Show: How I Met Your Mother
Episode: Series Premiere
Originally Aired: Monday, September 19th 2005
Rating: 2½ out of 4 stars

Quick Synopsis: A father telling the story of he and their mother is shown via flashback.

Long Synopsis: It is the future and a father is telling his children the story of how he met their mother. The story starts way back in 2005 on the night two of his best friends are to get engaged. You get to see the story unfold via flashbacks that he narrates. You are introduced to the father as a 27-year-old man thinking about his future prospects, his outlandish and childlike friend played by Neil Patrick Harris of Doogie Howser fame, his best friend and the best friends fiancée played by Alyson Hannigan who was Willow on Buffy.

Review: This show was fun and entertaining and most importantly since it is a comedy, it actually made me laugh a few times. One of the best characters is Neil Patrick Harris’s childish, suit wearing, bad joking, somewhat of a grown up Barney. The main character Ted played by Josh Radnor is good as the never takes a chance until now father.

I liked the storytelling format. The narrated flashback was a nice device giving this show just a little something different. Not necessarily new but unlike everything else out there in the sitcom world right now.

When the father ends the show saying, “and that is how I met your Aunt Robin”, that was a good twist ending. I had not really read or seen much about this show, so this one actually got me. It may have seemed better than it actually was considering I had already watched Kitchen Confidential (see Review), which was pretty predictable, and had recorded this one for later viewing. I was wondering how they were going to be able to keep a show going with a title like this, but not meeting the mother in the first episode gives as he says, “I told you it was a long story”, some potential for longevity.

This is one of the best new comedies of the season so far. I know it was only Monday so far but there were three that debuted on this night and a couple previous. While I didn’t find it initially as funny as Out of Practice which came on after Two and a Half Men, I do see it as having more potential than either of the other shows that started on Monday.

If you are most interested in comedy on Monday then I would start with Arrested Development on Fox and then switch over to CBS for How I Met Your Mother and just keep it there until CSI: Miami starts.