How I Met Your Mother

Orlando SentinelHal Boedeker

Romantic comedies depend on appealing actors, and these five are irresistible.

Entertainment WeeklyHenry Goldblatt

We never thought we'd laugh out loud with a laugh track again. [23 Sep 2005, p.81]

San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa TimesCharlie McCollum

This is a cast that jells immediately, hitting on all cylinders from the very first scene.

USA TodayRobert Bianco

The script is humorous, though not hilarious, and the show boasts a fine cast that could, with time, jell into a great one.

Philadelphia InquirerJonathan Storm

How I Met Your Mother is that rare TV comedy that relies more on character than jokes.

Hollywood ReporterBarry Garron

"How I Met Your Mother" introduces a level of unpredictability not usually found in comedies.

Los Angeles TimesRobert Lloyd

A considerably above-average Generation Y sitcom that manages to be both sharp and sentimental, like "Seinfeld" with feeling.

Boston GlobeMatthew Gilbert

Like ''Friends," this is not a big-themed series so much as a bunch of little character jokes and relationship confusions getting batted around by an able cast.

Chicago TribuneMaureen Ryan

Manages to get the balance of cuddliness and snark just right.

Cleveland Plain DealerMark Dawidziak

What truly makes the Bays-Thomas collaboration smarter than your average sitcom is the storytelling chances taken by the script.

Detroit Free PressMike Duffy

You know you're in the presence of a fresh, original sitcom when you don't even mind the laugh track.

New York Daily NewsDavid Hinckley

The format is unusual, and the ending of the premiere nicely surprising - but the element that pushes this show into the potential hit category is Neil Patrick Harris.

Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob Owen

Cute but not overly cuddly, there's an authenticity to the relationships in "Mother" that makes it a comedy worth meeting.

Seattle Post-IntelligencerMelanie McFarland

"How I Met Your Mother" may not break any comedic ground, but it's the sort of comfortable, reliable hitter CBS needs on Monday nights.

NewsdayVerne Gay

Could... become a very pleasant surprise.

LA WeeklyRobert Abele

Time will tell if viewers take to this quintet as completely as they did [Friends'] Central Perk crew... but it seems as if How I Met Your Mother is the most legitimate knockoff yet of that youthful-urbanite juggernaut.

Washington PostTom Shales

It is a little better than most other sitcoms, past and present -- especially those featuring wacky urban friends in their twenties experiencing the bittersweet mysteries of life.

The Onion A.V. Club

The premise is a winner, and the cast... couldn't be more appealing. But the overtly sitcom-y beats and one-liners seem overworked.

New York MagazineJohn Leonard

Not so funny but genuinely touching.

The New York TimesAlessandra Stanley

The writing does not yet live up to the show's premise, but the series has potential to improve.

Kansas City StarAaron Barnhart

A viewer-friendly diversion.

New York PostLinda Stasi

The plot is clever and there's a nice twist at the end, but the actors haven't found a rhythm, nor have they developed any chemistry.

Chicago Sun-TimesDoug Elfman

The script is just poor.

PopMattersMichael Abernethy

The comedy that does occur in How I Met Your Mother isn't enough to compensate for its inconsistencies.

The New RepublicLee Siegel

Cloying [and] lackluster.