How I Met Your Mother’s Ratings Got Better As The Show Got Worse

How I Met Your Mother experienced an increase in viewership in the sitcom’s final few seasons despite the fact that quality in the series noticeably dropped. The CBS show, created by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, debuted in September 2005. It ran for nine seasons and spanned 208 total episodes before coming to an end in March 2014. Surprisingly enough, the How I Met Your Mother‘s entire main cast–Josh Radnor, Jason Segel, Alyson Hannigan, Cobie Smulders, and Neil Patrick Harris–stuck around for the duration.

The entire series centered on Ted Mosby (Radnor) recalling the events of how he met the mother of his children. A future version of the character told the epic tale to his two teenage children while the mystery of the mother’s identity served as the driving force behind the series. How I Met Your Mother continuously provided hints regarding the “Mother” but it was clear she wouldn’t be revealed until closer to when the series came to a close. The show didn’t just focus on Ted, but it also followed his closest friends and the shenanigans they often got involved with on a daily basis. Due to the show’s wit and the cast’s performances, the first four seasons received critical acclaim. Season 5 and 6 were mostly or generally positive in the eyes of critics and fans but then the reception started to dip.

After averaging nearly 9.5 million viewers in the first season, numbers decreased a bit but held steady in the rankings. Ratings got a bump in season 4 and it was no secret that How I Met Your Mother had a very loyal fanbase. Unfortunately, season 7 got a mixed reception and season 8 encountered the roughest reviews as many viewers deemed it the weakest in the series. Season 9 was also mixed, mainly in part to the controversial series finale. That said, the series found an increase in viewership from season 6 to season 7. The final season ended up being the most-watched season in terms of average viewership with nearly 10.5 million viewers and held its best rank among TV in the show’s history.

Viewership Notably Increased During HIMYM’s Last Few Seasons

It’s not uncommon for long-running TV series to experience a decline in viewership in the back-end of their broadcast runs. With How I Met Your Mother, the opposite became true but it shouldn’t come as a surprise. Many loyal viewers and those who may have stopped watching for a period of time wanted to see how the series wrapped up. More importantly, fans wanted to witness the major Mother reveal. In order for that moment to finally come to fruition, viewers were met with a few anti-climatic moments and drawn out storylines. The impatience led to some criticism but it was clear viewers for the long-haul, hence the viewership in the final season.

An outspoken segment of viewers wasn’t too pleased with the ending of How I Met Your Mother. After finally getting to know Tracy McConnell, aka the Mother, the compelling character was said to have passed away years before Ted started to tell his tale to the kids. In the future timeline, his kids encouraged Ted to get back together with Robin and the former lovers reunited. This left a bad taste in the mouth of many which affected the overall perception of the series in the years that followed. It’s no question that the series found success in primetime but it’s evident that quality emerged as an issue.

About The Author

Kara Hedash
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Kara Hedash is a features editor and writer for Screen Rant. From time to time, she dives into the world’s most popular franchises but Kara primarily focuses on evergreen topics. The fact that she gets to write about The Office regularly is like a dream come true. Before joining Screen Rant, Kara served as a contributor for Movie Pilot and had work published on The Mary Sue and Reel Honey. After graduating college, writing began as a part-time hobby for Kara but it quickly turned into a career. She loves binging a new series and watching movies ranging from Hollywood blockbusters to hidden indie gems. She also has a soft spot for horror ever since she started watching it at too young of an age. Her favorite Avenger is Thor and her favorite Disney princess is Leia Organa. When Kara’s not busy writing, you can find her doing yoga or hanging out with Gritty.

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