How I Met Your Father
How I Met Your Father
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that How I Met Your Father is a spin-off of How I Met Your Mother, the hit sitcom that debuted in 2005. This version, which takes place in 2022 (and is told by a woman in 2050), re-visits many of the same themes: dating, sex, friendship, drinking, and being young in New York City. In this version, male and female characters joke about watching porn and using sex toys (in an episode, a couple attempts to use sex toys while on video chat), men are shown only wearing towels (or with something covering their privates), and couples rush into closets to have sex. There's a lot of social drinking too.
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What's the Story?
HOW I MET YOUR FATHER begins in 2050, when a cozily dressed woman named Sophie (Kim Cattrall, Sex and the City) sits in front of a screen to talk with her son. Glass of wine in hand, she begins to tell him a story -- the story of how she met his father back in 2022. She explains she had met a man on a Tinder date who brags about having just slept with the date he'd had before theirs. Disgusted, young Sophie (Hilary Duff, Lizzie McGuire) decides to quit internet dating altogether, only to see she's been matched with a stunning man with a kind smile. After texting for weeks, they make plans to meet. But her plans go awry and she's at a loss as to what to do next. When will she meet the father of her child?
Is It Any Good?
If the series ended after the pilot episode, this spin-off would be easily forgotten. The of How I Met Your Father tropes seem worn, the plot lines chaotic and weak. But given another chance, and maybe another, the cast forms into a troupe, the jokes begin to land, and the sexual tension becomes interesting. Hilary Duff isn't the strongest lead female, but her cast members keep the pace moving so that her vulnerable moments land a little more gracefully.
How I Met Your Father might not earn its own acronym, but it could get gobbled up by teens and college kids whose parents watched its predecessor. Though there are lots of sex references, females do not get thrown under the bus in this show like they did in the original. The diverse cast wears their differences with pride, and it looks like they're really having fun, which always helps makes comedy a pleasure to watch.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
In How I Met Your Father, there's lots of talk about sex and dating. How much sexual content do you think is appropriate for kids your age?
Characters in this show fall in love over text. How much can you really know about someone if you don't meet them in person?
In one episode, a character says that her idea of love is going on a "date so good you don't even check your phone." What gets you to put down your phone?
TV Details
- Premiere date: January 18, 2022
- Cast: Hilary Duff, Chris Lowell, Kim Cattrall, Francia Raisa
- Network: Hulu
- Genre: Comedy
- Topics: Friendship
- TV rating: TV-14
- Last updated: February 28, 2022
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