In the mid to late 2000s, going into the 2010s, there were few sitcoms as successful, popular, and overall as great, for the most part, as How I Met Your Mother. The show thrived in a post-Friends world that included the underappreciated masterpiece Scrubs, the beloved and iconic The Office, and more. A big part of the show's appeal was its characters, who helped bring a brilliant premise, and mostly well done writing to life.
There is a catalog of characters who come in and out of the show, some likable and beloved, some adored but who objectively spend a lot of time being unlikable, and some of whom just stink.
Likable - Steve Henry, "The Blitz"
Many characters in How I Met Your Mother are likable but do not have a huge role in the series, with the Blitz only having one true episode to shine.
In that one episode, though, he proved himself to be insanely likable, being a nice person, and a fun one despite the curse that has befallen him. There are other characters like James, Victoria, and others who are more likable at points than Steve, but who at other times were extremely unlikable; the Blitz was just the Blitz, a lovable friend of Ted and Marshall's.
Can't Stand - Tony & Stella
Ted has many romances throughout the series, with only a few either getting to the point where fans started to speculate about them being the mother or getting so far with Ted that fans were awaiting the heartbreak.
Stella fit that bill, and, despite Ted's reputation, Stella is pretty much hated by most fans for many things, but initially, it was mostly leaving Ted for Tony at the altar. The real despicable thing though, is The Wedding Bride, a movie written by Tony, which Stella obviously had no issues with. No matter your opinions on Ted, they suck.
Likable - Carl "The Bartender"
A recurring character in the show, Carl 'the bartender' is in twenty episodes across the nine seasons of the show and is a part of so many brilliant episodes, making him not just a solid guy, but more often than not a good sign.
He takes care of the gang when they are drunk, he trusts Barney and Ted, allowing them to create 'Puzzles' and beyond the finale of the show, he makes MaClarens into a family business with his son; what's not to like?
Can't Stand - Jeanette
How I Met Your Mother is not always consistent in the quality of its women characters, with some just being the absolute worst, of course, told from Ted's point of view with men like him and Barney is a natural explanation for this.
Jeanette was the last relationship of Ted prior to him finally meeting the mother, Tracy, and she was just awful. She clearly had some issues, and everything from Ted staying with her to her destruction of Ted's apartment to her eventual get together with Kevin made her extremely unlikable. On the other hand, though, she was a key part of Ted's journey.
Likable - Ranjit Singh
Everyone's favorite side character/chauffeur, Ranjit Singh, is always an enjoyable sight for audiences, bringing comic relief, a love for his wife, a classic hello, and even some wisdom to his many appearances.
Ranjit is just a really lovable guy, and while audiences do not get to know him a great deal, he loves his wife, is endlessly nice to the gang, and successfully started his own business, so Ranjit is good all round.
Can't Stand - Zoey Pierson
Someone who was the absolute opposite of a welcome sight for fans was Zoey Pierson, one of Ted's many girlfriends throughout the show, and one who many, many fans believe to be the worst of the bunch.
Zoey's manipulative ways and attempts to ruin Ted's life and career, with her endless attempts to sabotage Ted's dream and keep the awful Arcadian standing helping to make her universally hated.
Likable - Tracy McConnell
It was a long road in the show to meet the title character, the mother, and thankfully that long wait got rewarded in the form of Cristin Milioti's Tracy McConnell, undoubtedly Ted's best love interest.
Her and Ted's journey got botched in the finale, but that does not take away from how undeniably great Tracy is such a sweet, kind, person willing to help out everyone, with her quirkiness being similar to Ted, but in a twenty times more likable way. All round, Tracy is great.
Can't Stand - Karen
Often the argument will rage on between fans about who was the worst of Ted's girlfriends in the show's history, Zoey or Stella, but, in fact, there is a third option, the utterly deplorable Karen.
Karen was a Karen before Karen's were famous for being Karens. She was intolerable, pretentious, cruel, constantly acting like she is better than everyone, and smarter, judging everyone, and cheating on her boyfriends at every available opportunity, the worst.
Likable - Marshall Eriksen
Out of the main five of the gang, the only person who is truly likable start to finish, both in that he is loved by fans and is genuinely a consistently good person is Marshall.
Barney is self-explanatory, Robin does some awful things and can be unlikable at points, so too can Lily with the manipulation and leaving Marshall for example, but Marshall? A good guy all around. He absolutely adores Lily and his friends, wants to do good so badly, wants to save the planet, is comfortable with himself, loves his family, is hilarious, and is just the best the show has to offer in terms of quality of personality.
Can't Stand - Ted Mosby
Then there is Ted Evelyn Mosby, Schmoesby, Ted 'the architect', Teddy West Side, Doctor X, Lady Tedwina Slowsby, the absolute worst guy, challenging Ross from Friends for that crown.
Ted undoubtedly has good moments, and often good intentions. However, his hypocritical treatment of women and of his friends, pretentious nature, ignorance, selfishness and insane self-involvement, lack of care for others, obsessive ways, telling his kids those stories, and, worst of all, complete and total lack of growth are many of the reasons why Ted is the worst and most hatable/hated character in the show.