‘How I Met Your Mother’ Fans Want These Characters to Return In the Spinoff

How I Met Your Mother has been off the air for a number of years but has found new life in syndication. Millions of fans, many of whom were drawn to the show when it originally aired, turn to reruns in order to relive the misadventures of all their favorite characters — and countless new fans have become true believers over the past few years. Recently, fans were thrilled to learn that How I Met Your Mother will be returning for a revival — and while few details are known at this point, many viewers have definite ideas about which characters should be featured on the revival. 

How long did ‘How I Met Your Mother’ run on television?

How I Met Your Mother premiered on television in 2005. The series tells the story of good-natured everyman Ted Mosby, who lives and works in Manhattan.

Mosby’s adventures with his eclectic friend group, including the womanizing Barney and Canadian news reporter Robin, form the backbone of the series, although many other interesting, dynamic characters are featured throughout the series run.

Critics praised How I Met Your Mother for the unique structure of the show and for the brilliant acting by Neil Patrick Harris and Josh Radnor. How I Met Your Mother seemed to have everything, from over-the-top humor and witty situations to an undercurrent of romance, that became more prominent as the series progressed. How I Met Your Mother went off the air in 2014, after nine successful seasons. 

What do fans know about the ‘How I Met Your Mother’ spinoff?

In late April 2021, streaming service Hulu announced that showrunners were working on a brand-new spinoff for How I Met Your Mother, developed and helmed by original series creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas. According to reports, the spinoff will star former child actor Hilary Duff as a character named Sophie, who tells her son the story of how she met his father.

Reportedly, the series will feature the same unique multi- and single-camera elements that made How I Met Your Mother such a hit — but other than that, details are sparse about the spinoff, and no release date has yet been announced. Fans likely won’t know casting details until further down the line, but have already started speculating about what characters they would like to see in the new series. 

What characters do fans want in the new ‘How I Met Your Mother’ spinoff series?

According to a new report from ScreenRant, there are specific characters that fans would love to see in the new How I Met Your Mother spinoff series.

One of these characters is Sandy Rivers, a narcissistic journalist who relocates to Russia at one point, after making a fool of himself on American television. Seeing Rivers in a small role, or even a brief cameo, would be hilariously appropriate.

Another character that should definitely make an appearance on the new show is William Zabka, who is famous for his work in the Karate Kid franchise. Considering the recent resurgence that his career has had, featuring Zabka in a role would be a fun way to pay homage to his original appearance in How I Met Your Mother.

George “The Captain” Van Smoot was an intriguing character in How I Met Your Mother, who would be an easy shoo-in for a reappearance in the reboot, due to his eccentric nature.

Wendy the Waitress was someone with an interesting character arc, who popped up at several random times in How I Met Your Mother — she would be a natural choice for a cameo or bit part. Darren, Patrice, and Gary Blauman would all make a stir with fans, should they reappear in the reboot – as well as Ranjit, the wise former limo driver.

Of course, the biggest catch for the How I Met Your Mother reboot would be Barney Stinson himself, as played by Neil Patrick Harris. The iconic Barney was probably the most popular character in the show, and his appearance in the reboot would guarantee that fans would be thrilled.