How I Met Your Father is an American sitcom created by Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger that premiered on Hulu on January 18, 2022. It is a spin-off of How I Met Your Mother. The series, which stars Hilary Duff, Christopher Lowell, Francia Raisa, Suraj Sharma, Tom Ainsley, Tien Tran, and Kim Cattrall, follows the main character, Sophie (Duff), and her group of friends in Manhattan. As a framing device, Sophie (Cattrall), in the year 2050, recounts to her unseen son the events that followed meeting his father in January 2022, and how they ultimately had him. In February 2022, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on January 24, 2023.
Cast and characters
Main
Hilary Duff as Sophie,[1] a hopelessly romantic photographer who is looking for her soulmate. Though believing in true love, she is unaware of her biological father due to her mother having slept with random men.
Christopher Lowell as Jesse,[1] an aspiring musician who works as an Uber driver and music teacher, who has become an internet meme after being left by his ex-girlfriend Meredith after a failed marriage proposal. He lives with Sid in Ted, Marshall and Lily's old apartment.
Francia Raisa as Valentina,[1] an impulsive assistant-stylist who is also Sophie's best friend and roommate and Charlie's love interest.
Suraj Sharma as Sid,[1] Jesse's best friend and roommate who owns a bar. He is introduced as engaged to his long-distance girlfriend Hannah.
Tom Ainsley as Charlie,[1] a British aristocrat who abandons his inheritance to follow his love interest Valentina to New York after meeting her at London Fashion Week. He later moves in with Ellen and the two become roommates, before being hired by Sid as a bartender.
Tien Tran as Ellen,[1] Jesse's adoptive sister who moves to New York City to find romance after her divorce from her wife. She owns a produce farm.
Kim Cattrall as future Sophie, who in the year 2050 tells her son the story of how she met his father.
Recurring
Daniel Augustin as Ian, Sophie's Tinder date. He is a marine biologist who moves to Australia in the pilot episode, but returns to New York in the season 1 finale.
Ashley Reyes as Hannah, Sid's longtime girlfriend to whom he gets engaged in the pilot. She works as a surgeon in Los Angeles, and later elopes with Sid in the season 1 finale after learning that her fellowship has been extended.
Leighton Meester as Meredith, Jesse's ex-girlfriend who publicly rejected his marriage proposal
Josh Peck as Drew,[a] the vice principal at the school where Jesse teaches music lessons and Sophie's boyfriend for most of season 1
Aby James as Rachel, a new neighbor in Charlie and Ellen's apartment building and Ellen's love interest
In 2022, on her way to a promising date after a series of failed ones, Sophie meets Uber driver Jesse and his friend Sid. Sophie's date with Ian is perfect, but he is moving to Australia. Sophie's roommate Valentina reveals her new British boyfriend, Charlie, who has moved across the world to be with her. When Sophie realizes she has swapped phones with Sid, they rush to Sid's bar, meeting Ellen, Jesse's recently divorced sister from Iowa. Sid gets engaged to his long-distance girlfriend, Hannah. Sophie tells Jesse her plan to walk the Brooklyn Bridge with her soulmate, but Jesse is cynical about love after his public rejection went viral. At the airport, Sophie gives Ian a heartfelt romantic speech before he leaves, and Sophie decides to walk the bridge with her friends. Future Sophie reveals that was the night she met the love of her life. The newly formed gang decides to have drinks at Jesse and Sid's place, revealed to be Ted and Marshall's old place.
While Sophie struggles with Ian's departure, Valentina feels smothered by Charlie's constant presence. She invites the others to a brand new club named FOMO in an effort for them to befriend Charlie. Jesse has a crush on Sophie, but she is distracted by Ian's messages. Valentina breaks up with Charlie but regrets her harsh words. She apologizes to Charlie, who realizes they should start their relationship fresh and that he needs to get his own place. Sophie and Jesse agree to remain friends, as neither is ready for a relationship.
