Tomorrow night I'll be moderating a Q&A session with most of the cast (minus Jason Segel) and several of the producers of
"How I Met Your Mother." Unlike the Paley Center thing a couple of weeks ago, this one's not open to the general public -- it's for television Academy members only, as part of the show's Emmy campaign -- but I wanted to open the floor for any suggestions about what questions you might have for the cast or creative team. The episode being screened immediately before the panel is
"How I Met Everyone Else," which was season three's creative high point.
The answer to this question may already be known, but: Was the flashback frame meant to be a cute conceit, or did the creators always intend for the show to have the complex continuity that it does?
ReplyDeleteThat is to say, were they hoping right from the get go that fans would be doing things like parsing sentences from the show to figure out where one character would be living a year from now (in show time)?
Related: Do they have a continuity chart like the Lost folks do?
Anon
Are we gonna find out what the goat did?
ReplyDeleteCould you ask Alyson Hannigan how she feels about the FCC's recent decision?
ReplyDeleteWe have How I Met Everyone Else permanently saved on our DVR, and show clips from it when trying to convince our friends of just how awesome HIMYM is. Especially the Crazy-Hot Scale, how Ted met Marshall ("You're not the dean!"), and how Marshall met Barney. ("It's about believing you can do it, even though you probably can't.")
ReplyDeleteI'd like to know if any of them read this blog.
ReplyDeleteWill there be an episode dedicated to Barney's brother's wedding? Seems like a waste to not let us see how Barney serves as best man at a gay bachelor party.
ReplyDeleteDo they have an end point in mind? Are they writing towards a specific ending, or doing their best to keep it open-ended for as long as CBS wants to hit the "renew" button?
It would be interesting to know their views on why other sitcoms do not pay as close attention to continuity and if they see seriality creeping into the traditional sitcom.
ReplyDeleteBarney's brother's wedding has already passed in show time.
ReplyDelete1. Would they like to have an end-date guaranteed to them by CBS? If so, how many years will it take them to complete this story?
ReplyDelete2. Has the actress who plays Your Mother appeared on screen yet?
3. How much have the kids aged during the telling of the story?
You could try to get them to make more awkward comments about what a wonderful job Britney Spears does on their show.
ReplyDeleteI am very curious if Barney's thing for Robin was planned from the early stages, or whether it grew out of the chemistry between the actors.
ReplyDelete(They don't have to tell us how it ends up with them, just curious if this was always in the cards.)
I think the anti-serialization in sitcoms (at least of the non-animated variety) train mostly left the station about 25 years ago with "Cheers."
ReplyDeleteAlan, could you ask them what your problem is with "Ten Sessions" and "Miracles," when THEY were clearly the highlights of this season? Say what you will about them not being as funny as other episodes, but they have far more heart and showcase the ensemble's chemistry, charisma, and appeal better than any other episode this season. I hope to God you're not telling them "How I Met Everyone Else" should be their Emmy submission episode over "Ten Sessions."
ReplyDeleteTo rephrase my question, what did they think were the highlights of this season?
To ask an even more important question, did casting Sarah Chalke instead of Alicia Silverstone alter the significance of the character of Stella in any way since she was originally supposed to have a several episode arc?
"Miracles"? Really? I can see someone speaking up for "Ten Sessions," even though I had issues with the laughter quotient, but "Miracles"? Bleh.
ReplyDeleteI'd say the three best episodes of the season were, in order, "How I Met Everyone Else," "The Bracket" and "Ten Sessions."
Also, shows send out more than one episode for Emmys. Nominators may only see one episode, but I believe 8 episodes are included in the submission package.
ReplyDeleteHow much footage of the two children have they pre-filmed, and does any of it have any significant dialogue, such as something that will be used when the mother is revealed?
ReplyDeleteYou can ask how many seasons the show could feasibly go, just as long as everybody's home by eleven...
ReplyDeleteAlan you mentioned the Q&A is not open to public, but will there be a video / transcript later on?
ReplyDeleteI would like to find out instances where cast members made the writers change some scene / story because "it did not make sense" or "the alternate proposal made better sense".
I want to know who came up with the line, "That happens every time I get an erection" as well as the flashback where the pencil goes up Barney's nose. I don't think I laughed harder at any two things on TV all season (and I watched Viva Laughlin).
ReplyDeleteThanks!
"Ten Sessions" over "Sandcastles in the Sand"? I liked Ten Sessions and felt the date at the end was one of the best Ted moments ever...but I felt like Sandcastles was funnier. Then again, compared to Slap Bet, which is impossible not to do, I can see how it'd look a little worse. "How I Met Everyone Else" was definitely the highlight of the season, at least from a strictly humor standpoint. Didn't move the story along, but it was a real reward for fans, I think.
ReplyDeleteQuestions:
Thomas and Bays have said in the past that Ted and Robin were initially going to break up early in season two? How were they going to handle that break up?
How did the strike alter their plans for the season?
Do they ever worry about pushing Barney too far to the "bad" side?
Who came up with the Two-Minute Date?
It seems a lot of fans and critics didn't necessarily respond strongly to the early episodes of season three. How did the writers and cast feel about the ones that didn't really click with the fans (e.g., "We're Not From Here")?
Yes, I am curious about whether the writers have any sort of contuinty chart also. They did such a good job in the first two seasons of using that to the story's advantage. This season, not so much, but I wonder how much of that was due to the strike.
ReplyDeleteMy question is: Honestly, do they have a detailed plan for how the story plays out or does it all get decided by which celebrities can come on the show, or whether they get renewed or not? I will happily enjoy whatever ride they take us on for the rest of the show, as long as I feel like I can trust them not to make it up as they go along.
Do they feel that they are sacfiricing something by filming a show set in NYC on a stage/backlot in LA? With Ugly Betty getting incentives to move to NYC for next year, would the HIMYM cast and crew want to follow suit?
ReplyDeleteAre we going to see Ted and the mother's relationship play out (unknowingly, knowingly, whichever) or is she going to be introduced in the last moments of the show?
ReplyDelete