The US sitcom How I Met Your Mother premiered on CBS on September 19, 2005. Created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays, the show is presented from the perspective of Ted Mosby in 2030 ("Future Ted") as he tells his children how he met the titular mother. The show lasted for nine seasons and 208 episodes; the finale first aired on March 31, 2014. A stand-alone sequel series, How I Met Your Father, premiered on Hulu on January 18, 2022. Created by Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger, the show is presented from the perspective of Sophie in 2050 as she recounts to her unseen son the events that followed meeting his father in January 2022.
The main characters of How I Met Your Mother are: Ted Mosby, a romantic searching for "The One"; Barney Stinson, a womanizer; Robin Scherbatsky, a journalist who moved to New York in 2005; and Marshall Eriksen and Lily Aldrin, a long-term couple. Although the show is based around The Mother, her first appearance is not until the season eight finale. How I Met Your Father meanwhile features the main characters Sophie, a romantic searching for her "soulmate"; Jesse, an aspiring musician; Sid, Jesse's best friend; Valentina and Charlie, Sophie's best friend and her British boyfriend; and Ellen, Jesse's adoptive sister, while also featuring main characters from How I Met Your Mother in guest roles.
Many of the main characters' relatives appear throughout the show, such as Lily's father or Barney's brother. They may also be seen in family gatherings, such as Barney and Robin's wedding or Marshall's father's funeral. Ted's children and Marvin W. Eriksen (son of Marshall and Lily) appear in the background of many episodes and key moments without being crucial to many plots.
Ranjit, Carl, and several other characters often appear because they work in places the main cast frequently visit/hang out at (such as MacLaren's Pub). Characters in relationships with Ted, Barney, or Robin often appear in several episodes within a short period of time, such as Victoria, Nora, or Kevin. Minor characters such as the Slutty Pumpkin or Mary the Paralegal may only appear in one or two episodes, but still play a crucial role in the episodes in which they appear.
Cast table
Notes:
Main characters
Ted Mosby
Appears in all 208 episodes from "Pilot" to "Last Forever"
Portrayed by Josh Radnor, Theodore Evelyn "Ted" Mosby (born on April 25, 1978) is a romantic, originally searching for "The One" and often discussing destiny and "The Universe" controlling things. Ted grew up in Shaker Heights, Ohio with parents Virginia Mosby, Alfred Mosby, and sister Heather Mosby. He is an architect who graduated from Wesleyan University, where he met Marshall and Lily. Ted is also the show's narrator from the future, voiced by Bob Saget, as he tells his children a very long story, with the premise of explaining how he met their mother. Ted's history includes being left at the altar, taking a job as an architecture professor and designing the new headquarters for Goliath National Bank.
Ted dates many people and has several long-term relationships. Ted has an on-again, off-again relationship with Robin. Ted also dates Victoria, Stella, Zoey and Jeanette. Ted finally meets his wife-to-be, Tracy, on the day of Barney and Robin's wedding, after a series of missed connections over the course of the series: accidentally teaching one of her college classes, owning her yellow umbrella for a short time, and dating her roommate.
In the finale, it is revealed that his wife died six years earlier. His children tell him that his story was about him being in love with Robin as their mother only features in a small amount of it. They urge him to get back together with Robin and he does, bringing the iconic blue French horn with him. A deleted scene confirms they rekindled their relationship.
Marshall Eriksen
Appears in all 208 episodes from "Pilot" to "Last Forever"
Portrayed by Jason Segel, Marshall Eriksen met Ted and Lily during their freshman year at Wesleyan University. He and Lily began dating during college and got married at the end of season 2. Marshall is a Columbia Law School graduate originally from Minnesota. Marshall became a lawyer because he was interested in environmental protection laws. He accepts a job at a corporate law firm, before joining the legal team at Goliath National Bank, where Barney also works. Marshall believes in the paranormal, specifically Sasquatch and the Loch Ness Monster. In early 2011, after being told Marshall and Lily are capable of having a baby, Marshall's dad has a fatal heart attack and dies. His first son, born in the episode "The Magician's Code – Part 1" is named Marvin, after Marshall's father.
Marshall eventually is accepted to his dream job, being a judge, after committing to move to Italy with Lily. This leads to constant conflict between the couple through most of the final season. Throughout the first half of the last season, Marshall is on a car ride from Minnesota to Long Island after missing his flight to Barney and Robin's wedding. In this process, Marshall meets The Mother.
Robin Scherbatsky
Appears in all 208 episodes of How I Met Your Mother from "Pilot" to "Last Forever", and one episode of How I Met Your Father
Portrayed by Cobie Smulders, Robin Charles Scherbatsky Jr. works as a news reporter for various stations, ending up at World Wide News. She is originally from Vancouver, British Columbia and is a fan of the Vancouver Canucks. Robin was named after her father, who she has some issues with as he wanted a male child.
