@@ninthata69Britney is the Princess of Pop, has sold around 150 million albums and has two diamond albums ("...Baby One More Time" from 1999 and "Oops!...I Did It Again" from 2000)
@@ninthata69 I was thinking the same.. but to be fair.. possibly I was watching the show because it was so popular because of her, even if i didnt know who she was..
There's a big point you failed to mention. Her appearance on the show happened right in the middle of her very public breakdown. Well, not in the middle, but very closely after. I remember at the time seeing a clip of her from the show, shown as a teaser, and thinking - "That HAS to be a wig", because the last thing I remembered from Spears was her shaving her head. Seeing her on the show as one of the first things she does after her breakdown was, for me, THE draw to watch.
It was actually about a year after the fact; at this point, she had already released her comeback album "Blackout" and was about to be recording her "Circus" album
10000% I love HIMYM and I thought this would be mentioned in the video, a very important fact: Britney was going through one of the most public mental breakdowns in celebrity history, and there were many people who tuned in just to see how she was getting along. This breaks my heart knowing what I know now. Brittney should have taken her time to get better, heal, and get the support she desperately needed. This would have taken months if not years. But instead, she threw herself back into work, no doubt pushed into it by her PR team, management, and conservatorship. To everyone around her she was just a money machine. When I look back at these episodes, no matter how humorous they were, I feel sadness for her. Decades later we see the results of her not having gotten the help she needed from the very beginning.
@@venomander - And HIMYM had referred to it as well, when Jason Segel's Marshall impulsively shaved his head before his wedding 10 months prior to this episode. And it's not the first time Jason Segel was in a struggling show where they tried to insert Spears to save it; Freaks and Geeks producers got some pressure to have Spears in a guest role. They refused.
@@venomanderBlackout was released before/during her breakdown period and then post conservatorship they had her do a guest roll on a sitcom of her choice (which wound up being HIMYM) as a way to begin shifting public perception of her leading up to the release of Circus which was marketed as her “comeback” album. But yeah I think people’s curiosity to see her in an acting role so soon after the head shaving, VMA performance etc was a far bigger ratings booster than any other celebrity cameo at the time could have been.
Yes this was actually around the beginning of her conservatorship as she mentioned in her book that theres was actually another show she wanted to be in if her schedule allowed but her management chose himym instead
She nailed the role and seemed perfectly cast. Not a total surprise as she'd been a decent SNL host twice, though she was usually playing the straight man in most of her sketches (e.g., Astronaut Jones, the colonial museum).
they actually had quite the ensemble of guest stars: britney spears, katy perry, bryan cranston, regis philbin, tim gunn, heidi klum & carrie underwood among others
She was in this role than her leading role in 'crossroads'. The title might be wrong. Not a Brittany fan, but still, I've sadly had to sit through that horrible movie.
Having read Britney's book its ironic that it was thought she "wanted" to be on the show when due to the circumstances it was her father just booking her on it despite being on such a difficult time
What a missed opportunity to tell Britney's side of this story, which was revealed in her new biography. She was in the middle of a breakdown and this was part of her management's attempt to turn her public perception around. She reports being exhausted and resistant to doing acting, given it had taken a hard toll on her mental health in the past.
I never noticed she was in the show until this video. And I also always say, if no one notices what you are doing as an actor/actress, you are doing a good job.
I always convince my most skeptical friends to watch Ten Sessions/Everything Must Go. Britney truly brought in a bubbly presence to Abby and her comedic timing is underrated. She should get more credit for saving the show. Alyson Hannigan and Jason Segel both said she was truly polite and friendly, hard working.
I know some of her music but was never a huge fan, but I loved her in this. She was always so pretty and she just had the brightest smile in the world. Which made everything that happened to her afterwards even more tragic.
Britney was the one who made me aware of HIMYM and got me to start watching it. So I definitely believe that she saved the show. She did a great job too! I've always thought she had the comedy chops for a sitcom.
I really wish Britney would have gotten more into comedy acting, shes charismatic and has good timing. I think that guest star appearance was perfect for her.
One potential factor you left out is that during the writer's strike, Neil Patrick Harris starred in the viral web-series "Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" which helped expose the actor (and by extension, the show) to a large populous of nerds, who were previously not a part of HIMYM's audience. I know this is anecdotal evidence, but that was literally the reason why my brother and I started watching the show in its 3rd season.
This show has no change at any life if it wasn’t for the guest stars. Literally was going to be canceled several times in the early seasons. Nobody cared and the ratings were poor because of reality shows at the time. There was nothing new to this show it was a carbon copy of Friends. If it wasn’t for the guests nobody would have cared about the show. I didn’t watch it until way after in season 6. I did see some episodes before that season but nobody actually cared about the show in the early seasons.
Kind of unrelated but Ten Sessions is an amazing episode to return to after a long break. It's an episode that really captures the comedy, narrative and romanticism that is How I met your mother. If the pilot wasn't so good, this would be the episode I would show someone if I wanted them to get into the show
Upon rewatch it does feel like thr Stella plot is rushed. It makes sense it suffered due to a writer’s strike. I’m actually kinda glad to learn this because I feel like they did the best with what they had now.
Rushed is a nice word. She does nothing nice or cute or remotely charming (other than being acted by a beautiful actress), and does a bunch of annoying things, and then they decide to get married and we're supposed to want it to happen.
I agree with the analysis of Britney’s presence. That’s first time a noted the show. The reason I actually watched the show was because of Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Jason’s writing and performance made me want to watch the show after the writers strike. I do think the success of that movie did help the show.
