older self in the future is Kim Cattrall, who is best known for her five-time Emmy nominated role on the Sex and the City cast as the scene-stealing Samantha Jones, whom she reprised in two theatrically released spin-offs.

Before then, Kim Cattrall had a steady run of TV guest appearance in the late 1970s and early 1980s before achieving big screen stardom in comedies like Porky’s, the first of the many Police Academy movies, or the title role of Mannequin and fantasy thrillers like Big Trouble in Little China with Kurt Russell or Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, to name a few. In more recent years, Cattrall has reestablished herself as TV royalty on series like the quasi-anthology Tell Me a Story and Fox’s short-lived primetime soap Filthy Rich as the lead.

With an ensemble this talented, we should have no problem falling in with the How I Met Your Father cast just like we did with Ted, Robin, Barney, Marshall, and Lily. See for yourself by streaming the spin-off, which is now available to stream on Hulu.

The highly-anticipated How I Met Your Father — a sequel to the CBS hit How I Met Your Mother — is just about to drop on Hulu. Hilary Duff and Kim Cattrall star in the new sitcom, and critics have had the chance to screen a handful of episodes. How do they feel the follow-up series stands up to the original?

Kim Cattrall stars as Sophie, who is explaining to her unseen son how she met his father. Hilary Duff stars as younger Sophie, and viewers will be introduced to her friend group, which includes Chris Lowell as Jesse, Francia Raisa as Valentina, Tom Ainsley as Charlie, Tien Tran as Ellen and Suraj Sharma as Sid, who are trying to navigate young adulthood and find their places in the world. Let’s take a look at what critics are saying about How I Met Your Father. 

Gwen Ihnat of the AV Club grades the series a C-, lamenting that the sequel fails to capture the lightning in the bottle that made the original ensemble so special. However, she does note there are some nice nods to the OG series, including doppelganger gags. 

Siddhant Adlakha of IGN says with HIMYF using similar gimmicks to its predecessor — including the laugh track and multi-camera production — it’s hard to avoid comparisons to the CBS series, which is a high bar to meet. While it’s possible the long-term narrative will pay off, the first two episodes fall short. 

Caroline Framke of Variety says How I Met Your Father feels like another example of recycling nostalgia for today’s world, but it tries so hard that it doesn’t feel very modern (or very New York) at all. 

Darren Franich of EW also touches on the outdated feel of the jokes, grading the series a C-. He points out the lame unboxing joke and characters saying “FOMO” and worrying about the perfect profile pic. These reasons are part why HIMYF feels more like any number of dull sitcoms and less unique than HIMYM.

It’s not all meh or bad, though. Dave Nemetz of TV Line says the series starts to find its footing a few episodes in. Though he also notes that while HIMYM struck gold with its talented cast and sharp writing, the sequel (which he says should really be called a reboot) is lacking in the latter category.

Critics are definitely not raving about the first episodes of the new Hulu series, but it does sound like fans of the original series’ premise could get hooked by the long-term story, especially as the talented cast begins to gel. Check out the How I Met Your Father trailer for yourself and see what you think.

The first two episodes of How I Met Your Father premiere on Hulu on Tuesday, January 18, with individual weekly releases thereafter on the 10-episode first season. Check out our 2022 TV schedule to see what other shows are coming soon..

After getting a load of what Netflix has in store for subscribers in January 2022, it looks like it’s time for other major streaming service Hulu to shine. The first schedule in the New Year for the green streaming giant has finally landed, and everything from This Is Us’ final season to the joy revisiting most of the original Star Trek crew movies is up for grabs. You’ll probably want tissues for both scenarios, to be honest, so go grab your Kleenex, take one last look at the December 2021 lineup that is coming to a close, and ring in a very happy Hulu year!

New On Hulu The Week Of January 1: Sex and the City: The Movie, Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World, And More

Naturally, if you want to relive both Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest or Fox’s New Year’s Eve Live 2022, those options are available. But when both Sex and the City movies and even the severely underrated Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World are available, your New Year’s Day could be spent reliving some old favorites.

Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve Anniversary Special - 1/1/22
Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest - 1/1/22
Fox's New Year's Eve Live 2022, Part 1 - 1/1/22
Fox's New Year's Eve Live 2022, Part 2 - 1/1/22
Black Ink Crew: Complete Season 4 - 1/1/22
The Challenge: Complete Season 33 - 1/1/22
Dark Side of the 90s: Complete Season 1 - 1/1/22
RuPaul's Drag Race: Complete Season 8 - 1/1/22
Vice Versa: Chyna: Complete Season 1 - 1/1/22
Vice Versa: College $ports Inc.: Complete Season 1 - 1/1/22
10, 000 BC (2008) - 1/1/22
(500) Days Of Summer (2009) - 1/1/22
A Night at the Roxbury (1998) - 1/1/22
A Soldier's Story (1984) - 1/1/22
Alfie (2004) - 1/1/22
All the Right Moves (1983) - 1/1/22
Amistad (1997) - 1/1/22
An Officer and a Gentleman (1982) - 1/1/22
Astro Boy (2009) - 1/1/22
Beautiful Creatures (2013) - 1/1/22
Beerfest (2006) - 1/1/22
Big Top Pee-Wee (1988) - 1/1/22
Black Rain (1989) - 1/1/22
Black Sunday (1977) - 1/1/22
Case 39 (2010) - 1/1/22
Charlie's Angels (2000) - 1/1/22
The Collection (2012) - 1/1/22
Commando (1985) - 1/1/22
Coneheads (1993) - 1/1/22
Courage Under Fire (1996) - 1/1/22
Coyote Ugly (2000) - 1/1/22
Crime Story (2021) - 1/1/22
Date Night (2010) - 1/1/22
Devil in a Blue Dress (1995) - 1/1/22
Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010) - 1/1/22
Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star (2003) - 1/1/22
Dolphin Tale 2 (2014) - 1/1/22
The Duchess (2008) - 1/1/22
Dunston Checks In (1996) - 1/1/22
Escape from Alcatraz (1979) - 1/1/22
Falling for Figaro (2021) - 1/1/22
Fire in the Sky (1993) - 1/1/22
The Foot Fist Way (2006) - 1/1/22
Forces of Nature (1999) - 1/1/22
Fred Claus (2007) - 1/1/22
Furry Vengeance (2010) - 1/1/22
G.I. Jane (1997) - 1/1/22
Georgia Rule (2007) - 1/1/22
Gimme Shelter (2014) - 1/1/22
The Haunting (1999) - 1/1/22
Head of State (2003) - 1/1/22
Heartburn (1986) - 1/1/22
Hidalgo (2004) - 1/1/22
Hitman: Agent 47 (2015) - 1/1/22
Home for the Holidays (1995) - 1/1/22
Hondo (1953) - 1/1/22
Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993) - 1/1/22
Hotel for Dogs (2009) - 1/1/22
Hugo (2011) - 1/1/22
The Impossible (2012) - 1/1/22
The Indian in the Cupboard (1995) - 1/1/22
Jacob's Ladder (1990) - 1/1/22
The King of Comedy (1983) - 1/1/22
Labios Rojos (2011) - 1/1/22
Last of the Mohicans (1992) - 1/1/22
Lifeguard (1976) - 1/1/22
Look Who's Talking Too (1990) - 1/1/22
Look Who's Talking Now (1993) - 1/1/22
The Lovely Bones (2009) - 1/1/22
The Machinist (2004) - 1/1/22
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2004) - 1/1/22
Midnight In Paris (2011) - 1/1/22
Moulin Rouge (2001) - 1/1/22
Mr. Holland's Opus (1996) - 1/1/22
New Year's Eve (2011) - 1/1/22
Nick of Time (1995) - 1/1/22
Norm of the North (2016) - 1/1/22
Once Upon a Time in the West (1969) - 1/1/22
Open Range (2003) - 1/1/22
Ordinary People (1980) - 1/1/22
Panic Room (2002) - 1/1/22
Paranormal Activity 3 (2011) - 1/1/22
Paycheck (2003) - 1/1/22
The Perfect Storm (2000) - 1/1/22
Phenomenon (1996) - 1/1/22
Prophecy (1979) - 1/1/22
Real Genius (1985) - 1/1/22
Red Eye (2005) - 1/1/22
Red Riding Hood (2011) - 1/1/22
Resident Evil (2002) - 1/1/22
Revolutionary Road (2008) - 1/1/22
The Sandlot (1993) - 1/1/22
Semi-Pro (2008) - 1/1/22
Sense and Sensibility (1995) - 1/1/22
Seven (1995) - 1/1/22
Sex And The City (2008) - 1/1/22
Sex And The City 2 (2010) - 1/1/22
Sinister (2012) - 1/1/22
The Soloist (2009) - 1/1/22
Space Jam (1996) - 1/1/22
The Squid And The Whale (2005) - 1/1/22
Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) - 1/1/22
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) - 1/1/22
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) - 1/1/22
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) - 1/1/22
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) - 1/1/22
Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) - 1/1/22
The Stepford Wives (2004) - 1/1/22
Sydney White (2007) - 1/1/22
Three Days of the Condor (1975) - 1/1/22
The Three Stooges (2012) - 1/1/22
The Two Faces Of January (2014) - 1/1/22
What a Girl Wants (2003) - 1/1/22
What About Bob? (1991) - 1/1/22
What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) - 1/1/22
When In Rome (2010) - 1/1/22
Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! (2004) - 1/1/22
Without a Paddle: Nature's Calling (2009) - 1/1/22
Wuthering Heights (2003)  - 1/1/22
Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married (2007)  - 1/2/22

New On Hulu The Week Of January 3: 9-1-1: Lone Star: Season 3 Premiere, Judge Steve Harvey Premiere, And More

The brave first responders of Fox’s 9-1-1: Lone Star have finally returned to begin Season 3, after enduring a longer than usual wait. And just when you thought it was safe in the world of reality court shows, Judge Steve Harvey has arrived to dish out his own brand of snazzy justice.

