If you didn’t think that Neil Patrick Harris was a national treasure already, this story might change your mind. If you’re anything like me and getting tired of the endless reboots and remakes of once-beloved TV shows and movies, you’ll be glad to know that NPH isn’t one to beat a dead horse.
The 44-year-old actor/dancer/singer/Dad extraordinaire is currently promoting the second season of Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, debuting March 30 on Netflix. Neil plays the wicked Count Olaf. During one stop of his promotional tour, Neil spoke with TV Guide, and the question of Neil bringing back his legend…wait for it…ary character Barney Stinson for a reboot of the long-running CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother came up.
When asked what he thought the lothario and suit aficionado would be doing now, Neil responded, “I have given How I Met Your Mother very little thought,” adding, “And I don’t say that with any English as if I’m making some sort of statement.” And after nine seasons, and arguably one of the most divisive series finales ever, Neil doesn’t seem to want to resuscitate the show, acknowledging:
“I really just look back on that chapter with great fondness. I just don’t feel like there’s anything left to do, really. I miss the players within it. I miss the writing staff and Pam Fryman, who directed all of those shows. It was fun to get to play with the same actors every week, but right now I’m knee-deep in Snicket and those are some bony knees.”
I’m glad he’s not on board to bring HIMYM back. It’s not really a surprise, as he’s stated in the past how he felt the show ended perfectly, telling Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live last year that “I would’ve ended it the exact same way.” But, hey, Neil’s still here to entertain us. In addition to Lemony Snicket, he’s also hosting the NBC game show Genius Junior, featuring exceptionally smart children doing their best to make adults like me feel as dumb as a rock (check out this interview with TODAY to get a sample). And I thought Masterchef Junior made me feel inadequate.
Photos: WENN.com, Getty Images
The finale ruined the show for me so yea we don’t need a reboot. Plus they had things filmed way ahead of time (like the kids) to keep the timing consistent. They wouldn’t have that now.
THIS.
I don’t usually get too invested in TV shows, but I did with that one as it spanned my last carefree pre-child days to my first two kids, our last apartment to our first house, quitting my paid job…
And they pulled that crap. I liked Robin. I liked Cristina Milliotti. I didn’t like that bull crap the writers pulled.
HIMYM has not aged well. Even worse than Friends, IMO. I love NPH as a performer, but Barney Stinson as a character was…problematic, at best. Robin is supposed to be strong, but she doesn’t actually have an agenda she acts on at any point in the show. She’s just the Cool Girl passage from Gone Girl.
Completely agree. Sometimes it’s on in my parent’s house when we have dinner and I cringe at how offensive and childish the jokes are. Apparently womanisers are really funny and all guys want to do is see their female friend’s boobs.
I totally see him as Count Olaf
Didn’t that show just end, anyway? Surely we need a decade or two buffer before people start throwing around the reboot word.
Worst finale ever. I won’t even watch reruns let along a reboot.
I have nothing to add to your comment but 100% DITTO
Same… And it’s not a show that can be continued. We met the mother. We had a flash forward. It’s over.
Btw i loved Barney. He was hilarious. NPH was excellent, he had great chemistry with all the others
agreed
Agree. I didn’t see all seasons,all episodes,but enough to be dismayed.
Himym is one of my all time favorite shows and I stand by the ending 100%. I truly believe that the people who truly love that show, and truly understood what it stood for (not just a quirky comedy that always tied everything up neatly with a bow), knew that the ending was perfect. Most people I ever talk to about the ending who hated it only occasionally watched the show or only watched the ending after not watching the last three seasons. Sometimes people die, sometimes things don’t end up the way you thought they would. Himym always pushed the envelope in terms of what a 30 min sitcom was and could be, and frankly an ending where Ted and Tracy ride into the sunset together would have gone against everything the show was.
I loved the show. But hated the ending. I was a fan, not casual viewer.
The wedding lasted for a season. The divorce like three sec.
I am not against mum’s death. But Robin and Ted and kids yelling at his dad to hook up with his ex who is also ex wife of one of his bffs… Nope. Too much drama. And Barney having a kid with someone no one knew… Nope. Nine years. They had nine years to make things feel not rushed. But the last episode destroyed the experience for me.
You cannot judge fans based on your own preferences, especially since you are in minority. It ended up being one of the worst finales in TV history and it has everything to do with one thing: you cannot make a final episode nine years earlier. It doesn’t work that way.
