Running for nine seasons between 2005 and 2014,How I Met Your Motherwas a beloved hit sitcom which provided laughs aplenty to its millions of fans and remains a cherished series many years after it concluded.Jam-packed with lovable characters and great running jokes while utilizing a pleasant and familiar narrative structure, the comedy television show consisted of a whopping 208 episodes, with many seasons having their own standout highlights that have lived long in the memory of fans.
Set in New York City, it follows Ted Mosby’s (Josh Radnor) recollections of how he met his children’s mother, following him as he navigates life and love as an aspiring architect alongside his four best friends Marshall (Jason Segel), Lily (Alyson Hannigan), Robin (Cobie Smulders), and Barney (Neil Patrick Harris). From pineapples to slap bets, and to the eventual revelation of the mother, the 10 bestHIMYMepisodes, according toIMDb’s ratings, feature many of the series' golden moments.
How I Met Your Mother
30"Say Cheese" (Season 5, Episode 18)
IMDb Rating: 8.1/10
Marshall plans an eventful birthday for Lily. Ted brings a new date named Amanda (Brooke Nevin) to the party, annoying Lily and foiling her plans to have an intimate celebration with her closest people. When Ted feels offended, Lily reminds him how he has done this for years, believing that those women were “the one,” but fails to even remember their names afterward. Meanwhile, Robin keeps trying to prove to Barney that his photos cannot always be “perfect,” unlike normal people.
“Say Cheese” depicts a classic problem that tight-knit groups of friends often face. Essentially a filler episode, Season 5, Episode 18 is more about the jokes themselves rather than an expansion on the main plot or a new character arc. The two sides of the photography trope culminating in a wholesome final moment of revelation is the key highlight of thisepisode ofHIMYM, neatly finished with Robin finally succeeding in capturing an embarrassing photo moment for Barney. —Maddie P
29"Of Course" (Season 5, Episode 17)
IMDb Rating: 8.2/10
After Robin and Barney’s breakup, Barney meets Anita (Jennifer Lopez), a dating self-help book author who manipulates Barney into waiting until 17 dates before they can have sex. Feeling beaten at his own game, Barney sets out to convince Anita to break her own rules. Later, Robin admits to the rest of the gang that she enlisted Anita’s help as payback for Barney’s insensitive behavior towards her during their break-up.
Apart from Jennifer Lopez’s guest appearance dominating the episode, “Of Course” works as a great spoof of dating guides and self-help books, generating a lot of laughs.Neil Patrick Harris steals all the attentionwith his physical comedywhile also excellently delivering the conflicting sides of Barney, as both a womanizer and a dedicated friend. “Of Course” also shows a lesser-seen side of Robin’s character (at this point in the show), where she admits her pain and hurt towards Barney, despite her calm and cool external behavior. —Maddie P
28"The Leap" (Season 4, Episode 24)
IMDb Rating: 8.6/10
In theSeason 4 finale ofHIMYM, Ted tries to keep his budding architecture firm afloat by working all night on a pitch while Marshall keeps persuading him to attend the surprise rooftop party that he had planned for Ted’s 31st birthday. Meanwhile, Barney seeks permission from Ted to date Robin and finds various ways to profess his love to her, but gets cold feet.
A fun callback to “Three Days of Snow,” with a reference to how dreams change, “The Leap” is a touching and inspiring episode, where everyone in the group takes a leap of faith, metaphorically and literally. After being stood up at the altar, fired from his job, and getting attacked by a goat, Ted takes the leap of becoming a professor. Barney and Robin finally muster the courage to admit their love for each other, while Marshall (followed by Lily) takes his long-awaited leap to the roof next door. —Maddie P
27"The Three Days Rule" (Season 4, Episode 21)
When Ted meets a girl named Holli (Rebecca Budig), his friends pressure him into waiting for three days before he takes her out on a date. Ted agrees to the rule and gets into a texting marathon with Holli when Barney and Marshall prank Ted by pretending to be her. When Robin spills their secret to Ted, he decides to beat them at their game by pretending to text Holli about his romantic feelings for his “best friend,” which leads Marshall and Barney to fight with each other over Ted.
“The Three Days Rule” might be one ofthe less exciting episodes ofHIMYMwith a weak plot, butit does it inventively with enjoyable twists. With Lily absent from the scene around this time, this episode of the fourth season banks more on the male characters to deliver the comedy. Despite its flaws, “The Three Days Rule” succeeds in delivering ample laughs from Marshall and Barney’s antics and practical jokes. —Maddie P
26"The Bro Mitzvah" (Season 8, Episode 22)
IMDb Rating: 8.7/10
A brilliant prelude to Robin and Barney’s wedding, “Bro Mitzvah” narrates the events of Barney’s epic bachelor party, where the gang and Barney’s mother, Loretta (Frances Conroy), team up to give Barney the worst night of his life, or so they want him to believe. From getting abducted by Marshall and Ted and lured to Atlantic City, to gambling away $5000 of his wedding budget, fearing for his life, and having an unpleasant rendezvous with Quinn, Barney experiences a night to remember.
