The year is 2030, but the scene is eerily familiar. A son and daughter perch on their family room couch, hoping that this father-children discussion does not last long. The father is not filmed by the camera, but his voice narrates the long story he is about to tell his children: the unabridged version of how he met their mother, beginning twenty-five years before in 2005.
The narrator (Bob Saget) and the two children (Lyndsy Fonseca, David Henrie) kick off the sitcom with the perfect level of teenage angst/boredom and parental condescension/my-life-is-important-too-ism. A television show is flashbacks to present day, where a twenty-something Ted Moseby (Josh Radnor) searches for his soul mate, the woman who will end up as his wife. With an extremely talented cast, including Jason Segel, Cobie Smulders, Neil Patrick Harris, Sarah Chalke, and Britney Spears (guest-starring in later seasons), "How I Met Your Mother" ("HIMYM") could potentially get by with sub-par scripts. However, the writing is brilliant, challenging traditional taboo and conventional humor. I especially enjoy the endless catch phrases the show provides--not to mention to constant laughter. Aside from some crass and crude jokes--which, I am sorry to say, are funny, nonetheless--"HIMYM" provides a great replacement for discontinued shows, dubbed a cross between "Friends" and "Seinfield." A friend of mine recommended the show to me; since then, I have created many followers of my own in friends and fellow teenagers. I have yet to hear of anyone to whom I have made a recommendation who dislikes this show. "How I Met Your Mother" airs Mondays on CBS at 8:00 ET/PT. The fifth season premieres September 21.
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