How I Met Your Father comes to Hulu this month. But one question remains. Will it be as LEGEN..wait for it…DARY as its predecessor?

What is How I Met Your Father?

It has been 8 years since we said goodbye to the hit sitcom How I Met Your Mother. The series follows Ted Mosbey, the hopeless romantic who wants nothing more than to marry and have a family. Along the 10 seasons of the show and Ted’s journey to meeting his children’s mother, we fell in love with Marshall, Lilly, Robin, and Barney. HIMYM is one of my favorite, although problematic, sitcoms until the atrocious series finale in season 10. 

The sequel to the series, How I Met Your Father, is a modern genderswapped version for 2022. HIMYF is the story of Sophie (Hilary Duff), a 20-something woman on the look for love. And also like Ted, is a mother telling her son the story of how she met his father. The series jumps back to the year 2022 where she and her close group of friends are trying to figure out who they are. As well as what they want out of life and falling in love in a digital app dating age. 

However, unlike HIMYM, the new series make 1 major change during the pilot episode that I won’t spoiler for you. As older Sophie (Kim Catrall) says, “this story is not about the journey, but the destination.” 

Who is the new crew?

Hillary Duff (Younger) is back to her comedic roots and it’s where I love her! As Sophie, she is fun, charming, and incredibly relatable. I’m rooting for her the entire time. Her group of friends are all different from their HIMYM comparable counterparts. Francia Raisa (Grown-ish) plays Valentia, Sophie’s best friend. After coming home from abroad she brings home a high-brow, English boyfriend, Charlie (Tom Ainsley). Their chemistry is fantastic and Charlie’s fish-out-of-water leads to some hilarious moments. 

We also meet Jesse, played by Christopher Lowell (Glow), an uber driver, as well as Bar Owner Sid (Suraj Sharma). These two are best friends, roommates, and Sid is recently engaged to his doctor girlfriend. Lowell is as charismatic as ever. His chemistry with Duff is already palpable. If I were to put money on it, I would say: “Jesse, you are the father”! However, Sophie declares her tinder date with Ian (Daniel Augustin) in the pilot as the best first date ever. However, he is moving to Australia.

Does it work?

Because I loved the original series so much, I wasn’t sure how I would feel about How I Met Your Father. But so far after watching it, I’m a fan of this series. It feels familiar, but it also tells its own story with a few nods to the original. 

I love the giant change they make at the beginning of the series. (Again, I won’t spoil it for you). This choice adds to the excitement and I feel like this move fixes the mistakes of the past and hopefully ensures a happily ever after future.

The first two episodes of How I Met Your Father premieres exclusively on Hulu on January 18th, 2022. Stay Tuned to That Hashtag Show for more reviews!