Josh Radnor, How I Met Your Mother
Have you met Ted? TV Guide's New York City staffers did just that a few days ago when How I Met Your Mother star Josh Radnor paid a visit to our offices. What does the affable actor have going on this summer? And what lies ahead for Season 2 of his hit CBS sitcom? We asked Radnor those questions and more.
TV Guide: Are you only visiting us because TV Guide has an office in Radnor, Pennsylvania?Josh Radnor: You do? You do....
TV Guide: Maybe your family founded it?Radnor: I wonder.... You guys have been so nice to our show. Thank you, on behalf of everyone. Really.
TV Guide: Are you OK with the fact that you didn't make our "TV's Sexiest Men"
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Fox's Prison Break was back with a decent bang Monday night, averaging 10.3 million total viewers — a dip from the Nov. 28 "fall finale" but an 11 percent bump from the series' average and enough to put it on par with CBS' Queens-Mother combo. (Of course, the 8 o'clock hour's champ was NBC's Deal or No Deal, still a big deal for 16.6 million viewers.) At 9 pm, Two and a Half Men and The New Adventures of Old Christine proved an unbeatable tag team (with 16.9 and 15.3 mil viewers, respectively), while Fox's 24 placed with 13.6 million. Come 10 pm, yawn, CSI: Miami dominated with an audience of 19.5 mil.
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Josh Radnor and Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother
Question: This week's How I Met Your Mother episode (Feb. 27) was easily the best of the season. I started thinking about why this show isn't a bigger hit. The show has great characters, better-than-average humor, and Seinfeld-esque catch phrases, and still nothing. Why do you think it's not a bigger hit? Do you think it's on the wrong network? Do you think it'll ever break out?
Answer: Lots and lots of mail flooded in about this sleeper sitcom after Monday's episode, which was one of the better ones of the season. (Focused in large part on Barney's surprising backstory: basically, how he learned to suit up. More on him later.) Actually, it's probably a good thing that Mother has lived its first season pretty much under the radar. This is very much a show that has been finding its way in fits and starts through an uneven yet highly enjoyable first year. If it was overhyped, which on the strength of its sensational pilot it could have been, the impatience with its growing pains would
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Question: I have become a fan of the show How I Met Your Mother, though at first I was wary since I don't really like Ted all that much and I don't see any chemistry between him and Robin. I know the producers originally started the show with Ted falling for Robin, but do they intend for her to be the mother of the poor kids stuck on the couch listening to Bob Saget? Do you think the producers have realized that Barney (played so well by the former kid M.D.) and Robin are much better on the screen together than Ted and Robin ever will be? Do you think that they can find a cousin of Lily's to introduce who could possibly be a love interest for Ted instead? What happens when a show is planned to go one way with two characters, but over time those characters just don't connect? Is this a common problem on most shows?
Answer: A common problem? I'm not so sure. But long-term romantic comedies often change course midstream to keep the characters fresh, or to acknowledge casting mistakes.
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On How I Met Your Mother Barney invented the lemon law for blind dates. Totally offensive, but loved when it got turned around on him and instead of being mad, he was excited that it had become a "thing." And his worst pickup line of the night? "I have a feeling tonight you might be Jackie Ohhhhh." How come it is funny when it comes out of his mouth, but if it were a real guy in a bar, you'd want to smack him? Oh, and Mother gave me the vocab word of the day — "anhedonic" — meaning someone who can't enjoy anything. Used to describe Ted before he got all enthusiastic about playing with his sword. A real sword, people — get your minds out of the gutter. — AC
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I learned on the Ellen DeGeneres show earlier that How I Met Your Mother's Neil Patrick Harris was an avid juggler. That doesn't have much to do with anything in tonight's episode of Mother, but I thought it was a neat fact to keep in mind while I was watching the Doogster's perfectly timed delivery. Loved when he was talking about why he and Ted should go to the matchmaking service. "These chicks are desperate and hot. That's a perfect cocktail. Shake well and then sleep with." Then when dopey Ted didn't take that bait, Barney lied that his boat was sinking and then told him that this was a chance for them to meet their "soul mates, nail them and never call them again." Which was all followed up by a smarmy "Is there any way that I can let it be known that I love cuddling?" when he was talking to Camryn Manheim's matchmaking maven. Oh, and watch out for the dangerous rare cockamouse if you live in an urban environment. I hear
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Question: Since the heyday of Friends, Seinfeld, Will & Grace, Frasier (or even going back further to The Cosby Show, Mad About You, Cheers and many others), the sitcom format has become nearly obsolete and the networks have clearly reached a point of desperation. In the last few years, only The Simpsons, Scrubs, Arrested Development and Family Guy have succeeded in making people laugh while watching network TV. HBO has a distinct advantage due to its lack of censorship. This year, however, the networks seem to be improving with the additions of Kitchen Confidential and the close-to-being-very-funny How I Met Your Mother. Once Mother finds its true voice (Ted and Robin are simply not funny) and NBC brings Scrubs back from its inexplicable hiatus, we might finally be able to enjoy a few amusing comedies. Notwithstanding the dissertation above, my question is about Freddie. In my not-so-humble opinion, Freddie Prinze Jr. is not funny. His family on the show is not funny. The concept of ...
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Tonight might have been the best How I Met Your Mother yet. I can't believe that they combined "Charlie Brown," Top Gun and Pirates of the Caribbean. Genius. Love that dopey Ted — who reminds me more of Charlie Brown than the ever-hopeful Linus — waiting up every Halloween for a chance to reconnect with his soul mate, the slutty pumpkin. Still adoring Barney. His horny-devil costume paired with the angel who wanted weed was the best. But how cool is it that he donned a penguin outfit in order to stop his friend from making a fool of himself again? "I penguin-suited-up to show you the error of your ways." But the line of the night came from Marshall who said, "Penguins are cool, kind of like black and white ewoks." So geeky, yet that big marshmallow is just so lovable.... And speaking of lovable, I was more than happy when I tuned in to the retro I Love the '80s 3-D flashback and saw my favorite current TV sidek
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Question: Last night (Oct. 17), I watched the most recent installment of CBS' How I Met Your Mother, and I've got to say I was pleasantly surprised. Although I have enjoyed the previous episodes, I always thought there was something missing. But last night felt more whole than ever. After thinking about it, I believe that it's because of Josh Radnor's character, Ted. For the past couple of episodes he's been kind of boring and whiny. Don't get me wrong, I love Ted, but he's been missing something. But last night, when he was flirting with that coat-check girl (who I also loved, by the way), he had a certain confidence and a sense of humor that has been hinted at previously but never shown. I hope that the writers focus more on that side of Ted from now on. What did you think —did you notice anything different about Ted?
Answer: I agree, this was probably the best episode since the pilot, which may have something to do with the fact that it was probably the least silly episode since the
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Question: What do you think about situation comedies this season? I gave up on them a few years ago. The canned laughter and over-the-top one-liners on Will & Grace are excruciatingly awful, so I was overjoyed when shows like Curb Your Enthusiasm, Arrested Development etc. came to TV. The subtraction of annoying laugh track and the genuinely fresh and addition of talented casts made my week. As a big Buffy fan, I looked forward to Alyson Hannigan's How I Met Your Mother, but after three tries, I can't make it through the first 10 minutes without being bored, put off by the sterile laugh track and the wasted talent of Hannigan and Neil Patrick Harris. Will the situation comedy ever get good writers, talented actors and good time slots, or will I have to keep hoping Fox and HBO will keep good shows on the air even when they don't get stellar ratings?
Answer: Seems to me you've made up your mind that if a comedy is done the old-fashioned way, in front of an audience with laughter on the
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