You’ve heard of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but what about the How I Met Your Mother cinematic universe?! During Tuesday’s Television Critics Association winter press tour, How I Met Your Father creator Isaac Aptaker confirmed that the upcoming Hulu series takes place within the HIMYM universe.
“People keep referring to the show as a ‘reboot,’ and it’s not a reboot,” Aptaker said of the new comedy (per TVLine) . “It’s set in the world of the previous show, but it’s really its own thing.”
However, he clarified that “we love How I Met Your Mother,” noting that original series creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, as well as original director Pamela Fryman have been “very involved” in the creation of HIMYF. “There are going to be lots of little rewards for people who love the original if they stick with us,” Aptaker added.
How I Met Your Father is structured around the main character, Sophie (played by Hilary Duff in the present and Kim Cattrall in the future) telling her son how she met his father, much like Ted Mosby did in the original series. Her story largely takes place in 2022 New York City, where she and her friend group — Charlie (Tom Ainsley), Ellen (Tien Tran), Jesse (Chris Lowell), Sid (Suraj Sharma), and Valentina (Francia Raisa) — work on figuring out their love lives and personal identities in the age of dating apps.
“I think it’s important to know that we are our own show,” Duff said during the TCA press tour (per Deadline). “The original show was so amazing, [but we’re] trying to create something original, [while] stealing a few things from them that worked really well.”
How I Met Your Father premieres Jan. 18 on Hulu.
