They say some things are better late than never, and in How I Met Your Mother‘s case, this applies to not only the show waiting until the end to reveal the mother, but it’s also their very first foray into Comic-Con.
Who’s Here:
Josh Radnor (Ted Mosby)
Jason Segel (Marshall Eriksen)
Alyson Hannigan (Lily Aldrin)
Neil Patrick Harris (Barney Stinson)
Cobie Smulders (Robin Scherbatsky)
Carter Bays and Craig Thomas (Executive Producers)
Pamela Fryman (Director)
The cast shared a lot of juicy insight into the ninth and final season — exploding glitter cannons, anyone? — so read on!
SPOILER ALERT!
1. The panel started with a video from Ted’s kids in the year 2038. They’ve been waiting eight years for their dad to tell them how he met their mother. It’s hilarious because viewers have wanted to say (or have already yelled at their televisions) the same things.
2. Thomas described the final season as beautiful, funny, dramatic and awesome. He added that one of the secrets of the show is that it’s a stealth drama.
3. The season starts with everyone headed to the wedding, which will serve as the framework for the season, with flashbacks/flash-forwards — even decades — revolving around that. So it’s not going to be How I Met Your Mother: The ’24’ Edition.
4. A wedding means having guests and having guests means guest stars! Like the pineapple, “which they’re really hoping makes an appearance,” Thomas said. “The much shorter list is who isn’t coming back,” Bays added. Harris is hoping for the return of Britney Spears — “if she has the shaved head and umbrella,” he joked (we think), while Smulders hopes for Robin’s sister, played by Lucy Hale to come back. Most of all, she’s hoping we get to see Robin’s mother.
5. Speaking of family, Barney will find out during his own wedding that his brother, James, is getting a divorce.
6. The return of the slap: one episode in the middle of the season takes place during the course of one slap. Bays said “Slapsgiving” might fall on a Saturday in May this year. Not really sure what that means! But the show will work with a tennis cam that is used to show Roger Federer’s serve at the U.S. Open. Sounds, well, legendary.
7. The return of Robin Sparkles isn’t as certain as the slap, with Thomas saying he could neither confirm or deny it. But, after all, it is a wedding, and there are songs at weddings. That’s a pretty good clue as to whether it’ll happen.
8. Speaking of dancing, Harris teased that Robin and Barney will have a first dance, and it will be “epic.” It might include some “Dirty Dancing” lifts. Bays teased exploding glitter cannons.
9. Harris also said Radnor and Cristin Milioti filmed a scene together last week, which means there will be scenes of Ted with his future wife, even if that may be at the end of the series.
10. A new version of Marshall’s song “You Just Got Slapped” will be performed “by someone really awesome.”
Other highlights from the panel:
– This is actually a lowlight but the moderator confused Milioti with Alyssa Milano. Let’s leave that there.
– If they could take anything from the set, Smulders would take the blue French horn, while Hannigan called dibs on the red phone booth.
– The show tried to use the Rocky theme for an episode but couldn’t get the rights.
– Apparently Segel doesn’t care too much for the environment like his character, Marshall. Hannigan said after the pilot, the cast agreed to all get a Prius if the show made it to three seasons. Everyone, did except Segel — he got Hummer! But Segel defended himself, saying he got a Vespa, to which Hannigan came back with the fact that he’s too big for a Vespa.
How I Met Your Mother returns at 8pm Sept. 23 on CBS.
Don’t miss the return of How I Met Your Mother by adding it to your own watch-list!
(Image courtesy of Twitter – via @ActuallyNPH)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