Next Level Chef: Series Premiere - 1/3/22
The Year of the Everlasting Storm (2021) - 1/3/22
9-1-1: Lone Star: Season 3 Premiere - 1/4/22
The Bachelor: Season 26 Premiere - 1/4/22
The Cleaning Lady: Series Premiere - 1/4/22
Kenan: Season 2 Premiere - 1/4/22
Abbot Elementary: Season 1 Returns - 1/5/22
Judge Steve Harvey: Series Premiere - 1/5/22
This Is Us: Season 6 Premiere - 1/5/22
Black-ish: Season 8 Premiere - 1/6/22
I Can See Your Voice: Season 2 Premiere - 1/6/22
The Amazing Race: Complete Season 30 - 1/7/22
The Amazing Race: Complete Season 31 - 1/7/22
Survivor: Complete Season 37 - 1/7/22
Joe Millionaire: For Richer or Poorer: Series Premiere - 1/7/22
Women of the Movement: Series Premiere - 1/7/22
Pharma Bro (2021) - 1/7/22
Real Housewives of New Jersey: Complete Season 11 - 1/9/22

New On Hulu The Week Of January 10: Call Me Kat Season 2, I’m Your Man, And More

Fresh off of her stint as a Jeopardy guest host, Mayim Bialik is back on her funny, fuzzy game with Season 2 of Call Me Kat once again opening the doors to her cat cafe, and her personal life. At least it couldn’t be anywhere near as awkward as perfect android Dan Stevens trying to make his human happy in the German sci-fi/dramedy I’m Your Man.

The Golden Palace: Complete Series - 1/10/22
Call Me Kat: Season 2 Premiere - 1/10/22
Pivoting: Series Premiere - 1/10/22
Ailey (2021) - 1/10/22
Black Bear (2020) - 1/10/22
I'm Your Man (2021) - 1/11/22
Madagascar: A Little Wild: Complete Season 6 - 1/13/22
Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest: Season 2 Premiere (Sub) - 1/13/22
My Best Friend's Girl (2008) - 1/13/22
Sex Appeal (2022) - 1/14/22
Bergman Island (2021) - 1/14/22
Dark Side of the Ring: Complete Season 3B - 1/15/22
Bad Rap (2016) - 1/15/22
Main Street (2010) - 1/15/22
Marjorie Prime (2017) - 1/15/22
Rewind (2019) - 1/15/22
Serious Moonlight (2009) - 1/15/22
Sprinter (2018) - 1/15/22
Woman Thou Art Loosed (2004) - 1/15/22
Zero Days (2016) - 1/15/22

New On Hulu The Week Of January 17: How I Met Your Father Series Premiere, Georgetown, And More

If you’ve been missing the antics of How I Met Your Mother, but longed for an added twist to the format, How I Met Your Father will be glad to spend some time with audiences, starting with a two-episode premiere night. It’ll probably make for a good counterbalance to Christoph Waltz’s directorial debut/murder mystery Georgetown, which dives into a true crime story of death and shady financial dealings.

Georgetown (2021) - 1/17/22
How I Met Your Father: Two-Episode Series Premiere - 1/18/22
Darwin's Game: Complete Season 1 (Dub) - 1/19/22
The Irregular at Magic High School: Complete Season 1 (Dub) - 1/19/22
Sword Art Online Extra Edition: Complete Season 1 (Dub) - 1/19/22
Your Lie in April: Complete Season 1 (Dub) - 1/19/22
The Estate (2020) - 1/20/22
Single Drunk Female: Series Premiere - 1/21/22
American Night (2021) - 1/22/22

New On Hulu The Week Of January 24: Grown-ish Season 4B Premiere, Dirty Grandpa, And More

The fallout of the mid-season finale to Grown-ish Season 4 looms heavily in the air, as the Freeform spinoff to Black-ish (which starts its final season run on ABC this month) returns. If you want to trade in some of that drama for more raunchy humor involving Robert de Niro, then Dirty Grandpa’s rated and unrated versions have just what you’re looking for. Admit it, someone out there is looking to stream Dirty Grandpa.

Promised Land: Series Premiere - 1/25/22
Dirty Grandpa (2016) - 1/26/22
Dirty Grandpa (Unrated) (2016) - 1/26/22
Mayday (2021) - 1/27/22
Grown-ish: Season 4B Premiere - 1/28/22
Stop and Go (2021) - 1/29/22
Burden of Truth: Complete Season 4 - 1/30/22
Small Engine Repair (2021) - 1/30/22

New On Hulu Available January 31

There’s not much closing out the month in Hulu’s fresh crop of content. Unless you happen to be someone still pining for the days when Nashville blended the worlds of country music and soap opera drama. In which case, Fox’s Monarch is a must see, and will probably become an addictive favorite.

Monarch: Series Premiere - 1/31/22

As we’ve only run highlights of the January 2022 lineup on Hulu, there’s still a bunch of things you may want to scour the schedule to find. Stuff like, say, the complete run of the short-lived Golden Girls sequel series, The Golden Palace? Don’t be afraid to check through the list again to see if you’ve missed anything, as these titles are subject to change and availability. Until next time, have a safe and happy streaming holiday! 

At last, Hulu has unveiled the first extended look at the upcoming spinoff comedy How I Met Your Father, with a full-length trailer that is full of cityscapes, cringe-addled first dates, people looking at their phones, and Hilary Duff in her latest TV lead role. Sounds like a winning enough combination, and this first trailer immediately sets itself apart from its How I Met Your Mother predecessor in an interesting way.

Anyone watching the trailer above will notice that it kicks off with Kim Cattrall as an older version of Sophie, the romance-seeking character played in her younger days by the aforementioned Hilary Duff. Fans already knew that Cattrall would serve as Future Sophie via voiceover narration, but the trailer seems to confirm that the Sex and the City alum will actually appear on the show in person, which was not so much the case for How I Met Your Mother. 

