How I Met Your Mother is one of the most popular comedy series of all time. The search for Ted’s wife and the stories of his friends captivated many viewers. Although the series was well received for years, many fans were dissatisfied with the final season. A YouTube channel explains why.
What is the problem with the last season? The finale of How I Met Your Mother failed to convince all fans. Compared to the other seasons, season 9 has the worst IMDB average of the series at 7.5, especially the finale is punished with a 5.5 (via Reddit).
There are probably several factors, but one YouTuber believes he knows the reason. Nerdstalgic is a channel that deals a lot with movies and series. In a YouTube video about How I Met Your Mother, he explains why the last season is so bad. He concludes: Marshall ruined it.
A trailer for season 8 can be found here:
Marshall is not really present in the last season
What is the problem with Marshall? Marshall is Ted Mosby’s best friend and is played by Jason Segel. Nerdstalgic explains at the very beginning of the video that Marshall hardly makes appearances in the last season. He mainly appears in flashbacks and in the car, so he was not on the same set as the other part of the group.
This caused a lack of interactions and stories with the other main characters. It seemed as if he had not been planned for the wedding season at all, only to then reappear at the end in the main story.
This was mainly due to the fact that Jason Segel probably did not have much time. As Nerdstalgic explains in the video, contracts for successful series are made for multiple years. The main cast of How I Met Your Mother received a 7-year contract; there are no longer contracts in the USA.
Long contracts have pros and cons. On one hand, the actors have a steady job and a fixed structure. On the other hand, they are bound to the project for several years.
In How I Met Your Mother, another problem arose: The contracts of the main cast lasted 7 years, i.e., about 8 seasons. However, the series went on until season 9. After season 8, the contracts had to be extended. For Cobie Smulders, Neil Patrick Harris, Josh Radnor, and Alyson Hannigan, this was not a problem, but Jason Segel hesitated.
Jason Segel wanted more
Did Marshall not want to return? As Deadline reported on December 21, 2012, Segel hesitated to take on the role for season 9 of the series. He actually wanted to drop out, but after 11 hours he agreed anyway.
He never gave a reason for that, but in an actor’s roundtable from the Hollywood Reporter, he explains how he felt at that time.
I believe there was a phase in my life and career, about the last few years of How I Met Your Mother, when things were going well in both film and television, and everyone was telling me how well it was going. I was really unhappy.
Jason Segel about his time during the last years of How I Met Your Mother (via YouTube)
Later he adds that he did not know what to do next after How I Met Your Mother. Although he achieved so much, he wondered if he was good enough for dramatic roles.
Even though he had a secure job with How I Met Your Mother, he wondered what else he could do. The series allowed him many film roles that also took time. During the filming of the last seasons, he played leading roles in The Muppets, Bad Teacher, and Friends with Benefits.
He was at a point where he could choose roles, which is why he had less time to shoot for How I Met Your Mother. This also explains why he mainly has scenes without the others. These scenes were filmed in advance.
The last season of How I Met Your Mother had many problems
Did Jason Segel really ruin the last season? Nerdstalgic only explains a small part of the problems of season 9 in his video. The scenes with Marshall seem out of place and fragmented, but the ninth season has more issues. After all, the series is not only about Marshall.
The entire season focuses on the wedding between Robin and Barney, only to make that irrelevant again in the finale. This is unsatisfying. Furthermore, it means that one has to remain narratively within the wedding frame.
The story with the mother
also has problems. After 9 seasons, you finally get to know her, and little is done with her within the last season. This is also frustrating at times.
Jason Segel’s desire to be more than just Marshall Eriksen is understandable. As an actor, one wants to try oneself out and do more than just pure comedy. Many actors go through this development, especially in the comedy field. After How I Met Your Mother, Segel was able to try out more, and one of his best roles is in an Apple series: A great comedy series with “Marshall” from How I Met Your Mother is perfect for anyone missing Scrubs
