Show Review: How I Met You Mother

        I realized something after I completed my Top 10 Shows of All Time list: there are just so many god damn shows that it was impossible to give each show that may have deserved a spot in the honorable mentions and debatable in the top 10 its due coverage. As a result, I'm going to give some great shows their due... and How I Met Your Mother is first on that list.
       If I had to describe this show in one word it would be: Awesome! The overuse of the word awesome, the tacky high fives, pick up lines and intricate story telling set this show apart from most others. It has the tangled storytelling of a drama with the heart of a comedy. A interesting combination of new star: Jason Segel, old star: Neil Patrick Harris, and Alyson Hanigan, and Unknowns: Josh Radnor and Colbie Smulders.
       The show is the tale of architect/teacher Ted (Josh Radnor) telling a "love story in reverse". The show is based on Future Ted (never seen, voice of Bob Saget) telling his kids the story of how he met their mother. The show also follows his group of friends, including his best friend/college roommate/lawyer Marshall, his fianace/wife/kindergarten teacher Lily and fellow friend/corporate cronie/Uber womanizer Barney and finally the newest member of their group/Canadian/Ted & Barney's ex/news reporter Robin.
      The only bad thing about this show is the title. If it weren't named "How I Met Your Mother" people would not expect the mother to be in each season. It created an artistic limitation on the show because it's not called how I married your mother, or how your mother and I had kids, it's how I met your mother, which implies that once they meet and start dating that the show will end. It has also created a level of expectation that each girl Ted dates will be the mother. For the first two seasons viewers enjoyed the comedy, but come season 4 or 5 people (including me) started getting pissed off. They give you all these cryptic hints about the mother, and her whereabouts through the show, in Season 3 St. Patty's Day episode they say the mother was in the same bar, and they did not meet but Ted accidentally left with her umbrella, hints like these are littered throughout the six seasons. At a certain point they have to decide what is going to happen, as Ted is 31 (at least) and the show needs to end for its own good.

Overall Series Rating: 8.5/10