In the O.G. series, Full House vet Bob Saget lent his (uncredited) voice for narration duties as Ted Mosby, as portrayed by Josh Radnor throughout the show's nine seasons. In all that time, though, the series never put viewers up close and personal with Saget's version of Ted in 2030. So having Cattrall recur as the older and presumably wiser Sophie (in an unspecified "near future") is automatically a good start for making a distinction between the two projects.

The familiar hook here will see Kim Cattrall's Sophie telling her son (i.e. the audience) the complicated story about how she met the kid's father, with the new series kicking off in the year 2021. Duff's Sophie has a friend set that includes Veronica Mars vet Chris Lowell as Jesse, The Secret Life of the American Teenager's Francia Raisa as Valentina, The Royals' Tom Ainsley as Charlie, Candyman's Tien Tran as Ellen and God Friended Me's Suraj Sharma as Sid.

Fans can expect to see this squad trying to figure out what they want from life, while also navigating an ever-changing world of love and dating apps. (And uses of tissue.) As the trailer made it clear, those same fans can also expect to see recurring appearances from Josh Peck, whose Disney+ comedy Turner and Hooch was recently cancelled, and American Gods vet Ashley Reyes.

The trailer also features Sophie and date Ian, as played by David Makes Man vet Daniel Augustin. That character was originally meant to be portrayed by Sharma's God Friended Me co-star Brandon Michael Hall, who had to drop out of the new series due to scheduling conflicts.

How I Met Your Father is set to make its streaming premiere on Hulu on Tuesday, January 18. Be sure to tune in to see how else it differs from How I Met Your Mother, and be sure to check out everything else hitting the small screen soon with our 2022 TV premiere schedule. 

How I Met Your Father hasn't had the easiest time getting off the ground. There have been some setbacks up to this point but, now, there’s some positive news for viewers. While the series is already tied to the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, it's now gained a new connection to another classic comedy. Much like Ted Mosby, Hilary Duff’s character will have a future self, and a Sex and the City alum will be providing the voice.

Kim Cattrall has jumped onto the upcoming Hulu series as the older version of Hilary Duff’s Sophie, according to Deadline. Much like its predecessor, viewers won’t see the star but will get to hear her gorgeous pipe, as she recounts her younger counterpart's exploits. Cattrall will follow in the footsteps of Fuller House alum Bob Saget, who voiced the future Ted Mosby to Josh Radnor's younger iteration of the character on HIMYM.

This will mark the actress' first TV role since the cancellation of her Fox drama, Filthy Rich, in 2020. Maybe the addition of the Sex and the City vet should be a step in the right direction for the series. Early on, there were some signs of uncertainty, and some may have been concerned that it would be canned like Hilary Duff's Lizzie Maguire revival. Additionally, Duff caught COVID-19 right before production started, though she thankfully recovered. Not only that but a  key cast member left, leading to a recast. So the addition of the veteran star is some well-needed, good news for the show.

How I Met Your Father should serve as a fresh start for Kim Cattrall. It's been widely publicized that her Samantha Jones won't be popping up in the Sex and the City follow-up, And Just Like That. Of course, fans are surely disappointed by this, much like Sex and the City author Candace Bushnell is. But it isn’t necessarily surprising given the history between Cattrall and her former co-stars. She even gave a suggestion about how the show could handle her beloved character in her absence. All in all, Cattrall doesn't seem to be looking back.

How I Met Your Father is sure to be an interesting experiment. The show is definitely going to have to prove itself, though some franchise veterans are happy with the idea. On the other hand, with the revival series has been developed and dropped a few times, some fans of HIMYM might be more skeptical. Still, it appears Hulu has plenty of faith in the incoming comedy.

Having someone as celebrated as Sex and the City vet Kim Cattrall could bode well for the series. Though fans may not get to actually see her on screen, one can bet she'll put everything into the vocally-charged performance. The spinoff doesn't currently have a release date, but we'll be sure to keep you posted as updates arrive.

In the era of reboots and spinoffs, one premise that is finally getting a second chance is How I Met Your Mother. Following some failed attempts at a spinoff, How I Met Your Father will the light of day on Hulu as production is currently ongoing. Though how does the original cast feel about the reboot? Neil Patrick Harris shares his thoughts.

How I Met Your Father stars Hilary Duff and follows a similar concept to How I Met Your Mother, with Duff’s character in the future telling her own kids the story of how she met their father going back to the year 2021. HIMYM’s Neil Patrick Harris, who played serial playboy Barney Stinson, spoke to Insider about his hopes for the new series as he brought up the previous attempts at a spinoff or reboot:

It’s nice knowing that Neil Patrick Harris supports the reboot, considering he wasn’t too fond of at least a revival idea a few years ago. In March 2018, the actor admitted that while he looks “back on that chapter with great fondness” he didn’t feel like there was anything else needed with the characters. How I Met Your Father includes all new characters, but maybe there’s still a chance that How I Met Your Mother characters could make an appearance since the spinoff is set in New York.

