Sadly, it looks like we’ll never know who Sophie (Hilary Duff) is telling her story about. Starring Duff in what many are calling the Lizzie McGuire reboot we deserved, How I Met Your Father was controversial from the start as many were worried how much it would rely on the fame of its original, How I Met Your Mother.
This isn’t the first time a gender reversed spin-off of HIMYM was even pitched. CBS tried to capitalize on the success of the original back in 2014 with How I Met Your Dad, but the show never made it past its pilot episode. Created by Issac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger, executive producers on This is Us and Love, Victor, the show premiered in January 2022 to mixed reviews from critics and fans alike.
So when Hulu announced its cancellation on Sept. 1, it wasn’t a huge shock when looking at critical reception. However, the viewership numbers, especially for the second season, tell a much more interesting story, and make it more curious that Hulu canned the show after just 2 seasons.
Hate-watching or actual fans?
There is still yet to be an official viewership tracker equivalent to Nielsen’s cable TV numbers, however TV Time is often used to track viewership numbers for streaming services. According to their viewership data, How I Met Your Father season 2 was in the top 5 for most watched original series across the United States for its entire run. More impressively, its season premiere was the number one most watched original series in the U.S. that week.
This was an upgrade from season 1’s viewership numbers, because TV Time reported the show being only in the top 10 most watched original series in the US during its run. However, the real question is whether or not the fans were actually enjoying the show. According to Parrot Analytics, who tracks viewer engagement across streaming, social media, consumer research, and downloads, HIMYF started off in high demand during season 1, but its ranking shrank as the season progressed.
It seems the writers may have felt this too, as they ended up pulling out the big guns in season 2. During the mid-season finale, they reintroduced audiences to the one and only, legen’, wait for it, ‘dary Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris). More specifically, they introduced him in a way where he finally got to be the responsible dad figure we always wanted him to be. This of course is not the first HIMYM cameo we got; we also saw Cobie Smulders come back as Robin Scherbatsky earlier in season 1.
Nostalgic reboot cash-in
Unfortunately for the cast and crew of How I Met Your Father, it’s simply a case of a reboot that couldn’t recapture the charm of the original. Many critics praised the show for trying to right the wrongs of the now outdated original show, but they also pointed out how that made the show feel too formulaic and clean-cut compared to its predecessor.
While we have the numbers given by TV Time, that doesn’t properly show the viewership numbers Hulu is seeing behind the scenes. For all we know, the show could be absolutely tanking, and streaming services are always looking for shows to axe to save tax dollars anyway. Unfortunately it sets itself up to be the perfect formula for How I Met Your Father to not get its happy ending. Then again, if it were to end like How I Met Your Mother did, maybe it’s better we never see the true finale.