The situation comedy is a dying breed in the television landscape. While shows like “Friends” were consistently rated in the top 10 each week, now it’s procedurals like “CSI” and dramedys like “Grey’s Anatomy” that are the topic of water-cooler conversation. But among this failing genre, lays a gem. For those who doubt that there are any quality sitcoms left, well you have yet to watch an episode of one of my favorite shows, “How I Met Your Mother”. Every week I DVR “Mother,” and every week I can’t delete the episode because of some scene I must show to my friends.
There are many reasons why I love this show. First off, it’s the characters. There are 5 main characters, Ted (Josh Radnor), Robin (Cobie Smulders), Lilly (Alyson Hannigan), Marshall (Jason Segal) and of course, Barney (Neil Patrick Harris). Each one possesses qualities many can relate to, yet they don’t seem contrite or like they’re trying to hard to be “real.” While most would say Neal Patrick Harris steals the show with his funny phrases like “Suit up” and “Legendary,” if anyone has ever been a fan of “Freaks and Geeks” or “Undeclared” they know that Jason Segal is the true star. His comedic timing and spin comes off so natural and innocent that you can’t help but laugh.
Which brings me to the writing. Carter Bays and Craig Thomas have this great ability to touch on topics that are young and fresh, while still being able to appeal to a wide audience on an older-skewing network. A great example of this was their recent episode when Barney discovered that Robin was an 80’s pop-star in Canada, where she’s from. The genious part was when they actually showed her music video, “Let’s Go to the Mall.” Subsequently Robin Sparkles (which was her pop-star moniker) now has a profile on MySpace. In the video, Robin dons a classic denim jacket and denim skirt, big arm bracelets, Debbie Gibson style hat, big hair, and boots with big scrunchy socks. So many classic lines came out of this episode, like when Marshal goes “This is the 90’s. Why does it look like 1986?” To which Robin responds, “The 80’s didn’t come to Canada til like ’93.”
Finally, I have a lot of connections to this show. I’ve spent time on set, I’ve met the whole cast, one of whom I had the pleasure of working with for a few months, and I’ve heard the writers and producers speak about the show on a panel. What I know is that the idea of the show and each episode is so organic and pure, it comes from real experiences, real emotion and the fondness that everyone shares for each other and their creative process cannot be faked. So if you’re looking to get into a new show, add a series to your DVR list, or just have a few laughs, tune in and watch How I Met Your Mother on CBS, Mondays, at 8 pm.
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