With nostalgia fever at its peak, studio execs are praying to the old gods and the new for a series to bring back to life…or at least spin-off. This is why, after several failed attempts to bring audiences another TV series about a parent recounting their debaucherous dating life to their children, 20th Century Fox is looking to yet again develop a spinoff to their hit CBS show, HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER.
Deadline got the scoop that the show, HOW I MET YOUR DAD, will be given a third attempt at coming to fruition after two previous quests ended in nothing. Fox chairman Dana Walden said that the studio will be going back to the drawing board in an attempt to get the right story in place:
They will be starting from scratch. It’s one that’s been slowly cooked. If it’s the right idea, the right execution, we’ll take that.
The most recent crack at the show was taken with THIS IS US co-executive producers Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger hired by the studio to develop it. However, the Mandy Moore show became a smash hit, and Aptaker and Berger backed out. Before that, DAD was being developed back in 2014 with Meg Ryan set to play the role of the mother narrating her life to her children, leading up to the meeting of their father. Greta Gerwig was set to play the young version of Ryan, but the network decided to pass.
The original story of a father, Ted Mosby (narrated by Bob Saget as the future version), telling his kids about his single life, leading up to the meeting of the kids’ mother, was a massive success and ran for nine seasons on CBS. The show starred Josh Radnor as the young Mosby as he and his friends (Jason Segel, Alyson Hannigan, Cobie Smulders and Neil Patrick Harris) navigated this rocky road called life. The show ended in 2014 after nine seasons and 208 episodes, but the season finale left many fans angry and confused.
Having watched the show for most of its run, by the end of MOTHER I found myself feeling the show had over-stayed its welcome. The showrunners seemed to be running ideas too thin, and by the end I no longer wished to see Mosby and the gang ever again. So, of course, a spinoff couldn’t interest me if it tried, but I suppose die-hard HIMYM fans will give it a shot.