How I Met Your Mother is a show that fans can go back to again and again and always find a reliable laugh or gem they had forgotten about. But, as time passes, some aspects of the show might be seen to take a turn for the worse. The show stays the same, but the shifting times cause fans to see things differently than they once did.
Some jokes might land a little strangely, or miss their target completely because they are aiming for one that no longer exists. However, along with the things that make one squirm in their seat, there is still much about the show that gives fans cause to keep returning.
Ages Well: Robin's Gender Defiance
Robin defies gender stereotypes left and right. She is a woman happily living on her own, she has five dogs, which comes off as a kind of play on the stereotype of women living along with several cats, and she spends much of the show decidedly not wanting a serious relationship or children, two massive expectations for women of her age.
Doesn't Age Well: Use Of The Word "Slut"
Things get a little uncomfortable when conversation ventures into the territory of calling people "sluts." The word is often casually used in the show, and, although it's usually in the terms of a joke, the jokes don't actually redefine or comment on the meaning of the word as it's being used. Rather, it can sometimes be used as a genuine insult, or something the girls make clear they avoid being, which works to validate the word.
Ages Well: Marshall's Sensitivity
Sexism and gender stereotyping exist a little tumultuously in the show, sliding in and taking the viewer by surprise. This surprise occurs because, for much of the show, the characters actually subvert a lot of gender norms, and the show seems to be consciously aware of poking fun at them. Marshall's sensitive and caring nature is refreshing in this way, showing characteristics more normally associated with women in TV.
Doesn't Age Well: Lily's Indirect Sexism
Lily is tough and won't be told to fit in any kind of box, and yet, by aiming to avoid the box women are often put in, Lily ends up generalizing women in general and perpetuating sexist ideas. By doing things like making fun of men by comparing them to women, Lily contributes to the system she aims to resist.
Ages Well: Ted And Lily's Relationship
The group spends so much time together that it's easy to overlook their individual relationships, especially in regards to character relations to Lily and Marshall, since they are always together.
Lily and Ted were actually friends of their own accord, not just because Lily was dating Marshall in college. The show occasionally highlights the closeness of Lily and Ted, fleshing out Lily's character as more than just the girlfriend of Marshall and adding to the show's range of relationship dynamics.
Doesn't Age Well: Marshall's Family
Lily and Marshall have a great relationship; they are equal by all accounts and respect one another. Yet, when they visit Marshall's family, the two are split into gender groups where Lily stays in the kitchen cooking with the women, and Marshall and the men go do things outdoors. Lily's shows some distaste for the family's old fashioned ways, but the issue is not substantially acknowledged.
Ages Well: Treatment Of Barney's Misogyny
Barney could, hypothetically, be a problematic character. His mistreatment of women and blatantly ignorant generalizations could have taken down the show's ability to stand the test of time.
However, because the characters always take Barney's words with a grain of salt and openly condemn his behavior, Barney actually ages surprisingly well. His character becomes even more of a caricature as time goes by, serving as more of an ironic commentary on male fragility and sexism than anything else. It also becomes clear that this is all a facade for the loving person trying to find a way out.
Doesn't Age Well: The Women Barney Dates
The women Barney dates do not age as well as he does. Most of the women he is seen interacting with are clueless and naive, and it serves as unbelievable that so many women would put up with, or fall for, Barney's antics in the first place.
There are instances where an unimpressed woman will serve to make a mockery of Barney's assumption that anyone would fall for his tricks, but these are in the minority, and therefore create contradicting messages in the show.
Ages Well: Ted's Romantic Nature
Ted's romantic nature might come off as the naive urges of an idealist who gets ahead of themselves—and sometimes, it surely is—but, at the start of season one, Ted makes an observation that sticks with the viewer for the rest of the show when he asserts that "it stinks" that a guy can't say "I love you" on the first date.
While this might seem extreme, Ted's point is that a person shouldn't have to act like they don't care just because that's what's normalized. He's a man advocating for men to shout their feelings to the rooftops, and that's pretty radical.
Doesn't Age Well: Barney's Brother
Barney's brother, James, emerges as an attempt for the show to diversify its cast and content, but the situation is strained when Robin comments that she wished she'd been warned of his race and sexuality. While James is in fact a wonderful character, it's a shame that he becomes the token black and queer guy of the show.