How I Met Your Father was just renewed for a second season, but with a less-than-stellar response from critics and regular viewers, it makes us wonder: how many spin-off shows do we really need?
The cast of the American sitcom How I Met Your Father, which was created by Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger (Credit: Hulu)
As difficult as it is for many Marvel fans to acknowledge, the entertainment industry has a serious penchant for beating a dead horse.
Franchises like the Avengers or the Harry Potter universe have dozens of movies and spin-off series, podcasts, and cartoons under their respective umbrellas.
The same is true for television, as both regular broadcast networks and streaming services are producing series reboots and remakes at alarming rates. Some of these shows – like Night Court and That ‘90s Show – are doing rather well, but others… not so much.
Unfortunately for the cast of How I Met Your Father, their show hasn’t been well received. In fact, on Rotten Tomatoes, the show has a poor audience score of 51% and an even more dismal critic score of just 38%.
This is a far cry from the show’s predecessor, How I Met Your Mother, which boasts a matching 84% critic and audience score on the site and ran for a whopping nine seasons.
The cast of the American sitcom How I Met Your Mother, which was created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays (Credit: CBS)
How I Met Your Mother was a hit, but How I Met Your Father has yet to recreate its success. Despite this, the show’s producers and cast members seem hopeful, as How I Met Your Father was renewed for a second season by streaming platform Hulu, this time with 20 episodes rather than the first season’s original 10.
The first episode of the second season of How I Met Your Father was released on January 24 and will air weekly.
Looking forward to the future, here is everything you need to know about the cast of How I Met Your Father, how tall they are, and whether they’ll be returning for the show’s second season.
1. Hilary Duff (Sophie) – 5ft 1 (154.9 cm)
35-year-old Hilary Duff began her career as a Disney Channel star, playing the eponymous role in the Lizzie McGuire series and appearing in other family-friendly titles like A Cinderella Story and Cheaper by the Dozen.
Since then, Duff has enjoyed playing more mature roles as she ages, now starring in the lead role of How I Met Your Father.
Hilary Duff outside the Good Morning America studio to promote the second season of How I Met Your Father on January 23, 2023 (Credit: Roger Wong / INSTARimages / Cover Image)
Hilary Duff plays Sophie, the show’s female equivalent to How I Met Your Mother’s Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor).
Sophie is a creative hopeless romantic searching for love in New York City. Like many others looking for love, Sophie takes to the internet to find partners, going on ridiculous and hilarious dates with any number of suitors.
Just like her on-screen character, Hilary Duff is a creative entrepreneur and a mother to three children.
How I Met Your Father’s plotline follows Sophie’s journey to meet the future father of her child – as evidenced by the show’s title – so Hilary Duff will be an essential cast member in season two and beyond.
Hilary Duff, who plays Sophie in “How I Met Your Father,” has a height of 5 feet 1 inch (154.9 cm) (Credit: Hulu)
2. Kim Cattrall (Future Sophie) – 5ft 6 ½ (168.9 cm)
How I Met Your Father follows How I Met Your Mother’s story-within-a-story device, which featured Bob Saget as Future Ted Mosby narrating his younger antics.
This time, 66-year-old Kim Cattrall is the voice behind Future Sophie, who tells these stories to Sophie’s future son.
Kim Cattrall attending the Emily in Paris Season 3 world premiere in Paris, France, on December 6, 2022 (Credit: ABACA / INSTARimages / Cover Images)
Known best for her role as the sexy Samantha in the Sex and the City franchise, Cattrall almost didn’t appear in How I Met Your Father at all, telling Variety that her role “came out of left field,” saying: “They apparently tried to make Hilary look older so she could do both, and it didn’t work. It’s very difficult to pull that off.”
She continued, “We had a quick Zoom, and everyone seemed so lovely and happy. They sent me little bits of the show. I thought it’s exactly what it should be. I got out to L.A. The next day, I went to the Paramount lot, my favorite lot, and we filmed for a day. I did 10 episodes in one day, the wraparounds.”