Sophie visits Jesse's workplace to help him with a dating profile, inspiring them to be each other's wingmen. Although Jesse successfully talks to a girl, Sophie forces her to leave after realizing she was after his viral breakup video fame. Sophie tells Jesse she was always the fixer to her mom's failed relationships. Jesse tells Sophie that Drew, his vice principal, is hoping to get her number. Sophie accepts a date from Drew. Meanwhile, Charlie has begun searching for his own apartment. Ellen turns down his offer to be roommates, but after battling over an apartment, they bond and decide to move in together. Sid and Hannah try desperately to keep the romance going from opposite sides of the country.
Sophie and Drew go on a date, where they connect, and she invites him to her 30th birthday party. Conscious of his maturity, she changes the theme of the party from Christina Aguilera's "Dirrty" music video to "cocktail party" to try to impress him. When Sophie admits to Drew how jealous she is of his maturity, he assures her she does not need to change for him and admits he sometimes feels like he missed out on being young and crazy. Jesse and Ellen try to make up for lost time as siblings but find they do not know each other anymore. Jesse apologizes for missing out on being her big brother and vows to make it up to her. Unsure whether she is ready for commitment, Valentina allows Charlie to flirt with other women, but when she gets turned on by this, they decide they are ready for commitment. Sid wears a "man-gagement" ring to show his devotion, but it gets mixed results from the party guests.
5
5
"The Good Mom"
Morenike Joela Evans
Christopher Encell
February 8, 2022 (2022-02-08)
1HME05
Sophie's mother, Lori, comes to town and invites Sophie to see her new musician boyfriend, Ash. Sophie accepts, backing out of a game night with Drew and his friends. Sophie is cautiously optimistic when she finds nothing wrong with Ash, but Valentina sees Lori kissing Ash's manager. Sophie confronts her mother, who reveals she always got bored and her boyfriends were not the problem. Sophie leaves to meet with Drew. Meanwhile, Ellen meets Rachel, the granddaughter of a deceased neighbor, and lies that she knew her. Rachel storms out upon learning the truth. Charlie decides to help people confront their problems and tries to help Jesse and Sid overcome their traumas. Although he succeeds, he is dismayed to find out how long he has to study to become a licensed therapist, so Sid hires him as a bartender instead.
Sid and Hannah invite Drew and Sophie on a weekend getaway. Sid reveals he dropped out of medical school to buy and operate the bar without consulting Hannah. Drew finds out about Sophie Internet-stalking his ex, Stacey. Sid and Sophie talk about their mistakes: Sid wanted to do something for himself for once, while Sophie has never been in a real relationship. Sid promises to include Hannah in all future decisions, while Drew and Sophie apologize to each other, and he reveals that his relationship with Stacey was only perfect online. The rest of the gang attends Charlie and Ellen's first dinner party. Ellen tries to hide that she has slept with Jesse's date, Mia. However, when Mia admits it, Jesse reveals he is tired of being single and does not care. Charlie reveals he has followed several women across the ocean before Valentina, but he explains that this time is different because he loves her, and she reciprocates.
7
7
"Rivka Rebel"
Kelly Park
Karen Joseph Adcock & Ria Sardana
February 22, 2022 (2022-02-22)
1HME08
Sophie is forced to photograph the bat mitzvah of influencing teen Rivka. She brings Valentina as her assistant, but Rivka refuses to pose for any photos. When she and her friends steal fake drugs from Valentina's purse, Sophie and Valentina pretend they are real to get her to pose. The photos impress Rivka's mother, who offers to look at Sophie's best photo. Meanwhile, Jesse and Sid lock themselves in their apartment to work but procrastinate. Sid reveals he is having trouble planning his wedding because his family is in India, while Jesse laments his lack of songwriting inspiration after Meredith left him. Charlie receives a bad Yelp review and finds out it was Ellen who admits her jealousy of his love life and success. He writes a good review of her, and she deletes her review.
8
8
"The Perfect Shot"
Lynda Tarryk
Jeremy Roth
March 1, 2022 (2022-03-01)
1HME07
Drew invites the gang to a school auction. Valentina, verbally abused by her boss, steals a Chanel purse, but he notices it missing, so Charlie steals it back. When Sophie breaks her tooth, Jesse brings her to a cheap dentist, where she meets many long-unsuccessful artists. She breaks her tooth again when Jesse's car breaks down. Jesse tells her how much he likes her photos, and she gets her perfect shot of him working on the car. Drew reveals he offered Jesse a full-time music teacher job because he believes Jesse's music career is a pipe dream. She asks if he believes in her photography, and he admits she needs a stable job. Sophie confides in Jesse about her fight with Drew, and they kiss. Meanwhile, Meredith arrives at the apartment to talk to Jesse, eventually revealing to Ellen and Sid that she wrote a new single about Jesse.
