How I Met Your Mother Made the Fatal Mistake Friends Avoided
Not many shows can compete with Friends in terms of popularity and devoted fans.
At one point, How I Met Your Mother (HIMYM) seemed to be taking the hearts of viewers by storm and replacing the NBC hit on the small screen. But one big mistake changed all that.
The two sitcoms have a lot in common. They both feature a group of Manhattan friends with interesting dynamics, compelling storylines, and hilarious jokes. But if the end of Friends left viewers wanting more, the end of HIMYM left people wondering what had happened.
HIMYM's failed finale ruined the show for many fans. The sitcom ended on a depressing note. The entire final season revolved around Barney and Robin's wedding. And all of the arc endings were crammed into the two-part finale episode.
In a montage of events after the wedding, it is revealed that Barney and Robin eventually divorced, and Barney had a daughter with a one-night stand. This baby became the most important woman in his life. Marshall and Lily had three children. And Ted finally met the mother. But it turns out that she died about a decade after they started dating.
Ted's kids then say that the whole story was clearly about him still having feelings for Robin, and give him their blessing to pursue the relationship. So Ted runs to Robin's house, blue French horn in hand, and the two of them smile at each other.
This ending angered and saddened fans who felt it was a huge mistake to show Ted's entire married life in the last 10 minutes and then kill off the Mother after nine seasons of build-up.
The Mother was a lovable character, and fans wished she had more screen time. Also, fans didn't understand why an entire season was spent on every detail of Barney and Robin's wedding, only to have them divorce seconds later.
Friends, on the other hand, had a sweet and logical ending that perfectly wrapped up all of its storylines.
Monica and Chandler adopted twins and moved to the suburbs. Phoebe and Mike took the next step and decided to have kids. Ross and Rachel resumed their relationship, which was clearly what all ten seasons of the show were leading up to. Joey got a solo spinoff. So it is not surprising that viewers always choose Friends over HIMYM when they need an escapist show to immerse themselves in.