I’ll give you this. I have never seen a single episode of the How I Met Your Mother. Therefore, I had no idea Britney had been on it. Now that I know she appears on the show, I’m definitely going to watch it now 😂
I remember re-watching HIMYM and getting to these episode and Brittany is actually really really good. Like she was funny, her delivery was great and timing on point.
Nice video. Oddly enough, when i discovered this series, the last season was about to be released! I loved this show since the first episode i watched, because it reminded me a lot of a time in my life and some of my friends. I only found out that Abby was Britney after i watched the series several times... 😬 lol
I’d love to see a discussion around the evolution of Britta Perry in Community. It seems she goes from an intelligent, sure of herself woman to kind of a joke.
Not sure why people keep saying this, there were hints of her being a joke in the 1st season, it felt she was playing up her intelligence for show so she’d fit in, just like Troy, that’s why the longer the group was together, they became more childish and selfish, they were able to drop the social pressures of being something they were before college….something a lot of people do anyway
The fact of the matter is Britney was absolutely struggling during this time too... Despite that, she had such an iconic role. She saved one of my favorite shows despite what she was going through! Actors from the show applauded her for being naturally funny and even ad-libbing lines. Perfect place at the right time!
Oh my god i love Sarah Chalke and would've loved if she was the mother, but i LOVED Alicia Silverstone as a kid and that wouldve been so awesome! HIMYM is my favorite show ever, love it.
I became a fan of the series cause of her character cause I have been a Britney fan since 1998 season 3 was the first season of the series I bought physically just to see her appearance and I enjoyed the episodes before her appearance as well as after cause the cast did have chemistry on screen one problem with the first 2 seasons was they tried to hammer home 2 catchphrase with Barney with the different ways he would stretch out the word legendary and tell other cast members to suit up but by the end of the series they were dropped cause they didn’t really catch on like some like may the power protect you or may the force be with you from power rangers and Star Wars
Wow... I've watched this more than I care. But didn't realize Stella is not there practically the whole S3. With 3 episodes & she made the story. Probably because of how it ended with her.
Britney Spears is STILL the most famous popstar in the world. As I write this comment, Britney is currently spending her fifth week at number 1 on top of the New York Times Bestseller List with her memoir "The Woman In Me" and is the first person in human history to sell more than 1+ million copies of an album and more thab 1+ million copies of a book within the first 7 days of release in the United States (and the world).
this is a really interesting video with a lot of insight on the industry, and the importance of ratings and viewership numbers. this was a very cool kind of hail marry, and apparently it worked out for them and for her as well.
Interesting video. I actually became a fan of the show when season 5 had been released on DVD. An old College roommate of mine had it and was watching an episode. Actually it was the 100th episode I believe where Ted was going out with a student and caught a glimpse of the mother's ankle. I loved the show from that moment forward and proceeded to buy the previous seasons on DVD. So I never knew any of this about the show and it's cool to learn about. Thank you
Britney, Stella, Alicia SIlverstone, Victoria or the actual mother Tracy. ANYONE was a better choice than what they ended up going with. Still angry at that idiotic finale lol!
I recently re-watched this show with my 15yo and its so strange watching the hooks that we had fall flat with his generation. I remember Britney being in HIMYM be a big thing, but when I pointed it out to my kid, they were just, "Who's that?".
Actually, Neil Patrick Harris and Sarah Chalke were quite against the idea of bringing Britney back for a second episode because they thought that's not a good way to increase the show's audience. People would only watch it for Britney and not for the storyline of the show.
Haha 😅… I watched this whole show ~2 years ago and had no idea Britney Spears was in it or what she looked like. That’s so cool that a character I barely noticed helped save the show!
One idea for a short season; maybe create one, contained storyline? A multi-part thing? Although even with a short season that could drag on, so make sure it's not jammed in to fit a strike, you can have that storyline and then a few episodic episodes.
I was a big HIMYM fan during its run, but Brittney Spears had nothing to do with it. In fact, when the episode 10 Sessions aired, I had no idea the part of Stella’s receptionist was played by anyone recognizable and famous. I became a fan because, somehow, I saw the episode “Best Burger in NY” and found Marshal so funny that I watched every episode from there on out. Marshal is so wholesome while also being hilarious, he’s one of my favorite tv sitcom characters of all time.
Not gonna lie, these were the first and very few episodes I ever watched of the show lol. Her appearance drew many, including myself. I think the public was so enamored at how she would do at such a tumultuous time in her life in her public breakdown and such. I thought she did great, but it still wasn't enough to get me to be invested in the show lol.
I think them hiring Britney saved the show at the time but also doomed it in the long run. I think the thing about mysteries is that the end is always the same, so this cat and mouse with a new person each season is the very reason people were unsatisfied with the ending. Not only was the person shoehorned in to the role, not being shown for the entire time, they weren't even the "big surprise", it was that he wanted to date Robyn and the fact Robyn was already married and got divorced, just made it sad.
Yes this. I got tired of the cat and mouse game and gev up (I did come back for the reveal). I also felt Ted was a tool. He was supposedly this romantic guy, but he was just an asshat. I can't remember any specifics right now, but the way he treated some of his romances, I thought he was a player and any marriage with the guy was doomed to failure as he'd get bored with the one he's with. Also, he didn't marry his love, he settled and its kinda a D move to be telling this to your kids.
HIMYM was one of my first sitcom that I watched besides Friends. I loved it and I didn't had a clue that she is Britney. Let me be clear, I live in India, and I had not much exposure of the west at that time. But I sure loved the show.
Stella OWNED the show as long as she was on it. Her being the mother would've undoubtedly made the ending way better than the actual ending, which sucks bad.
