More than two decades after the show first aired, there are plenty of things How I Met Your Mother fans still argue about.
But one thing they all agree on is how the show gave TV history one of the most unforgettable faces of all time.
Recently, the popular show was back in discussions online, and fans agreed that one actress in the show made an entrance so stunning that it deserved a spot in the face-card hall of fame.
Fans revisited How I Met Your Mother on the 21st anniversary of its first episode’s premiere in 2005
Twenty-one years ago, viewers were transported to MacLaren’s Pub for the first time and began hearing the story of Ted Mosby, an architect living in New York City, played by Josh Radnor.
After the show premiered on September 19, 2005, viewers were also introduced to Ted’s friends: Marshall Eriksen (Jason Segel), Robin Scherbatsky (Cobie Smulders), Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris) and Lily Aldrin (Alyson Hannigan).
In light of the premiere’s 21st anniversary this month, a clip of one of the most iconic scenes in the show once again went viral on social media.
The scene features Robin Scherbatsky making her first appearance at MacLaren’s Pub. Ted spots her across the bar and is immediately captivated.
With a little help from Barney Stinson (who pulls the classic, “haaave you met Ted?”), Ted and Robin start chatting. And this instantly establishes Robin as one of the central figures of the show.
“That’s probably the most beautiful anyone has ever looked on TV,” one fan gushed
Over two decades later, fans who revisited the show this week were still convinced that Robin had one of the best entrances and the “greatest face card” of all time.
“It was love at first sight for me,” one said, while another declared, “Greatest face card of all the facecards that have ever been on T.V.”
“That’s probably the most beautiful anyone has ever looked on TV,” said another.
“Cobie is sooooooooooooooooo gorgeous OMG,” gushed one fan.
“It was always Robin,” another said, “it’s just that y’all are too dumb to realize it.”
“Oh, that angelic little face, my God, Robin Scherbatsky, you were born to shine,” wrote another.
Amid conversations around the show this week, fans continued raging over the show’s ending. Warning: spoilers ahead!
After nine seasons of Ted searching for “the one,” he had married Tracy (Cristin Milioti), who seemed perfect for him. Yet, Ted didn’t get his happily ever after with her because Tracy gets sick and loses her life.
The show’s finale made some people upset over off-ing Tracy and making Ted, after six years of grieving, chase after the great love of his life.
Fans still argue about the ending two decades later, with some calling it “One of the worst series finales ever”
The show ends with him standing outside Robin’s window with a blue French horn in his hand, hoping to win her one last time.
“One of the worst series finales ever. Ruined my love for the show for years,” one said this week.
“The best sitcom in history. Most hated finale in my books,” said one.
But on the other hand, one said, “This was the best ending there could be. Those who think otherwise just didn’t get a damn thing over 9 seasons.”
While fans still love talking about the show, lead star Josh Radnor said he and his castmates don’t really talk at all anymore.
Radnor appeared on the Half the Picture podcast last month and was asked by host Billy Barnell whether they were all so “close-knit,” saying viewers assumed “they’re all friends” because of their connection onscreen.
“No,” the actor replied. “No. Not even a little bit.”
He went on to mention how he and the show’s creator Craig Thomas spoke about the cast members’ relationships on the podcast they host together: the How We Made Your Mother podcast.
Josh Radnor made a confession about the current relationship between the cast members
“He and I had a really interesting conversation about some of the tension we had on set that was like fascinating and kind of healing,” the actor told Barnell.
Radnor said that he and Segel, who played his onscreen best friend Marshall, text each other “every once in a while.”
But “I haven’t seen him in a really long time,” he admitted.
Meanwhile, Smulders appeared on his podcast, so he’s seen her on Zoom a couple of times. As for Hannigan, she was a guest at his 2024 wedding to Jordana Jacobs, but they haven’t met since.
Radnor acknowledged how fans have this “yearning” for cast members to stay friends but said the real-life experience was different.
“It’s like college where you have this very intense time together and you can’t imagine not seeing each other every day because you’ve seen each other every day for so long,” he said. “And then it just disperses and you just go out and live your life.”
He also compared the relationship between cast members to the dynamics of a “family.”
“You don’t get to choose your family,” and similarly, the actors never “choose each other.”
As for the “greatest face card” of all time, Smulders took on several roles over the past years.
She starred in The Avengers (2012), joined the cast of Friends from College as Lisa Turner, and also appeared in High School, Impeachment: American Crime Story, and How I Met Your Father.
She shares two daughters, Shaelyn and Janita, with Saturday Night Live member Taran Killam.
“The pilot was cute, but forcing Ted & Robin together at the end ignored 9 years of growth,” one commented online
Follow Us
