"H" is for How I Met Your Mother

My wife and I began watching How I Met Your Mother about two years ago and it is legen--and you better not be lactose intolerant because the next word is--dary. Legendary! I had seen snip-its of episodes a few times but didn't connect right away and changed the channel. Then we watched the episode where Barney can't take a bad picture (season 5) and I couldn't stop laughing. We started recording reruns and then had to go back and start from the beginning.

I've been a Friends fan for many years and have all the seasons on DVD, and after watching a few episodes of How I Met Your Mother, I quickly tagged it as Friends 2.0. Fact, 83% of HIMYM fans were Friends fans first. There were so many similarities and felt like a ripoff in the beginning, but it quickly developed into a hilarious show of its own.

The Friends to HIMYM Compasison Chart:

• Ted -- Ross 
• Robin -- Rachel
• Marshall -- Chandler
• Lily -- Monica
• Barney -- Joey
• There had to be some differences, so Phoebe wasn't represented.

They are a group of friends in NYC, with most scenes of the show taking place in their apartments and their local hangout. In HIMYM, their local hangout is MacLaren's Pub, and in Friends it is Central Perk (but in flashback episodes Central Perk used to be a pub).

And the little cherry on top of the big cherry on top of the cupcake of awesomeness that is HIMYM is Neil Patrick Harris...I mean, Barney Stinson...and his catch phrases. What up! The show has a great ensemble, talented writers, and a diminishing laugh-track. Here are a few classic moments:

Damnit, Trudy, tell us about the pineapple!