Only a few weeks after rumors broke that CBS was developing a spinoff from the departing “How I Met Your Mother,” the network has moved forward and officially ordered a pilot.
Titled “How I Met Your Dad” — or “HIMYD” — the spinoff will be written and executive produced by “Up All Night” creator Emily Spivey and executive produced by “How I Met Your Mother” creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas.
The report on the pilot pickup, courtesy of Deadline.com, offers a few additional details, specifically that the story, told from the female point of view, will be linked to “HIMYM” by the same reused set on the Fox Lot. Wait. Sorry. They’ll be linked by MacLaren’s Pub, which will turn out to have been a hangout for both Ted-and-company, but also the newbies. The Deadline report isn’t sure if the new characters will be introduced in the “How I Met Your Mother” series finale next spring, though apparently that was the original plan.
[UPDATE: The studio actually confirmed the pickup to me, but the only reason I sourced the Deadline story is because it had all of that information I hadn’t seen before about MacLaren’s and whatnot. Naturally, both “HIMYM” showrunners have subsequently taken to Twitter to say that information isn’t true. Bays was particularly definitive, tweeting, “Also #HIMYD probably won’t be set in Maclarens — new bar for a new show. And likewise the characters won’t be introduced on #HIMYM .” ]
With “The Millers” and “Crazy Ones” both featuring “Big Bang Theory”-inflated ratings that don’t rise above “decent” and with “Mom” still struggling to find an audience — an audience the risk-taking comedy actually kinda deserves, if you ask me — it’s hardly surprising that CBS wants to remain in the “HIMYM” business. “How I Met Your Mother” still starts Monday nights strong for CBS and it would be the top-rated comedy on every network other than ABC.
Y’all know I have opinions on “How I Met Your Mother” at this point and that I probably have opinions on the spinoff idea.
Fortunately, I already recorded a video rant on the subject when the development was first announced.
Check it out above.