Kim Cattrall is known to have a height of 5ft 6 ½ (168.9 cm) and plays the character of Future Sophie in the TV series “How I Met Your Father” (Credit: Hulu)
Hilary Duff was pumped about Cattrall’s casting, posting a photo of the two on Instagram with the caption: “When @kimcattrall said yes I screamed. Now can we please get a better pic than this one I dug up from the deep web 😂 @himyfonhulu”
A professional through and through, Kim Cattrall nails the recurring role and is an exciting addition to the cast.
3. Chris Lowell (Jesse) – 5ft 10 (177.8 cm)
Portrayed by 38-year-old Chris Lowell, Jesse is a perpetually unlucky-in-love character that brings the show into a modern perspective.
A man with many jobs, Jesse is a living meme after his marriage proposal to his ex-girlfriend went viral online, earning him the name “Mr. Proposal Fail.” Jesse becomes close with Sophie, making us wonder if he is the father the show’s title alludes to.
Chris Lowell, who portrays the character of Jesse in “How I Met Your Father,” has a height of 5ft 10 (177.8 cm) (Credit: Hulu)
As a callback to How I Met Your Mother, Jesse lives in the same apartment that once belonged to characters from the original show: Lily and Marshall.
Actor Chris Lowell may not be a household name, but he has an impressive IMDB list with titles like Up in the Air, The Help, Veronica Mars, and Inventing Anna.
Chris Lowell at the 2018 Vulture Festival in New York on May 19, 2018 (Credit: JOHN NACION / Startraksphoto)
4. Suraj Sharma (Sid) – 5′ 7″ (1.70 m)
Jesse’s roommate, Sid, is portrayed by 29-year-old Suraj Sharma and is the equivalent of How I Met Your Mother’s Marshall. A goofy and supportive bar owner, Sid gets into a number of shenanigans with the rest of the cast.
Suraj Sharma, who plays the character of Sid in the TV series “How I Met Your Father,” has a height of 5′ 7″ (1.70 m) (Credit: Hulu)
Suraj Sharma is a decorated actor you may know best as the titular character in the Academy Award-winning movie Life of Pi.
Despite the film’s critical success, Sharma has only taken a few other roles outside of How I Met Your Father, including Homeland, Wedding Season, and The Illegal.
Joining the cast of The God Friended Me, Suraj Sharma made an appearance during PaleyFest in New York on February 26, 2019 (Credit: NANCY RIVERA / INSTARimages)
5. Francia Raisa (Valentina) – 5ft 2 (157.5 cm)
Sophie’s best friend and roommate, Valentina, is a funky and fun-loving character portrayed by the beautiful Francia Raisa.
Francia Raisa, who portrays the character of Valentina in “How I Met Your Father,” has a height of 5ft 2 (157.5 cm) (Credit: Hulu)
At 34 years old and standing at five feet and three inches, Raisa is a television regular who has appeared in titles like The Secret Life of the American Teenager and Grown-ish.
Despite her acting career, her name likely sounds most familiar to Selena Gomez fans. Raisa is a close friend of the pop star, who made headlines when she generously donated one of her kidneys to Gomez, who suffers from lupus, in 2017.
Francia Raisa attending the Disney 2022 Upfront in New York on May 17, 2022 (Credit: Roger Wong / INSTARimages)
Though it seems that she is not as close with Selena Gomez as she once was, we still give Francia Raisa props for helping out a friend in need and wish her the best for the second season of How I Met Your Father.
6. Tom Ainsley (Charlie) – 6′ 1″ (1.85 m)
It seems like no American sitcom is complete without a wacky British character – bonus points if they are a love interest, too!
How I Met Your Father’s very own zany Brit is none other than Charlie, portrayed by actor Tom Ainsley, who has a height of 6′ 1″ (1.85 m).
Tom Ainsley as Charlie and Hilary Duff as Sophie in the sitcom How I Met Your Father (Credit: Hulu)
Charlie is a complicated character, as he grew up as a British aristocrat before moving to New York City to be with his girlfriend, Valentina (Francia Raisa), abandoning his cushy life and hefty inheritance in the process. The couple felt they were taking things too fast, so Charlie moved in with Ellen (Tien Tran) and found a job at Sid’s bar.
