HIMYM wrapped up their eighth season Monday night.  A year ago we thought this would be the series finale, and we would finally meet the mother of Ted’s future children.  A few months ago it was revealed that HIMYM would be coming back for a ninth and final season.  The moment of Ted meeting his soulmate would have to wait, but the season finale was chock full of big moments that did not disappoint.

The episode began with Marshall and Lily packing for Italy.  Lily picks up the phone and it is Judy, Marshall’s mom.  It turns out that Marshall had still not told his mother about the move, an...

Actor Neil Patrick Harris is returning as host of the Tony Awards for a fourth time.

The How I Met Your Mother star won huge acclaim for his presenting duties at the 2009, 2011, and 2012 ceremonies and now bosses have asked him back again.

A statement from the star reads, "I'm very excited to be back hosting the Tony Awards at the legendary Radio City Music Hall. It'll be more impressive than ever... rest assured, the show will rock!"

He will serve as host at the event at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on 9 June (13). He will also act as a producer of the televised ceremony.

Tom...

HIMYM returned last night with “Something Old,” the tale of Robin searching for something she supposedly buried in Central Park when she was a kid.  While on vacation with her father, she decided to leave an old bracelet in a box and told herself that if she ever got married she would come back and find it to use it as her something old at the wedding. 

Robin tries to subtly tell Barney that she wants him to help her, but he doesn’t pick up on it.  Instead he goes to have some bonding time with Mr. Scherbatsky.  It turns out they are actually getting along quite well, and Barney decides to...

HIMYM returned to tell the legendary story of Barney’s bachelor party.  The day began with Robin asking Barney to drop off a payment with the wedding planner while she goes to have dinner with Barney’s mother.  Robin had been apprehensive about the dinner, and makes Barney promise not to leave her alone with her for too long.  However, when Barney goes off to make the payment, he is kidnapped.

Barney shouts out, “I swear I never talked to the North Koreans!”  Ted and Marshall laugh, for it is they who have kidnapped Barney to take him to his surprise bachelor party.  Barney calls Robin to ...

'How I Met Your Mother' returned last night after a short hiatus due to the NCAA tournament.  It came back with a quick shocker.  The Captain calls Lily and tells her that he is moving to Rome for a year and that he wants her to come with him.  Lily took the job as the Captain’s art consultant a few weeks ago.  She is immediately torn.  When she calls Marshall to talk about it, he talks about how he is swamped at work.  She decides that she can’t rip Marshall away from his dream job and turns down the Captain’s offer.

Meanwhile, Ted and Barney are at the bar.  Barney was just about to leav...

I wish every episode of HIMYM was written by the show co-creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas.  Whenever they are the lead writers, it shows in the script. They gave us another gem last night with, “The Time Travelers.”  It was the 52nd episode that the pair have been credited with since it all started with a fledgling pilot of a show with a strange name and a cast of nobodies and aging child stars.  Back then, Ted was searching for the one.  Nearly eight years later, he was getting close, but still felt so far from finding her.

Instead of being out on a date, Ted is down at the bar argui...

HIMYM returned from a short hiatus last night with “The Fortress,” referring to Barney’s swinging bachelor pad.  With season nine now a done deal, all storylines are now fast forwarded to a year from now, spring 2014. In this one, Robin pressures Barney to finally let go of the Fortress of Barnitude. Barney is hesitant.

With Lily now working as the Captain’s art consultant, Marshall has been stuck with more than his fair share of Marvin duties. Marshall says that they haven’t been intimate in weeks, and that she hasn’t even had time to sit down and watch their favorite show, Woodworthy Man...

HIMYM returned with an all new episode Monday night.  Earlier this month, CBS finally confirmed what we had all suspected that the show had been picked up for a ninth and final season.  Over the last couple of weeks, it has become clear that we will in fact not be meeting the mother this spring, as was originally expected.  I am excited for more episodes, but have to admit that I am a bit disappointed that we have to wait even longer for the big moment.

