How I Met Your Father, the How I Met Your Mother spin-off starring Hilary Duff, proved it’s already learning from the mistakes of its predecessor with its inclusion of a more diverse central cast. The original series, which first premiered in 2005, starred an entirely white cast and had no inclusion of LGBTQ+ characters amongst its series regulars. However, the new spin-off is trying to address those concerns by centering its premise around a more diverse friend group.

Taking place in the near future, the Hulu comedy stars Hilary Duff as Sophie, who is telling her son the story of how she met his father back in the year 2021 via narration provided by Kim Cattrall. The show will revolve around Sophie and her close circle of friends, who are all struggling to figure out what they want out of life and are all trying to navigate the world of modern dating. One topic that the original series never explored much is the subject of online dating and dating apps, which the new series is said to focus heavily on, reflecting the seemingly unlimited pool of options in today’s dating scene.

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It’s no surprise that as the show is updating its dating sensibility, the series has also updated its cast of characters to include more diversity, including POC and LGBTQ+ characters. The cast also features characters from a variety of different socioeconomic backgrounds. In How I Met Your Mother, the main characters came from similar middle-class or even upper-class backgrounds, making How I Met Your Father’s casting a welcome change to the franchise.

The cast of How I Met Your Father posing for a photo together

Many sitcoms from the late 90s and early 2000s have been criticized for featuring only white actors as series regulars—Seinfeld, Friends, and of course, How I Met Your Mother. However, in the new spin-off, How I Met Your Father features Francia Raisa as Valentina, Tien Tran as Ellen, and Suraj Sharma as Sid, with all three actors billed as series regulars. Additionally, Tran’s Ellen is described as having just moved to New York after separating from her wife. With Tran identifying as LGBTQ+ herself, the inclusion of Ellen as an LGBTQ+ character marks another welcome change from HIMYM, in addition to Raisa and Sharma.

The character of Ellen adds an additional layer to the show’s already diverse cast. One of the show’s other characters Jesse (played by Chris Lowell) is related to Ellen, with Ellen being Jesse’s adopted sister. In How I Met Your Mother, much of the cast came from similar backgrounds and home lives, while How I Met Your Father has instead introduced series regulars who come from non-traditional families. Additionally, Ellen is described as having just moved to New York from a small farming town, while Raisa’s Valentina is just off the plane from London Fashion Week, hinting that perhaps the series will focus on characters from a variety of different socioeconomic backgrounds.

Combining a modern sensibility with the inclusion of a more diverse cast, How I Met Your Father has definitely thought about the mistakes made by How I Met Your Mother. Featuring POC and LGBTQ+ characters and actors directly addresses past criticisms of the original series, as well as criticisms of sitcoms in general. Overall, How I Met Your Father is shaping up to be a welcome departure from the original series.

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