31-year-old Tom Ainsley is not as celebrated as some of his How I Met Your Father cast members, but he has appeared in small roles in titles like Versailles and The Royals.
Merritt Patterson as Ophelia and Tom Ainsley as her love interest Nick Roane in the American primetime television drama soap opera The Royals (Credit: NBCUniversal International Television Production)
Like his on-screen counterpart, Ainsley was born in the United Kingdom but grew up in Scarborough. Ainsley is also one of the tallest cast members, standing at an impressive six feet and one inch.
7. Tien Tran (Ellen) – 5 feet 5 inches (165.1 cm)
The relationships between the characters in How I Met Your Father tend to be confusing, as connections between them tend to look more like a spider web.
A prime example is Ellen, portrayed by Tien Tran, who is Jesse’s sister (Sophie’s possible love interest and Sid’s roommate) and Charlie’s roommate (Valentina’s love interest and Sid’s employee).
Tien Tran, who portrays the character of Ellen in “How I Met Your Father,” has a height of 5 feet 5 inches (165.1 cm) (Credit: Hulu)
A recent divorcee, Ellen moves to New York City to recover from her breakup. As a “granola” character, Ellen owns a produce farm, enjoying plenty of veggies as she and the other characters get into hijinks and look for romance.
Off-screen, 35-year-old Tien Tran is an experienced comedian and has worked with the well-known Chicago improv and sketch comedy group, The Second City.
Tien Tran as Ellen, Hilary Duff as Sophie, and Francia Raisa Valentina in the American sitcom How I Met Your Father (Credit: Disney Platform Distribution)
Despite her comedic chops, Tran’s filmography is relatively scant, featuring small roles in titles like Q-Force, South Side, and Star Trek: Lower Decks.
Guest Stars: Who Will Be Back for Season Two of How I Met Your Father?
Even with dismal ratings, How I Met Your Father has a stacked cast of guest actors. At the end of the season 2 premiere of the spin-off to the renowned comedy How I Met Your Mother, Neil Patrick Harris, the original star of the show, reprised his role as Barney Stinson.
In season one, Sophie’s regular boyfriend was Drew, portrayed by Josh Peck. Like Hilary Duff, 36-year-old Peck started as a child star and is still known best for his role as Josh in Nickelodeon’s Drake & Josh.
After posting a video on Instagram urging fans to tune in for the show’s second season premiere, many viewers wonder if Peck will be back for the upcoming season.
Josh Peck making a guest appearance as Drew in the sitcom How I Met Your Father (Credit: Hulu)
Fans may also be in for a nostalgic treat. Cobie Smulders, who portrayed Robin in How I Met Your Mother, appeared in the first season’s finale, leading many fans to believe that other cast members from the original show will appear in How I Met Your Father.
According to Newsweek, Josh Radnor (the original Ted Mosby) has discussed making an appearance on the show, too.
Josh Radnor as Ted Mosby in the sitcom How I Met Your Mother (Credit: CBS)
Additionally, it has been confirmed that pop star Meghan Trainor, Riverdale actor Mark Consuelos, and Love, Victor star Michael Cimino will also appear in the second season of How I Met Your Father.
The Cast Is Feeling Confident About the Second Season of How I Met Your Father
In several interviews and press releases, the cast has discussed reprising their roles for season two, despite all odds.
“We know these characters, we feel a little bit more comfortable,” Hilary Duff said (via ABC News). “We just get more room to play and experience and find these little human bits in the roles. It feels easier to find and a little more secure this time around.”
The cast of the sitcom How I Met Your Father is confident about each of their roles and the status of their show (Credit: Hulu)
“It’s very easy to take a toxic path for some of these decisions that our characters make, but I love that our show oftentimes takes a healthier, more – almost like a more mature [path],” Tien Tran added. “And there’s so much humor in that, in sitting and talking with each other through these difficult moments.”
Tran continued, “I feel like sitcoms of yore would maybe take the easy, sort of toxic path and I love that there are healthy decisions and healthy conversations being made with our show, because I think it’s a good model for how relationships should be approached in real life.”