Affectionately referred to as HIMYM, the CBS series came to a close after nine seasons in March 2014 — and its controversial finale continued to spark debates online for years to come. Neil Patrick Harris, Cobie Smulders, Josh Radnor, Alyson Hannigan and Jason Segel starred in the original series, with Bob Saget narrating.

Shortly after the end of HIMYM, creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas teamed up with Greta Gerwig and writer Emily Spivey to work on a pilot for a follow-up series titled How I Met Your Dad. Though audiences were eager to see what the next chapter would bring, the show was not picked up.

It wasn’t for another seven years that fans got their wish and an official HIMYM spinoff was announced. Hilary Duff, who previously fought for a Lizzie McGuire revival, nabbed the starring role in Hulu’s How I Met Your Father in April 2021. She also scored a producing credit.

“I’ve been incredibly lucky in my career to play some wonderful characters and I’m looking forward to taking on the role of Sophie,” the Younger alum told Deadline at the time. “As a huge fan of How I Met Your Mother, I’m honored and even a little nervous that Carter and Craig would trust me with the sequel of their baby. [Showrunners] Isaac [Aptaker] and Elizabeth [Berger] are brilliant, and I can’t wait to work alongside them and all of their genius. … I realize these are big shoes to fill and I’m excited to slip my [feet] in there.”

Aptaker and Berger, who worked together on NBC’s This Is Us, later told The Hollywood Reporter that they were “so honored to be carrying the torch” for the new series. “We can’t wait for audiences to meet Sophie and her crew, and watch them come into their own and find love in modern-day New York City,” the dynamic duo noted. “And we hope nobody thinks it’s weird that Bob Saget will be playing old Hilary Duff’s voice.”

No hints have been as to who might actually take over the narration of Sophie’s journey, but the spinoff is sure to pay homage to HIMYM without being an exact copy. However, longtime fans shouldn’t expect any OG stars to make a cameo.

“I have given How I Met Your Mother very little thought,” Harris teased in March 2018, telling TV Guide that “chapter is so complete and full of story” and the entire team was proud of their “final lap.”

The Glee alum continued, “I really just look back on that chapter with great fondness. I just don’t feel like there’s anything left to do, really.”

Radnor, for his part, has been trying to put his HIMYM days behind him. “I almost never think about [the show],” he told GQ in March 2018. “It’s a weird thing, when you haven’t done something in almost four years. But people will still come up to me and say, ‘I just watched the series for the eighth time, all the way through.’ And I’m like, ‘That’s too much. You’ve gotta move on.’ … It’s such a part of certain people’s lives.”

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This story originally appeared on: US Magazine - Author:Meredith Nardino