8. Pilot (Season 1, Episode 1)
Immediately setting up the unique formatting of the show with Future Ted (voiced by Bob Saget) in 2030 beginning to tell his children the story of how he met their mother, it was clear that this was a different take to the usual sitcom set-up. The pilot then proceeds to tell the story of how Ted, who is searching for "the one", met Robin whom he immediately fell for. She seems a perfect match for him and after a successful first date and a romantic gesture of stealing the blue horn from the restaurant, he prematurely proclaims his love for her. A move like that would seemingly blow his chances but yet when he leaves without kissing her he wonders if he had missed "the signal" (it would be revealed eight years later that he had) and HIMYM had set up their Ross and Rachel. Only for Future Ted to rule out the cliché by telling his children that it was the story of how met their Aunt Robin. As well as the great introduction to Ted and Robin the show introduced the immediately loveable couple of Marshall (who is preparing to propose) and his college sweetheart Lily, and the show's breakout character, serial womaniser Barney Stinson. With so many of the show's catchphrases, signature character traits and recurring minor characters established within the space of half an hour in many ways it felt like viewers were being dropped into an existing show rather than being introduced to the characters for the first time.
Trivia Fact: Jennifer Love Hewitt turned down the role of Robin Scherbatsky, before relative unknown Cobie Smulders was cast. Bays and Thomas are thankful for the outcome as "when Ted's seeing her for the first time, America's seeing her for the first time."