How I Met Your Father (Season 2) review

How I Met Your Father cast (L-R): Suraj Sharma, Tom Ainsley, Francia Raisa, Hilary Duff, Tien Tran, and Chris Lowell

(Note: Some spoilers for Season 1 and 2 ahead.)

Let me just get this out of the way: How I Met Your Father will always, unfortunately, be compared with its predecessor, How I Met Your Mother, and it will, more often than not, pale in comparison. Still, getting into the show with not a lot of expectations (but a whole lot of love for Hilary Duff, especially after Disney+ shit the bed with the Lizzie McGuire reboot) actually made me enjoy the ride. In fact, while the first season seemed to struggled a lot, as most shows often do, I think somewhere along season 2 the writers found a way to write the characters without them seeming too cartoon-ish and the actors finally seemed believable as friends.

The conceit of both HIMYM (and HIMYF) is mainly the story of how the narrators met their kids’ other parent. It isn’t a straightforward story as we all know, and it has more twists and turns than the Lawton/West Service Road/Sales Road roundabout. But what made HIMYM work was it made us interested in not just that narrative; it genuinely made us love the group of friends too. Along the way, we legitimately got invested in the lives of Ted, Marshall, Lily, Robin, and Barney, that we forget (or rather, we let it slide) that it’s supposed to be a story about Ted meeting the Mother. A lot of the memorable HIMYM episodes do not actually further that plot. Rather, they’re mostly about the group just getting into weird situations (usually bottle episodes) or one of them going through a significant emotional breakthrough. The audience became invested in their friendship and actually believed themselves to be part of their group, which is why the stories felt richer, and while often ridiculous, still enjoyable to watch.

HIMYF hit the ground running by establishing early on that they lived in the same “universe” as HIMYM. I think it was necessary, of course, since people tuning in would want to find out “Easter eggs” about how related the show is to the original. (There have been cameos from some HIMYM characters btw!) But it was also detrimental, at least for the first season, because it felt like the writers weren’t giving the characters enough space to just be themselves, and rather, painting them as “counterparts” to the original quintet. Thankfully, they got out of that rut in Season 2. And it’s led to a pretty charming season.

Spoiler alert for Season 1: In the Pilot episode, Sophie (Hilary Duff) reveals that she met the Father on that night. Which already clearly establishes who it might be: Jesse, Sid, Charlie, or Ian. Already limiting the “culprit” was a great narrative choice because at least the audience can enjoy the journey of how these characters develop and navigate through their friendships (and eventual relationships). There is an obvious love interest for Sophie so far, Jesse. For now, all obvious signs point to him. But because we know it can also be the other guys, I’m actually excited to see where it all goes since Sophie has great chemistry with everyone else in the group (kudos to Hilary Duff, really).

Still, that part of the narrative is not the only thing the show has going for now. In Season 2, we find the group actually hanging out, finding themselves in tricky situations, getting out of conflicts, learning something about or from each other. It’s a different dynamic from HIMYM since it was only Robin who was the newbie at the start of the show. Here, it seems like several mini groups coalescing into one: Sophie & Val are roommates, Jesse & Sid are roommates, Jesse & Ellen are formerly estranged adopted siblings, and Charlie is the new guy that Val met in London. So the dynamic feels very much like “everyone is still getting to know each other” as opposed to “everyone is already friends.” Which is why, I think, it was tough for some gags to land in the first season, since so much of the “world-building” involved is happening in the present, as opposed to flashbacks that were often used to great comedic effect in HIMYF to establish the characters’ histories.

But Season 2 has succeeded in finding that balance between giving the audience the background needed to get to know each character, but also allowing us to see formative friendship milestones happen in real time.

Highlights of this season for me are the episodes where the entire group is working towards one goal/thing, because it shows how much their friendship has grown since Season 1:

