Five Reasons "How I Met Your Mother" Doesn't Suck

I know I have a tendency to focus on the negative. And a tendency to point out the negative I see to anyone not even trying to listen. But I swear I'm not all doom and gloom. For all the shit I can (and will) talk about How I Met Your Mother, I still think it's a decent show. I wouldn't be going through the re-watch otherwise - there's too many other good shows out there I could be watching if I didn't really like this one. (Though if I were to be honest, I'd probably just be watching The Office again). Anyways, here's five things that make HIMYM worth the watch.

(Also, I'd like to say, if you've watched the whole series and know how it ends, but you've never re-watched it and have no desire to ever do so, I suggest just going back and watching season 8 episode 20 again. But, ummm... you may want to have some tissues nearby. In case someone nearby is cutting onions or something). 

5) The show has some pretty clever writing. Granted, it's not always consistent writing. But it's still quite clever much of the time. The one-liners are often good, which makes for a good sitcom. But more importantly, the writers make great use of foreshadowing in a way that I think just might be peak for a sitcom. Even in the later seasons.

4) I went to NYC once and the trip was absolutely horrible. Yet I still love the city. And because HIMYM is set in NYC, it automatically gets kudos for that. I know it can be argued that most the show was actually filmed in LA, but they do a good job of making it feel NYC and for that, I love it.

3) Some of the greatest music to be features in a television show has been featured in HIMYM. In fact, I'd say it rivals Grey's Anatomy for best music featured in its show (assuming the listener is really into indie music along with the occasional pop song). And unlike Grey's Anatomy, watching HIMYM doesn't make me want to gouge my eyes out with a rusty spoon.

2) I think sitcoms that are set in the same time period they're filmed in serve as a sort of time capsule (and I hope to someday write a whole blog about this particular thought of mine). And HIMYM perfectly captures the mid-200s - mid-2010s (at least for middle class white Americans in their early adulthood years). And I absolutely love that about this show. Though watching the characters go from regular cell phones to smart phones does make me wish smart phones never became a thing. Which is something they actually cover in an episode.

1) Lastly, while I realize Ted Mosby is a fictional character and life is nothing like a sitcom, Ted's seemingly unending sense of hope often gives me a hope. Ignoring the fact that Ted is an idiot for not staying with Victoria in season 1, the dude goes through a lot of heartbreak. But he always gets back out there. Sure, some times it takes a little longer than others to dust himself off and pick himself up, but even when all the signs tell him it's time to call the quits - even when he thinks to himself that indeed it's time to call the quits - he finds a little hope and let's that guide him. And sometimes, when you're struggling to find such hope yourself, it's helpful to see someone else do it.