Sitcoms: How I Met Your Mother

Colin Tain discussed sitcoms as half hour long shows that are comedic, hyperbolic and absurd, and tend to be episodic. This episodic nature of sitcoms allows viewers to have a foreknowledge of what they are about to view even if they miss an episode, unlike serial shows like Lost where the viewer must see every episode to fully understand the plot of the television series. Episodic sitcoms have repeated patterns, especially in jokes and character traits and lessons that can be learned in each thirty minute episode.

How I Met Your Mother is a sitcom about a man telling his children about how he met their mother. He feels as though he has to explain this through describing the relationships and friends he had (and still has) before he met their mother. One character in particular, Barney, is obsessed with women and only having them for a short time. The viewer expects him to sleep with or attempt to sleep with at least one woman per episode, as well as tell his friends rules and hints about women. In one episode, for instance, he explains the “cheerleader effect,” where a group of multiple women can look beautiful but if one looks at them individually, they are not so attractive. Each character in this series has expected patterns and life lessons are learned for at least one character in an episode.