This critically acclaimed short-lived sitcom is the perfect HIMYM replacement (and is streaming)

How I Met Your Mother is a legendary sitcom beloved by critics and audiences, but there is another TV show that aired at the same time that offered an even better comedy about finding love. The 2000s saw many sitcoms like How I Met Your Mother Try to reinvent the Friends Format of a close-knit friend group, and How I Met Your Mother was one of the most successful and longest-running of these shows. Happy Endings was a critically acclaimed and criminally short-lived sitcom, as well as a perfect replacement show for HIMYM.

Both shows use romantic narrative devices. HIMYM Uses a frame story from the future Ted Mosby voiced by Bob Saget tells his children the story of how he met their mother, while Happy Endings Start with a friend group navigating how to stay friends after a breakup. The points are thematically similar, however Happy Endings Has better age. Anyone who loves How I Met Your Mother But now Barney sees in a different context than they did in 2005 should check out Happy Endings.

Similarities and Differences Between Happy Endings and How I Met Your Mother

One HIMYM character has aged particularly poorly

Happy Endings And How I Met Your Mother Share thematic overlap. Both are low-concept hangout sitcoms about an insular group of yuppies in major American metropolitan areas, built around a romantic framing device. Even the breakdown of the relationship statuses between the friend groups we mirror each other: the main on-again-off-off-again couple, the longstanding married couple, and one chronic single person constantly looking for love or sex.

tonal, HIMYM is a more serious show and willing to occasionally dip into dramedy territoryWhile Happy Endings is a true network sitcom joke machine. Happy Endings Only ran for three seasons while How I Met Your Mother Ran for nine seasons, so perhaps Happy Endings If a longer run it would also have gone into soapier territory, Like the death of Marshall’s father in HIMYM or the discovery of Robin’s infertility. Happy Endings Doesn’t get more serious when Max comes out to his parents, who immediately turn to setting him up with Jewish boys instead of Jewish girls.

Perhaps to offset the more emotional storylines, Barney Stinson is always there to seduce women in increasingly comical ways. Barney has catchphrases, schemes and suits to spare, but his character has aged poorly since the show’s release in 2005. Barney Stinson’s Playbook schemes may be played for laughs, but without the laugh track, they could be seen as rape by cheating a Contemporary lens. Only the irrepressible charm of Neil Patrick Harris makes this character palatable on rewatch.

rather, Happy Endings Seems to get better with age. By 2010s sitcom standards, Happy Endings was relatively diverse. Race and sexuality are discussed in light, comedic ways, as Brad Grambling, “What’s the point of having white friends?“When he’s stuck with the brunch bill, or Penny complaining she fits more gay man stereotypes than Max does. Each of the six main Happy Endings Characters have an archetype – dumb blonde, chronic single, control freak – but are imbued with so much weirdness and specificity that they are anything but stereotypes.

If Happy Endings is so great, why was it cancelled?

Scheduling changes do not have good endings

Happy Endings Faces stiff competition. The show ran from 2011 to 2013, during a time that was an embarrassment of riches for sitcom fans. Happy Endings Was competing for eyeballs against shows like New Girl, Parks & Rec, Modern Family, 30 Rock And HIMYMAll of which ran temporarily. ABC, the network behind the show, prioritized Modern family And The device Over Happy Endings When it came to marketing, so the viewership numbers were not reflective of the quality of the show.

ABC’s lack of focus on Happy Endings was reflected in the show’s tumultuous broadcasting schedule. Season 1 episodes are released in order and has an atypical release schedule of two episodes dropping a week. The following season the time slot was changed to accommodate the first season of Don’t trust the B**** in apartment 23And the season was cut by one episode, which was held for the third season.

The third season has an irregular broadcast schedule. For the third time in as many seasons, the time slot has changed, now losing the slot to Dancing with the stars. With the third season, the time slot has changed again without an immediate announcement of when the show will air. Even the finale was pushed when a national news story broke. For fans of the show, It was difficult to be a faithful watcher because of the constant upheavals.

Best roles you may have seen the happy endings posted in

They still appear in sitcoms

Both HIMYM And Happy Endings Pop because of the electric chemistry between the cast, but sometimes that can be lightning in a bottle and does not ensure an ongoing career. Despite the wild success of the show, the How I Met Your Mother Cast has largely not returned to the sitcom realm. They’ve gone on to indie films, studio comedy movies, reality TV hosting gigs and even the MCU. Neil Patrick Harris has had the most varied career, from Gone girl To win a Tony on Broadway. It’s interesting that none of the cast has had a successful sitcom since HIMYM Completed.

On the contrary, the Happy Endings Cast did not become household names, however They regularly appear in TV comedy gems. Damon Wayans Jr. Reprised his role as coach in New girl. Elisha Cuthbert stars in Netflix The ranchAnd Eliza Coupe stole every scene in the underrated Hulu sitcom Future man. Adam Pally even created his own show, Champaign ILL. It’s fun to see the talented cast of Happy Endings Pop up in other projects.