The ending was the right ending. The latter half of the show spinning its wheels was the actual problem. The show was never about the mother; the show was about Ted and Robin. The mother was a Macguffin. Macguffin's are not the point of the story. What you're actually arguing is they should have abandoned the entire premise of the show they built up over those first three seasons and just became a Friends knockoff. Sarah Chalke was great and one of the best TV actresses ever. Stella was the last great or even good major storyline for Ted before the endgame with Ted, Robin and Tracy. But Stella couldn't be the mother without destroying the first few seasons because what allowed Ted to find the Mother was giving up on his idolization of Robin, which only works if the Mother is met _after_ Ted has that breakthrough, not before, otherwise it's just Ted settling for the Mother instead of genuinely loving the Mother as his soulmate. There are tons of issues with HIMYM, but they should be lauded for the ending and making a comedy with a real story instead of being just another mindless friendgroup of white people in their 20/30s struggling with relationships comedy with a laugh track.
@Parker-- My issue was making a whole season about how right Barney and Robin were for each other and making a big deal of letting Robin go. Imagine Tracey finding out that after she died he went back to the woman he said he was over lol I don't get how the kids were okay with it. It's icky honestly.
I hated Stella. Sure, "she owned it", but for me it was in the worst possible way. I was so happy when she was finally out of the show. Half the character and half the actress. I just can't stand to look at her for some reason, maybe she reminds me of someone that I can't put my finger on
I thought Stella brought some balance to Ted's story. With Victoria and how they ended, Ted was absolutely the baddie (I hated the Klaus retcon to try and make Ted look like less of a douchebag). With Stella, Stella was the baddie. Robin was a common theme in why both relationships failed and in a way that wasn't Robin's fault, but it also illustrated that we're not always the good person and not always the bad person in the story of our lives.
@@Parker-- I could not disagree more. Don’t know how you can say the story was never about the Mother when the story is named How I met your Mother!? The whole story is basically the journey of a hopeless romantic’s belief that he would find his soulmate. Each episode and love interest is built on the ups and downs, heartbreaks and adventures of being both the good guy and the bad guy in the dating world. The mistakes and lessons that had Ted beaten and twisted; broken, remade and broken again, until finally against all odds and all signs and advice that he should give up. There she is. True love is real. And this is the what it took for him to find it! The reason Cristin Milloti was so well received and loved as the Mother was because outside of her being an outstanding actress, the story had pointed to this serendipitous meeting between two people perfect for each other finally coming together, and when they did it was beautiful to see. The show had drawn it out as far as humanly possible and almost to the point that the last couple of seasons were becoming extremely average but they absolutely nailed the landing with that moment; and had they of ended it under the yellow umbrella after Barney and Robins wedding? I could argue they’d written possibly the greatest love story/comedy sitcom about life and dating as a young adult of our lifetime. The spinoffs would all have survived and the original show would still have nonstop reruns to this day. Instead. They decided to put a 10 minute epilogue that completely unraveled every essence of 9 years of character development for 3 of the 5 main characters because the writers had attached themselves to some M Night Shamalan twist that though Robin wasn’t the Mother, Ted had never stopped loving her? No! If it’s a story about true love it can’t also be a real story about relationships forming over time and circumstance. Not sure why you threw the racial element into the mix but funnily enough that is exactly what the Ross and Rachel, though they weren’t always together, it was always them ending is! HIMYM did have a story that was different but they flipped it back to the ‘Friends’ ending in the last minute which ironically you are now praising? It was a terrible decision, an awful ending and unfathomably stupid! So bad that the taste it left in everybody’s mouth has nobody wanting anything more from that shows universe ever since. That ending should not only Not be lauded! it should be taught as a case study in what not to do when writing a hopeless romantics story arc. I found love, had children, then she died so now I want to go bang your Aunt Robin again, whom I also love?? No, just no! Despite the fact that it changes the whole meaning of the story from a man telling his kids about how he met his soulmate, into a man telling inappropriate stories to his kids so that they’re ok with him nailing his female friend that he never got over? You can’t have a second option partner in a story about true love. It’s a paradox! And it's why that ending ruined that show forever.
Honestly, I wish Britney hadn't saved the show. I've never been more let down, bitter, or enraged about a series finale. How I Met Your Mother's writers are not examples of good storytelling since they did the spectacular job of retroactively ruining their entire series in the last two minutes.
I don’t know if you’ve ever seen behind-the-scenes footage of Britney recording her music videos, but her personality was so goofy. She’d make all these weird, silly faces, and then the moment they started counting down to record, she’d instantly transform into the powerhouse performer she is. That’s a huge testament to her acting skills and ability to get into character. Her real problem was that the world typecast her as a "dumb, sexy, virgin doll" and never fully appreciated all of her talents. She was absolutely amazing, beyond compare, and honestly, we didn’t deserve her.
@@debuthunter5389there are also way more people who were more dedicated to the show and had the rug pulled out because that ending does not work with what the show actually was about. Which was not Robin they just were too obsessed with the character to really grasp the concept of what the audience actually wanted and was watching the show for which was The Mother whomever that would have been and the group. This was a comedy not real life and not a drama. The ending truly messed up the entire show it’s one of the worst sitcom tv endings of all time.
I have never listened to Brittany, but we're the same age. I'm fascinated by celebrities from generation and seeing them go through strife. I never paid attention to her music or her career, but I always root for her to be doing well. 🙂
Britney should play ditzy, non-self-aware characters more. Somehow she has the capacity to laugh at herself and look at her life from the outside and that makes her a good actor for such roles. I adore Britney for knowing how to navigate being "silly" and "crazy" and not caring about it.