Jesse confronts Meredith, who explains she needs to figure out herself, but she regrets breaking up and wants him to play piano on her tour. Sophie goes to Drew's apartment to break up with him but is delayed by his parents, who have been implicated in a Ponzi scheme. She tells him he deserves to be with someone who is sure about him. The gallery owner calls to tell her the show will use her photograph. In 2050, Sophie's "perfect shot" is shown hanging on her wall. At the bar, Charlie attempts to get the gang to watch soccer with him to no avail. Hannah reveals to Sid that she was offered a year-long fellowship in California after her residency, while Ellen frets over her outfit choices for an upcoming job interview. Charlie admits he is homesick, so Valentina decorates Charlie's apartment with British paraphernalia.
10
10
"Timing Is Everything"
Pamela Fryman
Isaac Aptaker & Elizabeth Berger
March 15, 2022 (2022-03-15)
1HME10
After their first date, Sophie overhears Jesse saying "I love you" in his sleep after sex. When she confronts him, he reveals he rejected Meredith's offer to go on her tour because he does love her. Sophie tells him not to give up his dream for her as their relationship is new, angering him. She goes to MacLaren's, the bar downstairs, and meets Robin Scherbatsky, who encourages her not to make her decisions out of fear. However, Sophie sees Jesse kissing Meredith, and Robin tells her that "timing is everything." Meanwhile, Sid encourages Hannah to take the fellowship, and they elope. After her bad job interview, Ellen takes care of an unfriendly cat she finds in the streets. She runs into Rachel, her new neighbor and the cat's owner, who agrees to give Ellen a second chance; she also gets the job. When Valentina mentions she wants children, Charlie reveals he does not want to be a bad parent like his mother, and they break up. Charlie, Ellen, Valentina, Sid, and Hannah arrive at the art show to support Sophie. Because Becky demanded the Captain's boats in their divorce, Ian loses his job in Australia and arrives at the show to talk to Sophie.
At the art show, Sophie tells Ian she has nothing going on in her love life. Jesse arrives late to congratulate Sid and Hannah, and the group, including Ian, goes back to Sid's bar to create a wedding reception for them. Jesse tells Ellen and Sid about the month-long tour he is going on with Meredith, and confides that he does not know what to do about his feelings for Sophie. When trying to create a photo montage and talking about being friends, Charlie and Valentina have sex but do not get back together. The two only discover while showing the montage that they accidentally recorded themselves having sex over it, humiliating them both. Seeing Sid despondent at the ruined night, Sophie cheers him up by having everyone do the Electric Slide. She also fails to keep Ian from finding out about Jesse and Drew, but Ian admits that he has been through a lot and still wants to date her. However, Sophie tells him that she is not ready for a relationship until she knows why she is acting irrationally. A flashforward shows her calling her mother while driving, saying she may be dating her father when she crashes into another car which is revealed to be driven by Barney Stinson.
12
2
"Midwife Crisis"
Pamela Fryman
Daniel Libman & Matthew Libman
January 31, 2023 (2023-01-31)
2HME03
Feeling insecure, Sophie lies to Meredith about having sold her photo and being able to do a home birth for her pregnant neighbor. When her neighbor goes into labor, she and Valentina are forced to deliver the baby, which helps regain her confidence, which increases when she learns her photo has sold. Sid holds several grudges against Meredith, upsetting Jesse, so they air their grievances. Sid is about to reveal something further about his strongest grudge only for Meredith to have Sid pretend to forgive her in order to keep Jesse happy. Later, he recalls his final grudge - that Meredith does not love Jesse. Ellen has not heard back from Rachel, so she and Charlie host a building party to get her attention. Rachel admits to Ellen that she is just as messed up as her, and they agree to go out.