The episode began with the Captain leaving a message for Ted.  The Captain (Kyle MacLachlan) was Ted’s ex-girlfriend Zoey’s ex-husband, an...

HIMYM returned last night with another new episode.  They won the time slot for the second straight week, along with a big win in among 18-49 year olds, the demographic most sought after by advertisers.  However, ratings came up a little short of my prediction of having the most viewed episode of the series last week. 

The episode started off as many HIMYMs do with us seeing what happens at the end of the story.  Ted and the gang are sitting on the curb and there are flames raining down from the building above them.  This is no doubt the result of something Ted’s new girlfriend, Jeanette, ...

HIMYM returned last night, a day after a wild Super Bowl on CBS.  This also kicked off sweeps month for America’s #1 network.  Two weeks ago I predicted that this would be the most watched episode in the history of the series, and I will be very interested to see the Neilsen ratings get tallied. 

The story began with Ted on another Mosbian quest after having a run in with a girl on the subway.  Lily and Marshall urge Ted to not go into stalker mode.  However, the tables get turned when Jeanette tracks down Ted.   It turns out that she was the one who was stalking Ted, and caused a fire at ...

All the deals are done and CBS announced yesterday that How I Met Your Mother is ending at the conclusion of the 2013-2014 broadcast season. All series regulars – Josh Radnor, Jason Segel, Cobie Smulders, Neil Patrick Harris and Alyson Hannigan – will return, as well as series creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas.

The official press release also swears we’ll meet the mother next season. When during the season, however, is anybody’s guess.

How I Met Your Mother premiered in September 2005 and in its seventh season – it’s currently in its eighth season – it delivered its highest ratings ev...

Last night’s all new HIMYM found Robin and Barney still acclimating to no longer being single.  Ted has a date with a new girl.  When the gang asks to meet her, Ted says she’s waiting outside.  Why?  She’s only 20, and she forgot her fake ID.  With Ted dating a younger girl, Barney found himself going through “hook-up withdrawal.”  Barney decides he will do whatever he can to help Ted score with this hottie. 

Meanwhile, Robin was finding that life wasn’t as easy as it used to be.  Her coffee guy charged her full price, people made her wait in line, and the bartender at MacLaren’s didn’t ...

How I Met Your Mother returned Monday night amid swirling rumors of a renewal for a ninth season.  The episode was slow to build but finished with a bang.

In the last episode Barney asked Robin to marry him.  She said yes, but there’s one problem:  he never asked Mr. Sherbatsky for permission.  Robin’s father (also named Robin and played by the perfectly casted Ray Wise) has always been a rather scary individual, and the Barney was not looking forward to the idea of asking for Robin’s hand in marriage.  However, when they get to the restaurant to meet up with he claims to be “fun now.”  He...

'How I Met Your Mother' continues season eight tonight on CBS. What can we expect to see in this season's remaining episodes? Will we get the "big moment?" Will there be a season nine? Check out the list below of what we might expect for the remaining season and possible series ending.

5.  More clues

The whole series has been a string of clues.  Just enough to keep us enticed but not enough to see the entire picture.  Ted went to the same St. Patrick’s Day party she went to, but they didn’t meet… and it’s probably a good thing because she probably wouldn’t have liked him that day, but Ted...

NBC and CBS both did well in the ratings the week leading up to Christmas. NBC claimed the #2 spot with ‘Sunday Night Football,’ while two editions of ‘The Voice,’ including the season finale, ranked in the top 10 with 14.1 and 13.4 million viewers, respectively. Its White House Christmas special also ranked in the top 20.

ABC didn’t place a show in the top 20, while FOX’s ‘The X Factor’ continues to struggle. Its second-season finale was down 23 percent from last year and finished 18th for the week.

CBS seems practically invincible with its lineup. It’s one of the few networks to do well...

