Customer Reviews

How I Met Your Mother: Season One

5 star:		(109)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

Told in a sort of flashback format, How I Met Your Mother follows the story of Ted (Josh Radner) and his group of friends, Marshall (Jason Segel), Lily (Alison Hannigan) and the ever hip Barney (Neil Patrick Harris). Ted is searching for romance in New York City when he falls for the lovely Robin (Cobie Smulders), who isn't quite ready for a big relationship, despite a strong attraction. Over the course of the first season, we follow Ted and company through many a hilarious night, including Barney and Marshall's karaoke binge with Korean Elvis, Ted's meeting a mysterious woman at a wedding who he subsequently falls for, and a hysterical look at Barney in his pre-suit era thanks to the arrival of a mystery tape from an old paramour.

The writing is sharp and fast paced, told in a multiple vignette style that Seinfeld perfected. Of course a hit show wouldn't work without a solid cast, and this one is excellent. Radner has the right blend of earnestness and puppy dog charm as he searches for true romance, Segel shows his excellent comic timing just as he did in shows like Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared, and Hannigan is completely right as Marshall's fiancee. Her blend of humor, elegance, and geek beauty is just perfect for the role. Smulders is a nice addition to the group, but its Neil Patrick Harris' turn as the bachelor extraordinaire Barney who is the real star of the show. The writers' equip him with catch-phrase heavy lines that are quickly becoming "legendary." The writers also leave a somewhat tantalizing mystery as to who Ted eventually marries.

The November release of the hit CBS comedy How I Met Your Mother continues the excellent trend of quickly releasing TV seasons to capitalize on an existing audience. The 1st Season DVD set contains all 22 half-hour episodes, six audio commentaries with cast and crew, a gag reel, and a video yearbook . This is the perfect gift for any fan of the show or a great way to introduce it to someone new. So Suit Up, and enjoy this great show. Recommended.

A.G. Corwin
St.Louis, MO

I am a huge fan of this show. I think it's extremely well written and I love all of the actors. These DVDs really do not do the program justice. They contain almost none of the original music from the aired episodes. It is all replaced with crappy filler that sounds like something you'd hear in an elevator. CBS only played for 2 real songs because they were necessary to the story. The music that they used to replace the original sounds like tracks that would come with iMovie because they are free to license. The lack of music makes some scenes just plain awkward at times. It seriously hurts the moments. The episodes completely lack the same emotional punches as the ones that aired. For example in "The Slutty Pumpkin" the perfectly placed Nada Surf song "Inside of Love" is gone and the episode's ending feels abrupt. In the episode "Okay Awesome" most of it takes place in a dance club. The cheap music that is now used feels completely out of place. The original episode sounded like they were in a club, the replaced music is just strange an unfitting. I was really disappointed by this because I really enjoy this show and wanted to introduce friends to it using this DVD set. It's just not the same. I'd rather watch the episodes on the internet now. The picture may be blurry but at least it's the real show.

How I Met Your Mother is a Friends-like comedy about five twentysomethings (Lily, Marshall, Ted, Robin, and Barney) in New York. Lily, a kindergarten teacher, and Marshall, an aspiring attorney, have been together for the last nine years and in the first episode they become engaged. Ted, an architect and Marshall's roommate and best friend, has been looking at their perfect relationship for the last nine years and decides that it's time for him to find his own someone special. Barney, who wears suits just about everywhere, is Ted's other best friend and the most hilarious character on the show. And finally Robin, a tv news reporter, just joins the group when Ted decides that she might be the one.

The story is told from Ted's point of view and the show is basically a love story in reverse. In the year 2030, Ted is telling two teenagers the story of how he met their mother beginning with the escapades he and his friends had in the year 2005. The five of them hang out at MacLaren's (their Central Perk) and try to navigate planning a wedding, finding a soul mate, and having legendary moments on a day to day basis. Each episode brings us closer to finding out who the "mother" is, but it's left to the viewer to wonder if the woman in question is Ted's wife or if these are even his kids.