How I Met Your Father was first announced in April 2021 with Hilary Duff set to lead. Hulu ordered ten episodes of the reboot and filming started in August. While things did take a bit of a turn when Duff tested positive for COVID, production started back up once the former Disney star recovered. There is no set date for HIMYF as of yet but as long as the series keeps going and Hulu is ready to go, original series fans won’t have to worry about this one not sticking.

Maybe since Neil Patrick Harris supports the reboot, he would also be on board for a possible appearance, even as just a cameo? Seeing Barney once again would be legendary, as he would say. But in the meantime, fans can rewatch How I Met Your Mother in full on Hulu in anticipation for How I Met Your Father. Hopefully more information will come out about the new series soon to whet the appetites of excited subscribers.

Hulu’s upcoming How I Met Your Mother spinoff, called How I Met Your Father, is getting a big casting change, and leading lady Hilary Duff has shared a look behind-the-scenes as the series begins shooting. God Friended Me’s Brandon Micheal Hall is officially out of the series, and will be replaced by Daniel Augustin from David Makes Man.

According to TV Insider, Brandon Micheal Hall had to exit due to scheduling conflicts. Daniel Augustin is now set to play Hilary Duff’s Tinder match Ian, who is handsome, smart and funny. Since the show is in the very early stages of filming, hopefully not much had to be rearranged for the sake of production. It is a shame that Hall didn’t even get a chance to be in How I Met Your Father. Hopefully if his scheduling allows him, perhaps he could make an appearance as a recurring character. And Augustin could be a great replacement.

Meanwhile in the midst of the casting switch, Hilary Duff, fresh off her experience with COVID-19, took to Instagram to share a look at filming as it finally starts. She officially introduces fans to her character, Sophie, who is sitting at a bar that will likely be her and her friend’s hangout spot, much like how McGee’s Pub was the spot in How I Met Your Mother. Take a look:

The Younger actress isn’t the only one posting first day pictures. The official HIMYF account on Instagram made sure to tell followers that filming has begun, and shared plenty of behind-the-scenes photos. The spinoff will take place in the near future, as Hilary Duff’s Sophie retells the story of how she met her kids’ father in 2021. Besides Duff and Daniel Augustin, the cast includes Chris Lowell, Francia Raisa, Suraj Sharma, Tien Tran and Tom Ainsley.

A few weeks ago, Hilary Duff shared a behind-the-scene picture of her and her co-stars holding up scripts, but didn't reveal any of the actual sets featured in her newest post. Not too long after, Duff was revealed to have tested positive for COVID-19, which explains why they are just now finally starting to film. Since she is the lead, it would presumably be difficult to film around her, especially at the beginning of a series.

Fans of How I Met Your Mother may have been nervous about this new spinoff, considering this isn’t the first time one has been attempted. But with a cast as strong as this one, it looks like How I Met Your Father could become a hit. Since it is reportedly taking place in the same universe as HIMYM, perhaps we can expect appearances from OG characters. While some of the cast have spoken out about a spinoff or reboot, others are not so fond of the idea, so it’s hard to tell. Though it looks like the new cast is doing just fine on their own.

With a new COVID-19 variant on the scene, more people are testing positive for the virus. Even vaccinated people are experiencing breakthrough cases as a result of the Delta variant. Unfortunately, How I Met Your Father’s Hilary Duff is now one of the latest celebrities to test positive for the virus, and the new arrives just as production was just starting on the upcoming spinoff series.

Hilary Duff took to her Instagram stories to confirm that she'd tested positive for the Delta variant of the virus. While it's obviously not an ideal situation for the actress, she seems to be taking things in stride. This is evidenced by the How I Met Your Father star's honest and funny caption on her stories:

This is certainly a bummer for anyone looking forward to How I Met Your Father. The Lizzie McGuire alum was unclear about how or when she could’ve caught the virus but, if anything, it's good to know that she's keeping in good spirits. You can check out her post below, complete with a photo, down below:

Duff’s diagnosis marked the latest bump in How I Met Your Father’s long road to television. The series had been in development for years before it was officially picked up this past April. Of course, the big draw was the casting of Hilary Duff, who will take on the role of Sophie in the long-awaited sequel series. In it, she'll tell her kids the story of how she met their father. The show marks her first major role after her stint on TV Land series Younger, which recently concluded its final season. The star seemed super excited to be working on the show, as she recently shared a first look at the set.

Coincidentally, it was revealed a few days ago that Melissa Joan Hart had contracted the virus, despite adhering to all coronavirus precautions. According to People, the Sabrina the Teenage Witch star admitted to being more relaxed as restrictions were lifted. Beside herself, Hart revealed one of her sons caught COVID-19 as well. She speculated that he might’ve picked up the virus at school Even former E! host Catt Sadler contracted COVID-19, despite being fully vaccinated. One can only hope that everyone fully and quickly recovers.

At this point, it's unknown if Hilary Duff's COVID bout will halt production on How I Met Your Father. Because she's the star of the show, it may be difficult to continue on without her. No premiere date has been announced for the Hulu series at this time. We here at CinemaBlend wish Hilary Duff and anyone else battling COVID the best as they head towards recovery.

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Kids, in the spring of 2014, audiences laughed, cried, and might have gotten a little angry at the How I Met Your Mother ending after nine impressive seasons on CBS, as Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) finally finished telling his son and daughter a story that turned out to be about more than the title suggested.

