The actor recalled the show being frequently on the verge of cancellation. Neil Patrick Harris shares surprising reason why he thinks How I Met Your Mother became such a hit The actor recalled the show being frequently on the verge of cancellation. By Daysia Tolentino :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/DaysiaTolentinoauthorphotob1c9bf2343cf4cf7b77759eeb9f69e8d.jpg) Daysia Tolentino Daysia Tolentino is a writer at . She has written for since 2025. Her work has appeared in NBC News, Vulture, GQ, and InStyle. EW's editorial guidelines March 13, 2026 2:25 p.m.

The actor recalled the show being frequently on the verge of cancellation.

Neil Patrick Harris shares surprising reason why he thinks How I Met Your Mother became such a hit

The actor recalled the show being frequently on the verge of cancellation.

By Daysia Tolentino

Daysia Tolentino

Daysia Tolentino is a writer at *. *She has written for * *since 2025. Her work has appeared in NBC News, Vulture, GQ, and InStyle.

EW's editorial guidelines

March 13, 2026 2:25 p.m. ET

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Neil Patrick Harris as Barney on 'How I Met Your Mother'. Credit:

Ron P. Jaffe/Fox

Neil Patrick Harris just revealed why he thinks *How I Met Your Mother* was so legen—wait for it—dary.

The sitcom* *traced the saga of Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) finding his soulmate (and then telling their children a long-winded story about it) for nearly a decade. But despite that long run, the show's future was uncertain in the beginning. In an upcoming two-part episode of the *How We Made Your Mother* podcast obtained by PEOPLE, cast member Neil Patrick Harris shared that the threat of cancelation helped fuel the show.

"We never felt secure," Harris recounted on the podcast, which is hosted by Radnor and *How I Met Your Mother *co-creator Craig Thomas. "We thought we might get canceled all the time. That hunger kept everyone sharp — writers, actors, everyone. We weren't coasting."

Neil Patrick Harris, Cobie Smulders, Josh Radnor, Jason Segel, Alyson Hannigan on 'How I Met Your Mother'.

Thomas and his fellow co-creator Carter Bays have previously credited season 3 guest star Britney Spears with raising *How I Met Your Mother*'s profile. Her episodes, which led to a spike in ratings, saw Spears playing Abby, the sweet receptionist of Ted's then-current love interest, Stella (Sarah Chalke).

Neil Patrick Harris and Britney Spears on 'How I Met Your Mother'.

CLIFF LIPSON/CBS

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In 2022, Bays told Metro.co.uk that *How I Met Your Mother *was "doing okay" before Spears' two episodes. However, the first one "brought a ton of new eyes" to the show.

'I'm very thankful that happened to be an episode I was really proud of and that had a lot of funny stuff in it," he said. "It was a big turning point in the show, our audience grew sizably that day.'

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Elsewhere in his *How We Made Your Mother*, appearance, Harris said he personally felt "insecure" in the role of Ted's swaggering playboy pal Barney, and never felt like he "nailed" his scenes. However, he now thinks "that insecurity absolutely played into the bravado" that his outrageous character possessed. The way he sees it, a confident exterior and a bespoke wardrobe were cover for the uncertainty at Barney's core.

"I've always felt Barney was kind of broken," he said. "He wore armor. The suit was armor. He hid sincerity and vulnerability behind bravado because that's how he survived."

The first part of the *How We Made Your Mother* podcast featuring Harris will be released on March 16. The second episode drops on March 23.

Original Article on Source

Source: "EW Comedy"

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Source: Comedy

Published: March 13, 2026 at 08:57PM on Source: RED MAG

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