Not true. Breaking Bad, The Wire, and Mad Men were all shows whose premise was known from beginning to end before the first episode aired. I do agree that the wedding taking a season was not optimal but I think that had more to do with the fact that Jason Segal couldn’t film with the cast for most of the season so they had to figure something out. It makes 100% sense to me that Barney and Robin wouldn’t ever work out. Duh. I guess I just don’t agree with the majority. I love the finale, I thought it was perfect, and wouldn’t have wanted it to end any other way. I don’t need to know who Barney’s daughter’s mom is to know that having a child was the perfect way to end his arc. Like you said, I am obviously in the minority. But as such I will always stand up for my favorite little show, that I still watch to this day.
I watched it religiously, and I HATED the ending. I think Barney & Robin ending up together made way more sense the Ted & Robin, who never could get their act together. I get that they always knew their twist ending, but sometimes things come up that they could’t have planned for – like the amazing chemistry between Barney & Robin, where Ted & Robin had none. They totally knew the viewers loved Robin & Barney together too – that’s why they teased out a wedding for a whole season. They just didn’t care, which is their right as the creators. But it’s no surprise to anyone that the majority of viewers (not just casual fans) hated that ending,
I loved the ending! I figured it would end like that and am happy it did.
I got hooked on HIYM when it got to Netfilix, I binge watched during my preganancy and I’ve see every episode at least three-four times and I disagree with you 100%.
Robin should have just been a piece of the puzzle for TeD, someone to make him realize that you cannot spend forever with someone that doesn’t want similar things and that it isn’t fair to make people give up what they want out of life.
Also the writer spent seasons devoted to making us love Robin and Barney together. Seasons! Only to divorce them depleting any personal progress the two had made as characters. Barney and Robin should have been end game.
Good. The finale was hot garbage and made me regret ever watching the show. I don’t even watch reruns and if a friend mentions they might start watching it I warn them off because it sucks. Ted Mosby is one of the worst characters to ever be on television, and as someone said earlier, yeah, Barney is really problematic and frankly kinda rapey.
I hated Ted so much I quit the show after a few seasons, but I read about the finale, and it sounded terrible. I don’t think there’s much demand for that to be resurrected.
I agree. What’s the point of bringing it back? It already ended badly (not loving Robin and Ted together at the end, blah) but, mainly, it told the story it was supposed to- that is, how Ted met his kids’ mother (and then she died after 2 episodes).
On another note, weren’t they going to shoot ‘How I Met Your Father?’ .. I would watch that.
I could never see NPH as the ladies man, still Doogie Houser to me. But I will be watching a Series of Unfortunate Events, great show!!
Terrible finale…but I just try to ignore it and enjoy the first 4 seasons like I always have. Definitely does not need a reboot or spin off.
I hated the finale. Robin and Barney were well suited and so was Ted and his wife. Robin and Ted would not have lasted in the real world. No way no how.
Why must we attempt to reboot or reboot everything from 20-30 years ago? Why not create new concepts?
X100000.
I would never give it much thought either if they had done to my character what they did to his. Barney Stinson was arguably the one character on that show that grew immensely, learned his lessons and changed for the best, leaving behind his deadful past for true love. And it was true love. I will never get over the fact that they spent four seasons developing his and Robin’s relationship, convincing everyone they were meant for each other (and they were, they were basically spiritual twins, absent fathers, hating romance and mushy stuff, into scotch and a little twisted), made us sit through a WHOLE season consisting of their wedding day, which once again confirmed they were awesome together in spite all the annoyances (yes, Ted, I’m looking at you)… and then they just ruined it. The fans hated it, even the cast hated it and you can see it in their face in some of the interviews on YouTube that they gave for the wrapping of the finale. So yeah, Neal should never give it any thought, because what they did to his character’s storyline, throwing away all that growth and strenght just so Robin and Ted can be together, was simply insulting.
P.S. Not that I hate Ted, I’m super angry about his character too, they regressed him even worse than Barney in the end, he let go and let go and let go again, and made speeches on letting go, and again let go of Robin ON HER WEDDING day seeing her as a floating baloon and every time it was “And now I was free to pursue what would make me happy”. Again and again. Um, no. In the end, it seemed like he couldn’t wait for Tracy to die to run back to Robin. Another one under the belt and back to Robin – that’s how it felt and still feels. And don’t get me started on Ted’s super insensitive and rude children who when their father starts the story with “I’m going to tell you how I met your mother” respond with “Is this going to take long” and “Are we being punished”. Um, your mother’s dead, you idiots! Show some respect!
Wow, I needed that 😀 Тhanks!