I was a bit confused when I saw the title to last night’s new HIMYM episode, “The Final Page.” It sounded like the name of a season finale, or even a series finale, but one hour later everything would make sense. The episode starts with Barney being placed under a jinx, unable to talk until one of the gang says his name.

You may remember last week left Robin in shambles after her failed attempts to hook up with Barney only to see him dating her co-worker Patrice. The gang says that Patrice is Robin’s “Pit Guy,” the person you would put in the bottom of a pit Silence of the Lambs style. ...

HIMYM returned last night with a great episode ripe with callbacks to classic episodes that would have any long-time fan waxing nostalgic. A few weeks ago, Barney and Robin shared a kiss while walking home drunk. Robin said, “No, this can’t happen,” and stormed off. Last week, Barney proclaimed that he was done going after Robin, just as Ted had done last spring.

Suddenly, Robin is throwing herself at Barney. Lily tells her that this is so typical and she always wants what she can’t have, referencing her deadly lobster binge after finding out she was allergic to shellfish. Against Li...

'How I Met Your Mother' returned last night continuing the story arc from last week. You’ll remember that Marshall ran into his old law school buddy Brad, played by Joe Mananiello. Brad conned Marshall into thinking he needed a job when all he really wanted to do was steal Marshall’s firm’s strategy for the upcoming case where Brad was defending a pharmaceutical company. Marshall’s boss tells him to win the case or he’s fired.

In traditional HIMYM fashion, the story is being told by someone at a later point in time, but this time it is Marshall. We find Marshall telling the story of th...

HIMYM returned last night and so did Joe Manganiello as Brad, Marshall’s old law school buddy. The episode “World’s Greatest Couple,” where Brad and Marshall have a bromance back in season two is still one of my favorites. Marshall finds Brad a bit down on his luck, and offers to get him an interview at the law firm at which he is working.

When the gang finds out about this, they relay to Marshall that he gives out too many recommendations, calling him the “Stamp Tramp.” By giving out so many stamps of approval, they have basically become meaningless. Needless to say, the interview ends...

The autumn of break-ups came to a close on last night’s all-new HIMYM. Previously, Quinn and Barney had called of their engagement and Victoria decided she couldn’t be with Ted if Robin was still a part of his life.

That left Nick and Robin as the last surviving couple. Things were seemingly going great, until Nick pulled his groin playing basketball with the guys. With Nick sidelined from sex due to the injury, Robin began to realize the attraction may have been purely physical. When Robin asked the group if they thought Nick was dumb, they went through an amusing reel of flashbacks ...

November is tv sweeps month, and the networks usually put up their best stuff in order to win the ratings wars. In the past November has been a great month for HIMYM, and last night the trend continued.

In previous weeks, Ted referred to the fall of 2012 as the “Autumn of Break-ups.” Barney was still reeling from his split with Quinn, and was looking for a new friend. He found one… a lost dog. Barney dubs the dog “Brover,” and he quickly becomes Barney’s new wingman.

Meanwhile, Ted thinks things are going fine with Victoria, but things may not be as they seem. After a double-date wi...

With Marshall and Lily in new parent mode, the gang had been a little out of sync lately. They had instructed the others to not bother them with anything that wasn’t “an 8 out of 10 or higher.” So when Ted was having problems with Victoria and Robin was having problems with Nick, they decided to keep it to themselves.

When Marshall and Lily finally got some free time, they had a new view of the world as a scary and dangerous place. They decided that with Marvin to think about now, it was time to draft up a will. The answers to most questions came easy, but the biggest of all was who w...

How I Met Your Mother returned last night for the second episode of what is looking increasingly likely to be the final season of the show. Co-creator Craig Thomas told TV Guide, "We wanted the season premiere to feel momentous because this could be the beginning of the last chapter. There are negotiations happening, but I don't know how that's gonna go and I don't know when I'll know if there'll be a Season 9. Carter [Bays] and I are really writing the season as if it's the last season and this is how we would start it." Last week’s premiere gave us the big reveal that Ted would meet hi...