13
3
"The Reset Button"
Pamela Fryman
Donald Diego
February 7, 2023 (2023-02-07)
2HME02
The man who bought Sophie's photo invites her and Jesse to his apartment. They find he is a Men's Rights Activist, and he and his wife also hit on Jesse the entire time. A horrified Sophie and Jesse take the photo back and repair their friendship, and Sophie gives Jesse her blessing to date Meredith. However, when Jesse answers a call from Meredith, Sophie steps aside and sets the photo on top of a taxi, which drives away with it. Charlie, trying to rebound from his breakup with Valentina, goes on a double date with Sid and Hannah, who try to take advantage of his flight attendant date's airline miles so they can see each other during Hannah's fellowship. Sid and Hannah later apologize to Charlie, giving him an outfit to go on a first date when he is ready. Meanwhile, Valentina goes on a double date with Ellen and Rachel, and gets into an argument with Rachel, which Ellen tries to break up, only for the conversation to focus on her, leading them to realize she has issues with conflict. She agrees to see a therapist. Afterward, Valentina tells Sophie that she believes she and Charlie will one day get back together, while Charlie, empowered, meets another woman who looks like her.
Jealous of Ellen's success so quickly after moving to New York, Sophie and Valentina track down "Pathetic Deirdre", their self-absorbed college friend with a horrible life who they hung out with to make themselves feel better. They find she has published a self-help book portraying them as two "toxic women". Deirdre claims that she was using them to make herself feel better, but they clarify what really happened, and start an argument which outs Deirdre as still toxic, causing her fans to turn on her. Jesse and Meredith promote her new tour, but when Meredith makes it all about her, lying about her and Jesse's reunion, Sid tells Jesse Meredith does not love him. An angered Jesse leaves for the tour, telling Sid he does not want him there if he will not support him. After hooking up with the woman, Courtney, Charlie sends her a gift basket, causing her to think he wants a relationship with her, despite him planning to hook up with other women. They decide to go on a second date, but Courtney leaves appalled upon learning the truth. Ellen suffers a horrible first day at her new job, where she has to climb the stairs instead of the elevator, gets locked in a supply room, and crashes through the ceiling into a meeting.
15
5
"Ride or Die"
Pamela Fryman
Owen Ellickson
February 21, 2023 (2023-02-21)
2HME06
Jesse remains troubled by Sid's admission that Meredith does not love him, especially as she drags him to several promotional appearances. When Jesse sees that the video of Meredith's song includes footage from his failed proposal, he confronts Meredith, who refuses to remove it. Charlie, hoping to mend Sid's and Jesse's friendship, sends Sid cookies on Jesse's behalf, only for them to trigger Sid's walnut allergy, which he nearly dies from as Charlie has disposed of his epi- pen, mistaking it for a vape. Realizing how important Jesse's friendship is to him, Sid soon rushes to the concert only to find that Jesse has broken up with Meredith again, and the two apologize to each other and make up. Meanwhile, Valentina's parents set Sophie up with a successful man named Oscar after Valentina rejected their attempts to set her up. After they admit they do not think Charlie is real, Valentina tries to prove herself by stealing Oscar from Sophie, only for the three to realize that Valentina's parents set them up to annoy her, and stage a fake fight in order to get Valentina's parents to back off. Oscar then asks Sophie on a real date, and Valentina's parents apologize to her for not trusting her independence.
16
6
"Universal Therapy"
Michael Shea
Christopher Encell
February 28, 2023 (2023-02-28)
2HME05
Sophie becomes uncomfortable with Oscar's large necklace, which contains the ashes of his deceased mother. She asks Ellen to pretend Oscar is her date and to tell her therapist about it, and after using Ellen to determine this may eventually pass, they consummate their relationship. Afterwards, when Sophie tells Oscar that he does not need the necklace to remember his mother, he takes it off and they have sex again, only for her to realize that he is not good at it without the necklace. When she asks him to wear it again, he breaks up with her, alarmed at her sexual expectations. An unemployed Jesse gets a job as Valentina's assistant, where she treats him the same demeaning way her boss treats her. When he calls her out, they both ask Ellen to tell her therapist about them. When she does, her therapist drops her as a client due to her friends' various issues, so Sophie, Valentina and Jesse force her to take Ellen back. Valentina stands up to her boss for his behavior, which gets her promoted, and Jesse returns to his job as a music teacher. Meanwhile, Charlie is tricked into buying several cases of foul wine. He and Sid try to sell it by claiming Judge Judy endorsed it, which causes Judy to show up herself and take the wine after learning the customers do not care how it tastes.
