Hulu has announced the cancellation of the How I Met Your Mother spinoff series, How I Met Your Father, after two seasons. The show starred Hilary Duff and featured cameo performances from stars from the original series like Neil Patrick Harris and Colbie Smulders. The show gained a following throughout its short-lived run, and fans are devastated by the cancellation.
HIMYF was similar to its predecessor, where it follows a character's anecdotes about their youth and friendships while they reveal to their children the story of how they met their partner. It's an effective story mechanism that made people fall in love with How I Met Your Mother in the aughts. Season 2 of HIMYF ended on a cliffhanger with a major revelation about Duff’s character. Unfortunately, the cancellation means fans never seeing their questions answered short of the series being rescued.
Fans took to Twitter to express their frustration. One clearly wanted a resolution to the titular mystery, saying:
how i met your father getting canceled without a proper ending is crazy like what's the name of the show how did she met the father who is the father give some answersSeptember 1, 2023
Another fan was also clearly invested in the storyline, asking for a Season 3 to wrap up the plot and the character arcs:
i actually need how i met your father s3 like im invested in thisAugust 23, 2023
Yet another viewer expressed the same sentiment, saying one major storyline in particular needs to be handled before the show goes away for good:
Someone else needs to pick up How I Met Your Father. I need to know what happens to Sid and his wife.September 1, 2023
One viewer also highlighted the ambiguity the cancellation caused about how the series was supposed to end, using a popular Kanye West meme.
HOW I MET YOUR FATHER: https://t.co/8tSlf3zIrA pic.twitter.com/IhsmYvpWJBSeptember 2, 2023
Lastly, a fan reiterated how premature the cancellation feels, and that a five-season run would’ve been more appropriate for the Hulu series.
How I met your father a fun modern sitcom for everyone and now it’s cancelled like my GOD we had a FIVE season visionSeptember 1, 2023
Unfortunately, HIMYF fans never may get to see the desired ending for the spinoff. Hope isn’t all lost, as several canceled shows have been picked up by other networks or streamers in the past. For example, Arrested Development and Lucifer got their endings on Netflix after being canceled by Fox. A fan campaign could theoretically save the show, but for now, viewers may have to come to terms with Season 2 being the final season for the sitcom.
It seems like there are a lot of shows being given the ax in recent weeks. A League of Their Own was canceled by Amazon recently despite initially being renewed for a second season. Hulu also recently decided not to move forward with a fourth season of The Great even after multiple Emmy nominations for its existing three seasons. HIMYF may be the latest to be on the chopping block, but it certainly isn’t alone. The show was a sweet take on the familiar premise, incorporating the modern dating era into the sitcom format. It will be very missed.
Fans of the series can still check out the first two seasons of How I Met Your Father with a Hulu subscription. You can also revisit the original How I Met Your Mother, which is also available on the streamer. For more information on what other comedies to available on the platform, consult our feature on the funniest shows on Hulu right now.
