How I Met Your Mother: 10 Simple Fixes That Would Have Saved The Ending

7. Reversing Ted's Move

One of the major misconceptions of How I Met Your Mother is that the entire series revolves around Ted's quest for the Mother. And, for a small subsection of viewers, the tiny clues and hints littered through nine seasons probably proved the main draw. However, the real reason why the show gained popularity and acclaim as a wonderfully heartfelt show with a wicked sense of humour owes its debt to the real focus of the show: maturity. How I Met My Maturity just doesn't have the same ring to it. What happens when you grow up? What happens to friends, lovers, lives? These, among others, were the tough questions How I Met Your Mother asked among the slap bets, drinks, and suits. Thus, a major misstep proved fatal when Ted's move to Chicago was suddenly reversed in the finale. Ted's move hung over the heads of the characters and actually appeared as a legitimate source of dramatic tension, putting a running clock on these characters' interactions. Much like the viewers, Ted was moving on. Except he didn't. Of course, the whole reason he stays is the Mother, so his presence in New York remains exceptionally vital to the story line. Fix it by letting him live in Chicago a year, allowing him to fully realise the mistake he's made, then return to New York. It would add more legitimacy to Ted's character and perhaps a little more luster to Ted and the Mother's relationship.