All How I Met Your Mother Seasons, Ranked from Meh to Magnificent
Because we all know there was some damage done.
There are only several sitcoms that can be rewatched every year and bring joy like after the first time watching. And of course, How I Met Your Mother is one of them. The series follows a group of friends who form a rather dysfunctional team but still stick together no matter what.
Barney, Ted, Robin, Marshall and Lily’s shenanigans took us through many laughs and cries, but for the show’s nine season run there were a lot of times we wished the writers would have chosen another direction for the series…
So here we have all the seasons of the show ranked from worst to best.
Season 9
One of the most important things for every showrunner is to make sure that every second each viewer spends watching the series is worth it at the end. So creating a perfect finale is a must, but unfortunately not a lot of series manage to have at least decent ending, and HIMYM is one of them.
Season 9 is the worst in the entire series run for many reasons: the killing of the Mother, despite the name of the series literally focuses on her; breaking up Barney and Robin in a single scene making it all about some stupid conflict; finally, making it all about the French horn again… The fans of the show hated it all.
Season 8
Season 8 was also not very liked by the viewers, and also for taking a turn to making a beloved before character into a rubbish person. In this chapter Ted’s long lost girlfriend Victoria comes back to his life, only to break up with him because of Ted and Robin’s connection. The only good thing about the season was probably Barney’s twisted proposal to Robin.
Season 7
By the time season 7 arrived, viewers were already tired of waiting for the mother to show up, but instead they were forced to wait for all the love stories the writers created for Robin to come to an end. One of the show's most emotional moments came this season, when Robin discovered she couldn't have children. The fandom, however, handled the news differently…
Season 5
This season had the potential to be good, but it was still hated because of one thing: Robin and Barney's relationship. It seems that the writers lost whatever ideas they had after successfully bringing them together. The story was pretty boring, there was no chemistry or dynamic, but after they broke up – everything changed for the better and the chapter turned into a pretty decent season.
Season 6
The season is so tumultuous that it's absolutely right to put it in the middle of the list. On one hand we have the what-the-hell relationship of Ted and Zooey, but on the other hand we have the most dramatic storyline involving Marshall and the tragic death of his father. The episode Last Words is what made the season one the most emotionally intense.
Season 3
Another emotionally full season was season 3, which followed Ted and Robin dealing with the breakup aftermath. For some time Ted was broken, but later he met Stella, and for quite some time he was a happy ready-to-get-married Ted again (until the infamous altar episode…).
The season was also the one that introduced the many running gags to the series, such as the yellow umbrella, the Slapsgiving gag, the red boots and the butterfly tattoo. Really, what an iconic season!
Season 4
The season played a bad joke on Ted when Stella left him at the altar with his heart broken into a million little pieces. Eventually, though, we see him mature and recover, and even take that pivotal professor job.
We also see Barney start to question his life choices after he felt he was falling in love with Robin. And with Marshall and Lily getting ready to take a new step in their relationship, the season is pretty much a point of no return for the characters.
Season 1
The one that started it all… Slutty Pumpkin, The Limo, The Pineapple Incident – these are only a few legen… wait for it… dary episodes the season has. The first season is one of the best for many reasons. It’s the beginning of the era, it’s the first time Ted and Robin met in the bar, it’s when we learn about the booth and so much more.
Season 2
The best season of all is definitely season 2 and no fan of the show will ever argue with that. The chapter literally took everything good season 1 had and made it perfect! The season has it all: heartbreaks, love stories, many jokes, Barney crying while performing his best friend’s wedding, and of course… Robin Sparkles.
“Season two ranks among the best seasons of any sitcom ever in my opinion. It’s funny, clever, and sweet — often bittersweet. The characters are not broad yet. Absolutely my favorite,” Redditor Teachhimandher said.
How I Met Your Mother is available to stream on Netflix and Hulu .