‘How I Met Your Father’ (And Its Fans) Deserved Better Than A Friday Night News Dump Cancellation By Hulu

It’s been a while since a Friday-night news dump punched me in the gut so hard that a loved one had to stage a “don’t let this ruin your weekend” intervention, but when news that Hulu canceled my dearly beloved How I Met Your Father broke at 5 p.m. the Friday before Labor Day weekend, I knew the talk was imminent.

After frantically listing my frustrations over the premature cancelation, I forced myself to log off and push down the all-too-familiar pain of losing another fictional friend group and favorite comfort watch too soon. I actively stopped my mind from wandering back to Pemberton’s Bar for the weekend. But come Tuesday morning, I still couldn’t shake the feeling that How I Met Your Father and its fans deserved better. The series is but the latest in a long line of shows canned due to poor ratings, financial factors, or other unspecified reasons Hulu fails to disclose. Yet coming off of a rare, refreshing 20-episode Season 2, HIMYF‘s unexpected cancellation felt particularly outrageous — especially with its fundamental question (Who is the father?!) left unanswered.

Starring millennial icon Hilary Duff as Sophie, Francia Raisa as her bestie Valentina, Chris Lowell as her main love interest Jesse, Suraj Sharma as Jesse’s roommate Sid, Tom Ainsley as a lovable Brit named Charlie, and Tien Tran as Jesse’s adopted sister Ellen, the How I Met Your Mother sequel series — created by Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger — followed a tight-knit group of thirtysomethings searching New York City for love, friendship, career fulfillment, and purpose. The story kicked off in the year 2050, where an older version of our protagonist (the great Kim Cattrall) launched into the epic tale of how she met her son’s father, while flashbacks to 2022 showed Duff’s Sophie and her pals navigating the fresh hell of dating apps, social media, and a slew of other lifestyle trends that its audience was living through in real-time.

Right out of the gate, critics and How I Met Your Mother fans recognized that How I Met Your Father was never going to surpass the innovation, impact, or viewership of its predecessor, the ambitious flagship sitcom that ran from 2005 to 2014. But two seasons in, the modern-day series had become a worthy companion to the original — one that had enough potential and momentum for a third season, at the very least. What HIMYF lacked in groundbreaking format and originality, it made up for with a ridiculously charming cast, star-studded cameos, reliable jokes, and relatable conflicts. The streaming sitcom successfully crafted intertwined narratives, keeping the kismet of the original series alive, while finding heart and wisdom in the silliest shenanigans. Though fresh eyes could still appreciate the series, it also harnessed a singular nostalgia factor that sparked undeniable emotion in millennial and HIMYM fans alike.

Viewers like myself who grew up watching Duff on The Disney Channel know she’s a delightfully winsome, incredibly watchable lead who was perfectly cast in the Hulu series. For fans who were sour over Disney’s canceled Lizzie McGuire reboot, or who had just said goodbye to Younger after its seven-season run, HIMYF felt perfectly timed. Surprise guest stars like Drake & Josh‘s Josh Peck, Gossip Girl‘s Leighton Meester, and Sex and the City‘s John Corbett cultivated a constant flow of 2000s crossovers we didn’t know we needed. From a random appearance by N*SYNC’s Lance Bass and Joey Fatone to a format-breaking Lizzie McGuire throwback clip, the series solidified itself as a fiercely fun, nostalgia-driven comfort watch. And the sentimentality of the series grew stronger with each HIMYM reference.

While the majority of HIMYF‘s storylines stood alone, the sequel series offered hardcore HIMYM fans a continuation of the original world through check-ins with everyone from The Captain (Kyle MacLachlan) and Becky (Laura Bell Bundy) to Robin Scherbatsky (Cobie Smulders) and Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris). Thoughts of other stars — particularly Alyson Hannigan, Jason Segel, and Josh Radnor — potentially appearing on the Hulu series are now “what ifs” we’ll never see play out. But despite all those losses, the most egregious reality in HIMYF‘s failure to get its proper ending is that everyone who invested in its 30 episodes is robbed of “meeting” the father.

Season 2 ended with Sophie and Jesse deciding to give their relationship another shot, while Sid and his fiancé Hannah likely called off their engagement. After news of the cancelation broke, Twitter rumors started flying, alleging that one of the show’s fired writers (comedian Dan Levy) revealed Sid was the father earlier this year when opening for John Mulaney. I’ve long suspected Sid was HIMYF‘s titular daddy, but we all deserve to know how Sophie met her son’s father, dang it! Was it really Sid? And if so, how the heck were we going to get there? Does Jesse straight-up die? We need answers!

With only a few standout original series — like The Bear and Only Murders In The Building — ongoing on Hulu, How I Met Your Father‘s loss marks another major blow to subscribers, particularly after the streamer canceled another comedy, The Great, mere days earlier. The sequel sitcom wasn’t prestige TV, but its place in the streaming world was important nonetheless. As a thirtysomething HIMYM fan also looking for love, friendship, career fulfillment, and purpose, the weekly watch was personally cathartic. And in the face of its haters, the series and its cast continued to charm with cute callbacks, feel-good rom-com scenes, and quality chemistry.

After its shocking cancellation at Hulu, with any luck, How I Met Your Father will be picked up elsewhere so fans, writers, and actors can get the ending they deserve. At the very least, we deserve better than finding out who the father is courtesy of an embittered stand-up comedy set.