List of How I Met Your Mother episodes
How I Met Your Mother is an American sitcom which ran for nine seasons on CBS. It was created by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas. Set in New York City, the series follows the social and romantic lives of Ted Mosby and his four best friends, Marshall Eriksen, Robin Scherbatsky, Lily Aldrin, and Barney Stinson, as Ted seeks out his future wife. The titular mother is unseen until the How I Met [Your Mother season 8|season eight] finale, "Something New", where she is portrayed by Cristin Milioti. Milioti was promoted to series regular for the ninth season. The show tells this story through the framing device of "future" Ted as an unreliable narrator who is recounting to his son and daughter the events that led him to their mother.
The series premiere aired on September 19, 2005, with the season one finale releasing on May 15, 2006. Season two released from September 18, through May 14, 2007. The third season aired from September 24 through May 19, 2008. The series was renewed for a fourth season on May 14, 2008. Season four aired September 22, through May 18, 2009. On May 19, a fifth season, which was mandated by a syndication deal signed with Lifetime, was ordered; it ran from September 21, through May 24, 2010. In January 2010, the series was given an early renewal. Season six began on September 20 and finished on May 16, 2011. On May 7, the seventh and eighth seasons were ordered, with the series being renewed through the 2012–2013 television season. Season seven ran from September 19 through May 14, 2012. The eighth season premiered on September 24 and concluded on May 13, 2013. During the eighth season, Segal stated that he planned to depart the series when his contract expired at the end of the season. As a result, the fate of the series was unknown. However, in late January 2013, a ninth and final season was officially ordered by CBS. The ninth season began on September 23 with the series finale airing on March 31, 2014.
How I Met Your Mother premiered to 10.94 million viewers, peaking with 12.3 million viewers for season one's tenth episode, "The Pineapple Incident". The record set by "The Pineapple Incident" was not broken until the series finale aired to a series high of 13.13 million viewers. The first few seasons maintained generally steady though declining viewership. However, its audience grew starting with season four. The first season averaged 9.5 million viewers, in comparison, the final season averaged 10.5 million. Having a larger audience at the conclusion of a series compared to the start is fairly uncommon for long running television shows.