How We Made Your Mother

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How We Made Your Mother
GenreRewatch
LanguageEnglish
Cast and voices
Hosted byJosh Radnor
Craig Thomas
Music
Opening theme"New York City" by Josh Radnor
Publication
No. of episodes78
Original releaseMarch 10, 2025 (2025-03-10)
ProviderAudacy
UpdatesWeekly
Related
Related showsHow I Met Your Mother
Websitewww.howwemadeyourmother.com

How We Made Your Mother is a rewatch podcast hosted by Josh Radnor and Craig Thomas, the lead actor and co-creator, respectively, of the American television sitcom How I Met Your Mother. The podcast premiered on 10 March 2025, ahead of the series' twentieth anniversary, and is produced by Alek Lev.[1][2]

The podcast moved to Audacy and joined the Office Ladies Network for its second season in October 2025.[3] A two-part interview with Neil Patrick Harris released in March 2026 generated coverage across major entertainment publications in the United States and abroad.[4][5]

Overview

Each episode of the podcast revisits an episode of How I Met Your Mother, with Radnor and Thomas providing behind-the-scenes commentary, reflections on the series' development, and responses to listener questions. Episodes also feature interviews with cast members, writers, directors, and producers from the original series. The podcast is structured to follow the sitcom's nine-season, 208-episode run.[1]

Production

The concept for the podcast originated when Radnor's wife, Jordana Jacobs, who had never seen the series, expressed interest in watching it. As Thomas explained to People, "I think Josh was really happy to meet and fall in love with and marry somebody who didn't come in with 208 episodes of 'How I Met Your Mother' memorized."[2] Radnor and Thomas subsequently developed the idea into a rewatch podcast format focused on creative process and long-form storytelling.[1]

Radnor has described the rewatch process as a form of personal reconciliation with the original series after years of distance from the Ted Mosby character. In an interview with the New York Post, Radnor noted that the podcast allowed him to approach the show with greater compassion for both the material and his past performance.[6][7] Radnor also noted that the timing aligned with the hosts approaching the age of the series' narrator: "There's a lot of stuff baked into the podcast that parallels the ethos of the show, because Craig and I are approaching the age that older Ted was when he told this story to his kids."[2]

In October 2025, the podcast entered a partnership with the audio platform Audacy and joined the Office Ladies Network for its second season. As part of the agreement, Radnor, Thomas, and Office Ladies hosts Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey were named executive producers.[3] The podcast is co-produced by Doug Matejka, with Alex Reeves serving as audio engineer.[8]

Notable episodes

Neil Patrick Harris two-part interview

In March 2026, the podcast released a two-part interview with Neil Patrick Harris, who played Barney Stinson in the original series. The first part aired on 16 March 2026, with the second part following on 23 March 2026.[9] The interview received coverage from numerous entertainment publications.

In the interview, Harris defended the controversial 2014 series finale, stating that Barney's character arc remained consistent with the show's original storytelling logic.[5][4] Harris also reflected on what he described as a disconnect between himself and Radnor during the original production.[10][11] According to BuzzFeed, Harris explained that his focus on comedic performance made him indifferent to the show's emotional dimension, and Radnor responded by acknowledging he had sometimes confused the character of Barney with Harris.[12]

In a separate People article, Harris attributed part of the show's longevity to the cast's persistent concern about cancellation.[13] Entertainment Weekly reported on Harris's reflections on the show's enduring appeal.[14] Entertainment Tonight covered the on-set drama revealed in the episodes.[15] Additional coverage appeared in Yahoo Entertainment.[16]

Reception

The podcast has received coverage from entertainment publications in the United States and internationally. Variety described the podcast as a fit within Audacy's entertainment slate when announcing the network partnership.[3] Office Ladies hosts Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey praised the podcast in their welcome statement, describing it as "funny, warm, and thoughtful."[3] TVLine identified the podcast as a key venue for Thomas's retrospective reflections during the show's twentieth anniversary in September 2025.[17]

In a profile of Radnor's personal life for Kveller, writer Lior Zaltzman described the podcast as "excellent and quite illuminating."[18] The podcast has also received coverage from international outlets, with Belgian public broadcaster RTBF covering revelations made by guest Cobie Smulders.[19]

