How I Met Your Mother

The strength of this very witty comedy is the chemistry between the five main characters. They play off each other just like real-life best friends, and their conflicts and triumphs seem like the kinds of issues that might happen to anyone -- except served up with better one-liners. Yes, there are some parts that seem a bit far-fetched -- how could Barney even find enough time for all those women, let alone appeal to them despite his obvious on-the-prowl status? -- but the group still comes across like people you could hang out with and want to get to know at the local bar where they convene regularly. Credit the writers for creating full-fledged, if exaggerated, characters, and for set-ups that are tantalizingly amusing.

One point that starts to feel thin after a while, however, is the gimmick behind the title. Perhaps clever in early episodes, as the seasons progress, it sometimes seems like we no longer care anymore who the mother is, what with all the storyline manipulations surrounding the topic. Robin, a strong candidate at first, has long since been ruled out, which means that Ted must eventually find a steady girlfriend. That isn't necessarily a flaw -- much of the best comedy stems from romantic misadventures -- but someday Ted will need a romantic encounter that doesn't end badly, which is unlikely to be as funny.