Here's Another Show You Won't Watch, But Should

Part of: TV Raves And Rants

I will now give the kiss of death to another show. Seriously, just you wait, I’m going to tell you know how great another show that you’re not watching is and CBS is going to go out tomorrow and cancel the series. But, I don’t care. Well, I do care, I’m just trying to break the (imagined) streak. Enough preamble. Why are you not watching How I Met Your Mother

No! Enough excuses! You’re not doing anything else nearly as important Mondays at 8 p.m. Don’t give me this 'Deal or No Deal is on at that time.' You can’t even explain the challenge of that show to me. Do you understand that it takes no skill or knowledge whatsoever, the entire thing is just dumb luck? You pick a frickin’ case and then select random other cases to eliminate. You don’t know what’s in those cases, you just eliminate them. You can’t answer inane trivia questions or trade cases, you just pick random ones. Yeah, that’s great TV. Takes a lot of skill. Flip the dial over to CBS for the first half hour of that show, don’t worry, that mysterious banker fellow will still be around at 8:30, as will the girls with the briefcases. Trust me, you won’t regret it. 

How I Met Your Mother is the ingenious story of how the narrator met the mother of his children. Bob Saget narrates as the old Ted (never appearing on screen), and Josh Radnor plays present day Ted. Both Teds are wonderfully funny and the rest of the cast isn’t a bunch of slackers either, with Alyson Hannigan, Jason Segel, Cobie Smulders, and Neil Patrick Harris. Have you met Neil? He’s ridiculously, incredibly, hysterically funny, and forgive me if I repeat myself here, but he was cheated out of an Emmy. CHEATED.

For those of you that get bored by any paragraph longer than two sentences, let me repeat what I just stated. Neil Patrick Harris not only deserved an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, he deserved to win. He was cheated. Not only does he do an outstanding job, but he provides an incredible amount of support. If there is a “breakout” character from How I Met Your Mother, it’s Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris, like you didn’t know that). As with virtually everything these days, How I Met Your Mother has a web component as an added, extra-value element; it’s Barney’s Blog, and much like Barney, it’s awesome. 

But, let’s forget Barney for a second, even though that’s not easy to do. Everyone on the show is funny. It actually represents a reasonable facsimile of life for people in their 20s in New York City. The show is clever, well-written, funny, and very human.  It’s life, just moderately more amusing.

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Article Author: Josh Lasser

Josh Lasser, formerly known as "TV and Film Guy," and complete with a Masters Degree in Critical Studies in said areas, gives his opinions on TV, Film, and Entertainment in general. All of which he does in a shameless attempt to try to get paid to do the exact same thing. …

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  • 1 - Andrew

    Dec 06, 2006 at 8:01 am

    I ran across Big Day, the half hour comedy starring Wendy Malick among others. Very funny. Had heard nothing about it at all but she was in the first scene, so I ended up watching the entire show. It was weird and kooky and I don't know if people who get married can relate, but it kept me interested the whole thirty minutes. Wonder if I can find it accidentally again next week...

  • 2 - tink

    Dec 06, 2006 at 3:28 pm

    TFG...you are right on all accounts. How I Met Your Mother is...wait for it...brilliant and side-splitting hilarious, as is Neil Patrick.

    Surely we can't be the only two people out there watching this show.

    Fingers crossed...

  • 3 - Jandy

    Dec 09, 2006 at 12:27 am

    I admittedly meant to blow of HIMYM when it first started, but about six episodes in I caught one, and immediately had to "acquire" all the others. Now it's one of very few shows this year that I MUST watch off my DVR as soon as possible. It's totally awesome. And I very, very rarely say that about sitcoms. But How I Met Your Mother is actually funny, smart, and sweet all at the same time.

  • 4 - tink

    Dec 15, 2006 at 8:15 pm

    Just when I thought that "Slap Bet" was the best sitcom episode ever...HIMYM gave us "How Lily Stole Christmas".

    Absolutely brill...wait for it...iant!!!

    BTW...thanks Jandy for letting us know that me and the TVFG aren't the only ones watching this show.

  • 5 - Zed

    Dec 18, 2006 at 5:21 am

    I agree...'how lily stole christmas' was hilarious! showing barneys vulnerability was a great touch. This show IS truly amazing. I started watching it 2 weeks ago. Watched megan mullally show for the first time and the guests were HIMYM cast. I thought they were extremely hilarious! Then i went to youtube to check out an episode of their show. and wow i really enjoyed the first one i watched.

    Searched futureshop for season 1 dvd.. and they had it but it was out of stock.. finally got the dvd from this cd store. and man im glad i got it.. i love this show. i record every episode now... i hope more ppl watch this show..

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