Second Most Iconic Sitcom About a Friend Group Just Dropped on Netflix
Let’s just say that it’s a long, long story about finding oneself and true love.
Without a doubt, David Crane and Marta Kauffman made the right call back in 1994: they booked the name Friends and created the most iconic sitcom about a friend group ever. The overwhelming popularity of their series that launched quite a few careers led to numerous other shows feasting on the same general concept: following a group of friends in their twenties through their successes and downfalls.
But admittedly, only one other sitcom got it right, adding its own twist to the Friends formula and creating a story just as compelling — and almost as long.
Finding True Love Is No Easy Task
New York hosts millions of people, and all those people are busy with their jobs, hobbies, and established social circles. In such a dense yet detached environment, finding the one and only seems nearly impossible… But those who succeed, can tell the most interesting and convoluted stories about their previous failed attempts.
How I Met Your Mother is basically Friends — but framed as a narrative from the already successful man called Ted Mosby who one day decided to tell his kids his and their mother’s love story. Of course, he ended up going way back, and for nine long seasons, the children have to sit through hundreds of stories that have next to no connection to the original idea… But all have invaluable life lessons for them.
HIMYM Is the Best Friends Successor
Out of all the TV shows that tried following in Friends’ footsteps, only How I Met Your Mother nailed it, especially if you change the “official” ending for the alternative one. Introducing new characters who are very different from the renowned iconic friend group from the 1990s’ sitcom, it grabs your attention quickly — and then you stop caring about the “meeting the mother” part because Ted’s life is just that interesting.
Across all nine seasons, How I Met Your Mother holds more than solid 84% Critic and Audience Scores on Rotten Tomatoes against Friends’ 78 and 93%, respectively, and an 8.3 IMDb score against Friends’ 8.9. If you’re anything like us and can already quote the 1990s’ signature sitcom’s every episode by heart, definitely give HIMYM a try — and you won’t be disappointed.
To make life easier for you, How I Met Your Mother just returned to Netflix: all nine seasons are available on the streaming platform for the first time since 2017.