The How I Met Your Mother gang has encountered some pretty colorful characters over the years. Boyfriends, girlfriends, in-laws, outlaws. Who could forget Simon Tremblay, Robin's first boyfriend from Canada who drove her oot of her mind? Or The Captain, the maniacally friendly husband of Ted's crush. We'll always remember his megawatt smile/resting serial killer eyes.
How I Met Your Mother ran for nine seasons and had a total of 208 episodes. The amount of guest stars could populate a small town. Many were hilarious, heartwarming, or heartbreaking. But given their sheer volume, there are bound to be a few we forget about. Now it's time to give the unsung supporting characters their moment in the sun—or at least a seat in the booth at MacLaren's. Here is How I Met Your Mother: 10 Most Underrated Supporting Characters.
Chloe
While many of us have a crazy ex we'd love to forget, the ones on HIMYM are some of our favorites. Fans often forget that Chloe is played by Morena Baccarin, known for her dramatic work in Firefly and Homeland. In HIMYM, she gets to dial up the laughs as Chloe, a slightly unhinged barista. Chloe has the distinction of being the only woman Marshall has dated besides Lily. New to being single, Marshall is in a desert of loneliness, until he finds an oasis in Chloe - who then turns out to be a mirage.
Chloe has a pleasant, gregarious demeanor, but the whole gang - except Marshall - can tell she's one boiled bunny away from becoming Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction. Simply put, Chloe has the "Crazy Eyes". Marshall ignores them, only for Chloe to rip through his apartment like a tornado, looking for her keys—which are right on the coffee table in front of her. Between her Crazy Eyes and maniacal laugh, Chloe deserves more notoriety in the HIMYM canon.
Gael
Pop star Enrique Iglesias shines as Gael, the dopey Adonis. Gael serves as a souvenir Robin brings back from her post-breakup trip to Argentina. Everything about this fling makes sense. Robin is heartbroken and vulnerable from her split with Ted, making Gael the perfect distraction. Besides, who doesn't behave differently on vacation? We ignore our email, drink cocktails at breakfast, and apparently make passionate love to exotic dummies on windsurfing boards.
But we usually leave that behavior behind at customs. Not Robin, and we dearly thank her for it. Gael is a bohemian fish out of water. The gang can't help but make jokes at the expense of his limited intelligence. Robin eventually wakes up—literally, by a bongo circle Gael has invited into her apartment—and gives Gael the boot. But hey, they'll always have windsurfing.
Blah Blah
Ted may forget her real name, but viewers should remember Blah Blah, played to vitrolic, insecure hilarity by Abigail Spencer. Back in 2007, meeting romantic partners online was just starting to lose its stigma. Apparently, Blah Blah didn't get that memo because she is fiercely adamant that Ted not tell his friends that's how they met. But Ted being Ted, he totally spills the beans, provoking Blah Blah to have a conniption.
Robin, despite her friendly attitude to Blah Blah, is nonetheless guilty of being Ted's ex. Blah Blah constantly tries to one-up her, creating an uncomfortable evening for the gang. At the end, there's no doubt in anyone's mind where Blah Blah belongs on Barney's Hot/Crazy Scale.
Jerry Whittaker
Considering that Barney spends much of the series believing his father is Bob Barker, it's easy to forget about Jerry. John Lithgow plays Barney's actual biological father. Jerry was once a Barney-esque playboy but has since settled into a tame suburban life, complete with wife and child.
The most noteworthy supporting characters on HIMYM earn their street cred based on laughs. However, Lithgow provides an earnest amount of heart and serves to deepen Barney's character. It may seem that Barney's suits are his armor but it's actually his persona as a soulless womanizer. Strip that away and what's left is a broken man in desperate need of a father. The scene where Jerry teaches Barney how to use a screwdriver is one of the most tear-jerking moments of the whole show.
