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‘How I Met Your Father’ Finale Welcomes Original ‘How I Met Your Mother’ Cast Member Cobie Smulders

An OG Star How I Met Your Mother Cast Member Returns In HIMYF Finale
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A legendary homecoming! An original How I Met Your Mother cast member made a surprise appearance in the How I Met Your Father finale.

Related: ‘How I Met Your Mother’ Cast: Where Are They Now?

Robin Scherbatsky (Cobie Smulders), known to Canadians as teen pop sensation Robin Sparkles, appears in the Hulu series’ Tuesday, March 15 episode. The newscaster showed up at MacLarens, the iconic bar from HIMYM.

Smulders’ Robin is on hand to give Hilary Duff’s Sophie advice about her relationship with Chris Lowell’s Jesse, who she recently caught confessing his love for her in his sleep. During their chat, Robin brings up Ted (Josh Radnor), who Sophie refers to as “a real piece of work” upon learning he said “I love you” on their first date.

“You have no idea. But a good piece of work. … Which brings me to my advice. Do not waste your time being scared, Sophie,” Robin says. “Fear can make you run away from things that could be good. Great, even. Things that are supposed to be a part of your story. So, really think about it. What did Jesse do wrong other than say everything you ever wanted a guy to say, just faster than you expected? Sophie, I have been married, I’ve been single, I’ve been everything in between. And the only decisions I regret making are the ones I made out of fear.”

Robin continued: “So, do me a favor, OK? Time travel 20 years into the future and ask future you, ‘Future me, what do I wish I did 20 years ago the night I met smoking hot and somehow still full of gravitas, news superstar Robin Scherbatsky?’ And whatever future you say, do that.”

While Sophie took her advice, it was too late as Jesse was seemingly back with his ex Meredith (Leighton Meester).

“If I’ve learned anything at all about love, it’s that timing is everything. Sometimes, timing is a bitch,” Robin said when Sophie returned to the bar disappointed. “You’re going to be OK. I’ll meet future you back here in 20 years for a drink just to make sure.”

Hulu’s How I Met Your Father, which premiered in January, takes place in a shared universe with How I Met Your Mother, which aired for nine seasons from 2005 to 2014 on CBS. Both take place in New York City but follow different friend groups. However, the new show has managed to give the flagship sitcom several nods.

An OG Star How I Met Your Mother Cast Member Returns In HIMYF Finale
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At the end of the pilot episode, Jesse (Chris Lowell) and Sid (Suraj Sharma) are revealed to be living in Ted and Marshall’s (Jason Segel) old apartment. “Wow, I love your place,” Sophie says.

“Thanks, it was a total score. We got it from this old married couple who posted it on the Wesleyan alumni group,” Jesse responds, referring to the university that Ted, Marshall and Lily (Alyson Hannigan) attended.

Creators Elizabeth Berger and Isaac Aptaker explained that they wanted HIMYF to feel new but familiar.

Related: Everything to Know About ‘How I Met Your Father’

“I think we really right off the bat wanted to show, you know, this is a new show, this is a new cast, and we’re gonna be on a sort of entirely new ride here,” Berger exclusively told Us Weekly in January. “At the same time, we also wanted to make clear that we do exist in the same universe and include a little touch for the very devoted How I Met Your Mother fanbase that shows that were in that at universe right away. And that felt like just the exact right level to us in terms of touching upon that world while sort of starting this whole new adventure at the same time.”

The executive producers said to “absolutely” expect more easter eggs along the way.

Audiences got their first HIMYM cameo in the penultimate episode of HIMYF. George “The Captain” Van Smoot (Kyle MacLachlan) and Becky (Laura Bell Bundy) barfly showed up. Sophie described the two as an older couple with “boat kinks.”

After MacLachlan and Bundy’s cameos, Smulders is the third actor to reprise her How I Met Your Mother role. Could more cameos be on the way?

Neil Patrick Harris didn’t seem thrilled about the idea. In February, Duff, 34, asked the 48, if he’d like to reprise his role as Barney in the new series.

“As for coming on your show (insert joke here), I worry,” he revealed in a Q&A with Duff for his Wondercade newsletter at the time. “Barney’s antics, his overt delusions of grandeur, would likely get everyone in trouble. So, unless he’s changed his ways or joined a nunnery (insert an insert joke here), not sure if it’s in anyone’s best interest.”

Related: TV Shows With Over 100 Episodes

He does, however, want How I Met Your Father to be a success.

“I hope it’s great,” Harris exclusively told Us in September 2021. “It’s been a long time since we did our run of it, and then I think the structural conceit of that show was very good storytelling, right? [Creators] Carter Bays, Craig Thomas, they came up with a really cool idea that future narrator is telling kids a story about hit their past. It allows for quick edit cuts. It allows for embellishments within characters development because it’s a story that he’s telling. It’s not the actual factual things that happened, and so morals can be heavy handed. There can be left turns that you weren’t expecting. We had a great time filming that show.”

How I Met Your Mother season 1 is now streaming on Hulu. The series has been renewed for a second season.

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