How I Met Your Mother: 20 Years Later

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at St. John's chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

The 20 year anniversary of the pilot episode of “How I Met Your Mother” just recently passed which brought up quite a mix of feelings on social media. Main actors such as Josh Radnor, Cobie Smulders and Alyson Hannigan posted heartfelt pictures from the episode to honor the show, captioning them with “Apparently (astonishingly) ‘How I Met Your Mother’ premiered twenty years ago today.” and “I cannot believe and I am so grateful that they took a chance and hired this young Canadian immigrant 20 years ago.” showing that even the actors themselves can’t believe how much time has passed. Ten years after its series finale, this show is the seventh most-watched title on the Disney+ platform. But what is it about this show that keeps it alive even two decades later? It’s because even after all that time, How I Met Your Mother just… works.

I first watched this show when I was a kid mostly in the background or when my parents would watch it here and there. But I rediscovered it in eighth grade, and I’ve been rewatching it ever since. After seeing it over 50 times, I’ve really started to appreciate how complicated the show actually is. Beneath all the slap bets, red cowboy boots, and interventions, it shows scenes of love, friendship, growing up and loss. It’s one of the rare sitcoms that makes you laugh one second and cry the next.

As most fans do, I have been trying to take a stance on the popular love triangle in the show for years. I’ve gone back and forth countless times about whether I like Ted and Robin or Robin and Barney more. I understand both relationships so well. Ted’s endless hope and romanticism and Barney’s growth from a player into someone capable of real love. Watching Barney’s relationship with his dad explains so much about why he was the way he was, and it made his emotional moments hit even harder. At the same time, Robin and Ted’s story was full of timing issues, missed chances and that lingering “what if” feeling that makes the relationship feel painfully real. And I think that’s why the ending got so many different reactions.

Speaking of the finale, I’ll admit that I didn’t like the way it ended. After nine years of waiting to meet the mother, only for her to have the worst storyline, it felt unfair. But over time, I’ve come to understand what the show was trying to say. Life doesn’t always go the way we expect, and sometimes endings aren’t clean. Like Ted says, “Because sometimes even if you know how something’s gonna end, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the ride.” And that’s exactly what this show is; a ride.

What also makes How I Met Your Mother so memorable is its characters’ friendships. Ted, Marshall, Lily, Robin, and Barney aren’t just friends hanging out in a bar; they’re family. Marshall and Lily are one of TV’s best couples and it’s not because they’re perfect, but because they aren’t. They fight, they mess up, they take breaks and they question their dreams. Lily’s struggles with motherhood and her career goals shows that even “the perfect couple” faces real-life challenges. Marshall’s kindness balances Lily’s fire, and together, they show what love looks like when you choose someone over and over again, flaws and all.

There are also the quieter, emotional moments that stick with you like when Ted says, “You will be shocked, kids, when you discover how easy it is in life to part ways with people forever. That’s why, when you find someone you wanna keep around, you do something about it.” Or when Barney reminds us, “Whatever you do in this life, it’s not legendary unless your friends are there to see it.” And of course, “If you’re not scared, you’re not taking a chance, and if you’re not taking a chance, then what the hell are you doing?” Those lines are part of why the show lasts. They remind you of what really matters: the people you love, the chances you take and the memories you make along the way. And that is something that’s timeless.

Twenty years later, How I Met Your Mother is still so popular because it’s about real life. It’s about friendship, heartbreak, growing up and realizing that things don’t always go according to plan. It’s about how the people who come into our lives, for a short time or forever, help us become who we’re meant to be. That’s why HIMYM still matters, and why I’ll probably keep rewatching it for the next twenty years too.