It looks like season 8 will be the final season for How I Met Your Mother, as Neil Patrick Harris told Access Hollywood that as far as he knows there will be no 9th season for the CBS comedy.
A couple months ago co-creator Craig Thomas said that they were optimistic a 9th season would take place, but they had a plan ready for the show to end after 8.
Harris’ comments make it seem likely that plan will be utilized:
“Our contracts end at [Season] 8, so it’s one of those, you know, if they wanna do 9, they’re welcome to, but we have a lot of other things [going on]. Cobie [Smulders] has got The Avengers that just made a billion dollars, Jason [Segel] makes a ton of movies, I’m anxious to move East and Josh [Radnor] is directing and acting in movies as well. So, we all are anxious to move forward.”
That doesn’t sound promising for fans hoping for two more years of their beloved MacLaren’s faithful. Harris said that for a 9th season to happen, it would likely require huge paychecks for the main cast.
“I think the only way I think a season 9 or any longer would happen would be [if it were] financially right – that’s the reality of it. We love the show, we love doing it – eight years is a long time, and we’re as happy a family as we’ve ever been.”
Last month we reported that Jason Segel said he will be leaving the show after season 8 regardless of what the rest of the cast does and these quotes from Harris make it seem almost certain that Segel won’t be the lone star to exit.
As much as I love the show and would be thrilled about another season, if any of the main five cast members leave, the show has to end. Any attempts to keep the show going under those circumstances wouldn’t do justice to the excellence that has been provided thus far.
Season 7 was the most emotionally powerful season to this point, so I see no reason why season 8 can’t be the strongest of them all. Hopefully the writers can combine the best of what they had planned for the next two years into one phenomenal final season.
Season 8 of How I Met Your Mother will premiere on CBS on September 24, 2012.
Are you upset by this news or is it time for How I Met Your Mother to end? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.