There's still going to be a spinoff of How I Met Your Mother, but 20th Century Fox TV is starting over. The studio was originally making a second attempt to develop a spinoff of the beloved, long-running CBS sitcom in December, with This Is Us co-producers Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger named the co-creators and writers of the series. It made sense for 20th Century Fox to go back to that well, as the original HIMYM averaged over 10.5 million viewers per episode in its final season.

Aptaker and Berger had a change of plans in their schedules however, once the acclaimed This Is Us became a runaway hit in its first season and they became co-showrunners along with creator Dan Fogelman for season 2. This left the future of the HIMYM spinoff hanging in the balance. But now the new show is back on, as 20th Century Fox is seeking a fresh start with a new team of writers.

As reported by Deadline on Tuesday, another HIMYM spinoff attempt is in the works from 20th Century Fox TV, called How I Met Your Father. This will be the third attempt to capitalize on the success of HIMYM, as How I Met Your Dad was being developed as far back as 2014 before falling through. Twentieth Century Fox is currently seeking new writers to pen a fresh spec script for the project, now that Aptaker and Berger are no longer available. It's unclear whether the new series would air on CBS.

How I Met Your Mother CBS Original Cast

Fox is hoping for the series to potentially be developed for next season. Here's how Fox chairman Dana Walden described the studio's current plans for the newest spinoff to Deadline:

“They will be starting from scratch. ... It’s one that’s been slowly cooked. If it’s the right idea the right execution, we’ll take that.”

If How I Met Your Father is anything like previous spinoff attempts, it will likely not be your typical case. It would not feature any of the original HIMYM characters and instead focus on a new cast with the same storytelling format. It was obviously a successful structure for 20th Century Fox and CBS, and one worth trying again with a clean slate.

Of course, the last memory most How I Met Your Mother fans still have is of the polarizing series finale. For that reason, Fox may have plenty of viewers it will need to win back. It's also something of a risk to create a spinoff that features entirely new characters, as the acting was clearly one of the highlights of the original series. But as far as spinoffs are concerned, Fox could certainly pick a worse show to emulate with a fresh idea.

Next: How I Met Your Mother Star Says Series Finale Was ‘Too Quick’

Source: Deadline