How I Met Your Mother is probably one of the most well-known comedy series of the last couple of decades. The show gets compared to Friends, which may be the biggest comedy series of all time. However, How I Met Your Mother has a slightly darker and more satirical take on people's lives and struggles, possibly because it existed in a much less optimistic, post-9/11 time period.
The series continues to be extremely loved by fans, even after airing its final (and controversial) episode eight years ago. So much so that a spin-off series, How I Met Your Father, aired this year and has already been renewed for a new season. The spin-off has some special surprises for fans, including the appearance of one of the original cast members revisiting her roles after so long: Cobie Smulders as Robin Scherbatsky.
How I Met Your Mother follows a group of friends as they embark on different situations and adventures in their late 20s and 30s. The narrator of the story, Ted Mosby, is telling his kids how he eventually met their mother, but rest assured that there is no shortage of laughter and embarrassing moments in his stories. Even though the series ended a few years ago, the show has not stopped gaining fans; most of them discovered the series for the first time on a streaming service. Here are the main character descriptions and where the actors are now, for new fans and old ones as well.
Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor)
Ted is an architect and a hopeless romantic who lives in the concrete jungle of New York City. He is the narrator of the story, telling his kids about his crazy adventures when he was younger and in the search for the love of his life. To his children's despair, he takes his sweet time telling them his story (taking a long time to reach the moment when he met their mother), but it is the journey that took him there that counts. His stories include all his past relationships, as well as the lives of his best friends: Marshall, Lily, Robin, and Barney.
Ted Mosby is actually played by two different actors: Josh Radnor and Bob Saget. Radnor plays the young version of the character, while Saget voices Radnor as he tells his kids the stories. Radnor has done a few series since the end of the show, amongst them are Hunters and the animation series Centaurworld, along with directing and starring in the films Happythankyoumoreplease and Liberal Arts. The actor is currently filming a miniseries called Flesh Is in Trouble. Unfortunately, Saget passed away in January 2022, and the comedian and actor has been deeply missed by many.
Robin Scherbatsky (Cobie Smulders)
Robin is a reporter who joins the group of friends a bit later since most of them have known each other for years. She is sarcastic and won't let anything slide through her cutting comments. Robin is not one for love or relationships and is an interesting counterpart to the narrator - who is almost instantly in love with her. She becomes good friends with Lily and turns out to be an important element that the group was missing.
Cobie Smulders has been busy since the end of the show. Her most successful role has been as agent Maria Hill in various Marvel movies and TV Shows. She has also been a part of the series American Crime Story: Impeachment, brilliantly playing the acerbic monster Ann Coulter.
Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris)
Barney is an extremely loyal friend, but also a womanizer who thinks every problem can be solved with a good suit. He has a few particular interests: Whiskey, laser tag, women, and tailored clothes. He lives by a strict set of rules he created himself called The Bro Code. Some rules are: 'Bros before hoes' and 'thy shall always tell a brother when thee had sex.' While Barney may come across as problematic to some, the show never completely condones his scummier behavior; Barney will have to develop and grow up as new challenges start to shake his strong beliefs.
Neil Patrick Harris has had an extensive career before (Doogie Howser, M.D.) and after the show (A Series of Unfortunate Events). He has acted in various television series including American Horror Story and Eden, not to mention his iconically hilarious role as himself in the Harold and Kumar films and extensive, award-winning work on Broadway. In his most recent release, he stars as the protagonist of the Netflix series Uncoupled.
Marshall Eriksen (Jason Segel)
Marshall is a corporate lawyer with a dream: to make a difference in the world by being an environmental lawyer. Ted's college roommate is sweet and caring - but will never let a joke slide, even if at the expense of his friends. Despite being very tall and strong, Marshall is emotional, which sets him apart from his friends. He is an important part of the group and the shoulder most of them go cry into and ask for advice. He is deeply in love with his fiancée, who was his girlfriend in college, Lily.
Jason Segel has focused more on films in the past recent years. He acted in The Friend, The Sky is Everywhere, and the great recent Netflix thriller Windfall. Segel is also an impressive writer, having written his film Forgetting Sarah Marshall and the woefully underrated series Dispatches From Elsewhere.
Lily Aldrin (Alyson Hannigan)
Don't let her small stature fool you; Lily is anything but small. A good friend, even if she can't keep a secret to save her life, Lily loves to gossip and is (what some might call) addicted to shopping. A true romantic, like her fiancée Marshall, she loves to help Ted in his love life - even if he doesn't ask her to do so. She is great at reading people and sometimes can become the life of the party.
Alyson Hannigan is more known for her roles before How I Met Your Mother, such as her characters in Buffy: The Vampire Slayer and American Pie. Nevertheless, she has continued acting after the series ended, especially in children-oriented titles, such as Kim Possible and Fancy Nancy, and also had a great run as the host of the magic game show Penn & Teller: Fool Us.