Following the Neil Patrick Harris episodes in March 2026, Parade highlighted the podcast's role in revisiting the most debated narrative choices of the original series.[5] BuzzFeed writer Ellen Durney characterized the Harris interview as a candid reframing of the original cast dynamic.[12]

In an interview with People, Radnor described the process of rewatching and discussing the show as "healing," stating that it allowed him to approach the series with greater distance and compassion for both the material and his past performance.[7]

Episodes

How We Made Your Mother releases weekly episodes featuring hosts Josh Radnor and Craig Thomas discussing episodes of How I Met Your Mother, as well as bonus episodes featuring cast, crew, and other guests.

References

  1. Harris, Jerod (2025-03-10). "Josh Radnor, HIMYM Co-Creator Team Up for Rewatch Podcast". People. Retrieved 2025-10-26.
  2. Cobb, Kayla (2025-02-03). "'How I Met Your Mother' Star Josh Radnor and Co-Creator Craig Thomas to Launch Rewatch Podcast". TheWrap. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
  3. Aurthur, Kate (2025-10-14). "'How I Met Your Mother' Rewatch Podcast Joins Office Ladies Network for Season 2 (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2026-05-16.
  4. Chamlee, Virginia (2026-03-16). "Neil Patrick Harris Defends Much-Hated How I Met Your Mother Finale: 'Big Supporter of It' (Exclusive)". People. Retrieved 2026-05-16.
  5. Silva, Gabriela (2026-03-16). "'How I Met Your Mother' Star Defends the Sitcom's Controversial Ending: 'I'm a Big Supporter of It'". Parade. Retrieved 2026-05-16.
  6. "Josh Radnor reveals why rewatching 'How I Met Your Mother' years later is a 'healing' experience". New York Post. 2025-09-20. Retrieved 2026-05-16.
  7. "Josh Radnor Says Rewatching How I Met Your Mother Has Been 'Healing'". People. 2025-09-20. Retrieved 2025-10-26.
  8. "Meet the Team – How We Made Your Mother". Official website. Retrieved 2025-10-26.
  9. Chamlee, Virginia (2026-03-16). "Neil Patrick Harris Defends Much-Hated How I Met Your Mother Finale: 'Big Supporter of It' (Exclusive)". AOL. Retrieved 2026-05-16.
  10. "Neil Patrick Harris and Josh Radnor Open Up About On-Set Tensions While Filming How I Met Your Mother". People. 2026-03-24. Retrieved 2026-05-16.
  11. "Neil Patrick Harris and Josh Radnor Reveal On-Set Friction While Filming 'How I Met Your Mother'". Parade. Retrieved 2026-05-16.
  12. Durney, Ellen (2026-03-24). ""How I Met Your Mother" Star Josh Radnor Explained Why He Felt "Dismissed" By Neil Patrick Harris On Set". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 2026-05-16.
  13. "Neil Patrick Harris Says How I Met Your Mother Worked Because Cast Was 'Worried It Was Going to Be Canceled' (Exclusive)". People. 2026-03-18. Retrieved 2026-05-16.
  14. "Neil Patrick Harris shares surprising reason why he thinks How I Met Your Mother became such a hit". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2026-05-16.
  15. "'How I Met Your Mother's Josh Radnor and Neil Patrick Harris Reveal On-Set Drama, 20 Years Later". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved 2026-05-16.
  16. "Neil Patrick Harris reveals How I Met Your Mother succeeded because cast feared cancellation". Yahoo Entertainment. Retrieved 2026-05-16.
  17. Mitovich, Matt Webb (2025-09-18). "How I Met Your Mother 20th Anniversary: Pilot & Finale Reflections". TVLine. Retrieved 2026-05-16.
  18. Zaltzman, Lior (2026-02-05). "'How I Met Your Mother' Star Josh Radnor Is Now a Jewish Dad". Kveller. 70 Faces Media. Retrieved 2026-05-16.
  19. Canat, Constance (2025-05-22). "Cobie Smulders dévoile son astuce coquine pour les scènes intimes de "How I Met Your Mother"". RTBF (in French). Retrieved 2026-05-16.