‘How I Met Your Father’ review: An unnecessary sequel

This one’s not so “Legen … Dary.”

“How I Met Your Mom” is again, type of, in a re-imagined sequel sequence referred to as “How I Met Your Father.” Premiering Tuesday (Jan. 18) on Hulu, “How I Met Your Father” follows Sophie (Kim Cattrall), who, within the 12 months 2050, decides to video-call her unseen offscreen son and inform him about how she met his father – utilizing that as a jump-off level for almost all of the sequence.

It’s set within the current day and follows the friendship and relationship adventures of Sophie (Hilary Duff) in her 30s. Sophie, a New York-based photographer, is hopeful about discovering real love regardless of having skilled a slew of insipid Tinder dates.

Chris Lowell and Hilary Duff stand next to each other in a crowded room, smiling and taking a photo of someone offscreen.
Jesse (Chris Lowell) and Sophie (Hilary Duff), proper, in “How I Met Your Father.”
HULU

Not like the unique sequence, Sophie’s group of associates is just not built-in when the sequence begins, however grows alongside the best way. She meets Uber driver Jesse (Chris Lowell, “Glow”) , cynical after a video of his rejected proposal went viral on-line — leaving him recognized to the world as “Mr. Proposal Fail”; his pal Sid (Suraj Sharma), who's about to suggest to his personal long-distance girlfriend at his bar, Pemberton’s; Jesse’s sister, Ellen (Tien Tran), who just lately divorced her spouse and moved to New York for a contemporary begin “to ask out Kate McKinnon”; and Sophie’s impulsive roommate Valentina (Francia Raisa, “Grown-ish”), a stylist who returns from a enterprise journey to London with a rich British beau, Charlie (Tom Ainsley). Charlie is now Sophie’s shock second roommate (“One factor led to a different and now he … lives with us!” Valentina says).

Tom Ainsley, Hilary Duff, and Francia Raisa stand in an apartment kitchen talking in "How I Met Your Father."
Sophie (Hilary Duff), middle, is stunned when her roommate Valentina (Francia Raisa, proper) springs her new boyfriend, Charlie (Tom Ainsley, left) on Sophie as their new third roommate.
HULU

The unique sequence, which aired for 9 seasons on CBS from 2005-2014, adopted Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) whereas his older incarnation (voiced by Bob Saget, who by no means appeared onscreen the best way Cattrall does) narrated an analogous premise to his personal children.

Sid (Suraj Sharma) smiles and stands behind a bar in "How I Met Your Father."
Sid (Suraj Sharma) is one in all Sophie’s new associates who's proposing to his long-distance girlfriend, in “How I Met Your Father.”
HULU

“How I Met Your Mom” was successful — averaging 9.5 million viewers its first season — and used Ted’s story to additionally comply with his womanizing buddy Barney (Neil Patrick Harris), who had the catchphrase “legen… await it … dary,” power-couple Marshall (Jason Segel) and Lily (Alyson Hannigan); and quirky Robin (Cobie Smulders). The present stood out from a slew of comparable “associates hanging out” sitcoms that each one trailed within the wake of “Pals” with its elaborate inside jokes that made the buddies group really feel genuine — and the viewer really feel in on the jokes.

Jesse (Chris Lowellm left), Sid (Suraj Sharma, center) and Ellen (Tien Tran) sit next to each other on a couch on "How I Met Your Father."
Jesse (Chris Lowellm left), Sid (Suraj Sharma, middle) and Ellen (Tien Tran) are half of the brand new gang on “How I Met Your Father.”
HULU

“How I Met Your Mom,” although, had a notoriously terrible ending. Its premise, proper there within the title, ought to have been a slam-dunk –  however, as a substitute, the story swerved off the rails within the eleventh hour, killing the mom and having Ted get a “fortunately ever after” with Robin. Perhaps, looking back, they need to have referred to as it “How I Bought Again Along with Robin After Your Mom’s Demise.” 

So how do you clean over that tarnished legacy in a followup sequence? By awkwardly ignoring it and making a totally completely different present, because it seems. 

Hilary Duff and Francia Raisa lie on yoga mats in their living room, wearing work out clothes with their legs extended.
Roommates Sophie (Hilary Duff) and Valentina (Francia Raisa) work out collectively in “How I Met Your Father.”
HULU

Apart from an analogous title and opening theme tune, “How I Met Your Father” bears little resemblance to the unique. To date, no characters from the primary present seem on this one (though there’s one key location in it) and the characters are completely different (however, Sophie and Jesse do appear sure for a Ted and Robin model relationship arc).

Hilary Duff and Francia Raisa stand outside on a sidewalk holding coffee and looking at a phone.
Sophie (Hilary Duff, left) along with her finest buddy and roommate, Valentina (Francia Raisa, proper) in “How I Met Your Father.”
HULU

There’s nothing mistaken with being completely different. “How I Met Your Father” is a positive, if nothing-special sitcom with a winsome solid. Cattrall is a stand-out. As she lounges on her sofa with wine, regaling the viewer with tales of her youth, she’s clearly having extra enjoyable on this present than all three of the opposite “Intercourse and the Metropolis” women are having on their reboot sequence, “And Simply Like That,” sans Cattrall’s character, Samantha.

“How I Met Your Father” is hampered by its personal tenuous and bafflingly pointless connection to the unique sequence. The one hyperlink between the 2 appears to be the “model recognition” of its identify and the lengthy flashback premise.

It will be higher off making an attempt to face by itself toes quite than making an attempt to piggyback off one other sequence that’s lengthy useless and buried. 

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