I would not have guessed there was that much to it; with either Stella or Abby. Casting specific people -known for something else- on HIMYM always came across as deliberate to me(regardless of the size of the role). Would've believed most of the Casting decisions were 1st Choices/Written-For the people that played them. As far as I was concerned Reference Casting was a Device in this show, & these two fit right in to that. Interesting to hear how Chance it was for these characters.
I didn’t even remember she was on the show until I saw this thumbnail. I remember loving that date He took Sarah Chalke on in the street that his friends helped him plan and execute. But wow. Brittany. Who knew?👏👏
aka you see why the as the show kept goin,it kept adding problem,bcoz creator try to milking moar season forever it shold end sooner,and victoria is the mother,shes the only one managed pawn robin
It's always interesting to hear how successful show managed to stay afloat and change despite the 2007-2008 strike. Kinda like how Breaking Bad was supposed to kill off Jesse, but the production was halted before that, and so he ended up being a main character for the rest of it.
These stupid writers were absolutely clueless to their own show. The audience clearly didn’t want the ending to the series but they bulled the audience and said a f u for watching. The only reason we watched was for the cast the rest of the story was actually a load of bullshit since they already had that ending in season one even though it never made sense at all. Ted was also a show killer. Nobody watched it for him, it was everyone and everything else we watched for.
@@Sharzzz12 my thoughts exactly. I tried watching HIMYM 3 times before I finally finished it this year. Not that it didn't have it's good moments but I just hate when shows make every other character better than the alleged protagonist. Ted is the worst part of his own show.
That certainly is a way to oversell the planning. _The final twist, recorded 9 years before_ Doesn't contain anything identifying the mother. Other than, how little screen/story time she got, compared to Robin. Yes those last 2 episodes would need some change. But nothing about 'ending early on a backup mother' would require ditching _that final twist_
Imagine a dark timeline where Britney never became famous, and himym would've been cancelled without her inclusion, and Bob Odenkirk wouldn't have been busy filming it, so Mike Ehrmantraut wouldn't have been created as a stand in for Saul on Breaking Bad, and Better Call Saul as a show wouldn't exist
ill be honest i didn't realize Britney was in that episode at all , what i was thinking during the episode instead was hey its Elliot from scrubs , cool i loved scrubs
As a very eccentric person, although I heard the name OF britney spears, i never cared once to look up her name to see what she looks like. For me she was just as popular as any other actor on the set and I thought she did a great job! Definetly a great actress!
I watched the show but I don't remember anything from there outside of two beavers are better than one. I remember almost all the series of Friends though.
I find it rather curious how the authors had backup plans in mind in case they needed to make an alternate final choice, but barely considered making one later on. I mean, sure, the show is successful, and they did release an alternate ending, but they seriously thought having an ending shot almost a decade before the show actually ended was not going to cause some problems?
I guess you could say I watched the show for Britney cuz I first started watching in early season 4. But that's only because I saw it on an airplane. 😂 maybe they wouldnt have put it on if it wasnt az popular.
She was really good playing that character too, I didn't see her as Brittney Spears while watching those episodes
I had no idea it was Brittney spears until now
I had no idea who Britney spears was or what she did back then
@@ninthata69Britney is the Princess of Pop, has sold around 150 million albums and has two diamond albums ("...Baby One More Time" from 1999 and "Oops!...I Did It Again" from 2000)
Britney playing an unassuming secretary was perfect.
@@ninthata69 I was thinking the same.. but to be fair.. possibly I was watching the show because it was so popular because of her, even if i didnt know who she was..
There's a big point you failed to mention. Her appearance on the show happened right in the middle of her very public breakdown. Well, not in the middle, but very closely after. I remember at the time seeing a clip of her from the show, shown as a teaser, and thinking - "That HAS to be a wig", because the last thing I remembered from Spears was her shaving her head. Seeing her on the show as one of the first things she does after her breakdown was, for me, THE draw to watch.
It was actually about a year after the fact; at this point, she had already released her comeback album "Blackout" and was about to be recording her "Circus" album
10000% I love HIMYM and I thought this would be mentioned in the video, a very important fact: Britney was going through one of the most public mental breakdowns in celebrity history, and there were many people who tuned in just to see how she was getting along. This breaks my heart knowing what I know now. Brittney should have taken her time to get better, heal, and get the support she desperately needed. This would have taken months if not years. But instead, she threw herself back into work, no doubt pushed into it by her PR team, management, and conservatorship. To everyone around her she was just a money machine. When I look back at these episodes, no matter how humorous they were, I feel sadness for her. Decades later we see the results of her not having gotten the help she needed from the very beginning.
yeah, but not a wig. Look closely and you can see her hair extensions in these clips.
@@venomander - And HIMYM had referred to it as well, when Jason Segel's Marshall impulsively shaved his head before his wedding 10 months prior to this episode. And it's not the first time Jason Segel was in a struggling show where they tried to insert Spears to save it; Freaks and Geeks producers got some pressure to have Spears in a guest role. They refused.
@@venomanderBlackout was released before/during her breakdown period and then post conservatorship they had her do a guest roll on a sitcom of her choice (which wound up being HIMYM) as a way to begin shifting public perception of her leading up to the release of Circus which was marketed as her “comeback” album.
But yeah I think people’s curiosity to see her in an acting role so soon after the head shaving, VMA performance etc was a far bigger ratings booster than any other celebrity cameo at the time could have been.
Despite Britney not really being known for her acting ability, she did a decent job, all things considered.
