Why isn't How I Met Your Mother a smash hit?

HIMYM not funny? I agree with everyone who said that this is because they haven't watched this show enough. Here's an idea...why don't all of you who dont think this show is creative/witty/funny rent or buy season one...start at episode one...and watch it all the way through to the current episode. If you still think this show doesn't deserve to be a hit let me know...but I hardly doubt you will feel that way. It's the best thing that's happened to TV in years.

CBS sucks thats why this show isnt getting the props it deserves! If I hadnt stumbled upon it one night I would have never known and continue living my life with a void only HIMYM could fill. If they played this show on a decent network on a good time slot this show would own.

Ps. I disliked friends, this show is WAY better.

Personally one thing I love about HIMYM is its use of non-linear narrative. The whole thing is a flashback, with occassional flashforwards (most of them are still technically flashbacks too) and some good use of further flashbacks (eg "30 seconds earlier..."). I can remember there being in season one an episode which took place before the episode that was shown the week before ('Nothing Good Happens After 2am' I think it was).

HIMYM is a don't miss show for me. It's funny. When I re-read the lines up there, I giggled. How could you not? I have turned MANY of friends my friends onto it. It's a show that was written for my age group. (Those in their late 20's to mid 30's.)

It's just a fun show. Some people get it, others don't. But for those of us who do... It's a half an hour that we can just sit back and enjoy ourselves.

Everybody come and play,
Throw every last care away,
Let's go to the mall,

Today, today.


How can you not love this show?!?!?!?

(P.S. Why does everyone insist that "30 Rock" is soooooooooo funny, I've seen roughly 5-6 episodes and have only laughed once -- the Diet Snapple bit -- that is it. I appreceate dry humor and witt -- as I love "The Office", "The Daily Show", and "The Colbert Report" -- but I will never find 30 Rock funny.)

It's one of the few sitcoms I still watch. I love Barney.

http://redlightnaps.wordpress.com/2007/04/10/barney/

I'm not a regular watcher, but the show should be a bigger hit because of Neil Patrick Harris. He is BRILLANT! Who knew he had such great comedic timing? I know he had done Doogie Howser, but that was more of a dramedy. Barney is hysterical!

CBS pay attention to this... Why would over 30 people comment if they didn't like the show???!?

Go ahead and make the mistake.

Since when did mutual exclusivity exist between traditional laugh track sitcoms and single camera shows/non laugh track shows? Sitcoms are either funny or they're not. Some people need to get of their elitist high horses. For me, Friends was funny. Seinfeld too. Arrested Development was funny. Entourage is funny. Scrubs is funny, 30 rock is funny. HIMYM is funny. Who cares if a laugh track exists on the show? It doesn't mean it can't be funny. It just means it has a laugh track. Multiple camera angles are fine with me if I am laughing. I could care less about a single camera angle if I am not laughing. What makes a comedy funny is it's writing. In HIMYM's case, the writing is awesome. Even in the most seemingly cliche scenarios(which aren't often) the cast and writers of HIMYM make it work well. And bdgc is selling the actors he claims to love short on their acting ability by arbitrarily deciding that they can't make HIMYM good, because they do. A world without Barney would be a sad world indeed.

And for people that are offended by being told when to laugh, get over yourselves. You must not have confidence in yourself to be that offended. I watch shows based on if they make me laugh. I laugh when I want to laugh. Often times that means I laugh when the laugh track isn't rolling. And when a sitcom is good. like HIMYM, it just doesn't matter.

Just adding in my two cents.

I have never found Friends particularly funny. It was ground-breaking for its time, but it was a really shallow show. One would assume that HIMYM was a Friends wannabe if you have never actually watched an epsiode. Hell, that's the assumption I made until I realised that it had the twist of not knowing who the Mother is, and that the writing was so damn sharp. I feel like I know and can relate to each of the characters. I never felt that way about Friends.

As to why it's not a huge hit? Lack of promotion. CBS doesn't try to attract viewers to find out what the show is about and I think they make the assumption that it's just a Friends rip-off so why bother. Like someone else said upthread, it is actually the only CBS show that I watch. They need to do something to save it.