Alyson Hannigan Admits ‘How I Met Your Mother’ Finale Was ‘Too Quick’
We’ve had plenty of time to let the How I Met Your Mother finale stew, but there’s no avoiding how jam-packed that wedding weekend felt. Star Alyson Hannigan certainly agrees, noting the series finale “cut out everything” from the original script, and that Barney and Robin should probably never have gotten married in the first place.
Hannigan opened up with some unfiltered thoughts on the final season to Australian News (h/t AV Club), particularly that the finale needed more time to wrap up the series. Hannigan felt the title mother was shortchanged in favor of Cobie Smulders’ Robin, and all the time-jumping required:
I was bummed they didn’t just make it a two-hour season-ender, so they would get to show certain parts [that were cut]. The table read for the finale was so good, so right, but it was also like 14 hours long. So when I actually saw the final version of the show, I was like ‘they cut out everything!’ […]
It just seemed too quick. Obviously it was a tear-jerker, but with all the stuff that got cut out it was too fast … like ‘OK, now we’re going to find out the mum’s dead, then suddenly, OK — he’s with Robin now’, and you’re just like, ‘wait, what happened?!’
Moreover, Hannigan questioned the decision to make Robin and Barney’s wedding a centerpiece of the final seasons:
I didn’t think Barney should have ever gotten married … I liked Barney and Robin. But in my heart, I always wanted her with Ted. I just feel they [Barney and Robin] shouldn’t have gotten married.
It’s worth wondering if Hannigan would feel different without the extra season, which awkwardly dragged out Robin and Barney’s wedding a full twenty-four episodes. In any case, there’s every chance we’ll revisit the franchise and right some wrongs, as FOX is reportedly open to a revival in a few years’ time.
Otherwise, does Hannigan have a point about the finale itself seeming too rushed?