Yes this was actually around the beginning of her conservatorship as she mentioned in her book that theres was actually another show she wanted to be in if her schedule allowed but her management chose himym instead
I'd go a step further. She nailed the role. She was cute, funny and believable. Even if she was just kind of being herself, she still pulled it off.
I mean, she played herself. She's pretty and charismatic. That's great I guess
Absolutely
She nailed the role and seemed perfectly cast. Not a total surprise as she'd been a decent SNL host twice, though she was usually playing the straight man in most of her sketches (e.g., Astronaut Jones, the colonial museum).
they actually had quite the ensemble of guest stars: britney spears, katy perry, bryan cranston, regis philbin, tim gunn, heidi klum & carrie underwood among others
Actually, Cranston isn't a shocking guest, he appeared on almost everything in the 90s-2000s, fortunately including even an episode of Babylon 5.
Enrique Iglesias too!
Remind me where Cranston was in the series again?
@@arminxvs3372 he was ted's boss for a while
@@arminxvs3372 How could anyone forget Hammond Druthers and his erections...I mean buildings?!?!
She did a great job in these episodes. The role turned out to be a great fit for her. She suprised me!
She was in this role than her leading role in 'crossroads'.
The title might be wrong. Not a Brittany fan, but still, I've sadly had to sit through that horrible movie.
Having read Britney's book its ironic that it was thought she "wanted" to be on the show when due to the circumstances it was her father just booking her on it despite being on such a difficult time
What a missed opportunity to tell Britney's side of this story, which was revealed in her new biography. She was in the middle of a breakdown and this was part of her management's attempt to turn her public perception around. She reports being exhausted and resistant to doing acting, given it had taken a hard toll on her mental health in the past.
I was about to comment this
I never noticed she was in the show until this video. And I also always say, if no one notices what you are doing as an actor/actress, you are doing a good job.
I always convince my most skeptical friends to watch Ten Sessions/Everything Must Go.
Britney truly brought in a bubbly presence to Abby and her comedic timing is underrated. She should get more credit for saving the show. Alyson Hannigan and Jason Segel both said she was truly polite and friendly, hard working.
I know some of her music but was never a huge fan, but I loved her in this. She was always so pretty and she just had the brightest smile in the world. Which made everything that happened to her afterwards even more tragic.
Britney was the one who made me aware of HIMYM and got me to start watching it. So I definitely believe that she saved the show. She did a great job too! I've always thought she had the comedy chops for a sitcom.
I really wish Britney would have gotten more into comedy acting, shes charismatic and has good timing. I think that guest star appearance was perfect for her.
One potential factor you left out is that during the writer's strike, Neil Patrick Harris starred in the viral web-series "Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" which helped expose the actor (and by extension, the show) to a large populous of nerds, who were previously not a part of HIMYM's audience.
I know this is anecdotal evidence, but that was literally the reason why my brother and I started watching the show in its 3rd season.
This show has no change at any life if it wasn’t for the guest stars. Literally was going to be canceled several times in the early seasons. Nobody cared and the ratings were poor because of reality shows at the time. There was nothing new to this show it was a carbon copy of Friends. If it wasn’t for the guests nobody would have cared about the show. I didn’t watch it until way after in season 6. I did see some episodes before that season but nobody actually cared about the show in the early seasons.
Kind of unrelated but Ten Sessions is an amazing episode to return to after a long break. It's an episode that really captures the comedy, narrative and romanticism that is How I met your mother. If the pilot wasn't so good, this would be the episode I would show someone if I wanted them to get into the show
Upon rewatch it does feel like thr Stella plot is rushed. It makes sense it suffered due to a writer’s strike. I’m actually kinda glad to learn this because I feel like they did the best with what they had now.
Rushed is a nice word. She does nothing nice or cute or remotely charming (other than being acted by a beautiful actress), and does a bunch of annoying things, and then they decide to get married and we're supposed to want it to happen.
Britney Spears is LEGEN--wait for it-- and I hope you're not lactose intolerant, because the second half of the word is-- dary! Legendary!
😂
😂🙌🏼
I remember watching it on Hulu for the first time and being so surprised to see her, she did a great job with the few scenes she had.
They did Britney bad, she had so much potential but the legal system failed her
I agree with the analysis of Britney’s presence. That’s first time a noted the show. The reason I actually watched the show was because of Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Jason’s writing and performance made me want to watch the show after the writers strike. I do think the success of that movie did help the show.
I’ll give you this. I have never seen a single episode of the How I Met Your Mother. Therefore, I had no idea Britney had been on it. Now that I know she appears on the show, I’m definitely going to watch it now 😂
I can't believe it took this long and this video to make the Stella/Elliot connection before! Crazy what a different fringe can do
I remember re-watching HIMYM and getting to these episode and Brittany is actually really really good. Like she was funny, her delivery was great and timing on point.
Nice video. Oddly enough, when i discovered this series, the last season was about to be released! I loved this show since the first episode i watched, because it reminded me a lot of a time in my life and some of my friends. I only found out that Abby was Britney after i watched the series several times... 😬 lol
Loved Britney in this series. Think she did a great job😀
I’d love to see a discussion around the evolution of Britta Perry in Community. It seems she goes from an intelligent, sure of herself woman to kind of a joke.
Not sure why people keep saying this, there were hints of her being a joke in the 1st season, it felt she was playing up her intelligence for show so she’d fit in, just like Troy, that’s why the longer the group was together, they became more childish and selfish, they were able to drop the social pressures of being something they were before college….something a lot of people do anyway
She's always been both. She got more realistic after Season 1 when she wasn't written to be Dan Harmon's perfect fantasy woman
The fact of the matter is Britney was absolutely struggling during this time too... Despite that, she had such an iconic role. She saved one of my favorite shows despite what she was going through! Actors from the show applauded her for being naturally funny and even ad-libbing lines. Perfect place at the right time!
