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The Best Episodes of ‘How I Met Your Mother’

The Best Episodes of ‘How I Met Your Mother’

Published: April 5, 2024 by Kristina Larson

Debuting its pilot episode in September of 2005, “How I Met Your Mother” was an American sitcom that ran for nine seasons on CBS. Its final episode aired on March 31, 2014.

Told through the eyes of the main character, Ted Mosby, the show recounts every detail of how Ted met his wife and the mother of his children. In the pilot episode, we see that Ted is telling the story aloud to his children and the year is 2030.

As the show moves on, each episode showcases life in New York City for Ted and his four closest friends. Each part of the story becomes an integral detail of how Ted finally met his children’s mother.

The show starred Josh Radnor as Ted, Jason Segal as Marshall Erickson (Ted’s best friend from college), Alyson Hannigan as Lily Aldrin, Neil Patrick Harris as Barney Stinson, and Cobie Smulders as Robin Scherbatsky. The show also required a narrator due to its unique perspective of looking backward at 9 years of memories. However, the narrator’s voice is not that of Radnor but rather of Bob Saget, who is known for his iconic role as Danny Tanner in “Full House.”

“How I Met Your Mother” was created by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas who were also known for their writing on “Late Night with David Letterman.” It received 10 Primetime Emmy awards as well as 16 other wins and 95 total nominations.

When watching this show, keep in mind that most episodes tend to build on themselves due to the progressive storyline. (As you watch, also keep an eye out for one of the most famous TV love triangles that should have ended differently.)

To determine the best episodes of “How I Met Your Mother,” 24/7 Tempo reviewed data on audience reception from IMDb. Episodes were ranked based on average IMDb user rating as of March 2024. In the case of a tie, the episode with the greater number of audience ratings was ranked higher.

25. Oh Honey (Season 6, Episode 15)

Oh Honey (Season 6, Episode 15) | Jennifer Morrison and Katy Perry in How I Met Your Mother (2005) — Source: Courtesy of CBS

IMDb user rating: 8.7/10
IMDb user reviews: 4,404

24. World’s Greatest Couple (Season 2, Episode 5)

World's Greatest Couple (Season 2, Episode 5) | Neil Patrick Harris and Alyson Hannigan in How I Met Your Mother (2005) — Source: Courtesy of CBS

IMDb user rating: 8.7/10
IMDb user reviews: 4,423

23. Symphony of Illumination (Season 7, Episode 12)

Symphony of Illumination (Season 7, Episode 12) | Neil Patrick Harris in How I Met Your Mother (2005) — Source: Courtesy of CBS

IMDb user rating: 8.7/10
IMDb user reviews: 4,592

22. Ted Mosby, Architect (Season 2, Episode 4)

Ted Mosby, Architect (Season 2, Episode 4) | Josh Radnor in How I Met Your Mother (2005) — Source: Courtesy of CBS

IMDb user rating: 8.7/10
IMDb user reviews: 4,612

21. Something New (Season 8, Episode 24)

Something New (Season 8, Episode 24) | Neil Patrick Harris and Cobie Smulders in How I Met Your Mother (2005) — Source: Courtesy of CBS

IMDb user rating: 8.7/10
IMDb user reviews: 4,626

20. Mary the Paralegal (Season 1, Episode 19)

Mary the Paralegal (Season 1, Episode 19) | Alexis Denisof in How I Met Your Mother (2005) — Source: Courtesy of CBS

IMDb user rating: 8.7/10
IMDb user reviews: 4,817

19. Come On (Season 1, Episode 22)

Come On (Season 1, Episode 22) | Alyson Hannigan and Jason Segel in How I Met Your Mother (2005) — Source: Courtesy of CBS

IMDb user rating: 8.7/10
IMDb user reviews: 5,002

18. Showdown (Season 2, Episode 20)

Showdown (Season 2, Episode 20) | Neil Patrick Harris, Bob Barker, and Sharon Madden in How I Met Your Mother (2005) — Source: Courtesy of CBS

IMDb user rating: 8.8/10
IMDb user reviews: 4,295

17. Ducky Tie (Season 7, Episode 3)

Ducky Tie (Season 7, Episode 3) | Alyson Hannigan and Jason Segel in How I Met Your Mother (2005) — Source: Courtesy of CBS

IMDb user rating: 8.8/10
IMDb user reviews: 4,562

16. The End of the Aisle (Season 9, Episode 22)

The End of the Aisle (Season 9, Episode 22) | Neil Patrick Harris and Cobie Smulders in How I Met Your Mother (2005) — Source: Courtesy of CBS

