How I Met Your Mother was an extremely popular sitcom during the 2000s and 2010s; eventually enjoying a run of no fewer than nine seasons before concluding in 2014. Considering the success of this franchise, it should not be entirely surprising that the actors have gone on to enjoy lucrative careers. Let’s take a look at four of the main characters to appreciate just how far they have come over the years.
All the crew is present! Throughout its nine-season run and the years that followed, How I Met Your Mother was a pop culture sensation. It’s a show that has elicited just as many smiles as it has tears.
How I Met Your Mother, a Carter Bays and Craig Thomas production, recounted the love story of Josh Radnor’s character Ted Mosby in backwards, finally leading up to the time when he meets the mother of his children. Along with Alyson Hannigan as Lily Aldrin, Jason Segel as Marshall Eriksen, Neil Patrick Harris as Barney Stinson, and Cobie Smulders as Robin Scherbatsky, Radnor portrayed these characters.
The late Bob Saget served as a futuristic Ted Mosby in the sitcom, which aired on CBS from 2005 until 2014.
Cobie Smulders/Robin Scherbatsky
Cobie Smulders played Robin Scherbatsky; the star of a television morning show and a rising pop star. Her character was romantically involved with Barney from time to time and this served to add more depth to the overall storyline. Since leaving How I Met Your Mother, Smulders has become a fixture within the Marvel Comic Universe (MCU).
She plays agent Maria Hill and has starred in films such as The Avengers, Captain America: Winter Soldier and Age of Ultron. Barney Stinson’s wife, renowned news anchor, Canadian pop star—Robin Scherbatsky has lived many lives. She can now add the title of relationship mentor from How I Met Your Father to that list.
In a surprise appearance in the season 1 finale of the How I Met Your Mother spin-off, Cobie Smulders helped Hilary Duff’s Sophie Tompkins work through her male problems in the fabled MacLaren’s Bar.
Although Sophie’s group prefers a different establishment, Ted (Josh Radnor) and Marshall (Jason Segel) used to live upstairs from MacLaren’s in the same apartment, which provided the ideal opportunity to bring back a HIMYM regular.
Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger, the show’s creators and showrunners, spoke to EW about the pleasure they experienced while filming with Smulders.
Neil Patrick Harris/Barney Stinson
Neil Patrick Harris played Barney Stinson; a character at least partially defined by his fondness for casinos. Barney enjoys playing the game Xing Hai Shi Bu Xing in Atlantic City. Nobody who doesn’t speak Mandarin Chinese can understand the game, which is so difficult. Marshall is the only exception, having learned the basics from watching Barney play against his former gambling buddies.
Poker chips, a deck of cards, dice, Mah-Jong tiles, a large 6 wheel, seating the players alternately, and three girls hiding a jelly bean are all included in the game. Later on, when a chicken is introduced, it is revealed that the jelly beans are available in two colors—orange and black—and that the choice of color affects whether you win or lose money.
Barney claims to have spent a lot of time playing this game while he was an Atlantic student.
Whether playing online blackjack for real money on Spincasino or heading off to a local gaming establishment, Barney always seemed to fall just short of “winning it big”. Neil Patrick Harris was also no stranger to the silver screen and since How I Met Your Mother, he has enjoyed additional success. Some of his subsequent credits include A Million Ways to Die in the West, The Matrix Resurrections and A Series of Unfortunate Events.
Alyson Hannigan/Lily Aldrin
Alyson Hannigan was yet another fixture within this popular television series and she played the wife of Marshall Eriksen. Offering a down-to-earth portrayal and a unique sense of dry humour, many feel that Hannigan brought a touch of realism to the series. Lily (Alyson Hannigan) sported a jagged, layered chin-length hairstyle towards the start of the series.
She often played up the color of her orangish-red hair by curling her locks, which was gorgeous and brilliant. She frequently wore unusual patterns and textures, generally in the form of dresses and feminine tops, and her overall fashion was quite whimsical and quirky. Lily was never one to shy away from attention-grabbing outfits, and the vibrant orange tint of her hair complemented wonderfully with her upbeat demeanor.
Lily’s delicate skin and stunning green eyes complemented the chin-length cut and hue of her hair. Since then, she has likewise enjoyed a fruitful career. She has appeared in films such as Kim Possible and Flora & Ulysses while also performing voiceover work for the animated series Fancy Nancy.
Jason Segel/Marshall Eriksen
Jason Segel portrayed the loyal and yet impossibly ambitious character of Marshall Eriksen. While a relatively new actor when he was cast for How I Met Your Mother, his film accolades have grown steadily since the series finale.
Some of his most notable works include starring alongside Cameron Diaz in Sex Tape, his portrayal of David Foster Wallace in The End of the Tour and a lead role in the critically acclaimed Apple TV series Shrinking (the latter leading to an Emmy nomination).
Conclusion
To be clear, each of these actors boast a great deal of talent in their own right. It is still a fact that their chemistry allowed How I Met Your Mother to enjoy a long television run. Unfortunately, even extremely popular franchises must eventually come to an end.
The good news is that their on-screen talents should provide them with plenty of future opportunities. It will be interesting to see how their careers continue to progress.