Sarah Chalke probably also helped since she was so famous at the time. I started the show because of her.
the show was GREAT, and her appearance was a nice addition
Oh my god i love Sarah Chalke and would've loved if she was the mother, but i LOVED Alicia Silverstone as a kid and that wouldve been so awesome! HIMYM is my favorite show ever, love it.
I became a fan of the series cause of her character cause I have been a Britney fan since 1998 season 3 was the first season of the series I bought physically just to see her appearance and I enjoyed the episodes before her appearance as well as after cause the cast did have chemistry on screen one problem with the first 2 seasons was they tried to hammer home 2 catchphrase with Barney with the different ways he would stretch out the word legendary and tell other cast members to suit up but by the end of the series they were dropped cause they didn’t really catch on like some like may the power protect you or may the force be with you from power rangers and Star Wars
Wow... I've watched this more than I care. But didn't realize Stella is not there practically the whole S3. With 3 episodes & she made the story.
Probably because of how it ended with her.
Britney Spears is STILL the most famous popstar in the world. As I write this comment, Britney is currently spending her fifth week at number 1 on top of the New York Times Bestseller List with her memoir "The Woman In Me" and is the first person in human history to sell more than 1+ million copies of an album and more thab 1+ million copies of a book within the first 7 days of release in the United States (and the world).
That was so cool. I wasn’t a big fan of the show. But I had watched the show because Britney Spears was on it
Haha, I didn't know this about Britney. Nice! And good for her for taking on that particular role and knocking it out of the park!
They also had Enrique Iglesias on the show at about the same time
Wait, 7.5 million viewers on average and HIMYM was on the verge of being canceled? Early to mid 2000s was weird.
Let's be honest, who DOESN'T desperately need Britney Spears?
"Really? Nothing? Nothing for Josh Radnor? How quickly we forget." -Bojack Horseman 🐴
this is a really interesting video with a lot of insight on the industry, and the importance of ratings and viewership numbers.
this was a very cool kind of hail marry, and apparently it worked out for them and for her as well.
Interesting video. I actually became a fan of the show when season 5 had been released on DVD. An old College roommate of mine had it and was watching an episode. Actually it was the 100th episode I believe where Ted was going out with a student and caught a glimpse of the mother's ankle. I loved the show from that moment forward and proceeded to buy the previous seasons on DVD. So I never knew any of this about the show and it's cool to learn about. Thank you
Britney, Stella, Alicia SIlverstone, Victoria or the actual mother Tracy.
ANYONE was a better choice than what they ended up going with. Still angry at that idiotic finale lol!
I recently re-watched this show with my 15yo and its so strange watching the hooks that we had fall flat with his generation. I remember Britney being in HIMYM be a big thing, but when I pointed it out to my kid, they were just, "Who's that?".
Actually, Neil Patrick Harris and Sarah Chalke were quite against the idea of bringing Britney back for a second episode because they thought that's not a good way to increase the show's audience. People would only watch it for Britney and not for the storyline of the show.
Britney did a great job! She was fun to watch and disappeared into her character, which was exactly what I as needed. She’s a very talented woman.
Haha 😅… I watched this whole show ~2 years ago and had no idea Britney Spears was in it or what she looked like. That’s so cool that a character I barely noticed helped save the show!
Brilliant insight and description.
One idea for a short season; maybe create one, contained storyline? A multi-part thing? Although even with a short season that could drag on, so make sure it's not jammed in to fit a strike, you can have that storyline and then a few episodic episodes.
I think I got into HIMYM before Season 6 aired so I binged Seasons 1-5 on DVD so learning more about the show's history is interesting.
watching my favorite pop culture commentary channel become watchmojo with this new voice guy
Can we have some props for this man and his proper use of Penultimate?
I was a big HIMYM fan during its run, but Brittney Spears had nothing to do with it. In fact, when the episode 10 Sessions aired, I had no idea the part of Stella’s receptionist was played by anyone recognizable and famous.
I became a fan because, somehow, I saw the episode “Best Burger in NY” and found Marshal so funny that I watched every episode from there on out. Marshal is so wholesome while also being hilarious, he’s one of my favorite tv sitcom characters of all time.
Not gonna lie, these were the first and very few episodes I ever watched of the show lol. Her appearance drew many, including myself. I think the public was so enamored at how she would do at such a tumultuous time in her life in her public breakdown and such. I thought she did great, but it still wasn't enough to get me to be invested in the show lol.
I think them hiring Britney saved the show at the time but also doomed it in the long run. I think the thing about mysteries is that the end is always the same, so this cat and mouse with a new person each season is the very reason people were unsatisfied with the ending.
Not only was the person shoehorned in to the role, not being shown for the entire time, they weren't even the "big surprise", it was that he wanted to date Robyn and the fact Robyn was already married and got divorced, just made it sad.
Yes this. I got tired of the cat and mouse game and gev up (I did come back for the reveal). I also felt Ted was a tool. He was supposedly this romantic guy, but he was just an asshat. I can't remember any specifics right now, but the way he treated some of his romances, I thought he was a player and any marriage with the guy was doomed to failure as he'd get bored with the one he's with. Also, he didn't marry his love, he settled and its kinda a D move to be telling this to your kids.
It wasn't every season though. Stella was the last "back-up mom" that I can think of (Zoey doesn't really count).
HIMYM was one of my first sitcom that I watched besides Friends.
I loved it and I didn't had a clue that she is Britney.