“Bro Mitzvah” is a great example of howHIMYMexcels as a sitcom in breaking the expectationsof the audience about any given situation. It beautifully rounds up several story arcs from the previous seasons with several callbacks. Besides surprise cameos byWilliam ZabkaandRalph Macchio, Season 8, Episode 22,ends with a delicious twist that leaves the audience with delight, surprise, and big laughs. “Bro Mitzvah” also serves as poetic justice for everything Barney has done to annoy his friends, particularly Robin, proving that she is the perfect partner-in-crime for a man like him. —Maddie P
25"Ten Sessions" (Season 3, Episode 13)
An episode defined by a certain liveliness concerning Ted’s usual hopeless romantic antics and an injection of energy from theguest star appearance of Britney Spears, “Ten Sessions” proved to be a ratings sensation for the sitcom. The Season 3 episode sees Ted relentlessly pursuing his dermatologist, Stella (Sarah Chalke), to no avail. As he tries to impress her by showing his nice side to her receptionist, Ted finds himself being chased when Abby (Spears) takes a liking to him.
Granted, Ted’s ceaseless pestering of Stella may be handled a bit too casually by modern standards, but the episode isrife with a frenetic and fun-filled fervor that defines the series at its best. Spears proves to be a delightful treat as Stella’s lovestruck receptionist, and the episode as a whole has endured as a lovably hilarious gem of the show.
24"Something Blue" (Season 2, Episode 22)
The Season 2 finale meshed the hilarious with the mature, bold, and poignant in impressive fashion. Marshall and Lily’s wedding is in full swing, though the happy couple are having a tough time getting something to eat. Where the episode truly places its focus, though, is on Ted and Robin’s relationship, with the two forced to divulge to a relentless Barney that, after their anniversary date two weeks prior, they made the decision to break up on amicable terms.
Viewers knew the romance had to end at some point, but the way the episode handled the split—with the two characters striving to keep it secret until after Lily and Marshall’s wedding—was supremely rewarding.Ending on a “Legen—wait for it…”as Ted confides to Barney he will need a wingman,“Something Blue” is a delicately balanced and conclusive yet hopeful ending to the show’s second season.
23"Something Borrowed" (Season 2, Episode 21)
The immediate predecessor to “Something Blue”, “Something Borrowed” serves as the build-up to Lily and Marshall’s heavenly wedding. The only thing is, things might not be quite as perfect as they had hoped. With problems arising at a frenetic rate, Lily and Marshall each become a worried mess, until Ted comes up with a solution that could make the whole day perfect. All the while, Barney finds a way to get whatever he wants using the words “it’s for the bride.”
The episode isa sweet and vibrant dose of panic and fun that revels in humanizing the chaos and calamity of wedding day nightmares. The simple message it reaches concerning the friendship between the series’ five lead characters is a delightful bit of feel-good charm, while Barney’s usual antics provide plenty of laughs. As a result, “Something Borrowed” is a savvy and suitable entry as Season 2’s penultimate episode.
22"World’s Greatest Couple" (Season 2, Episode 5)
In the wake of Marshall and Lily’s temporary split, two new though unanticipated couples arise with hysterical results. Desperate for a place to stay, Lily begs Barney to let her crash at his. When he finally relents, the two form a mutually beneficial bond as Lily pretends to be Barney’s wife to scare away lingering dates. Meanwhile, Marshall begins to realize just how couple-oriented his life has become and finds the new void in his life being filled by Brad (Joe Manganiello), an old friend from law school who is also recently single.
The episode thrives on its novelty pairings (and aHIMYMcameo no one saw coming). Manganiello offers hilarity aplenty in his cameo role opposite Segal, whilethe episode offers ample proof that Lily and Barney might just be the funniest duo in the series in isolation. With some relationship commentary thrown in alongside asides to Barney’s underlying vulnerabilities, “World’s Greatest Couple” is a highlight ofHow I Met Your Mother’s penchant for well-rounded sitcom entertainment.
21"Ted Mosby, Architect" (Season 2, Episode 4)
“Ted Mosby, Architect” follows the events after Ted and Robin have their first big fight as a couple, an argument partially centered on Ted’s career as an architect. Barney convinces Ted that architecture is not only not boring, but a vocation women find to be attractive, seeing Ted trying to use it in a pick-up line with some success. Finding out about Ted’s fortuitous flirtations, Robin and Lily track the movements of “Ted Mosby the Architect” through a night of hard partying.
A brilliant bait-and-switch episode, all the teasing of Ted’s possible cheating leads to yet another duplicitous ploy hatched by Barney in pursuit of sex. Ending with Ted and Robin resolving their confrontation, with Robin accepting that she should take some interest in Ted’s career, “Ted Mosby, Architect” isa fun-filled and intriguingHIMYMepisode that sees Barney in typically hilarious form while also coming to a meaningful conclusionon the issue of Ted and Robin’s fight.
