How I Met Your Father is here to fill the void that Ted, Robin, Marshall, Lily, and Barney left behind when the much-loved sitcom How I Met Your Mother came to an end back in 2014.
After nearly eight years (and at least three attempts) to get a spin-off going, the sequel series to the smash-hit comedy series has already aired in the US and is now airing in the UK.
Just as How I Met Your Mother documented Ted Mosby's many attempts to find "The One" in New York City, How I Met Your Father sees a new generation of friends navigating their dating lives in the Big Apple.
Here's everything you need to know about How I Met Your Father.
How I Met Your Father release date
In the US, the first series of How I Met Your Father premiered on Hulu in January 2022, and the whole season is now available to stream on Hulu.
UK fans have had to wait quite a few months to tune in, but season 1 is now available at last after dropping onto Disney Plus on Wednesday, May 11.
How many episodes are there?
Season 1 of How I Met Your Father is 10 episodes long.
Who's in the How I Met Your Father cast?
There are some big stars attached to the first season of How I Met Your Father!
Hilary Duff leads the cast as Sophie. She's the equivalent character to Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) in How I Met Your Mother. Sophie is a hopeless romantic photographer who hopes to find her soulmate.
Speaking to What To Watch about the role, Hilary said: "This project was really attractive to me because the part of Sophie was very relatable. The script’s great and the writing witty. I love that the show’s funny and real. I love that we get some tug-on-the-heartstring moments. I also love that New York City is a big part of the show. It helps it move along quickly."
Hilary also revealed where we find Sophie at the start of the series: "Sophie isn’t quite where she thought she would be in her life; she’s flailing a little. I can’t tell you how many friends I have that are in the same space as Sophie, which is why it’s really fun for me to play her – especially as I’m in a completely different space in my life now."
The star also teased how Sophie's quest to find her one true love would go...
"There’s obviously a little bit of hype about who Sophie’s going to end up with in the story! It’s like, ‘Is she going to date this person? Oh, she’s going to date that person!’
"I hope people take away the idea that they are not alone. It’s brutal out there [in the dating world], but I think it’s important to try and lean into the support system of your friends.
"The odds are against Sophie, but she leans into this little pack of weirdos that she calls her friends!"
Who else stars in the show?
Of course, we couldn't have a How I Met Your Mother spin-off without an ensemble cast of friends to support each other. Alongside Sophie is Francia Raísa (Grown-ish) as Sophie's roommate, Valentina, Chris Lowell (Glow) as aspiring musician and Uber driver Jesse, Tien Tran (Candyman) as Jesse's adopted sister, Ellen, Suraj Sharma (Life of Pi) as Jesse's roommate and best friend, Sid and Tom Ainsley (The Royals) as Valentina's partner, Charlie.
Fans of the original show will know that the "Future Ted" sequences weren't voiced by Radnor but by the late Bob Saget, and this standalone sequel will be following a similar format.
As Deadline reported, the narration on this new series is provided by Kim Cattrall (Samantha from Sex and the City). Kim's version of Sophie has a larger presence in the show compared to Future Ted, as the future sequences are styled with Sophie on-screen, rather than her son.
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The recurring cast includes Daniel Augustin (David Makes Man) who plays Ian, one of Sophie's Tinder matches. Ashley Reyes (American Gods) is on board as Hannah, Sid's long-distance girlfriend and Josh Peck (Drake and Josh) plays Drew, a school vice-principal who Sophie starts dating.
As you'd expect, a handful of special guest stars also crop up throughout the first series, including a few special cameo appearances from stars who'd appeared in HIMYM, which we won't spoil for our UK readers.
How I Met Your Father plot
Like How I Met Your Mother, this sequel series is set in the future and is centered around a protagonist (Sophie) telling her son how she met his father. The main difference is that we join the ensemble cast in 2021, rather than 2005.
Hulu's logline for the show reveals a little bit more about the show: "In the near future, Sophie (Duff) is telling her son the story of how she met his father: a story that catapults us back to the year 2021 where Sophie and her close-knit group of friends are in the midst of figuring out who they are, what they want out of life, and how to fall in love in the age of dating apps and limitless options.”
Is there a How I Met Your Father trailer?
In the trailer below we get our first good look at Hilary Duff and the rest of the cast in action. It teases Tinder dates, heartbreak and how hard it is to search for connection in today's world.
Is How I Met Your Father a spin-off or a reboot?
During the Television Critics Association's winter press tour, How I Met Your Father co-creator Isaac Aptaker was pretty emphatic when he told the press that the upcoming show was "not a reboot" (via TVLine).
Aptaker said: "People keep referring to the show as a reboot, and it's not a reboot", later adding "it's set in the world of the previous show, but it's really its own thing. That said, we love How I Met Your Mother", adding: "There are going to be lots of little rewards for people who love the original if they stick with us."
However, the original show's creators — Carter Bays and Craig Thomas — and the original director and executive producer, Pamela Fryman, have been involved in the creation of this show.
Hilary Duff also commented: "I think it's important to know that we are our own show... We're trying to create something original [while] stealing a few things from them that worked really well".
Will How I Met Your Father get a second season?
Good news, sitcom fans: Hulu renewed How I Met Your Father for a 20-episode second season on February 15, as reported by Deadline. It has also been hinted that filming for season 2 will start in June 2022.
Talking about the news at the time, Jordan Helman, Head of Scripted Content for Hulu Originals, said: "Isaac and Elizabeth's inspired vision for How I Met Your Father has proven to be true appointment viewing that fans cannot get enough of week to week.
"The lives of these characters, as portrayed by the immensely talented cast led by Hilary Duff, are just starting to unfold and we're thrilled to bring more of this group's journey to our viewers with a supersized second season."