17
7
"A Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Valentine's Day"
Pamela Fryman
Amy-Jo Perry
March 7, 2023 (2023-03-07)
2HME07
With Ellen unable to spend Valentine's Day with Rachel who is visiting her aunt in Florida, the gang gathers at Sid's bar to tell stories of their worst Valentine's Day. Sophie and Valentina reveal they met in college when dating the same guy, while Sid becomes upset when Hannah's flight from California is delayed, and tells them about their worst Valentine's Day, where in med school he and Hannah had just begun dating and Hannah danced with Drew to make him jealous, causing him and Hannah to become an official couple the next morning. After Hannah arrives, Charlie admits he tried to surprise his girlfriend in the country, but she stood him up. Ellen is pleased when Rachel sends her food and they have dinner together through FaceTime. Sophie becomes angered after learning that Jesse has told several women he loved them too soon, as him telling her made her feel special. Jesse apologizes to Sophie, telling her after Meredith he did not think he would fall in love again, and Sophie admits she once tried to get in contact with her father as a child. When he asks how she is able to not hate Valentine's Day, she tells him she does not want to hate it, and chocolate helps. A flashforward shows her having dinner with Ian on another Valentine's Day.
The group decide to use Jesse and Sid's system of "rewardishment" to force themselves to accomplish goals they have struggled with, rewarding themselves only if they accomplish them before a deadline. Sophie and Valentina attempt to get their driver's licenses, but nearsighted Valentina is unwilling to wear glasses and struggles to put in contacts. Sophie's driving instructor has a heart attack, forcing Sophie to drive to the nearest hospital, though she fails the test. Ellen struggles to confront her rude coworker Rhonda, so she asks Jesse, who is trying to do a certain hula hoop trick, for help. When they fake an argument in the office, Rhonda's pet snake escapes and bites Jesse, forcing Ellen to take him to the hospital after lecturing Rhonda for mocking him. Charlie cuts himself while trying to shave, and is taken to the hospital by Sid, whose goal is to chug a beer. At the hospital, he gains the courage to shave after shaving a man for surgery. Later at the bar, he spikes Sid's champagne with a chili pepper, forcing Sid to chug a beer to cool his tongue; then attempts to help Valentina, but blinds her with the same hand he squeezed the pepper with, forcing him and Sid to take her to the hospital, though after her eye is treated she is able to put in contacts. Jesse teaches Sophie how to drive, and admits that he could not do the trick before because his family was not there to support him. He also reveals that he is using dating apps again. The two return to the bar to meet the others, where Sophie tells Jesse that they are his family, and he does the trick - ten minutes after the deadline.
19
9
"The Welcome Protocol"
Phill Lewis
Ria Sardana
March 21, 2023 (2023-03-21)
2HME09
Jesse invites a date, Dana, to meet the group, forcing the others to do the "welcome protocol" to all take on certain roles in the group to make her feel welcome. They all like her, but Jesse feels no spark, so they try to get rid of her. They fake a car accident involving Jesse's mother, only for a woman to arrive and tell Dana her grandmother was in an accident. Jesse accuses her of faking it, and after a disgusted Dana leaves, he admits to Ellen that he tried to rush things with Dana because he is not yet over Sophie. Ellen encourages him to pursue Sophie. Meanwhile, Valentina, after designing a dress for famous singer and actress Daphne Dupree, brings Sophie as her plus-one to the premiere party of Daphne's musical. When they arrive, Sophie sees how different the upper class live when she meets the chef, Robert, while they notice other women wearing the same dress as Daphne. They try to stop her from finding out, but fail, forcing Valentina to promise to save Daphne's reputation in exchange for her not destroying Valentina's career, which she does by having her compliment the other women with the same dress. In the pantry, Sophie bonds with Robert, who asks her out.
