Don't call it a comeback.
Isaac Aptaker would like you to know that his new Hulu series, How I Met Your Father, which premieres Jan. 18, is not a reboot of How I Met Your Mother, and he wants people to stop calling it one. According to TVLine, during the comedy series' virtual appearance at the Television Critics Association winter press tour on Jan. 11, the co-creator made it clear that the series is a "stand-alone sequel."
"People keep referring to the show as a ‘reboot,' and it's not a reboot," Aptaker said.
"It's set in the world of the previous show, but it's really its own thing. That said, we love How I Met Your Mother," the executive producer continued. "There are going to be lots of little rewards for people who love the original if they stick with us."
He also mentioned that original series creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, and original director Pamela Fryman, are "very involved" in the making of How I Met Your Father.
If by "little rewards" he means Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris) is making appearance, we're in.
The new series, starring Hilary Duff, Chris Lowell, Francia Raisa, Tom Ainsley, Tien Tran and Suraj Sharma, begins in the year 2045, with "Sophie (Duff) telling her son the story of how she met his father. It's a story that catapults us back to the year 2021 where Sophie and her close-knit group of friends are in the midst of figuring out who they are, what they want out of life, and how to fall in love in the age of dating apps and limitless options," according to the official description of the show.
Hear the story of how Sophie and her son's father meet when How I Met Your Father premieres Jan. 18 with two new episodes on Hulu.
Until then, scroll through to see everything we know about the new series so far.
Following in the footsteps of Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) from How I Met Your Mother, Sophie (Hilary Duff) reflects on how she found the love of her life...and father of her son, years later. Duff also produces the Hulu series.
Sophie sure does have a lot of friends! Veronica Mars alum Chris Lowell stars as Sophie's close pal Jesse, while Tien Tran is his sister Ellen, who just moved to New York after separating from her wife. grown-ish's Francia Raísa plays Sophie's impulsive roommate Valentina, who is dating dashing British socialite Charlie (The Royals' Tom Ainsley). Bar owner Sid (Suraj Sharma) and his girlfriend Hannah (Ashley Reyes) are sounding boards for the group of pals.
"You're welcome for your childhood," Josh Peck hilariously captioned a set pic with Hilary Duff. The former Drake & Josh child star rounded out the ensemble cast, as Peck plays the vice principal at the school where Jesse (Lowell) works.
And Just Like That...Kim Cattrall is back sharing her on-screen dating exploits! The Sex and the City icon will voice the older version of Hilary Duff's Sophie as she explains how she met his father. For those keeping track, Bob Saget played the middle-aged Ted (Josh Radnor) in How I Met Your Mother.
Hilary Duff shared a BTS snapshot of the cast doing a read-through in August. However, production was halted due to Duff's breakthrough COVID case of the Delta variant. HIMYF officially started filming on Sept. 1.
In Nov. 2021, the cast confirmed that HIMYF will premiere Jan. 18 on Hulu.