• Rewardishment (Season 2, Episode 8): The group forces themselves to use Jesse & Sid’s “rewardishment” system, where everyone has to accomplish a goal before the deadline for them to all get the reward. Otherwise, everyone gets the punishment. I love the whole dynamic of this episode because most of the stakes were low, but everyone being really up to the challenge showed how much they now valued spending time together and achieving something together. This also seems to be a pivotal episode in establishing Sophie & Jesse’s lingering feelings for each other.
• Not A Mamma Mia (Season 2, Episode 12): The group “investigates” three men who might be Sophie’s dad, whom her mom met and slept with at Lollapalooza 1991. The list is eventually whittled down to just two: Sophie, Sid, Jesse & Val follow around a guy who owns a hotdog store in Staten Island, meanwhile Charlie & Ellen investigate a male stripper. As a B-plot, Sid finds himself constantly texting a girl he met on a flight who is also on a long-distance relationship. This episode foreshadows trouble brewing for Sid & Hannah.
• The Jersey Connection (Season 2, Episode 16): Not as much a “group activity” episode as the previous ones, but I especially liked this one because of the B-plot between Val & Charlie. They’ve broken up for good, it seems, but the friendship between them seems believable, and honestly, a little wistful. Them going out to dinner, having a great time, and still realizing that they want different things in life (Val wants children in the future, Charlie does not) — this actually made me tear up! That realization that you really want to work it out with someone and give it another shot, but it just does not seem to be in the cards for you because of valid reasons. Ah! The heartbreak. It felt so real, and honestly, the pain was so earned. Great job to the writers for being able to establish that genuine love between the characters over the season, because this just made this episode even more heartbreaking.
• Out of Sync (Season 2, Episode 17): Okay, I love this primarily because of the cameo by NSYNC’s Joey Fatone and Lance Bass. So my #90sKid heart was just swelling at the idea of NSYNC and Lizzie McGuire on the same screen in 2023! But I also enjoyed this because the premise was the gang going on a phone-free day. Which should be “ideal” (i.e. we shouldn’t be spending all our days so engrossed in our phones), but in the world we live in, is now impossible, and even downright impractical. This episode is fun and funny because of the obvious hilarity that ensues when leaving behind your phone: seeing a celebrity and wanting a selfie with them, being unable to pay for the tab because your card is linked to your phone, being unable to call someone in an emergency. But lots of great character moments ensue from this, especially Charlie & Ellen’s emergency “rescue.” The hijinks pay off because at this point we now know how close the characters are and how authentic everything turned out.

So many other scenes stood out to me, although it might take too long to list them all down. I believe the show really benefited from the 20-episode order for Season 2: it gave the show breathing room and allowed for “filler” episodes to exist. They may not move the plot forward, but they definitely help in establishing the relationship between the characters and making their interactions feel genuine to us, especially as their closeness unfolds for us in real time.

Hilary Duff does much of the heavy-lifting here, and while Sophie can be a little annoying at times (kind of like Ted), she truly is the heart of this show. Can I just say that her outfits are something to look forward to every single week??? In my head, HIMYF is the Lizzie McGuire reboot we never got, and I’m so glad Hilary still has that magic touch. But the season standouts for me are Suraj Sharma (Sid) and Tom Ainsley (Charlie). Sid was initially the “Marshall” type and Charlie the obvious “Barney” replacement, but they’ve really turned their characters into something so much more than just the “bros” of the group. Sid is such a great friend to everybody, that his own relationship struggles become all the more heart-wrenching because you know he just wants to do right by everybody, even if it means sacrificing things for himself. The same goes for Charlie, who was initially just this “naive but handsome fish-out-of-water” guy, but has shown great depth and an ability to adapt, commiserate, and become a true pillar for the group.

I think I give this show more grace, because like another favorite sitcom of mine that took a while for everything to gel — Parks and Recreation — I know that some shows really take time to find their footing. Even The Greats, like Friends, Seinfeld, The Office, and this show’s own predecessor, HIMYM, took a while for things to really click. It sucks that most modern comedies are cancelled immediately when the first season doesn’t immediately generate accolades (or more accurately in this day and age, clicks) because the truth is, a lot of these things take time. These have to happen organically, over the span of longer seasons, and yes, filler episodes notwithstanding. Unlike dramas, hangout comedies work because not all episodes advance the narrative. They’re supposed to be comfort shows: shows you can put in the background because you feel like you’re just hanging out with a group of friends, but can also be legitimately compelling shows that give you moments of both levity and emotion.

The season finale actually mirrors the HIMYM season 2 finale, with a great declaration of love in the rain for one couple, and a devastating breakup for another. But it also teased a confirmation of a future pairing (a coupling which I ended up surprisingly liking a lot, so much more than the main one so far). And with how they ended this season, all the possibilities are exciting! Season 2 has done a good job of making me feel connected with all the characters, invested in their relationships (romantic and platonic), and excited about how everything things will move forward. I know the Writers’ Strike will affect the show’s renewal, but I really hope Hulu gives this show another shot. It’s just the right kind of feel-good, hang-out, sit-back-and-relax sitcom. It’s not trying to break the mold or be anything other than what it is: a group of 30-somethings that are just navigating their way through life in New York City. It’s still trying to be a little bit of HIMYM — but at least they’re slowly trying to step away from that shadow. And doing a decent and charming enough job at it.

Rating: 3.75/5