Let me be clear, I live in India, and I had not much exposure of the west at that time. But I sure loved the show.
Stella OWNED the show as long as she was on it. Her being the mother would've undoubtedly made the ending way better than the actual ending, which sucks bad.
The ending was the right ending. The latter half of the show spinning its wheels was the actual problem. The show was never about the mother; the show was about Ted and Robin. The mother was a Macguffin. Macguffin's are not the point of the story. What you're actually arguing is they should have abandoned the entire premise of the show they built up over those first three seasons and just became a Friends knockoff.
Sarah Chalke was great and one of the best TV actresses ever. Stella was the last great or even good major storyline for Ted before the endgame with Ted, Robin and Tracy. But Stella couldn't be the mother without destroying the first few seasons because what allowed Ted to find the Mother was giving up on his idolization of Robin, which only works if the Mother is met _after_ Ted has that breakthrough, not before, otherwise it's just Ted settling for the Mother instead of genuinely loving the Mother as his soulmate. There are tons of issues with HIMYM, but they should be lauded for the ending and making a comedy with a real story instead of being just another mindless friendgroup of white people in their 20/30s struggling with relationships comedy with a laugh track.
@Parker-- My issue was making a whole season about how right Barney and Robin were for each other and making a big deal of letting Robin go. Imagine Tracey finding out that after she died he went back to the woman he said he was over lol I don't get how the kids were okay with it. It's icky honestly.
I hated Stella. Sure, "she owned it", but for me it was in the worst possible way. I was so happy when she was finally out of the show. Half the character and half the actress. I just can't stand to look at her for some reason, maybe she reminds me of someone that I can't put my finger on
I thought Stella brought some balance to Ted's story.
With Victoria and how they ended, Ted was absolutely the baddie (I hated the Klaus retcon to try and make Ted look like less of a douchebag).
With Stella, Stella was the baddie.
Robin was a common theme in why both relationships failed and in a way that wasn't Robin's fault, but it also illustrated that we're not always the good person and not always the bad person in the story of our lives.
@@Parker-- I could not disagree more.
Don’t know how you can say the story was never about the Mother when the story is named How I met your Mother!? The whole story is basically the journey of a hopeless romantic’s belief that he would find his soulmate. Each episode and love interest is built on the ups and downs, heartbreaks and adventures of being both the good guy and the bad guy in the dating world. The mistakes and lessons that had Ted beaten and twisted; broken, remade and broken again, until finally against all odds and all signs and advice that he should give up. There she is. True love is real. And this is the what it took for him to find it! The reason Cristin Milloti was so well received and loved as the Mother was because outside of her being an outstanding actress, the story had pointed to this serendipitous meeting between two people perfect for each other finally coming together, and when they did it was beautiful to see. The show had drawn it out as far as humanly possible and almost to the point that the last couple of seasons were becoming extremely average but they absolutely nailed the landing with that moment; and had they of ended it under the yellow umbrella after Barney and Robins wedding? I could argue they’d written possibly the greatest love story/comedy sitcom about life and dating as a young adult of our lifetime. The spinoffs would all have survived and the original show would still have nonstop reruns to this day.
Instead. They decided to put a 10 minute epilogue that completely unraveled every essence of 9 years of character development for 3 of the 5 main characters because the writers had attached themselves to some M Night Shamalan twist that though Robin wasn’t the Mother, Ted had never stopped loving her? No! If it’s a story about true love it can’t also be a real story about relationships forming over time and circumstance. Not sure why you threw the racial element into the mix but funnily enough that is exactly what the Ross and Rachel, though they weren’t always together, it was always them ending is! HIMYM did have a story that was different but they flipped it back to the ‘Friends’ ending in the last minute which ironically you are now praising? It was a terrible decision, an awful ending and unfathomably stupid! So bad that the taste it left in everybody’s mouth has nobody wanting anything more from that shows universe ever since.
That ending should not only Not be lauded! it should be taught as a case study in what not to do when writing a hopeless romantics story arc. I found love, had children, then she died so now I want to go bang your Aunt Robin again, whom I also love?? No, just no! Despite the fact that it changes the whole meaning of the story from a man telling his kids about how he met his soulmate, into a man telling inappropriate stories to his kids so that they’re ok with him nailing his female friend that he never got over? You can’t have a second option partner in a story about true love. It’s a paradox! And it's why that ending ruined that show forever.
Honestly, I wish Britney hadn't saved the show. I've never been more let down, bitter, or enraged about a series finale. How I Met Your Mother's writers are not examples of good storytelling since they did the spectacular job of retroactively ruining their entire series in the last two minutes.
Drama queen.
I have yet to see the episode, but gotta love all the scenes I've seen so far with the Abby character.
I just finished rewatching scrubs and I had totally forgotten Elliot was in Himym too
I don’t know if you’ve ever seen behind-the-scenes footage of Britney recording her music videos, but her personality was so goofy. She’d make all these weird, silly faces, and then the moment they started counting down to record, she’d instantly transform into the powerhouse performer she is. That’s a huge testament to her acting skills and ability to get into character. Her real problem was that the world typecast her as a "dumb, sexy, virgin doll" and never fully appreciated all of her talents. She was absolutely amazing, beyond compare, and honestly, we didn’t deserve her.
Just a reminder that any ending to HIMYM would've been better than what we were given
There are a ton of people who disagree, and understand the complexities of life.
@@debuthunter5389there are also way more people who were more dedicated to the show and had the rug pulled out because that ending does not work with what the show actually was about. Which was not Robin they just were too obsessed with the character to really grasp the concept of what the audience actually wanted and was watching the show for which was The Mother whomever that would have been and the group. This was a comedy not real life and not a drama. The ending truly messed up the entire show it’s one of the worst sitcom tv endings of all time.
