Mythology: How I Met Your Mother
By Martin Felipe
November 26, 2010
BoxOfficeProphets.com

The kids quit listening to this story a long time ago.
I’ve written a lot about they mythologies of dramas, but, a few animateds notwithstanding, I’ve not really touched on comedies. Thing is, unlike dramas, there are still some pretty damned good comedies on the networks. Once Friday Night Lights ends this year, there really won’t be a drama on the big four or five that can even touch what cable’s putting out there. This isn’t to say that cable doesn’t have some good comedic offerings - It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia springs to mind. Nor does it mean that the networks still don’t engage in some Two And A Half Men style comedy nonsense. Still, there are a handful of great sitcoms on the networks, and they all have their unique mythology.

This time out, I’d like to touch upon the one that probably follows the standard life cycle of the more traditional mythology shows. I’ve talked about these shows that get great reviews, a passionate tiny following, and poor ratings. They cling to life due to good demographics, prestige, or help from fans within the industry. Some of these shows can’t survive long and slip into geek legend. Others live a natural life, fighting off cancellation the whole way. Still others eventually get a solid enough viewership to live out their days, perhaps even lasting a little too long.

How I Met Your Mother lucked out. Always on the verge of cancellation despite fan and critic outcries, it finally got the boost it needed to establish that solid viewership in the wake of the WGA strike some three years ago. When the strike ended, most shows called it a season and wrapped up production for the year, leaving a 13 episode or so season behind in their wake. Mother, on the other hand, somehow convinced CBS to complete the season and, with the help of some Britney Spears stunt casting, was finally able to convert those raves into eyeballs. After all, there was nothing else on.

Now that it no longer faces the threat of cancellation, it’s in the midst of its sixth season, right around the time many shows start to hit that creative wall. And, sure enough, the grumbling has begun. The structure and formula, once so fresh, has begun to wear on fans. It’s not in deadly backlash territory just yet, but there is a bit of a sense that Ted should just meet the mother already.

I don’t know if I quite share this sentiment, I’m having a blast with the season, but I do recognize that HIMYM’s unique approach to the sitcom formula needs to have an expiration date. It’s a bit of a Rashomon story. Middle aged Ted, in Bob Saget’s voice for some reason, tells the story of young adult Ted and his friends as they come of middle age and, yes, eventually meet the kids’ mother.

Due to the first person narrative, the tales he tells filter through his perspective and the show makes no bones about playing with the possibility that what he relates isn’t necessarily accurate. Yes, it does delve into the different interpretations of events from different character perspectives. There are running bits, and exaggerated character traits and behaviors. There are times Ted cleans up the story for his kids, substituting the word joint with sandwich to give but one example. Rather than just presenting these incongruities, the show amps them up for maximum comic effect.

The result of this is a malleable show mythology. Unlike say Lost, in which fans inspect the minutia for inconsistency to the point of absurdity, HIMYM plays with continuity, thus defying expectations without ever being untrue to the world. As long as the gist of it is right, the sentiment and characters are all the grounding we need to just run with whatever nostalgic gymnastics the show throws our way.

And, if you’ll allow me a tiny diversion from point, there is one character I’d like to single out. Or actor, rather. Has there ever been another performer who has done a better job of going from '80s relic to awesome than Neil Patrick Harris? Maybe Kiefer…no, not even him. Barney Stinson is the show’s breakout character, though to the show's credit, they haven’t turned it into the Barney show as they must have been tempted to do. Compare Barney’s treatment to what The Big Bang Theory’s writers have done with Sheldon, making him the de facto center of the show’s universe. Barney remains as integral a part of Mother’s universe as ever, bun never overwhelms the show, Sheldon style. It was and remains Ted’s story.

Now, despite my admiration for what the show does so well, it is a somewhat exaggerated premise and a mythology with a built-in ending. There’s just so long it can sustain it before it devolves into smarmy self parody. It lucked out and got the chance to live a successful run. Now is the time to start working towards Ted’s meeting with the titular mother, allowing the show to retire into television cultdom.

I’d hate to see it push the boundaries of its format beyond the breaking point. There is a fine line between clever deconstruction of sitcom tropes and complacent reliance on its own tropes. I know it must be tempting to milk the modest success in a fractured evolving television landscape, but the show has its legacy to consider. Comedies like Seinfeld or Cheers got out when the getting was good and live on as classics. Other shows, like Roseanne and Murphy Brown, lost their edge and serve as cautionary tales. You've got a future classic on your hands, How I Met Your Mother. It’s just about time to stick that landing.