How I Met Your Mother (TV Series) Pilot (2005) User Reviews

Pilot (#1.1)

[ComedyFan2010 · 9/10 · 2 July 2015]

This is a pretty great beginning for a sitcom. We already know that Ted will get married, but we have no idea how it will happen and are looking forward to see him going towards it. Considering how he acted in this episode it really doesn't seem like it will be easy.

The scenes of him and Robin are pretty great, with chemistry and humor so that I was very happy to know that she will be a part of the show when Ted referred to her as "aunt Robin" when talking to his kids and made us know that he will definitely see her again.

The introducing of other characters is also pretty great for the first episode. I knew Jason Segel and Alyson Hannigan from other movies and shows and consider them to be great comedians. As a couple they really didn't disappoint me. They were pretty funny and cute together.

And we also have the bad boy Barney who I can predict will bring a lot of funny moments in the episodes to come.

The First Episode...

[taylorkingston · 9/10 · 15 June 2015]

I really love this episode. It's a great series premiere, and I think it was done very well. You already feel like you know the characters, whilst still being surprised by them. It's a funny episode that makes you laugh constantly.

This episode starts with a man in the year 2030, telling his son and daughter how he met there Mother. We flash back to the year 2005, and we meet Ted. He's a young architect who wants to get married and have kids. His best friends, Lily and Marshall are newly engaged, and have dated for almost a decade. His other friend, Barney, is more interested in playing the field than anything else. Ted meets Robin, they go on a date, he accidentally says he think he's falling in love with her, embarrassment is had, and she becomes a new part of the gang, but only as a friend.

Best part of the episode: When Ted tells Robbin that he thinks he loves her.

Worst part of the episode: The fact that Ted doesn't voice Future Ted. That's just so dumb.

Overall, I give this episode a 9 out of 10, which in my ratings book is: Amazing.

Amazing comparing to How I Met Your Father

[itsjustanotherday · 9/10 · 19 January 2022]

Having seen How I met your Father pilot today, feel the urge need to rewatch this pilot agai for the 52nd time! And I can assure how much i've loved it, it's solid, with a plot twist you never see coming, at least in a sitcom from that time. There's background to know main characters and want to see more and more.

The Best Comedy Pilot I've Ever Seen

[patrickmckeon7 · 10/10 · 10 February 2014]

How I Met Your Mother was introduced to me by a friend in the summer of 2013. It took me a couple days or so to finally watch the pilot. Well, thank God I have this friend because this pilot is so good! Let's start with the way Carter and Craig introduce the characters. Ted is a hopeful romantic looking to find love in New York. Marshall just proposed to Lily as he pops the champagne lid into her eye. Barney is playing laser tag, and tells Ted to "Suit up!" And, Robin starts out as the girl of Ted's dreams. By the end of the episode, the viewing public gets such a good feel as to what what to expect from these characters. Next, the story-line. there is a lot of action in this episode, as Marshall and Lily get engaged, which propels Ted to find the love of his life. And, he thinks he does when he first lays eyes on Robin. They go on a date, and at Robin's house, Ted says "I think I'm in love with you." This is a deal breaker as Robin is shocked. Finally, Ted steals the iconic blue french horn, and brings it back to Robin's house only to have the night end in him getting rejected, and the gang plus Rangit hanging out at McClaren's. It's amazing how the writers packed such a busy story-line into a pilot with the viewers still getting a grasp on the characters. Plus: It was funny! I laughed! Too often today these comedies try to be something they are not, and do not make me laugh at all. But, this pilot did the case. I myself am writing a comedy pilot. I've had it in the works for almost a year now, and this pilot is a great example of how to write an awesome pilot. So, if any of you guys out there are writing a pilot, watch this episode because How I Met Your Mother's pilot is hands down the best comedy pilot OF ALL TIME!

What a great pilot for a show :)

[atlasredux · 10/10 · 3 February 2011]

Completely without spoilers : There's a reason I'm giving the pilot of the show a 10/10. This sets the standard for how the show is going to progress. It's hilarious and introduces us to all the main characters perfectly, we all get a great feeling on who they are and where they are in life. The humour is great, the pilot story is a great introduction to the rest of the series and the characters is a perfect mix where everyone can identify.

Ted himself is a naive romantic, though a bit nevrotic, but just lovable ( this coming from a guy ). He's the perfect lead, but compared to other series where the lead is the most reasonable and sane ... Ted is perhaps the one who really needs guidance. He is flawed, but in a likable manner. His friends are flawed, but they all got the components to learn Ted to overcome his nevrotics and and naiveness.