While the adventures of Ted and the rest of the How I Met Your Mother cast have never really ended, thanks to streaming and fans applying its morals and themes to their own lives, a whole new story will soon be added to its legen- wait for it… DARY legacy. In fact, there is already more to report about the upcoming spin-off, titled How I Met Your Father, than where it will be streaming (which is Hulu), but, as we have learned from Ted Mosby, all good stories should start at the very beginning.

How I Met Your Father Will Stream Exclusively On Hulu

Ever since the How I Met Your Mother finale, there has been a lot of a talk about a potential spin-off, which actually almost became a reality not long after the original series ended… but more on that later. Anyway, it appears that the second time will be the charm with this new funny, insightful, and romantic coming-of-age story for adults with How I Met Your Father, which has already gotten a full series order from Hulu, as Deadline reported in April 2021.

There are no confirmed reports, however, of when the 10-episode premiere season of the new sitcom will begin shooting and, therefore, no official premiere date has been named yet, either. Luckily, there already are few names associated with How I Met Your Father whom we are happy to talk about.

Hilary Duff Leads The How I Met Your Father Cast

Like How I Met Your Mother, the spin-off follows a woman telling her son how she became acquainted with the love of her life. Starring as Sophie, the lead role of the How I Met Your Father cast, is Hilary Duff, who rose to fame in the title role of Disney Channel’s Lizzie McGuire before later joining the Younger cast. According to The Hollywood Reporter, former Veronica Mars cast member Chris Lowell plays aspiring musician Jesse, Grown-ish star Francia Raisa plays Sophie’s roommate Valentina, and The Royals’ Tom Ainsley is Charlie - a British model in love with Valentina.

Tien Tran from Netflix’s Space Force plays Jesse’s adoptive sister, Ellen, Life of Pi’s Suraj Sharma plays his roommate, Sid, and Deadline reports that Sharma’s God Friended Me co-star, Brandon Michael Hall, was cast as Sophie’s Tinder date, Ian. Currently, there is no word if any How I Met Your Mother cast members (such as Neil Patrick Harris as Barney Stinson) will appear, but it is not out of the question.

How I Met Your Father Reportedly Exists In The HIMYM Universe

When Hilary Duff appeared on Sirius XM’s The Jess Cagle Show in May 2021, she dished on usual topics like the cancelled Lizzie McGuire reboot, but the host (and self-professed fan of How I Met Your Mother) also could not help but ask the actress what she was allowed to say about the new spin-off. Despite keeping her words at a careful minimum, she still managed to reveal some pretty juicy details.

How I Met Your Father, like its predecessor, will also take place in New York City (but will be shot in Los Angeles) and, despite Hilary Duff’s claims that the script was being “changed a little bit,” she did confirm the story is canonically related to How I Met Your Mother, but did not clarify how. She then teased the potential for some of the original cast members to reprise their roles. Of course, we already do know for sure that a few HIMYM all-stars will be involved behind the scenes.

How I Met Your Father Is Created By Isaac Aptaker And Elizabeth Berger

The creators, showrunner, and currently the sole writers of How I Met Your Father are Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger, a dynamic writing duo known for their collaboration on 2018’s Love, Simon, its Hulu original TV show spin-off Love, Victor, and their Emmy-nominated work on NBC’s hit drama This Is Us, to name a few. However, along for the ride as fellow executive producers are the original How I Met Your Mother creators, Carter Bays and Craig Thomas.

Signed on to direct the pilot episode is the Emmy nominated Pamela Fryman, who helmed the majority of How I Met Your Mother with 196 episodes under her belt, following a prolific TV directing career that includes NBC’s Just Shoot Me, Frasier, and Two and a Half Men. Fryman is also producing How I Met Your Father, along with Love, Victor producer Adam Londy and star Hilary Duff, as well.

A Gender-Swapped How I Met Your Mother Spin-Off Was Previously Attempted

How I Met Your Father is picking up momentum seven years after the How I Met Your Mother finale aired, which seems like a slow turnaround for how quickly spin-off series seem to come out these days. However, the first attempt at a HIMYM spin-off was meant to be come out in 2014.

In 2013, Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, with former Saturday Night Live writer Emily Spivey, developed the idea for How I Met Your Dad and shot a pilot starring future Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Greta Gerwig and Meg Ryan as her future self (a la Bob Saget voicing Future Ted). The supporting cast featured Workholics’ star and co-creator Anders Holm, Andrew Santino of FX’s Dave fame, and Tiya Sircar, who went on to appear with The Good Place cast in a recurring role. However, just two months after CBS passed on the pilot, Bays confirmed that the spin-off was dead, paving the way for Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger and eventually take over.

Will How I Met Your Father be as legendary as How I Met Your Mother, or is it destined to meet a similar fate to How I Met Your Dad? Well, it appears we are still at the beginning of that story and will have wait and see after it premieres on Hulu.

Hilary Duff was announced earlier this year as the lead for Hulu's new series, How I Met Your Father, the long-gestating sequel to CBS' hit sitcom How I Met Your Mother. The new project's full cast was recently revealed, and you can bet they have been pumped to get production going for the first season. And now we have our first look at the group all together.

While we're presumably still a ways out from getting any kind of footage, Hilary Duff shared a first look from the How I Met Your Father set, and noted that they're likely situated next to a pretty memorable location from How I Met Your Mother's run.

