The Show: The epic story of how Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) met the mother of his two children, relayed in flashback form as a young man experiencing life in New York City with friends Marshall (Jason Segel), Lily (Alyson Hannigan), Barney (Neil Patrick Harris); and Robin (Cobie Smulders). Why It's Overrated: It's hard to argue with the fact that this show started out with an utterly irresistible premise: that viewers were going to be taken through a winding, twisting mystery which slowly revealed itself was incredibly appealing, but really, the show increasingly became less and less about the mother until, in its final stages, it was forced to. The characters started off charming but started to lose their shine in later seasons (especially in the case of Ted and Lily), while Barney's hilarity was pretty much the sole reason to keep tuning in. The final season is the train-wreck that seals the deal, set almost entirely in the few short days leading up to Barney and Robin's wedding, only to throw in the twist that this wedding build-up was essentially pointless and the mother was dead the whole time. It cast an ultimate, dark pall over a once-great show, though there are still those tireless devotees who will relentlessly defend it. Stop watching after season eight (if you last that long) and make up your own ending instead, for your own sanity.
Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes).
General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.