Have we seen this before? Yes. But not this well executed. A great pilot for a great series, it absolutely shows what the show is all about and really sets a high bar of standard the show has managed to keep up.

Have you met Ted?

[callanvass · 10/10 · 29 November 2013]

It's the year 2030. An aged Ted Mosby is telling the story to his kids about how he met their Mother. Marshall Eriksen proposes Lily Aldrin. Barney Stinson is obsessed with making Ted wear a suit, and forces Ted to play a pick-up game at the bar where he has to pick up Lebanese girls. He meets the woman of his dreams, T.V reporter Robin Scherbatsky, who has yet to meet everyone. They hit it off pretty well. Ted falls instantly for Robin. Ted dashes to her apartment to declare his love for her, but Robin isn't quite sure how to take it. I actually didn't care for this show when it first came out. I felt it was a bit too much like Friends, only with different characters (Stupid. I know!) It grew on me over time, and now it's one of my favorite television shows. The cast is amiable, and extremely hard to resist with the charisma they possess. This is now in its 9th and final season. It is quite amazing how they've taken a love story in reverse like this show, and prolonged it as much as they have without it getting tiresome, but anyway. Onto the pilot! This is a very innovative pilot, with many laughs throughout this episode. Ted is the perfect protagonist for this show. His naive, yet affable character is excellent. Marshall, Lilly, and Robin are great as well, but Barney is the best in my opinion. Some of my favorite moments in this episode, include Marshall drilling Lilly with a champagne cork. Barney's obsession with Ted wearing a suit (Barney's love for suits is a recurring theme in this show) Ted's "Smurf Penis" comment, and my personal favorite "I think I'm in love with you" (Ouch!) I have a big crush on Cobie Smulders. I just feel she's absolutely radiant. This is a classic pilot. It's not hard to recognize why this show is immensely popular. It's hilarious, imaginative, and likable. Stop reading this crappy review, and go watch it if you haven't. Get the signal?

10/10

Favorite quote

Marshall: Will you marry me? Lilly: Of course, you idiot!

Best pilot ever

[hosamkasem46 · 10/10 · 17 November 2020]

Best pilot ever , best characters and good screenplay to start with

a good pilot

[monaimdb · 8/10 · 29 June 2021]

It does what a pilot should do and does it well - it introduces the characters, the type of comedy, the overall vibe, the plot. The only part it failed for me, personally, was making me want to watch the next episode to find out more. Though i think this has more to do with the style of sitcom i prefer. I'm aware people love this show and this wouldn't stop me from continuing to watch the show. In fact, i think this is the kind of show that needs some warming up before i get used to the style and then genuinely enjoy the show.

It's not bad at all, it just has more to do with personal taste. I can see why those who enjoy it do, and i guess that's what's most important afterall.

(if this review didn't make much sense it's because i'm writing this at 3am and i might be a bit delusional, so i apologise in advance for the bad structuring)

Olives

[bevo-13678 · 10/10 · 14 June 2020]

I like the bit where she quotes the line from Ghostbusters

A Funny Pilot Episode

[slightlymad22 · 7/10 · 6 November 2014]

Plot In A Paragraph: It's the year 2030 and architect Ted Mosby sits his teenage children (A son and daughter) down to tell them the story of how he met their mother.

Told in flashback, the story starts In Brooklyn in 2005, we see the younger Ted (Josh Radnor) living with his best friend Marshall Eriksen (Jason Segel) a sweet law student, and Marshall's girlfriend Lily Aldrin (Alyson Hannigan) 'other best friend', Barney Stinson (a fun Neil Patrick Harris whose character seems to be obsessed with suits and laser tag) we also meet an attractive TV reporter called Robin who Ted meets in his favourite bar 'Maclarens". And the final character we meet is a cab driver named Rajit.

Of all the cast I only knew Neil Patrick Harris (who I am a fan of) from TV's "Dougie Houser MD" in which he played the title character years earlier and several TV movies in all of which he was excellent. Alyson Hannian I knew from the "American Pie" movies, other than that, all the cast are new to me.

All the cast do well in a solid first episode.

Heartfelt show

[devyani-best · 9/10 · 10 April 2020]

Not a 10 because of the rushed finale, which though made sense but would have more if given time to play out properly