I’ve seen commericals all year, and I’m finally watching an episode now. I don’t understand how the title connects to the show yet. Is some character supposed to be telling stories to a kid, and the entire thing is a flashback? Or is there no kid at all and the title isn’t about anything?
The narrator is relating, via video, to his kids, the story of how he met their mother. We have no idea who this person is yet, as Ted is a doofus and keeps screwing up relationships. The one thing we do know is that Robin isn’t their mother, because in the very first episode he says “…and that’s how I met your Aunt Robin.”
Well, yes, but the narrator is Ted. As everything that the narrator relates as having happened to him does happen to Ted in real time.
“The show is narrated by Ted Mosby, 25 years in the future, as he tells his son and daughter about the events that led to his meeting their mother. The future Ted, who is not shown, is voiced by Bob Saget. In the early episodes, the show would begin with Ted’s two teenage kids listening to his narration, but later episodes rarely show this.”
I fluctuate between liking the bits of this show that I occasionally see and wishing it would end before they reveal just so the fans will howl.
On the other hand, if they gave Barney his own show, I’d watch that religiously, I think…
I am so holding you to that. 
Barney is the only consistantly funny thing about the show. I, too, would watch Barney’s spin-off. NPH!!
(Looking at two incredibly beautiful women in HD is nice, too.)
The end of one episode showed the kids looking very exasperated, and the daughter (I think) asks, “And the woman you’re talking to in the bar. Is that our mother?”
“Well no, but…”
I had low expectations for this show, but it surprised me. Definately better than the average fat husband/skinny wife sitcoms out there. I kinda think of it as an american Coupling done well.
Oh, and my best friend (best man at my wedding, and my son’s godfather) is Barney.
Well, I suppose we also know that Lily isn’t their mother, since he talks about Marshall as “Uncle Marshall” and I doubt Marshall would’ve stuck around after Ted stole Lily from him, so…
While my wife and I both love the Barney character, I have to say that he’s not the only thing on the show worth watching. I got my wife started watching the show by pointing out to her how much she and I are like Marshall and Lily. It’s kinda spooky.
I don’t care about the plot. I just like looking at Robin. The rest of the cast seems to work well and the writing is pretty good. This is I think an underrated show. I doubt they have even figured out who the mother is supposed to be.
Forget Robin…how could he have broken up with Victoria? Funny, hot, smart, skilled, hot, professional, hot…
I concur. In Robin’s first episode, I thought she was attractive. Now, I just find her annoying as hell.
And besides, Victoria’s reaction when Ted walks into the bakery (“Oh, thank god!”) is my favorite 5 seconds on this show. How could he break up with her?
Now, if someone could just explain what “snakes on a plane” is about.
What?
(as an aside, Maus Magill, is NPH really your best friend? Cool.)
And all the Buffy actors don’t hurt. 
Sorry - misunderstanding. My best friend is Barney, the character, not Neil Patrick Harris, the actor.
Or at least he would be, if Barney were a real person whom I’ve known for 20 years.
Living an ocean away…
Also, I don’t think she’s all that hot. Diff’rent strokes, I suppose. (Not that I’d kick her out of bed for eating crackers. High five!)
Anyways, I think it’s a very good show. I have a running argument with a pal as to whether it’s an unconventional sitcom done exceedingly well or a conventional sit-com done exccedingly well. Either way, I guffaw every episode, and I’m readily engrossed in the minutia of Ted’s romantic relationships, even the one I already know isn’t going to work out. The only character that doesn’t get much traction with me is Marshall – I like his relationship stuff with Lily, and I like Lily, but Marshall on his own is either boring or excessively wacky. But all the other characters are really well done, and the writers do a good job of defining them in consistent ways and then keeping their actions to character without being stale or predictable (except when predictability is funny). Well worth watching, I think.
–Cliffy
Well, son, that story begins with the words, “Fleet’s in!” . . . 