How I Met Your Mother: 10 Worst Characters Who Appeared After Season One

How I Met Your Mother ran for nine seasons, and during its twisting run it introduced audiences to a wide variety of different characters outside of the core gang.

Unfortunately, not all of those characters who were introduced after the show's debut season were great additions to the fold, with several almost single-handedly ruining the interesting storyline they were otherwise a part of.

From former love interests to terrible parents and estranged friends, the following 10 characters were all let down by poor writing, narrative inconsistencies, uninspired performances, and, in some cases, the general fact they were kept around for far too long.

In a show as dense and character-driven as How I Met Your Mother, fans could definitely have benefitted from not seeing so much of these particular characters, who for the most part started strong before falling awkwardly and infuriatingly flat.

With major spoilers, here are the worst characters introduced after How I Met Your Mother's first season...

The first of a handful of awful fathers to make this list, Mickey Aldrin was introduced in the fifth season episode Slapsgiving 2: Revenge of the Slap, where he attempted - poorly - to reconnect with Lily after years of estrangement.

Though the character benefits from the natural charm and comedy skills of actor Chris Elliott, Mickey quickly overstays his initial welcome, and what's more is that his development feels constantly at odds with itself.

Initially appearing as an absent father trying to make amends, every one of his subsequent appearances in the series finds him reverting to old habits of sleazy business deals and forcing Lily to get him out of trouble.

By the time the show comes to an end, he and Lily may be on good terms - and it's made clear he ended up being a great grandfather - but his redemption never feels earned or consistent enough to work.