Don't Be In Such a Hurry To Meet the Mother

From left, Neil Patrick Harris, Alyson Hannigan, Jason Segel, Cobie Smulders and Josh Radnor star in 'How I Met Your Mother'Of all of the inexplicable things happening in television these days, few things are more mysterious to me than why "How I Met Your Mother" doesn't pull in bigger ratings. 

It does OK, and seems to be off the bubble for getting renewed (as was the case the past few seasons), but it isn't the hit it should be.

Part of it is the timing, to be sure. Sitcoms -- outside of the insipid "Two and a Half Men" -- aren't really leading the ratings charts. It's a time of reality shows and police procedurals. In fact, if "Friends" was on the air now, as opposed to in the '90s, there is little chance that it would have the cultural impact it had back then.

And "Friends" is certainly part of the "HIMYM" story. If you liked "Friends," you are almost certain to like "HIMYM," but even if you hated "Friends," "HIMYM" should still appeal to you.

The show blends many of the best aspects of classic sitcoms and modernizes them. There are traces of "Seinfeld," 'Scrubs," and many more in the "HIMYM" DNA.

However, as much as I love the show -- and there is no show I look forward to more each week -- I will admit there are a few flaws.

1. The Barney/Robin romance angle is a little too Joey/Rachel for my liking. It failed on "Friends" and the lesson should have been learned. Somehow, however, it seems there are people who are in favor of the idea of Barney and Robin getting together. These are the people who must not realize how much of the show's humor is derived from Barney being a ladies' man. Making him into a romantic sap pining over Robin is not fun.

2. The show's very concept -- that of a man explaining to his kids how he, well, met their mother -- sometimes paints the writers into a corner. Ted and Robin had fantastic chemistry, but there was no was no way they could end up togther, as at the end of the first episode Ted calls her "your aunt Robin."

The show's concept killed off the possibility of those two ending up together.
In addition, as the show has grown more popular, more and more viewers have started whining about when we are going to meet the mother.
I say, if you are going to watch a show about the journey, then enjoy the journey. Don't be in such a hurry to get to the destination.

The show's fourth season wraps up Monday night and people are already wondering whether we will meet the mother that night. We won't.

Most sources, including the creators of the show and the actors on it, say the show has three years left. And that's when we will meet the mother. In the meantime, enjoy the ride and don't worry so much about the destination.

Below, for your viewing pleasure, I have included a few video interviews from E! with cast members
Neil Patrick Harris (Barney), Sarah Chalke (Stella), Jason Jones (Tony) and Josh Radnor (Ted).
Warning: The interview with Radnor includes a few mild spoilers.