How I Met Your Mother returned last night for the second episode of what is looking increasingly likely to be the final season of the show. Co-creator Craig Thomas told TV Guide, "We wanted the season premiere to feel momentous because this could be the beginning of the last chapter. There are negotiations happening, but I don't know how that's gonna go and I don't know when I'll know if there'll be a Season 9. Carter (Bays) and I are really writing the season as if it's the last season and this is how we would start it." Last week’s premiere gave us the big reveal that Ted would meet his ...

The final season of How I Met Your Mother began last night, or did it? More on that later, but when we last saw the gang from HIMYM, Marshall and Lily had just welcomed their son into the world, Barney got engaged to Quinn, and Ted was riding off into the sunset with Victoria.

The episode began with Robin, Barney, and Quinn back at Marshall and Lily’s apartment. Marshall and Lily were exhausted from taking care of their new son, Marvin. Quinn surprisingly asks Robin and Lily to be her bridesmaids, and Robin clearly feels uncomfortable. When she confronts Barney about it, he tells her t...

It's that time of year again. Television fans have appointments with their couches as the fall season kicks off this month with tons of returning favorites and new shows. DVRs will be working overtime as viewers record their must-see-TV programs and talk about them later at the watercooler.

Check out the premiere dates of the new season (brand new shows are indicated with italics and by *). All times are eastern unless otherwise indicated.

Monday, September 10
The Voice 8 p.m. NBC

Tuesday, September 11
Go On 9 p.m. NBC *
The New Normal 9:30 p.m. NBC *
Parenthood 10 p.m. NBC

Wednesday, ...

“How I Met Your Mother” is hands-down one of my favorite shows. I own all of the seasons on DVD, and still have about 35 episodes saved on DVR. So it pains me to say that season 7’s finale was a little underwhelming as we saw Barney prepare to marry Robin instead of the fabulous Quinn (played by the even more fabulous Becki Newton) and Ted (Josh Radnor) motor off into the sunset with The One Who Got Away, Victoria, on her wedding day. Nevertheless, Marshall and Lily finally brought little Marvin into the world, and the show seemed to be inching closer to revealing the elusive mother. Th...

A spokesperson for Jason Segel has denied the funnyman is leaving hit sitcom How I Met Your Mother.

The actor, who plays Marshall Eriksen in the Emmy-winning show, was rumored to be making the upcoming eighth season his last so he could pursue more dramatic roles.

The speculation was apparently sparked after Segel was quoted as telling Austrian website Kurier.at, "I've been playing the nice guy for quite a long time now. That's why I'm gonna quit How I Met Your Mother after the eighth season."

However, a representative insists the reports are unfounded, telling TVGuide.com, "Perhaps s...

Jason Segel is reportedly leaving "How I Met Your Mother" after its upcoming eighth season.

Segel plays Marshall Eriksen in the hit CBS comedy. Neil Patrick Harris, Alyson Hannigan, Josh Radnor and Cobie Smulders also star.

Like many actors, he's likely looking to pump up his already burgeoning film career. He has starred in movies such as "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," "Knocked Up," "The Muppets" and "The Five-Year Engagement."

Segel reportedly told Austrian website kurier.at, "It's great to do some 'Rated R' stuff again, because I've been playing the nice guy for quite a long time now. T...

Michael Trucco will be getting more than a cameo on CBS' How I Met Your Mother. After an all-too-brief appearance in the season six episode "Hopeless," the actor will return in the comedy's upcoming eighth season.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, HIMYM showrunners sought to bring Trucco's character back in the show's seventh season, but the actor's obligations to his regular role on USA's Fairly Legal prevented that from happening. Now he'll be present for multiple episodes in season eight.

Trucco currently plays Assistant District Attorney Justin Patrick on Fairly Legal, and should...