Abby
Anyone who's seen Crossroads will tell you that Britney Spears isn't exactly known for her acting abilities. That's what makes her turn in HIMYM such a sparkling surprise. Spears plays Abby, a hypersensitive receptionist with a mega-crush on Ted.
But Abby's not all rainbows and moon eyes. Barney sleeps with her, making the mistake that Abby's just another gullible conquest. But Abby takes the role of scorned lover to the next level, stalking Barney and warding off any of his would-be lovers. Clearly, Spears was a hit in the role, because she makes repeated appearances, in which Abby is obsessed with taking down Ted or Barney. As viewers, we're just obsessed with her character.
Loretta Stinson
Between Loretta Stinson and her role as Ruth Fisher, the Six Feet Under matriarch, actress Frances Conroy knows how to play a deliciously bad mom. There's something to be said for protecting a child's innocence, but Loretta takes things to the extreme, telling her sons Barney and James outlandlishly tall tales. Hence, Barney's belief that Bob Barker is his father.
Loretta doesn't stop her sugarcoated spin control just because Barney and James are adults. If anything, she doubles down. James and the gang are hip to Loretta's lies but Barney desperately clings to them. Some think the Stinsons are hilarious, others think they're tragic, but one thing's for sure—they're indisputably watchable.
Wendy the Waitress
An excellent supporting character has both the ability to boost up the leads and be entertaining in their own right. This is a feat expertly nailed by Charlene Amoia, who plays Wendy the Waitress. After dating her, Barney is inspired to create the Platinum Rule: "never ever, ever, ever love thy neighbor". In other words, don't date someone whom you have to see every day.
Indeed, Wendy's employment at the gang's local watering hole provides somewhat of a problem when Barney's through with her. He interprets Wendy's "no hard feelings" attitude as a masked desire to kill him, and becomes comically paranoid as a result. Among other precautions, he slo-mo slaps Marshall's hamburger out of his hand. Wendy the Waitress may not have a last name, but she sure deserves our recognition.
Arthur Hobbs
HIMYM is a standout show for many reasons, one of them being that two of the gang's various bosses are portrayed by Breaking Bad alums. Most people remember Bryan Cranston as the pompous Hammond Druthers, but Bob Odenkirk's Arthur Hobbs tends to get overlooked. Arthur is like Marshall's shadow boss, following him around from job to job.
As Marshall comes to find out, there are two Arthurs. The first is the aggressive, angry boss with a penchant for screaming—we're honestly surprised Odenkirk didn't burst a vein. The second is a more relaxed boss-friend hybrid. It turns out the latter is the deadliest, as Arthur tries to sandbag Marshall's attempts at leaving Goliath National Bank, the company they both work for. Hey, if Marshall ever needs a job... better call Arthur.
Randy Wharmpess
Will Forte has viewers in stitches as Randy Wharmpess, Barney's wingman who can never seem to take flight. Poor Randy strikes out so hard, it's a miracle his rejections don't register on the Richter scale. Despite being under Barney's tutelage, Randy just can't seem to master the art of negging. On the rare occasion Randy's able to hold a woman's attention, the moment is ruined by his perpetual nosebleeds, which happen whenever he... rises to the occasion.
Eventually, Randy leaves his corporate job and pursues his dream of opening up a brewery. This is something he's actually good at, even if the name "Wharmpess Beer" is a little unappetizing.
Patrice
DAMMIT, PATRICE! Why do you have to be so funny? Ellen D. Williams is an absolute delight as Patrice, Robin's sweet-as-pie co-worker/arch-enemy. For whatever reason, Patrice's sunny disposition gets under Robin's skin. Just when the viewer thinks Patrice can't top herself in the niceness department, she does something worthy of sainthood, provoking a shrill, enraged response from Robin.
We've all been there. There's always that one person whom everybody loves while we secretly can't stand them. Robin can't vent to anybody about Patrice because she'll come off looking psychotic. And you know who's fault that is? IT'S YOURS, PATRICE!