12 years ago today the entertainment world tuned in for the highly anticipated, two-part series finale of How I Met Your Mother. After nine seasons of yellow umbrellas, blue French horns, and countless rounds of drinks at MacLaren’s Pub, fans finally got to see the conclusion of Ted Mosby’s incredibly detailed romantic history. While “Last Forever” remains one of the most hotly debated and divisive finales in modern television history, the controversy surrounding its ending shouldn’t overshadow the sheer brilliance of the show’s golden years.
At its peak, How I Met Your Mother was a masterclass in sitcom storytelling, utilizing unreliable narrators, complex time-jumps, and deeply emotional character arcs. To celebrate the 12th anniversary of the show taking its final bow, we are suiting up to count down the five absolute best episodes of the series.
Slap Bet (Season 2, Episode 9)
If there is one episode that definitively proved How I Met Your Mother was operating on an entirely different comedic level than its peers, it is “Slap Bet.” This single half-hour introduced two of the show’s most iconic, longest-running gags: Marshall and Barney’s high-stakes slap wager, and Robin Scherbatsky’s deeply buried past as Canadian teenage pop star Robin Sparkles. “Let’s Go to the Mall” became an instant cultural phenomenon, and the brilliant execution of the dual mysteries makes this episode a flawless piece of television comedy.
The Pineapple Incident (Season 1, Episode 10)
Early in the show’s run, it established a penchant for playing with non-linear storytelling, and “The Pineapple Incident” is the quintessential example of this format. After a wild night of binge-drinking a potent concoction called “Red Dragon,” Ted wakes up with a sprained ankle, a strange woman in his bed, and a completely unexplained pineapple on his nightstand. Watching the gang slowly piece together the hilarious, fragmented events of the previous evening perfectly captured the chaotic, relatable energy of navigating your twenties in New York City.
Bad News (Season 6, Episode 13)
While the sitcom was known for its rapid-fire jokes and elaborate running gags, it also possessed a staggering ability to deliver profound emotional devastation. Throughout this episode, a subtle visual countdown from the number 50 to 1 is hidden in the background of various scenes, leading viewers to believe it is building toward positive news regarding Marshall and Lily’s fertility struggles. Instead, the timer expires just as Marshall learns that his beloved father has unexpectedly passed away. Jason Segel’s completely unscripted, raw reaction to the news remains one of the most heartbreaking moments in sitcom history.
How Your Mother Met Me (Season 9, Episode 16)
The ninth and final season was arguably the show’s most uneven, but it delivered an absolute masterpiece by finally shifting the perspective to the titular Mother, Tracy McConnell. Cristin Milioti proved to be an absolute revelation, anchoring a deeply emotional, beautiful episode that traced her own tragic and triumphant journey toward the Farhampton train platform. By brilliantly weaving her story through the background of past seasons’ events, the writers delivered a poignant love letter to the fans and proved that Tracy was more than worth the nine-year wait.
The Playbook (Season 5, Episode 8)
When it comes to showcasing Barney Stinson in all his manipulative, absurd, and wildly entertaining glory, nothing tops “The Playbook.” Fresh off a breakup with Robin, Barney unveils his magnum opus: a literal binder filled with incredibly elaborate, theatrical scams designed to pick up women. From “The Lorenzo Von Matterhorn” to “The Scuba Diver,” Neil Patrick Harris delivers a masterful, high-energy comedic performance. It is an episode that completely leans into the show’s ridiculousness and fires on all cylinders from start to finish.