Many fans have been watching this season of How I Met Your Mother under the assumption that it would be the last, meaning Ted’s wife-to-be would finally be revealed at some point over the course of this year. Now, Deadline reports that the impending end of the show may indeed be as soon as those fans have assumed.
All of the cast members, and creators Craig Thomas and Carter Bays, have contracts expiring at the end of this season. Negotiations are currently underway, but nothing official has been reported. That being said, Thomas and Bays have requested to know whether or not the contracts will be renewed by the end of this month so they can take the appropriate route toward the conclusion of the show.
The creators apparently have two plans ready: One with the show ending at the conclusion of this season, the other with the end being season 9. The current season is almost at its halfway point, and Ted has yet to seriously date anyone new, so if the show does indeed end in the spring, that plan needs to be put in place soon.
CBS has publicly stated their desire for the show to continue for another season. Check out what network entertainment president Nina Tassler said in August.
“We want the show to come back next year. We’re not there yet in terms of resolving the situation, but we’re pretty optimistic.”
Back in August there was also a report that Jason Segel definitely would not be returning for another season, but the validity of that report was called into doubt by CBS, and although his statement seemed final, there was some question as to whether something was lost in the translation from German to English. But, in case you missed it, check out his comment from that report below.
”It’s great to do some ‘Rated R’ stuff again, because 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.”
The new report from Deadline echos the same sentiments, though it does say Segel hasn’t shut the door on the possibility of returning, meaning what he’s saying now doesn’t sound as definite as the comment above.
For the show to have any hopes of a successful end, it can’t continue if all five of the main cast members don’t return. This should go unsaid, but shows have tried it before and the results have been disastrous. Replacing Marshall (à la Two And A Half Men), or finding some other way to get rid of him (killing him off?) and continuing simply wouldn’t work. If Segel is out, the show is done.
There is the slight possibility of convincing Segel to sign on for an abbreviated 9th season to better allow the show to wrap itself up. You may remember this was done with Friends when Jennifer Aniston wanted to end the show after season 9 to pursue her feature film career. The cast agreed to the (slightly) abbreviated 10th season, and bagged a huge payday in the process. Some have called HIMYM the Friends of this generation, so it isn’t inconceivable that TV’s current tight quintet would take the same route. That being said, with the plans Thomas and Bays have in place, it sounds like the ideal situation would be complete seasons, an all or nothing kind of deal.
So far season 8 has been far from the standard previous seasons had set, so ending before things get much worse may not be a horrible idea. Then again, once it’s for sure known which plan is to be employed, maybe the show will take a turn for the better, as they can stop treading water and focus on actually reaching the conclusion, whenever it may be. Either way, a quick decision will benefit everyone.
As always, we’ll keep you updated as more news comes in, so check back for information about the negotiations.
What do you think about these negotiations? Has How I Met Your Mother overstayed its welcome, or do you want to see another season? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
