Funny haha (How I Met Your Mother - Series 1 (DVD))

Member Name: NickyBo

Product:	How I Met Your Mother - Series 1 (DVD)
Date:	26/09/09 (62 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: funny, likeable characters, Barney!

Disadvantages: not long enough

I saw How I Met Your Mother advertised a few years ago, but for some reason it didn't appeal to me so I didn't watch it. Then I happened to see it at a friends house and now I'm hooked! I have no idea why the adverts didn't appeal to me as it is just my type of show. Perhaps the advert didn't demostrate how very funny and engaging the show is, in which case many other people may be missing out on an excellent programme!

*Outline*
The show is set in the present day, but features flashes into the future where the main character, Ted Mosby, is talking to his future children. He sits his teenage son and daughter down to recount the story of how he met their mother - hence the title of the show. Throughout the series the audience are teased with who the future mother of Ted's children is, and we follow Ted on his many dating exploits.

*Characters*

Ted Mosby - played by Josh Radnor.
Ted Mosby is the main character in How I Met Your Mother. Ted seems to be a hopeless romantic and the show revolves around Ted's quest to find love and get married. Ted is a genuinely nice guy who is fed up of dating and wants to fall in love and settle down. This desire is mainly triggered by his best friend Marshall getting engaged.
The character of Ted is very likeable and he is played well by Josh Radnor. He makes Ted seem vulnerable and this endears him to the audience and encourages us to care what happens to him. Ted is also very funny, often in an accidental way.

Barney Stinson - played by Neil Patrick Harris.
Barney Stinson is Ted's good friend and appears in every episode. He seems to be the total opposite to Ted - very anti-marriage and settling down. He has numerous one-night stands and his exploits are often discussed during the show. His catchphrase is 'Suit up!' as he is always seen in a suit and thinks others should be too. He doesn't like the idea of Ted settling down and would rather he stayed single so they could pick up women together.
Everyone I talk to says Barney is their favourite character and guess what, Barney is my favourite character too, he is just so funny! He seems to have no morals and some of the things he does make me cringe, but laugh out loud at the same time. I have found myself quoting Barney on a few occassions and it makes me laugh each time.

Marshall Eriksen - played by Jason Segel
Marshall is Ted's best friend. He and Ted share an apartment and have known each other since university. Some of the funniest moments are when Ted and Marshall are having a 'serious' conversation that then ends up with them messing around like big kids. For example, they had a big sword fight throughout their apartment, trashing the place - hilarious!
Again, I like the character of Marshall. He is sweet and romantic and very likeable. He plays the funny moments well and is a believable character.

Lily Aldrin - played by Alyson Hannigan
Lily is Marshall's girlfriend and a good friend of Ted's. She has some very funny moments and some good lines particularly showing her relationship with Marshall and her friendship with Ted. She also manages to reveal Barney's softer side.

Robin Scherbatsky - played by Cobie Smulders.
Robin is a news reporter on a cable tv channel. We meet her in the first episode when she is on a date with Ted. It is suggested that she is the 'mother' referred to in the title of the show. Is she .....?

*My opinion*
I think this is a very funny tv show. I look forward to watching this as every episode makes me laugh out loud. My favourite character is Barney as he is just so funny. However, all the characters have their own funny traits which makes it far more than a one-man show. All the characters are very likeable which means we care about them and want to see what will happen to them, which makes it more than a show about the funny lines, it has a storylines as well.
The whole question around who the furture mother of Ted's children is, is a great and original idea. It is referred to most episodes and gives the viewer a bit of something extra to keep them interested. We get little hints throughout the series to keep us guessing. I don't think it will be revealed until the last series, as it is the whole idea around the show.

Summary: Try it, you'll be surprised how much you like it!