How I Met Your Mother is easily one of the funniest shows on television right now. Each episode is full of hilarious one-liners, and Barney's lines alone are enough to make you laugh out loud. I don't know how I missed this show the first time around, but I'm grateful it's on DVD. If you're in the mood for easy laughs with witty humor, I'd definitely recommend How I Met Your Mother.

This is a great TV show currently out right now. The show is about a middle-aged man, Ted Mosby, who tells the story to his teenage children of how he met their mother. This is easily one of the best shows of the decade. The humor and sexual innuendo are outrageously funny. The narration of the story to his children shows a sentimental spark. It is definitely a great DVD set for those who enjoy modern 21st century humor or have a special place in the heart for a special someone.

I recently discovered this series on the CBS website (now in Season 2) and was instantly hooked. I went ahead and purchased the Season 1 DVD and it's made me laugh out loud...REPEATEDLY. I knew Jason Segel, Alyson Hannigan and Neil Patrick Harris in other roles and LOVE them in the sit-com; they have great timing and delivery. Josh Radnor and Cobie Smulders were new to me but instantly likeable as well. The whole cast has such great chemistry together and I love that the characters of Lily and Marshall (Lilypad and Marshmallow) have a healthy, loving, fun and playful relationship. It's possible to have a happy couple be interesting. (I'm looking at you Grey's Anatomy--the whole Gizzie thing may be the final straw for me with this show. But I digress...)

I haven't even gotten to the Special Features yet, but the 22 episodes alone make this DVD worth every penny and then some. If you don't get the "high 5", "suit up" references in these reviews , see what all the fuss is about! :-)

I think this show has a lot of potential to be a really good show. The cast is funny and endearing and the premise is fun.

I missed the pilot and first few episodes. Finally I caught episode 5 (I think) and thought it was pretty funny. I think it has the potential to be great! Every character in the CBS show (5 in total) are likable but I must give extra kudos to the characters played by Alyson Hannigan (Lily), and Neil Patrick Harris (Barney). I may be biased towards my liking of Alyson Hannigan's Lily (due to her previous roles: American Pie Series, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer) but she brings a charm and charismatic flair to the show. Also Neil Patrick Harris' Barney is GREAT!!! He basically plays a creep which I'm sure everyone is familiar with (because I know I sure am!). I find Barney hilarious!!! He IS that creepy guy at the club but that's what makes him lovable.

All in all this show has potential! As long as the stories, acting and writing keep up then I am definitely going to tune in! I think once people start getting to know the characters better, they'll start tuning in as well. Everyone always compares this show to "Friends" which didn't really get popular until after the first season. Hopefully, this show will continue to be funny and exceed our expectations.


If anyone needs an episode list -- here it is --

1. Pilot: When Ted's best friend Marshall proposes to his girlfriend, Lily, Ted realizes he'd better get a move on if he hopes to find true love.

2. Purple Giraffe: a desperate attempt for a second date, Ted invites Robin to a party he is throwing. However, she doesn't show up and he keeps throwing parties in the hopes she will finally arrive.


3. Sweet Taste of Liberty:Ted agrees to let Barney spice up his love life, and ends up on a crazy adventure of flying to Philadelphia, encountering the law and visiting the Liberty Bell.


4. Return of the Shirt:Ted's outlook on his continuing search for love is altered when he rediscovers a shirt that has not seen daylight in years.

5. Okay Awesome:Ted and Barney start checking out the club scene with their friend Robin, whereas Lily and Marshall try to participate in some more "grown-up" activities, as they draw slowly nearer to their wedding.


6. Slutty Pumpkin:Ted makes his yearly pilgrimage to the rooftop Halloween party in search of a girl dressed as a pumpkin who he met years ago

7. Matchmaker:When a matchmaker with a 100% success rate turns Ted away because he is not compatible with any of the available women in her database, he is still determined that he is going to find his match

8. The Duel: As Lily becomes more of a permanent fixture in the apartment, Ted feels like he is being edged out of the mix by his engaged roomies.


