Bob Saget may have never appeared on How I Met Your Mother, but he was involved in nearly every episode - and it seems like a missed opportunity that he wasn't used in the series finale as old Ted. The actor, who had plenty of sitcom experience with Full House, served as the show's narrator throughout its nine-season run. There was an opportunity to show Saget directly in the series finale episode, but the producers decided to go in a different direction for a justifiable reason.
How I Met Your Mother revolved around Ted Mosby as he told his two children the epic tale of how he eventually met their mom. Ted was played by Josh Radnor throughout the series and since the character served as the narrator from a future timeline set in 2030, Saget provided the voice for Future Ted. Despite working on the sitcom for nearly a decade, Saget's role was uncredited.
Saget's voiceover work lasted for 206 episodes until Radnor took over as the narrator and storyteller in How I Met Your Mother's two-part series finale. The finale aired in March 2014 and ended with Future Ted finishing up his story to his kids. Rather than have Saget play the older version of Ted on-screen, Radnor was aged-up so he could interact with the kids following the conclusion of his story. Some viewers questioned why Radnor played this version of the character since his voice didn't match the narrator set in the future. Saget, however, thought the decision to use Radnor was the right choice.
Saget Believed Radnor Should Conclude Ted Mosby's Story
Saget was first invited to do voice work for the pilot after the role was compared to The Wonder Years. How I Met Your Mother's creators enjoyed having Saget in the role of the narrator so he stayed on for the duration of the series. When the How I Met Your Mother finale came around, the writers thought it made more sense for Radnor to be the one to portray Future Ted on-screen. Even though the difference in voices was questionable, Saget agreed that it was more appropriate for Radnor to finish Ted's time on the series. He also provided that explanation that Ted's voice was different in the narration because it was more of his conscience telling the story to the viewers. It would not be hard to believe Ted's voice in his head sounded different than in person.
For viewers who were hoping that Saget would get his due in the series finale, the alternate ending to How I Met Your Mother continued using the long-time narrator. The other ending didn't use any new footage with Future Ted, and instead, it relied on Saget's voiceover to close out the series. Many fans have been outspoken about enjoying this version of the conclusion since it didn't kill off the Mother, nor did it force Ted and Robin back together. Either way, it's safe to say that Saget played a crucial role in the series for nine long years.