Just found out the original ending for 'How I Met Your Mother' was filmed years before the show ended

I was watching a video on YouTube about old TV show facts and they dropped this bomb. The final scene with the kids was shot way back in 2006, during the first season, because the producers were worried the child actors would age too much. That means the whole ending with the mom was locked in from the start, even as the show changed over nine years. It makes me look at the finale differently, knowing the writers were stuck with that choice for so long. I always felt the ending was a bit rushed and didn't fit the later seasons, and now I know why. They couldn't change their minds even if they wanted to. Has anyone else had a show's ending feel different after learning a behind-the-scenes fact like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

michaelross17d ago

Wow, that actually explains so much about why the ending felt so off. Knowing they were locked into that scene makes the whole last season feel kind of pointless... like they were just filling time to get to a finish line they set years earlier. It's a shame they couldn't adjust when the show grew into something different. Makes you feel for the writers, but also for the fans who stuck around.

the_blair16d ago

Yeah the part about being locked into that scene really hits different. I used to defend the ending but hearing it put that way makes me see the problem. They built this whole world that changed so much but couldn't change the final goal. It does make the last season feel like marking time instead of telling a story.