We Streamed How I Met Your Mother (2005) on Cocoflix – Full Watch Test

Your New Hangout: The Premise

Before you press play on How I Met Your Mother, know you are embarking on a journey. This isn't a quick, easy watch. The show focuses on a much longer timespan, as this is a story being told over a nine season span, by Ted Mosby, as he recounts and explains the ups, downs, and hilarity that encompassed his journey to meeting his kids’ mom. You will get to see friends in New York City thriving in their respective careers while trying to find love and maintain friendships. This show is full of comedy ranging from observational to character based. While many of the early reviews lumped it in with other 'wacky urban friends' style sitcoms, the shows groundbreaking and evolving structure soon captured the attention of the media and critics for its dynamic characters. While some shows lack a strong overarching storyline, and depend too much on standalones for comedy, this show strikes the perfect balance. It gives you a show full of interesting characters, a long lasting central mystery, and standalones chock full of comedy.

Dialing into the Episode Flow

Flexibility of How I Met Your Mother across devices is evident in its appeal to different viewing styles. The length of each episode, around the standard 22 minutes of a sitcom, fits perfectly for viewing on the go, whether on a quick commute on your phone or fitting in an episode during your lunch break on your computer. The pace is fairly quick, like most sitcoms. rapid fire jokes and plot points help to carry the momentum of the show. Writer's are able to be creative, ultimately carrying the show and telling many different, often unrelated stories. This helps you to jump in and out as you please, but if you're aiming to see the entire story, and get the full effect, viewing in order is best. It is engrossing enough, especially in its later seasons, that it helps to eliminate distractions, including second screen behavior. Often times character development is stalled, and sometimes regressive, especially in the Fifth Season, and you might be tempted to check out. Overall, it maintains balance and strength in achieving more over the course of many shorter, self contained episodes and stories.

Highs and Lows in the Sitcom Grind

What impressed me the most with my test run was the way the writers created show-specific catchphrases and continuous running gags, and the chemistry within the cast. The show is built in a way that almost anyone in the cast can be the lead for a given episode, and Neil Patrick Harris often steals the scenes he is in. However, the focus is always on Josh Radnor (Ted). The writers were able to get creative with the flashback device that Ted uses and were able to jump around in time and utilize flashbacks within flashbacks. Ted's internal narration is often unreliable and tends to be humorous. Writers jump around in time at will, and are free to use a basic level of artistry. The fourth season in particular, received a lot of praise for focusing on self-contained episodes and less of the chase to find the 'Mother'. A lot of these self-contained episodes tied into Ted's love life. The writers were able to effectively alternate between strong self-contained episodes and episodes centered on the main narrative. However, the show isn't without its issues. The show often resorts to silly or childish humorous devices, and sometimes the focus on a given character becomes so great that the other characters seem to stagnate or regress. Many of the episodes in later seasons felt the same and relied on the same 'gags' and humor.

The Best Screen for Your Story

Your choice of device for watching How I Met Your Mother depends on your viewing habits. For short, occasional viewings (like on the commute), the vibrant colors and clear audio of your Android phone are great. Short episode length also works well for on-the-go viewings. For long, uninterrupted viewings, using your PC or turning on your large-screen TV is a better option. The wide view of your TV is better for understanding visual gags, and the large screen is better for family TV nights for shared laughter. The large screen is especially helpful for the emotional scenes. Given its writing, it's a good show for background viewing on your PC, but for the same reason, you'll want to be actively viewing it to catch all the jokes. You can get a good experience for watching the show using any of the Cocoflix-supported devices, but for its full effect, the large TV is best.

Final Download Worthiness

Of course, How I Met Your Mother deserves a spot on your Cocoflix watch list! If you appreciate friendships of all kinds, and the many ways we seek ‘the one’ this series puts a humorous spin. The writers and creators deserve a standing ovation for their engaging structure, witty character development, and astute mental humor throughout the series, more predominantly in the stronger seasons. Yes, HIMYM succumbs to a few tired narrative methods and character regression (several of which were intentional by the writers). However, in the universe of television series, it is admittedly a positive experience and highly praised by its target audience, which remains loyal for several comeback seasons. Most of all, this series rewards a viewer by encouraging multiple returns; with each, the audience uncovers deeper, previously undiscovered layers to the countless stories embedded within. In the end, it’s a funny, endearing series about friends that offers several hours of entertainment and is a reliable, peaceful journey worth taking.