She and Ted have an on-again, off-again relationship. The subject of four episodes, Robin was a teen pop singer named Robin Sparkles. Her first boyfriend, Simon, starred in her second music video. In season 4, Robin moves in with Ted after leaving her short-lived job in Japan. During "The Leap", she and Barney pursue a relationship, but it soon ends.
Robin is frequently made fun of for her tendency to laugh while lying, as well as her references to places and history exclusive to Canada, such as Mount Waddington or Danby's. Though she has stated explicitly that she does not like children, Future Ted mentioned that she eventually grew to like them and even became close to Ted's children. After being unemployed for a while, Robin found out that she would be deported from America if she did not get a job. Barney helped her land a job for an early morning show in "The Possimpible". Soon after she started she got a co-host named Don whom she originally disliked. However, she grew to like him and they dated for a while. In "False Positive", Robin worked as a researcher for World Wide News and eventually moved up to co-anchor after hosting a New Year's Eve show. It is revealed in the season 7 finale that Robin married Barney. They divorce after almost three years of marriage. In 2030, Robin is shown to be living with her dogs in New York when she gets asked out by Ted, a six-year widower by then. A deleted scene reconfirms they rekindled their relationship, while an alternate ending in which Ted is not widowed depicts Robin and Barney as renewing their relationship.
Barney Stinson
Appears in all 208 episodes of How I Met Your Mother from "Pilot" to "Last Forever", and 2 episodes of How I Met Your Father
Portrayed by Neil Patrick Harris, Barnabus "Barney" Stinson is a former womanizer. He is known for wearing suits, playing laser tag, performing magic tricks, and overusing catchphrases such as "Suit up!", "Legend-wait-for-it-dary" and "Challenge accepted!". Barney is the writer of the Bro Code and the Playbook, documenting rules for best friends ("bros") and his favorite moves to use on women.
Barney was raised by a single mother, Loretta, along with his older brother James. He is abandoned by his father. In season 6, Barney's father Jerome returns to his life hoping to make amends. As a young adult, Barney was a long-haired hippie with plans to join the Peace Corps. Soon after his girlfriend rejects him for a businessman, he drastically changes his lifestyle, dressing in suits and accepting a corporate job. Shortly after, he met Ted Mosby at a urinal and announced that he would "teach [Ted] how to live", thus beginning his life with Ted's group of friends.
In season 4, Barney falls in love with Robin and spends the next season hiding it from her. The two get together in season 5, but the relationship is short-lived. After their breakup, Barney returns to one-night stands, but sometimes shows regret in ending his relationship with Robin. In "Desperation Day", Robin introduces him to her friend Nora. Barney and Nora have a brief relationship, but it ends because Barney is unwilling to let himself be honest with her about his feelings. Later, they get back together but Barney cheats on Nora with Robin. In "Challenge Accepted", it is revealed that Barney gets married at some point in the future; in "The Magician's Code", the bride is revealed to be Robin. However, Barney and Robin get divorced in 2016. Barney goes back to having one-night stands, and eventually impregnates a woman. The birth of his daughter, Ellie, effectively causes him to change his ways for good.
Lily Aldrin
Appears in 206 episodes from "Pilot" to "Last Forever"
Portrayed by Alyson Hannigan, Lily Aldrin is a kindergarten teacher. She is married to Marshall and grew up in Brooklyn, New York. Like Ted and Marshall, she is a graduate of Wesleyan University and dreams of being an artist. Lily has a huge debt problem because of her impulsive shopping; she is able to hide this from Marshall until they apply for a mortgage in "Dowisetrepla". She is very manipulative, having caused several of Ted's relationships to end when she disliked his date. It has been shown many times that she cannot keep a secret, with a few exceptions: she hides her second pregnancy and keeps Ted's move to Chicago a secret from everyone but Marshall. Another ongoing joke in the show is her implied bisexuality, as evidenced by plenty of commentary as well as a couple instances of her kissing Robin.
Prior to college, Lily dated Scooter. At college, she met Ted and started dating Marshall. She and Marshall were together for 9 years and engaged for almost a year before Lily broke up with Marshall to move to San Francisco for a summer to concentrate on her art. Marshall was so hurt that they stayed separated for a few months after she returned to New York. They eventually get married at the end of season 2. They move into an apartment in "Dowisetrepla"; previously, they had been living with Ted. They consider children for years before feeling "ready". Lily finds out in the season 6 finale that she is pregnant. In the episode "Good Crazy", Lily goes into labor five weeks early and in the episode "The Magician's Code – Part 1", gives birth to Marvin. In season eight, Lily accepts a job as The Captain's art consultant. The Captain later asks her to move to Italy to search for and purchase artwork for his collection; she and Marshall agree to move there. However, this is the cause of disagreement between the couple as Marshall accepts an offer to be a judge without consulting Lily. Lily is revealed to be pregnant with a second child in "Daisy", followed by third child a few years later in "Last Forever".
The Doppelgängers
In "Double Date", Ted mentions that the group has seen people who look exactly like them. This theme of five doppelgängers, one for each of the main characters (excluding The Mother), continues throughout several episodes.
