“How I Met Your Mother” Review: From Frustrated to Hooked

I once called it the most frustrating show on TV…

So why am I now completely hooked on “How I Met Your Mother”?

Three words: Neil Patrick Harris.

I have always liked NPH, but after seeing his mad skills in “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog,” I have fallen head over heels. And the season premiere of “HIMYM” only solidified that…

I know that the show is technically about Ted (Josh Radnor) and the story of how he met his children’s mother, but for me the real star has always been HPH’s Barney. And in the premiere, Barney shows us something he never has before—real emotion.

You may remember in last season’s finale how from his hospital bed, Barney gave Robin (Cobie Smulders) a longing look that suggested he may have some real feelings for her. And in the premiere, he confirms that when he confides in Lily (Alyson Hannigan) that he’s in love with Robin. Lily then proceeds to try to help him…

You may also remember from last season’s finale that Ted proposed to Stella (Sarah Chalke). I won’t give away her answer, but I will tell you that Ted discovers a major problem with their relationship—Stella has never seen “Star Wars”…

The episode is charming, if not always funny. But I was completely shocked at how little the studio audience laughed at Barney’s jokes. Maybe they were weirded out by the sensitive Barney.

Personally, I thought he was legen—wait for it—dary…

“How I Met Your Mother” premieres Monday, September 22nd at 8:30 p.m. on CBS…

Photo Credit: Eric McCandless/FOX