How I Met Your Father will mark Hilary Duff’s first series post-Younger, which ended its seven-season run earlier this year on Hulu and Paramount+ (though it’s still airing on TV Land). And here, Duff can be seen with her new co-stars, including Francia Raisa, Chris Lowell, Tom Ainsley, Suraj Sharma, Brandon Michael Hall, and Tien Tran. Everybody's holding up scripts, so we can only imagine what's on those pages.

Similar to CBS’ How I Met Your Mother, the 10-episode first season of How I Met Your Father features a near-future storyline and will follow Hilary Duff as Sophie, who is regaling her son with the titular tale of how she and his father met and blossomed their relationship in 2021. At this point, any potential crossover details have yet to be revealed, so it's not quite clear why the new show's cast would be in front of the old show's set. Unless some of these characters also frequented McLaren's, the bar below Marshall & Co.'s apartment. But she did specifically mention the apartment and not the bar's exterior, so... Who knows?

This isn’t the first sequel or spin-off series to be developed as an extension of the How I Met Your Mother-verse. A How I Met Your Dad series would have starred Greta Gerwig but CBS didn’t like the pilot and the series got delayed. Now it looks like How I Met Your Father is in full swing at Hulu and fans are appropriately excited.

Prior to joining How I Met Your Father, Hilary Duff was set to star in a Younger spin-off that didn't go forward, and also filmed two episodes of Disney+'s proposed Lizzie McGuire reboot for Disney+ before the show’s creator left the project over creative differences. There was talk about moving the show to Hulu, but it was put in limbo after Disney was unable to find another showrunner. So rather than carrying on Lizzie's story, she'll be bringing a new chapter into this memory-sharing world created by Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger.

There isn’t too much else known about How I Met Your Father just yet, but it’s likely that more details will be released once more filming has been completed. It will be interesting to see just how similar or alike the series is to its predecessor. Most fans loved the majority of How I Met Your Mother, aside from the very controversial ending, so hopefully they will love How I Met Your Father just as much without any major criticisms. With big names like Hilary Duff starring in the series, it shouldn’t be hard to draw in a crowd.

There’s no news on a premiere date for How I Met Your Father, but stay tuned for updates, and check out all the other shows hitting the 2021 Fall TV schedule soon!

This is the story of how a series years in the making is finally getting a chance. The popular comedy How I Met Your Mother ended in 2014 after nine seasons and there have been multiple tries for a sequel series, with How I Met Your Father. When it seemed like it was never going to happen, it finally will and Hilary Duff will be starring.

According to EW, Hulu has ordered ten episodes of How I Met Your Father and has cast Younger’s Hilary Duff in the lead role. Similar to its predecessor, How I Met Your Father will be set in the near future and follow Sophie (Duff), telling her son the story of how she met his father back in 2021 “when Sophie and her close-knit group of friends were figuring out who they are, what they want out of life, and how to fall in love in the age of dating apps and limitless options.”

A How I Met Your Mother sequel series or spinoff has been in the works since the original came to an end. Then the show was called How I Met Your Dad and would have starred Greta Gerwig in the lead role. CBS didn’t like the pilot and the process of the series got delayed further when Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger joined Dan Fogelman as co-showrunners on NBC's This Is Us in 2017. Seven years after the original series ended, Hulu has finally given the show the time to shine.

Hilary Duff is currently starring in Paramount Plus' Younger, which just started its seventh and final season. In 2019, she was excited about filming a Lizzie McGuire revival for Disney+, but the studio ultimately canned the series due to creative differences and not having a showrunner when the original one left. It looks like Duff is keeping busy after Younger officially ends.

So far there’s no telling on how or if the series will be connected to the original. And while How I Met Your Mother star Neil Patrick Harris spoke a few years ago about the potential of a revival and how he wasn’t currently interested, there could still be hope of some of the cast at least making appearances in the new Hulu series.

Although this is just the latest of many attempts at a How I Met Your Mother spinoff, it looks pretty good since Hulu is moving forward. Despite the series finale of the original series still being controversial after all these years, hopefully enough people will tune in to see Hilary Duff take on the role of Sophie as she recalls how she met her son’s father in How I Met Your Father. In the meantime, all nine seasons of How I Met Your Mother are streaming on Hulu.

Three years have passed since the polarizing finale for the hit CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, though the network hasn't exactly let things settle down for good, as it's also been three years since the creative team first went public with the proposed spinoff How I Met Your Dad. Though neither that version nor the second pitch ever got produced, the chances for a HIMYM follow-up are still pretty good, and it was announced that a third spinoff attempt is moving forward. According to Fox Television Group Chairman Dana Walden:

Fans should be excited to hear that news, which Dana Walden shared with Deadline, as it sounds like all involved are interested in concocting the most suitable How I Met Your Mother follow-up possible. You'll notice that there isn't anything specific being pitched there for where the new project is going, so we could very well see a story surface that isn't tied to the patriarch angle at all. The hunt is currently going for a writer or set of writers who can approach this love-and-booze-friendly universe from a fresh angle, and apparently no former ideas are currently being used.

