As a spin-off to one of my favourite sitcoms, How I Met Your Mother (2005), I was very skeptical heading into How I Met Your Father. Because the original is a classic beloved by many, I didn’t think it was necessary to create a spin-off (but I guess Hollywood does love to make reboots and sequels nowadays). Although I was initially reluctant to start, my childhood love for Hilary Duff convinced me to give it a go. And to my utter dismay, I was right on the money in thinking this show would be a disappointment. Let me break down where this show went wrong.

My biggest issue is that everything is reused. While boasting a more modern setting and style, the overall feel of the show is not anything new. The characters follow similar archetypes from the original without providing anything special, making the show feel bland. While they tried to play into the nostalgia by having the characters live in the same apartment as Ted and having Robin for a cameo, it felt tacky. I wanted this show to feel unique and different enough that it could stand on it’s own, not become a failed replica of something that was already done and done well.

I appreciated that they made the cast diverse which better reflected real world friendships and relationships, but in terms of chemistry between the actors, I felt it was lacking. There just wasn’t the same spark and bond. Their relationships didn’t feel deep or all that strong, so I’m hoping they’ll develop that further in the second season. In order to love a sitcom, you have to love the characters and care about their struggles and problems. If they can’t nail the characters and their relationships, it’ll be difficult to get fans on board.

Finally, while this is supposed to be a sitcom, I didn’t find it that funny at all. Making the comedy ‘modern’ was basically a drawback – the use of teenage slang and meme culture made it incredibly cheesy and cringey. The humour didn’t feel natural but awfully forced, and the laugh track was used where it felt like it was trying to push out laughter from the audience instead of reinforcing it.

After giving this show a fair shot, I’ve realized it’s nothing new or exciting and it doesn’t explore anything beyond what the original already did. If there’s nothing new, why wouldn’t I just rewatch the original? As I continued each episode, I found myself increasingly losing interest. To me, this is kind of a brainless show that I would put on when doing something else (it’s just background noise to be honest). My final rating for How I Met Your Father is 3.5/10 and wouldn’t recommend it. If you’ve been craving a good sitcom, I’d just stick to the original.

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