People today may not like Ted, the protagonist of How I Met Your Mother but the Teds are the reality of our world.

People have a habit of turning to fiction to escape reality and idolise characters who “have it together”. Watching a perfect love story like Lily and Marshall who are college sweetheart is just what people want.

Ted, on the other hand, like most people is struggling through life. Just like most of us, he craves the companionship of a partner and the series tells us about his adventure of finding one.

People may find him whiny but that is exactly what regular people sound like when they complain about their friends about a recent breakup or being alone on Valentine’s Day.

Coming to Barney Stinson, it is said “What’s with our obsession with characters like Barney? His predatory behaviour has been described as bordering on sexual assault. He objectifies women in an attempt to boast superiority. The list goes on, with all characters reproducing toxic masculinity.”

Yes, this is true but we have to consider that characters like Barney are a product of their times. The sheer awareness that a character like him would not work today is a sign of progression.

Maybe a revival could change the narrative?

Moreover, the series ‘How I Met Your Father’ is important from a feminist perspective.
How often do we see on TV a woman going through a string of partners in a pursuit to find ‘The One’. Women are always portrayed to be damsels who are saved by the protagonist from a miserable existence. Telling the other side of story creates a space for new conversation and representation.