That first idea for How I Met Your Dad made it through the pilot production stage, with stars such as Greta Gerwig and Nicholas D'Agosto involved, but CBS inevitably passed on the project after creators Craig Thomas and Carter Bays refused to do a reshoot without CBS cementing a series order. Two years later, in late 2016, an attempt was made to resurrect the comedy offshoot, now titled How I Met Your Father, with This Is Us writers Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger set to pen the script. Perhaps unfortunately, depending on what angle you're looking at it from, this take had to get shelved after Aptaker and Berger were promoted to executive producers and co-showrunners for This Is Us, making them unavailable.

The cast of How I Met Your Mother are pretty much all off in other places now, so we probably won't see any of them back, anyway. (Though it's definitely not an impossibility, because TV.) Josh Radnor is set to star in the upcoming Jason Katims drama Rise, though if Bob Saget isn't too busy filming stuff for Fuller House Season 3, I'd be down with seeing Future Ted coping with a new life of dating as a widower. Although...after having put that thought into words, maybe I should reconsider things.

For now, we'll have some time to wait to see what's going to happen with this new take on a How I Met Your Mother spinoff. In the meantime, there's so much great stuff heading to the small screen in the near future, and you can check it all out with our summer TV schedule and our fall premiere schedule.

A few weeks ago, news broke that the formerly cancelled TV spinoff of How I Met Your Mother was moving forward with a new title How I Met Your Father (formerly it was How I Met Your Dad). A lot of people were pretty pumped about the spinoff when it was initially trying to get off the ground, so unsurprisingly, a lot of people were at least somewhat excited when the announcement was made that the project was getting a second chance. The only problem? CBS hasn't actually seen hide nor hair of it. Per CBS' Glenn Gellar, this is what's going on:

In an interview at the TCA press tour, Glenn Gellar revealed that CBS hasn't actually seen anything related to the How I Met Your Father pitch. We're expecting it to be quite a bit different than the original pitch, if only because CBS passed on the original concept which would have starred Greta Gerwig as a woman who moves in with her brother after her marriage ends. In the original concept, Meg Ryan would have played the "older" voice of the lead character, just as Bob Saget did for Josh Radner in the original series. Throw all of that out the window for the new concept, which is being penned by This Is Us writers Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger.

The good news. Per Deadline, Glenn Gellar actually seems keen to see what How I Met Your Father will look like. As a bunch of pilots are only just now being ordered by the major networks, How I Met Your Father isn't that far behind. It could still pitch itself for the 2017-2018 TV season, if that is indeed the aim. Right now, reports indicate that the pilot for the project is still being written, after which it should be pitched to CBS and maybe other outlets. Hopefully, it will be great and the rest will be history. Otherwise, you'll be seeing 'How I Met Your Mother Spinoff is Dead' headlines again in the coming months.

At the time that the original spinoff pitch was halted from moving forward, Nina Tassler was still heading up content at CBS. She has since left the network, and Glenn Gellar has taken over. Whether or not he will bite when Nina Tassler didn't remains to be seen. Ultimately, this sounds like a whole new project, though, so I definitely have hope.

While we won't know about How I Met Your Father for a while, CBS does has some new programming in the works. You can see what is coming up this winter with our midseason TV premiere schedule.

Did someone build a time machine and send me back to 2014? Back around the time when the long-running How I Met Your Mother was winding down, CBS was keen on keeping the nine-year-old series' momentum going with a spinoff show. Titled How I Met Your Dad, it would have been told from a female perspective and shown how the main female character met her future spouse. CBS declined to move forward with the spinoff in May 2014, but two and a half years later, it looks like the project is getting a second chance.

According to Deadline, the How I Met Your Mother spinoff is back in development at 20th Televison, only now instead of being called How I Met Your Dad, it will be called How I Met Your Father. This Is Us writers Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger are tackling the spinoff, while How I Met Your Mother executive producers Carter Bays and Craig Thomas will retain those roles, although it's noted that they won't be directly involved in its development due to their deal at Sony Television. Judging by the report, although the overall premise of How I Met Your Father sounds the same as before, it sounds like they're starting from scratch rather than picking up all the pieces from two years ago.

The original How I Met Your Mother spinoff actually made it fairly far into development. A pilot was shot, and much like how Bob Saget voiced the older Ted Mosby in the first series, Meg Ryan was cast to voice the older version of the lead female character. Thanks to the How I Met Your Dad pilot script leaking online, we now know the show would have followed Sally Javits (played by Greta Gerwig), a woman who moves in with her brother Danny and his husband Todd after her own marriage falls apart. Supposedly the reason this wasn't picked up by CBS was because Carter Bays and Craig Thomas were unwilling to reshoot the pilot before it received a series order. It was then shopped around to other networks, but none of them were game. Now the creative minds are game for another try, although it remains to be seen which network the spinoff might air on.

Much like How I Met Your Dad, it appears that How I Met Your Father will follow in How I Met Your Mother's footsteps in concept only, opting to star a brand new cast of characters. Still, considering how many other TV spinoffs have been closely connected to their parents series, it is worth wondering if any of the How I Met Your Mother alum could guest star. Given how polarizing the series finale was, it might be wise to bring in one or two characters to appear on How I Met Your Father to provide more proper closure.

We'll keep you updated about How I Met Your Father is progressing as more news comes in, but let us know what you think of this spinoff being worked on again in the comments below.