It's been a good TV season for the CBS comedies.
The Big Bang Theory solidified its position as the most watched comedy in the US. And 2 Broke Girls defied all the critical panning odds and actually pulled in good numbers.
So, yes, the eye network is in a good place in the TV comedy world.
Especially since How I Met Your Mother was finally able to get its mojo back during its seventh season run.
Not that the TV series really lost it. It's just that it wasn't quite as exciting last year. That is, until they hit everyone with that wallop of a cliffhanger reveal in the sixth season finale.
Needless to say, the fanfare leading to the 2011 fall series premiere was pretty intense. I mean, wouldn't you feel the same way after finding out that Barney was actually the groom at the wedding where Ted was supposed to meet the future mother of his children?
The seventh season of How I Met Your Mother continues to chronicle the story of Ted (Josh Radnor), Barney (Neil Patrick Harris), Marshall (Jason Segel), Lily (Alyson Hannigan) and Robin (Cobie Smulders). For the most part, Marshall and Lily are preoccupied with moving to the suburbs and expecting the arrival of their baby. Marshall is also finally pursuing his dream of becoming an environmental lawyer. Ted... well, Ted is Ted... taking a looonnnnnngggggg time to getting around to telling the story of how he met the mother of his future children. Although, he did try to sort out his feelings about a significant relationship with one (or two) of his exes.
But the bigger issues at hand had to be dealt with by Barney and Robin. Robin's less than veiled look of regret/longing(?) while Barney and Nora talked at the end of last season was the ultimate sign that creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas were once again exploring the Barney-Robin tandem. While both explored other relationships, there were plenty of moments that made the Barney-Robin shippers to clamor for Robin to become Barney's future bride. Both characters grew up a lot in the course of season seven, especially when it came to dealing with tough issues. Robin's wake up call about her prospects of having children in the future and Barney dealing with a failed attempt to get back together with Robin were heartbreaking, especially for those who faithfully watched the series for seven years.
Season seven is actually the season of Barney Stinson. Many of the more memorable plot points in the season revolved around Barney. The season also showed the audience Barney finally having a real relationship after Robin, with not just one, but two girls. No, not at the same time... though that would have been classic Barney circa a few years ago, when he never would have gone anywhere near the title girlfriend even if his life depended on it. Barney found himself in great relationships with Nora and Quinn throughout the course of season seven and actually did pretty well for himself. One ended up with a breakup, which Barney handled maturely, and the other ended up with a proposal.
Focusing on Barney gave the show the breathing room they needed to get away from the hounding of fans to reveal the mother of Ted's future children. The past couple of years of How I Met Your Mother have been just okay to watch. While I've accepted that I'll be strung along as an audience member for a long time, it's been a while since I didn't mind that the focus of the series veered from the core of future Ted's storytelling. I still haven't forgotten, but this year, I didn't mind at all.
The latest season of How I Met Your Mother also showcased a great roster of guest stars, such as Kal Penn as psychiatrist Kevin, Becki Newton as Quinn, Katie Holmes as Naomi aka the Slutty Pumpkin, and Martin Short as Garrison Cootes.
There's much to look forward to in the upcoming eight season of How I Met Your Mother. You can expect to find out how Barney ended up with his future bride, as well as how Marshall and Lily will do as parents to Marvin Wait for it Eriksen (coolest middle name ever!). As for whether Ted finally meets the future mother of his children, that will have to depend if the eight season will be the last one. All of the cast's contracts are up next year, so we can expect to see the series conclusion if they're settling for the syndication gold. But if they do decide to continue working on the show, then we'll find out who the mother finally is in season 10... at the earliest.
Happy viewing!!Labels: CBS, Comedy, How I Met Your Mother, Must-Watch, TV, TV Series