Great video.
I have never listened to Brittany, but we're the same age. I'm fascinated by celebrities from generation and seeing them go through strife. I never paid attention to her music or her career, but I always root for her to be doing well. 🙂
Would have loved to have seen Alicia Silverstone as Stella!
Britney should play ditzy, non-self-aware characters more. Somehow she has the capacity to laugh at herself and look at her life from the outside and that makes her a good actor for such roles. I adore Britney for knowing how to navigate being "silly" and "crazy" and not caring about it.
Not going to lie, I didn't even realize it was Brittney in her first appearance at all.
They blew it so bad here, she should have turned out to be the mother. That would have been epic!
3:30 _Battlestar Galactica_ was a mystery?
What?
great vid
This video has been up for less than a minute. You’re telling me you’ve watched it to comment that or you’re just fishing for likes?
You didn’t even finish the video lol
She did great👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
As a Non American , I don't know Britney Sphere .
I became a Fan of the show after the Ep 8 Duel 🖐️🖐️🖐️🖐️🖐️
I would not have guessed there was that much to it; with either Stella or Abby. Casting specific people -known for something else- on HIMYM always came across as deliberate to me(regardless of the size of the role). Would've believed most of the Casting decisions were 1st Choices/Written-For the people that played them. As far as I was concerned Reference Casting was a Device in this show, & these two fit right in to that. Interesting to hear how Chance it was for these characters.
I didn’t even remember she was on the show until I saw this thumbnail. I remember loving that date He took Sarah Chalke on in the street that his friends helped him plan and execute.
But wow. Brittany. Who knew?👏👏
aka you see why the as the show kept goin,it kept adding problem,bcoz creator try to milking moar season forever
it shold end sooner,and victoria is the mother,shes the only one managed pawn robin
It's always interesting to hear how successful show managed to stay afloat and change despite the 2007-2008 strike. Kinda like how Breaking Bad was supposed to kill off Jesse, but the production was halted before that, and so he ended up being a main character for the rest of it.
I binge watched all seasons around the time the finale came out.. and didn't even notice it was her, so I guess she did a good job haha
i loved spears as abby, my only issue with the storyline was when the woman stalking barney was revealed to be her even tho it clearly wasn't.
These stupid writers were absolutely clueless to their own show. The audience clearly didn’t want the ending to the series but they bulled the audience and said a f u for watching. The only reason we watched was for the cast the rest of the story was actually a load of bullshit since they already had that ending in season one even though it never made sense at all. Ted was also a show killer. Nobody watched it for him, it was everyone and everything else we watched for.
@@Sharzzz12 my thoughts exactly. I tried watching HIMYM 3 times before I finally finished it this year. Not that it didn't have it's good moments but I just hate when shows make every other character better than the alleged protagonist. Ted is the worst part of his own show.
That certainly is a way to oversell the planning.
_The final twist, recorded 9 years before_
Doesn't contain anything identifying the mother.
Other than, how little screen/story time she got, compared to Robin.
Yes those last 2 episodes would need some change.
But nothing about 'ending early on a backup mother' would require ditching _that final twist_
I think Britney did great and I enjoyed having her on the show.
I watched the show before Britney, but she was a great guest star. And her acting in that role is spot on.
Britney definitely did not have dementia if she was acting plus touring doing commercials and her perfume line
Ten Sessions is my favorite HIMYM eposide. I has idea there was so much backstory to it.
Britney deserves all good
Imagine a dark timeline where Britney never became famous, and himym would've been cancelled without her inclusion, and Bob Odenkirk wouldn't have been busy filming it, so Mike Ehrmantraut wouldn't have been created as a stand in for Saul on Breaking Bad, and Better Call Saul as a show wouldn't exist
I remember those episodes and thought she did a fine job
I really loved Britney on show.
ill be honest i didn't realize Britney was in that episode at all , what i was thinking during the episode instead was hey its Elliot from scrubs , cool i loved scrubs
britney could have been a good comic actress actually. she was good on snl as well
I saw every episode of HIMYM i can't even remember Spears in it...
What Alicea silverstone could've played stella that could have been so good
No offensive to Sarah Chalke, but I think she would have been much better.
As a huge fan of Lost, I really enjoyed HIMYM. Same mystery feels in both shows.
I liked Spears in the Abby role. But it's a shame they lost Silverstone. I think she would have been a better Stella.
I watched HIMYM since the beginning, since I was a big fan of Alyson Hannigan. I never knew that Alicia Silverstone was supposed to be Stella.
Britney was hilarious on Will and Grace
I've never seen a worse channel with more subs. Congrats on impressing the children of America
As a very eccentric person, although I heard the name OF britney spears, i never cared once to look up her name to see what she looks like. For me she was just as popular as any other actor on the set and I thought she did a great job! Definetly a great actress!
I watched the show but I don't remember anything from there outside of two beavers are better than one. I remember almost all the series of Friends though.
I find it rather curious how the authors had backup plans in mind in case they needed to make an alternate final choice, but barely considered making one later on. I mean, sure, the show is successful, and they did release an alternate ending, but they seriously thought having an ending shot almost a decade before the show actually ended was not going to cause some problems?
I grew up watching the Fairly Odd Parents and when he said pop princess I expected him to say Britney Britney
I guess you could say I watched the show for Britney cuz I first started watching in early season 4. But that's only because I saw it on an airplane. 😂 maybe they wouldnt have put it on if it wasnt az popular.
Her appearance and character were a highlight of that entire series