Breaking Bad had a clever reference to How I Met Your Mother during a season 3 episode. The AMC hit series aired from 2008 until 2013 which overlapped with How I Met Your Mother's nine-season run. As for genres, the two shows are very different but they share a few interesting connections.
Vince Gilligan's crime drama focused on a science teacher turned meth kingpin was actually the inspiration behind one of How I Met Your Mother's biggest twists. The sitcom's showrunners enjoyed the way that Gilligan developed a long con that deceived the viewers. The specific storyline in focus involved Walter White's manipulation of Jesse Pinkman and the assassination of Gus Fring. This influenced the way that Barney Stinson won over Robin Scherbatsky in How I Met Your Mother season 8. Of course, this long deception was much more innocent in nature to fit the sitcom's tone.
The sneaky How I Met Your Mother reference came during the Breaking Bad season 3 episode, "Abiquiú". Walt and Skyler were in the search to launder a large sum of money so they turned to Saul Goodman. Walt had a history with the lawyer but Skyler was not impressed by his schemes. Before deciding on a car wash business, Saul's money laundering idea focused on Walt opening a laser tag franchise. It wasn't just the laser tag connection but the way he presented his idea with the line, "drum roll please, wait for it...laser tag!" The "wait for it" was a direct reference to Barney's catchphrase, "legen-...wait for it...-dary!" and of course, the character's favorite hobby throughout the series was laser tag.
The actor who played Saul Goodman, Bob Odenkirk, had a deeper connection to How I Met Your Mother than many viewers may have realized. Prior to his introduction on Breaking Bad, Odenkirk played Arthur Hobbs on How I Met Your Mother. Arthur was Marshall's boss during his time as a corporate lawyer. The character was intimidating and held the nickname "Artillery Arthur" due to his background in the military. Throughout the sitcom, Odenkirk appeared in nine episodes that spanned through 2012. During his appearances, he often interacted with Barney which could have explained why the actor used one of his catchphrases in Breaking Bad.
Bryan Cranston, who played Walter White in Breaking Bad, also had a minor role in How I Met Your Mother. The actor portrayed Hammond Druthers and worked on three episodes between 2006 and 2013. These shared cast members actually had an interesting effect on Breaking Bad. Due to Odenkirk's commitment to How I Met Your Mother when Saul was introduced, Gilligan needed to cut some of the character's presence in the AMC series. To fill that void, Mike Ehrmantraut was created and Jonathan Banks was cast. If it wasn't for Odenkirk and How I Met Your Mother, Mike may have never existed. Now Saul and Mike are the major stars of the prequel series, Better Call Saul.