9. Belly Full of Turkey: Ted and Robin are surprised to run into Barney when they volunteer at a homeless shelter on Thanksgiving.

10. The Pineapple Incident: After being forced into knocking back 5 shots, so he will stop thinking, Ted goes on a partying rampage.

11. The Limo:Ted rents a limo to take the gang out to sample five New Year's Eve parties in a quest to find the perfect celebration.

12. The Wedding: Robin accepts Ted's invite to a friend's wedding, but thanks to Ted, the couple may never make it down the aisle.

13. Drumroll, Please: Ted finds a new woman at the wedding. They want to remember the evening so they don't exchange last names or numbers; but Ted takes a big fall when he tries to find out her name.

14. Zip, Zip, Zip: After agreeing to take things slowly and not have sex for a month, Ted and Victoria decide that they have waited long enough.

15. Game Night: A mysterious tape arrives for Barney from one of his numerous ex-girlfriends, and the entire gang watches it.


16. Cupcake: Things are going great with Ted and Victoria's relationship, but when Victoria is offered a dream job, they have to make some decisions.

17. Life Among the Gorillas: Marshall interns at the corporation where Barney works and finds that he is becoming a shallow jerk as he tries to fit in.

18. Nothing Good Happens After 2 A.M.: Robin asks Ted to come over to her apartment after 2 A.M., but he isn't sure if he wants to go ...

19. Mary the Paralegal: Robin is nominated to receive an award for a news report and everyone needs a date to take to the show.

20. Best Prom Ever: Lily, Barney and Robin attend a high school prom

21. Milk: When a matchmaking company calls Ted claiming they have found his soul mate, he is forced to postpone his date when Lily asks for his help.

22. Come On: Ted tries to keep Robin from going on a camping trip so that she can spend time with him.

This is one of the funniest shows I've ever seen. It's being compared to Friends, but it's so much more cleverly written and the characters are believable as friends. Neil Patrick Harris steals the show every time. The rest of the cast is great as well.

This show is gonna be LEGEND... wait for it... and I hope you're not lactose-intolerant because the second part of that word is DARY!!!

I love this show. I really, really do. I've seen every episode countless times and I like my Monday nights uninterrupted so that I don't miss a moment. But this season set is kinda crummy. Sure, it has a lot of commentary, but things are missing here.

First of all, full screen instead of wide screen? Major flaw. I saw the episodes in widescreen format originally, so I'm not used to this full screen presentation. There's no reason I can see why this set is not in widescreen.

Secondly, and I'm sure it has to do with money and copyrights, but a TON of music in the season is changed. Nada Surf's "Inside of Love" from "The Slutty Pumpkin"? Yeah, gone. And that song fit the ending for the episode so perfectly. The song in its place doesn't do the moment justice. Additionally, Chumbawamba's "Tubthumper" is eliminated from the scene where the group eats in Lily's apartment/Chinese restaurant. Sure, the Belle and Sebastian song and others that were written into the script are there, but it seems like everything else is changed. CBS: If you're going to put a song in an episode for when it airs and don't plan on getting the rights to it for the DVD, don't put it in at all! I still have a couple of episodes left to watch from the set, and I sure hope that the song at the end of the finale isn't gone...

I'll be buying this the second it comes out. It is the most underrated sitcom on TV today. I'd argue it is just behind The Office in quality. I grew in the golden age (the '80s, not the '50s) of the sitcom. As the years passed, good ones fell away, Seinfeld saved it for a while and it too moved off into the sunset. I tend to love sitcoms with a bit whimsy, a bit of heart, and romance. My all time standard is the Wonder Years. While this is more "sitcomy," it is more like a beautifully executed film. Twenty-two (and this season is even better) episodes or 11 hours of a great romantic comedy. Hollywood should take note. The cast is pitch perfect. All of them. Neil patrick harris gets most of the press, but Josh Radnor is fantastic. Colby Smulders is a great addition to the american comedy scene. The rest? Smashing. They really don't come any better than this. Take the time to fall in love. Even with Bob Saget's voice. This show is the best. You won't regreat it.