20
10
"I'm His Swish"
TBA
TBA
March 28, 2023 (2023-03-28)
TBA
21
11
"Daddy"
TBA
TBA
March 28, 2023 (2023-03-28)
TBA
Production
Development
Following the production of the 2014 CBS pilot How I Met Your Dad, which did not move forward, on December 14, 2016, it was reported that Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger were set to write a new version of the previous spin-off's pilot, re-titled How I Met Your Father, with Carter Bays and Craig Thomas serving as executive producers.[8] It was later announced that, after signing new contracts with 20th Century Fox Television that would see both Aptaker and Berger being promoted to executive producers and co-showrunners on This Is Us alongside Dan Fogelman, the idea would be put on hold until further notice.
On August 8, 2017, Fox chairman Dana Walden told Deadline Hollywood that 20th Television were attempting a spin-off with different writers, for the third time. Three days following the announcement, Deadline reported that Alison Bennett would write the spin-off, with the same title as the previous attempt with Aptaker and Berger. It was also learned that Bays and Thomas were once again hired as executive producers.[9] This attempt also fell through.[10]
On April 21, 2021, the spin-off series titled How I Met Your Father was given a 10-episode series order by Hulu. Aptaker and Berger will serve as creators, writers, and executive producers while Hilary Duff serves as a producer. 20th Television is involved with producing the series.[10] On June 24, 2021, Pamela Fryman joined the series as an executive producer and to direct the pilot.[11] On February 15, 2022, Hulu renewed the series for a 20-episode second season.[4]
Casting
Upon series order announcement, Hilary Duff was cast to star.[12] On June 16, 2021, Chris Lowell joined the cast as the male lead.[13] In August 2021, Francia Raisa, Tom Ainsley, Tien Tran, and Suraj Sharma were cast in starring roles while Brandon Micheal Hall was cast in a recurring role.[14][15] However, a few weeks later, Hall exited the role due to a scheduling conflict and Daniel Augustin was cast to replace Hall.[16] The next day, Josh Peck and Ashley Reyes joined the cast in recurring roles.[2] On November 5, 2021, Kim Cattrall was cast in a recurring role as the future version of Duff's character Sophie.[17] Upon the series premiere, it was reported that Leighton Meester is set to recur.[18] On February 3, 2022, it was announced that Paget Brewster was cast to guest star on the episode,"The Good Mom", which aired on February 8, 2022.[19] On January 18, 2023, Meaghan Rath was cast in a recurring capacity for the second season.[3]
How I Met Your Father premiered on Hulu on January 18, 2022.[21] Internationally, the show began streaming on Disney+ via Star and in Latin America on Star+ on March 9, 2022.[22] The second season premiered on January 24, 2023, on Hulu.[23]
Reception
Audience viewership
According to Parrot Analytics, which looks at consumer engagement in consumer research, streaming, downloads, and on social media, How I Met Your Father was the fifth most in-demand new show, during the week of March 12, 2022, to March 18, 2022.[24][25] According to Whip Media's TV Time, How I Met Your Father was the 5th most watched original series across all platforms in the United States, during the week of January 23, 2022,[26] as well during the week of January 30, 2022,[27] the 8th during the week of February 13, 2022,[28] the 4th during the week of March 13, 2022,[29] and the 3rd during the week of March 20, 2022.[30]
According to Whip Media's TV Time, How I Met Your Father was the most watched original series across all platforms in the United States, during the week of January 29, 2023,[31] as well during the week of February 5, 2023,[32] the 2nd during the week of February 12, 2023,[33] the 3rd during the week of February 19, 2023,[34] the 2nd during the week of February 26, 2023,[35] the 2nd during the week of March 5, 2023,[36] the 3rd during the week of March 12, 2023,[37] and the 4th during the week of March 19, 2023.[38]
Critical response
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 38% approval rating with an average rating of 5/10, based on 45 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "How I Met Your Father takes great pains to update its predecessor's formula for a modern audience, but this stilted retread only amounts to a painful slog."[39]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 49 out of 100 based on 19 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews."[40]
