A MAN ... SUCH AS YOU ... If we didn't post this link, you'd have assumed the blog went on hiatus: the cast of HIMYM went Inside the Actors Studio, and NPH and Jason Segel were asked if they could perform a certain song again.
[Added/related: Hugh Jackman on BBC Radio yesterday, doing Wolverine: The Musical.]
I don't have any particularly strong thoughts about the end of HIMYM other than to note that I think Lost gave too many other showrunners (and networks) the idea that shows should have a particular ending in mind, as opposed to just providing a premise and seeing how things flow naturally. Delaying the MYM this long has frustrated fans, led to a lot of wasted half-hours, and leaned too often on the show going sitcommy instead of nuanced and emotional.
There's been a lot of fun over the years, but it's long-past time for it to end. Time to see what the members of this great, talented cast have next.
I think HIMYM deserves credit for being willing to play with the format and be a hybrid of single-cam and multi-cam, and much of that credit should go to Pam Fryman, who's directed almost every episode. (And this season's format experiment has been an interesting, albeit largely failed, experiment.)
ReplyDeleteYes, the show has gone on at least a season or two too long, yes, Ted's more than little bit of a drip, and yes, the last few episodes have been a bit short on the funny, but they've legitimately brought emotion, and that's a rare feat for a sitcom.
A season or two? I think it's telling that the Hitfix list of the ten best episodes of a nine-season show are from seasons 2, 2, 4, 4, 1, 2, 3, 1, 3, and 2.
ReplyDeleteThe husband decided to be a completist and watch all 9 seasons before the final episode. Perhaps because of that viewing experience but I now have far more affection for the HIMYM gang than the insufferably endlessly sober Friends.
ReplyDeleteEven more controversially, I anticipate bigger better things for all of them than the Friends after tomorrow night's episode.
I think a lot of sitcoms have brought legitimate emotion in recent years. 30 Rock, Parks, New Girl, Brooklyn 99, Bob's Burgers, The Office, The Middle, Happy Endings. Early HIMYM was great, but I think hitting a few heart strings is something better sitcoms consistently do.
ReplyDeleteImagine how much better the Les Miz movie would have been if they'd cast Jason Segal and NPH. (They already had Anne Hathaway...)
ReplyDeleteLook, HIMYM wasn't perfect the last few years, but I didn't hate myself for watching it. There have been wonderful moments, I've always had fun spending time with the characters, and I'm looking forward to the ending. And I could never hate anything that produced one of my two favorite sitcom episodes in history, "Slap Bet."
I think the primary flaw in HIMYM's design was deciding that there could be no more story after Ted meets the mother. Would it have been so awful to celebrate getting past your fifth season by introducing the mother, then telling a few more fun stories with her in the gang?
ReplyDeleteI think this mistake has been emphasized by how well they cast the mother. Although I've been happier with this last season than most have (I think it's been much better than the previous 3) I can't help but see, and agree with, the near universal praise for Milioti and wish that the show ended with her and Ted's wedding, rather than Robin and Barney's. It's a shame that the best new element of the show in years has been so underutilized.
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