*Warning: Minor spoilers ahead*
The How I Met Your Mother sequel, How I Met Your Father, is now streaming on Hulu. Inspired by the original sitcom, the new series follows Sophie as she navigates adulthood.
If you’re thinking, Did we really need a sequel?, you’re not alone. Keep scrolling for an honest review of the How I Met Your Father pilot, including why the show should focus more on Hilary Duff (and less on Kim Cattrall).
The pilot begins in the year 2050, featuring Sophie (played by Cattrall) telling her son the story of how she met his father. Specifically, the night they first crossed paths.
Rewind to present-day, where Sophie (now played by Duff) is preparing to meet a man named Ian (Daniel Augustin), who she met on Tinder. It doesn’t take long for disappointment to ensue shortly after Ian reveals that he’s moving to Australia. Despite his hesitations, Sophie is still hopeful that it might work out in the future. Of course, Ian isn’t the only person she meets that night.
First, there’s Jesse (Chris Lowell), who begins as Sophie’s Uber driver but slowly develops feelings for her throughout the night, despite his “Mr. Proposal Fail” reputation. There’s also Charlie (Tom Ainsley), who is dating Sophie’s roommate, Valentina (Francia Raisa), though the relationship doesn’t look promising. Lastly, there’s Sid (Suraj Sharma), who proposes to his girlfriend that night. But hey, there’s no point in counting him out…at least not yet.
As for entertainment value, How I Met Your Father isn’t terrible, but it’s not great. Sure, some of the jokes are too cheesy to repeat, but it’s a sitcom. That’s how it’s supposed to be.
Not to mention, Duff is a breath of fresh air in the era of shows like Euphoria and Yellowjackets. She brings a nostalgic quality (that thankfully doesn’t scream Lizzie McGuire), offering a feel-good performance you can’t help but love.
That being said, HIMYF could do with a little less Cattrall. Yes, the show needs a narrator to lead the story. But her cameos don’t add much. It seems like Cattrall is trying *way* too hard to be funny and sexy when all the viewers want is relatability.
If you enjoyed the original series, you’ll likely get drawn in by the mysterious storyline that will undoubtedly drag on until the series finale. But don’t expect it to be off-the-charts funny. Thankfully, Duff is there to keep us all entertained.
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