The first three doppelgängers are seen in "Double Date". "Moustache Marshall" appears on an advert on the side of a bus, and is spotted by Barney in MacLaren's. "Lesbian Robin" is seen in the streets of New York. "Stripper Lily" (known by the name "Jasmine") works at the Lusty Leopard and also appears in "46 Minutes" and "Gary Blauman", eventually marrying Scooter. "Mexican Wrestler Ted" is discovered in "Robots Versus Wrestlers".
Barney's doppelgänger is the most significant; Lily and Marshall want a sign from "the universe" that they are ready to have children, and agree to start trying once they see Barney's double. In "Doppelgangers", Marshall meets a cab driver who he thinks is Barney's doppelgänger, but who turns out to be Barney in disguise. Lily then sees a pretzel vendor and thinks he is the double; in reality, the vendor looks nothing like Barney but they begin to try to have children as Marshall claims it means that Lily is subconsciously ready to have kids. Barney's real doppelgänger, Doctor John Stangel, is revealed in "Bad News". He is a fertility doctor, making Lily uncomfortable as she is convinced he is Barney in disguise.
The Mother (Tracy McConnell)
Appears in eight episodes from "Lucky Penny" to "The Time Travelers" as an unseen character, appears in 14 episodes from "Something New" to "Last Forever"
Portrayed by Cristin Milioti, the Mother is the title character of the series; Ted's narration of the series is based around how he met her. While several clues about the Mother are revealed throughout the series (including the story of the yellow umbrella), she is not fully seen until the season eight finale, "Something New". Season 9 reveals more about the Mother through several flashforwards throughout the season and the 200th episode, "How Your Mother Met Me", which shows the years 2005 through 2013 from her perspective. In that episode, it is revealed that her boyfriend Max died on her 21st birthday and that she refrained from dating in the years following; her first boyfriend after Max, Louis, proposed to her the night before Barney and Robin's wedding, but she rejected him, allowing herself to move on.
Ted is shown meeting The Mother in the series finale at the Farhampton train station following Barney and Robin's wedding. They date, get engaged, and have two children called Luke and Penny. In the original ending of the show, The Mother is shown to have been deceased in 2024. Many fans of the show had become emotionally attached to The Mother. In many scenes throughout the show, it was shown how incredibly perfect Ted and Tracy were for each other and how nice she was to everyone. Her death in the series finale was met with considerable dissatisfaction by many viewers.
A petition was started, aiming to rewrite and reshoot the finale. The petition received over 20,000 signatures and considerable online news coverage. An alternate ending was released in the ninth season DVD. In the alternate ending, Tracy is still living when Ted is telling the story in 2030. In the video, future Ted is heard saying, "...When I think how lucky I am to wake up next to your mom every morning, I can't help but be amazed how easy it all really was...", indirectly stating that The Mother is alive. The video ends right after the train passes at Farhampton station and credits start rolling, implying that Ted never went back to Robin as he lived a successful married life with Tracy.
Sophie
Appears in all episodes of How I Met Your Father
Portrayed by Hilary Duff, Sophie is a hopeless romantic, originally searching for her "soulmate" and often discussing destiny controlling things. Though believing in true love, she is unaware of her biological father due to her "party girl" mother having slept with random men. Sophie is also the show's narrator from the future, portrayed by Kim Cattrall, as she tells her son a very long story, with the premise of explaining the events that followed after she met his father.
Jesse
Appears in all episodes of How I Met Your Father
Portrayed by Christopher Lowell, Jesse is an aspiring musician who works as an Uber driver and music teacher, who has become an internet meme after being left by his ex-girlfriend Meredith after a failed marriage proposal. He lives with Sid in Ted, Marshall and Lily's old apartment, and is presented as a possible candidate as Future Sophie's son's father.
Valentina
Appears in all episodes of How I Met Your Father
Portrayed by Francia Raisa, Valentina is an impulsive assistant-stylist who is also Sophie's best friend and roommate and Charlie's love interest.
Sid
Appears in all episodes of How I Met Your Father
Portrayed by Suraj Sharma, Sid is Jesse's best friend and roommate who owns a bar. He is introduced as engaged to his long-distance girlfriend Hannah, and is presented as a possible candidate as Future Sophie's son's father.
Charlie
Appears in all episodes of How I Met Your Father
Portrayed by Tom Ainsley, Charlie is a British aristocrat who abandons his inheritance to follow his love interest Valentina to New York after meeting her at London Fashion Week (having previously done the same with three other women). He later moves in with Ellen and the two become roommates, before being hired by Sid as a bartender. He was presented as a possible candidate as Future Sophie's son's father, but instead has a child with Valentina.
Ellen
Appears in all episodes of How I Met Your Father
Portrayed by Tien Tran, Ellen is Jesse's adoptive sister who moves to New York City to find romance after her divorce from her wife, later moving in with Charlie, with the two becoming roommates. She owns a produce farm.
Secondary characters
Penny and Luke Mosby
First Appearance: "Pilot"; Last Appearance: "Last Forever"