Played by Joe Nieves since the pilot episode, Carl the Bartender is one of the most memorable side characters from How I Met Your Mother. As the owner of MacLaren's Pub, Carl was a hilarious and mysterious enigma who many fans agree should have had more screen time throughout the series. (He was hardly featured in the show's controversial final season, for starters.)

RELATED: How I Met Your Mother: 10 Storylines The Show Dropped

Fans and critics alike were also disappointed with Ted Mosby's character at times, leaving many to wonder if Ted's character should have been swapped with another. Although replacing Ted Mosby with Carl the Bartender as the lead was never slated to happen, there are still plenty of reasons why the fan-favorite bar owner should have been the main character of How I Met Your Mother.

He's Been Around Since The Beginning

Split image of Ted and Robin in the pilot

Joe Nieves' Carl the Bartender was one of the few side characters around since the beginning of How I Met Your Mother. First appearing in the series pilot, Carl had many credited appearances throughout the series's run, making him one of the few characters (aside from the main cast) who lasted from season 1 to the end.

Carl was there the moment Ted met Robin in the pilot, and fans finally got to learn about the character's future in the season 9 episode "Gary Blauman." Replacing Ted with Carl would still feature a main character present throughout the entire series run.

He's A Genuinely Caring Person

Split image of two scenes of Carl

Carl the Bartender made his personality known throughout How I Met Your Mother. Although he didn't have many episodes about him specifically, fans still got to learn bits and pieces about Carl and his personality for nine seasons--and viewers of the show know that Carl could be caring at times. A genuinely caring person, Carl would have made a fantastic lead for the series.

The best example of this occurs in the season 1 episode, "The Pineapple Incident," where viewers watch as Carl writes his phone number down on an intoxicated Ted's arm, telling his loyal patron that he'll come to rescue Ted should his friend run into any trouble.

The Series Could Show A (Slightly) Different NYC

Split image of How I Met Your Mother scenes outside in the rain

A majority of How I Met Your Mother did take place in a bar already--Carl's bar, MacLaren's Pub. That said, making Carl the main character of the series would certainly show a different perspective than before: the life of a bartender is rife with stories and interesting characters, with plenty of opportunities to show a different side of New York City than fans saw with Ted and the gang.

RELATED: Which How I Met Your Mother Character Are You Based On Your Zodiac?

Instead of arcs focusing on Ted's architecture firm, fans would see life behind the bar at MacLaren's, with plenty of time to get to know Carl better. Although fans of How I Met Your Mother are already quite familiar with life at MacLaren's, making Carl the main character of the series would allow for a different perspective in the Big Apple.

He's Just Plain Hilarious

Split image of Carl at the bar and wearing a cowboy hat

Carl the Bartender certainly had his moments during How I Met Your Mother's original run. He plays along with the gang's antics (to an extent), he cracks jokes from behind the bar, and sometimes he even takes an active role in the gang's adventures at MacLaren's.

From tormenting Barney with the "Swarley" nickname to his "careful with the meatball" comment from the season 8 episode "The Time Travellers," Carl is a straight-up hilarious character who could have led his own series as the main lead.

A (Potentially) Whole New Cast

Split image of Wendy and Doug

Longtime fans of How I Met Your Mother can probably name nearly every single MacLaren's Pub employee, not limited to Wendy the Waitress, Doug the Bouncer, and even Mark (who passed away in the season 2 episode "Monday Night Football"). However, there are plenty of employees and pub regulars that fans have yet to meet at all.

Although fans have already seen plenty from the recurring cast at MacLaren's, making Carl the main character of How I Met Your Mother instead of Ted would invite a (somewhat) all-new rotating cast of characters which could make for a more interesting series.

Less Ted Mosby

Ted sitting alone at the booth in the bar

A polarizing series lead, fans have been divided on whether they like Ted's character or not ever since How I Met Your Mother first premiered in 2005. Ted, played by Josh Radnor, had some incredible moments throughout the series--ramping up until viewers finally got to meet Cristin Milioti's Tracy McConnell near the end of the show. However, that doesn't detract from the character's shortcomings and faults, which were on display for the entire series's run.

Although Ted's character is the lightning-rod center of the series, replacing him as the main character with Joe Nieves' Carl the Bartender would certainly make for an entirely different show--and would please fans who may not like Ted Mosby's character all that much.

Carl Has A Family

Carl and his son behind the bar

Longtime viewers of How I Met Your Mother learned in the season 9 episode "Gary Blauman" that Carl ended up as a family man. Despite not knowing much about Carl's love life (aside from his girlfriend mentioned in the series pilot), fans are told by Ted's future narration that MacLaren's Pub ends up as a family-run business.

RELATED: How I Met Your Mother: 10 Most Perfect Song Choices Throughout The Series

Although viewers do not learn the name of Carl's son (or the mother of his child), replacing Ted Mosby as the series lead could potentially give fans a look into Carl's love life--perhaps telling the story of how Carl met his son's mother.

Split image of Ranjit and Sandy Rivers

The fan-favorites from MacLaren's Pub still have plenty of stories to tell. Replacing Ted as the series lead with Carl the Bartender would invite countless new stories, bringing back old favorites in a new light. From Ranjit to Sandy Rivers, there are plenty of recurring side characters from How I Met Your Mother that could have been brought back if Carl had replaced Ted as the series lead.

Although fans of the show have already seen a few stories featuring the employees at MacLaren's Pub, there are still plenty of NYC-based stories to tell with old series favorites.

He's A Great Friend

Image of Carl serving drinks to the main cast

From series beginning to end, viewers of How I Met Your Mother learned plenty about Carl's personality--and Carl proved himself to be a true friend over and over again.

In the season 4 episode "Three Days Of Snow," Carl handed the keys to MacLaren's Pub over to Ted and Barney so they could meet some girls, demonstrating his trustworthiness. And in the season 6 episode "The Perfect Cocktail," Carl helped Barney and Marshall end their feud all on his own, showing his value as a friend to the gang. Replacing Ted as the series lead would have shown Carl to fit the perfect definition of a true friend, giving an all-new light to an old fan-favorite character.

Learn More About Carl Himself

Close up of Carl

Longtime fans of the show know that there's plenty to learn about Carl. The season 8 episode "The Time Travellers" demonstrated that Marshall (and, most likely, the rest of the gang) doesn't know Carl's last name. The season 9 episode "Gary Blauman" showed that Carl ends up as a family man, and Marshall even jokes in the season 1 episode "The Pineapple Incident" that Carl could possibly be a vampire (but that's far less likely to be true than any other guesses about the enigmatic bartender).

From his love life to his last name, Carl the Bartender existed as a (somewhat) mysterious figure during How I Met Your Mother's original run. Replacing Ted with Carl the Bartender as the series lead could potentially show fans an entirely new side of the iconic side character.

NEXT: How I Met Your Mother: 5 Reasons Why Robin Should've Ended Up With Barney (& 5 Why Ted Was The Right Choice)