IMDb user rating: 8.8/10
IMDb user reviews: 5,187

15. Slapsgiving (Season 3, Episode 9)

Slapsgiving (Season 3, Episode 9) | Alyson Hannigan, Jason Segel, and Josh Radnor in How I Met Your Mother (2005) — Source: Courtesy of CBS

IMDb user rating: 8.9/10
IMDb user reviews: 4,756

14. How I Met Everyone Else (Season 3, Episode 5)

How I Met Everyone Else (Season 3, Episode 5) | Neil Patrick Harris, Alyson Hannigan, Jason Segel, Josh Radnor, and Cobie Smulders in How I Met Your Mother (2005) — Source: Courtesy of CBS

IMDb user rating: 8.9/10
IMDb user reviews: 4,983

13. Bad News (Season 6, Episode 13)

Bad News (Season 6, Episode 13) | Neil Patrick Harris in How I Met Your Mother (2005) — Source: Courtesy of CBS

IMDb user rating: 8.9/10
IMDb user reviews: 5,021

12. Tick Tick Tick (Season 7, Episode 10)

Tick Tick Tick (Season 7, Episode 10) | Kal Penn and Cobie Smulders in How I Met Your Mother (2005) — Source: Courtesy of CBS

IMDb user rating: 8.9/10
IMDb user reviews: 5,159

11. Swarley (Season 2, Episode 7)

Swarley (Season 2, Episode 7) | Neil Patrick Harris in How I Met Your Mother (2005) — Source: Courtesy of CBS

IMDb user rating: 8.9/10
IMDb user reviews: 5,406

10. Spoiler Alert (Season 3, Episode 8)

Spoiler Alert (Season 3, Episode 8) | Alyson Hannigan in How I Met Your Mother (2005) — Source: Courtesy of CBS

IMDb user rating: 9.0/10
IMDb user reviews: 5,010

9. Blitzgiving (Season 6, Episode 10)

Blitzgiving (Season 6, Episode 10) | Jason Segel and Cobie Smulders in How I Met Your Mother (2005) — Source: Courtesy of CBS

IMDb user rating: 9.0/10
IMDb user reviews: 5,259

8. Game Night (Season 1, Episode 15)

Game Night (Season 1, Episode 15) | Neil Patrick Harris, Mark Derwin, and Katie Walder in How I Met Your Mother (2005) — Source: Courtesy of CBS

IMDb user rating: 9.0/10
IMDb user reviews: 5,561

7. Girls vs. Suits (Season 5, Episode 12)

Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Television

IMDb user rating: 9.0/10
IMDb user reviews: 5,759

6. The Naked Man (Season 4, Episode 9)

The Naked Man (Season 4, Episode 9) | Neil Patrick Harris, Alyson Hannigan, Jason Segel, Josh Radnor, and Cobie Smulders in How I Met Your Mother (2005) — Source: Courtesy of CBS

IMDb user rating: 9.1/10
IMDb user reviews: 5,700

5. The Pineapple Incident (Season 1, Episode 10)

The Pineapple Incident (Season 1, Episode 10) | Josh Radnor in How I Met Your Mother (2005) — Source: Courtesy of CBS

IMDb user rating: 9.1/10
IMDb user reviews: 6,734

4. The Playbook (Season 5, Episode 8)

The Playbook (Season 5, Episode 8) | Alyson Hannigan, Jason Segel, Josh Radnor, and Cobie Smulders in How I Met Your Mother (2005) — Source: Courtesy of CBS

IMDb user rating: 9.3/10
IMDb user reviews: 7,199

3. The Final Page: Part Two (Season 8, Episode 12)

The Final Page: Part Two (Season 8, Episode 12) | Neil Patrick Harris and Cobie Smulders in How I Met Your Mother (2005) — Source: Courtesy of CBS

IMDb user rating: 9.3/10
IMDb user reviews: 7,397

2. Slap Bet (Season 2, Episode 9)

Slap Bet (Season 2, Episode 9) | Cobie Smulders in How I Met Your Mother (2005) — Source: Courtesy of CBS

IMDb user rating: 9.4/10
IMDb user reviews: 7,917

1. How Your Mother Met Me (Season 9, Episode 16)

How Your Mother Met Me (Season 9, Episode 16) | Cristin Milioti in How I Met Your Mother (2005) — Source: Courtesy of CBS

IMDb user rating: 9.5/10
IMDb user reviews: 10,801