For CBS, How I Met Your Mother has been a winner all around. The sitcom has maintained strong ratings throughout its seven seasons along with critical accolades and Emmy awards to go along with fan love.
Not only that, its success has been instrumental in raising the profiles of its cast, turning child star Neil Patrick Harris into an icon and Jason Segel into an A-list leading man. For Segel however, a commitment verging on a decade seems to be enough, as the actor has announced he will be leaving after season eight.
Today, Screen Rant is reporting on an interview Segel conducted with Austrian website Kurier.at and the actor’s statement seems pretty conclusive:
”It’s great to do some ‘Rated R’ stuff again, because I’ve been playing the nice guy for quite a long time now. That’s why I’m gonna quit How I met your Mother after the eighth season.”
There is some speculation that the translation from German to English may have twisted some facts around, though there is an additional opinion that the validity of the statement was called into doubt by CBS, who doesn’t want Segel’s apparent departure to interfere with contract negotiations for season nine.
Being a huge fan of the show, I would be sad to see it end, though I am certainly of the opinion that it should conclude if Segel were to depart and not stumble on with the addition of a new character or something of the like (looking at you That 70’s Show). Additionally, while still funny, How I Met Your Mother has been spinning its wheels for a few seasons now, failing to get any closer to any actual mother meeting. If Segel’s farewell means the show can be concluded before it descends into mediocrity, I will happily let it go.
We’ll be sure to keep you posted on any developments regarding How I Met Your Mother and be sure to tune in for season eight which premiers on Monday, September 24.
In the meantime, you can look for Jason Segel in his recent big screen efforts Jeff, who Lives at Home which is out on DVD and Blu-Ray and The Five-Year Engagement which hits shelves September 4.