It's been more than a decade since how I Met Your Mother has come to an end, and although nothing takes its place, Jason Segel's story Shrinking it's worth considering as a replacement program. Segel played Marshall Eriksen in all nine seasons of how I Met Your Mother before the show concluded in 2014. The actor continued working on TV projects, including major roles in Shipments from elsewhere and Victory timebut his next starring role came in the form of Apple TV+ Shrinking.
In it, Segel plays a therapist named Jimmy who questions his own practices while dealing with immense grief following the unexpected death of his wife. This may sound very cheerful, but ShrinkingThe cast helps balance the comedic elements of the show without burying the show's significant themes. Speaking of themes, Shrinking has a lot to offer that would resonate how I Met Your Mother fans, including those who still want to forget HIMYMThe divisive ending.
Shrinking Shares Similarities to How I Met Your Mother (Plus Jason Segel)
The two shows have surprising aspects in common
While how I Met Your Mother is led by Josh Radnor's Ted, Shrinking features Jason Segel as the lead in the Apple TV+ comedy-drama. Both shows effectively utilize a stellar supporting castwith each member bringing something different to the table and landing a pretty impressive list of guest stars. However Shrinking has only two seasons so far, it has already managed to bring in names like Wendie Malick, Lily Rabe, Kelly Bishop and Brett Goldstein, who also serves as co-creator of the program. It also doesn't hurt to have Harrison Ford opposite Segel's character.
In addition to the cast list, Shrinking also shares an interesting plot point with how I Met Your Motheralbeit from a darker lens. Marshall and the other HIMYM The characters encounter their fair share of life's struggles throughout the series, but the driving force of the narrative stems from the deaths of Ted's wife and the mother of his two children. In ShrinkingSegel's Jimmy experiences the tragic loss of his wife and the mother of his daughter, Alice. Being on streaming allows Shrinking lean more into the darker elements of grief, but the themes of loss and relationships are still the focus.
How I Met Your Mother I Almost Had a Suitable Replacement
The official HIMYM spinoff didn't last long
Before Shrinking premiered on Apple TV+, how I Met Your Mother almost had a worthy replacement show in the form of the sitcom's official spinoff, How I met your father. The Hulu series was released in 2022 and used a similar formula to HIMYM following Hilary Duff's Sophie as she detailed moments in her life that led to her meeting the future father of her child. How I met your father was also set in the same universe as HIMYMallowing for fun appearances from several stars of the original show, including Cobie Smulders' Robin and Neil Patrick Harris' Barney.
Despite showing some promise, Hulu canceled How I met your father after the second season. There was hope that the spinoff would lean more towards how I Met Your Mother elements, including more appearances from the original cast. Instead, returning to HIMYM universe was cut short, leaving longtime fans looking elsewhere to fill the void left by the show's absence. Fortunately, there are some ready-to-use replacement options, such as Shrinking, to help find something partially similar HIMYMthe best elements.
Shrinking Season 2 introduces another aspect that HIMYM fans will enjoy
Season 2 Introduces Another HIMYM Vet
If Jason Segel and the rest Shrinkingthe cast is not convincing enough to give the show a chance, how I Met Your Mother fans might be happy to know that season 2 features a big reunion. Without revealing too much, Shrinking season 2 features a HIMYM reunion, thanks to Cobie Smulders' cameo in episode 10. The sequel reunites Segel and Smulders a decade after their NBC sitcom came to a (controversial) end. Their hilariously awkward encounter, however, also allows for Smulders' potential return, something how I Met Your Mother fans would certainly be welcome.
...any potential for Smulders and Segel to work together should be welcomed, as the friendship between their HIMYM characters deserved more focus.
If Smulders' character returns Shrinking In season three, it's very possible that she could become a romantic interest for Jimmy based on their instant chemistry. The relationship would be a wild turn of events for how I Met Your Mother viewers, considering that Marshall and Robin were one of the few couples that did not occur on the show. It's true that any potential for Smulders and Segel to work together should be welcomed, since the friendship between their HIMYM characters deserved more focus. More Smulders could also encourage future how I Met Your Mother veterinarians to enter the world of Shrinking.