It might involve its fair share of mischief and trickery, but Halloween is not April Fools’ Day.
That means a report that CBS is eyeing a “How I Met Your Mother” spin-off, tentatively entitled “How I Met Your Father,” is one hundred percent legitimate.
According to Deadline, CBS is in early talks with studio 20th Century Fox TV to extend the “How I Met” franchise after the series finale this coming May.
To be produced by “HIMYM” creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas and “Up All Night” creator Emily Spivey, the proposed spin-off would chronicle a single female’s quest to find her husband in New York. Potentially linked to the original “How I Met Your Mother” by the inclusion of MacLaren’s Pub, the series would feature a completely new cast representing a completely different group of friends.
Unless sources are deliberately masking the true premise, it would not, therefore, tell the story of the current “Mother”‘s (Cristin Milioti) life before meeting Ted (Josh Radnor).
If the network were to move forward with the idea, it would presumably backdoor the spin-off late in the current–and final–season of “How I Met Your Mother.”
That CBS is seeking a means of continuing the “How I Met” franchise makes sense. With once-promising “2 Broke Girls” no longer dominating in the ratings, “Mother” remains the network’s most bankable comedy outside of “The Big Bang Theory.”
Should CBS actually move forward with the show, it would be interesting to see if the title changes. Several years ago, “Family Guy” parodied the femininity of the Ted character in a cutaway it called “How I Met Your Father” (featuring voiceover work from Radnor and Neil Patrick Harris). Video below:
