The Time How I Met Your Mother Shot Two Endings—The Reason They Kept It a Secret Until the Finale (Photo Credit – Facebook)
Advertisement
How I Met Your Mother might be best remembered for its legendary laughs, but it divided audiences right up to the end. The finale shook up Ted’s nine-season journey by landing him not with his soulmate, Tracy, but back with Robin. Yet, the show creators had a twist: an alternate ending, kept hush-hush until the final season’s DVD release. This alternate version ditched the heartbreak, steering Ted and the gang toward a much softer landing.
In the official version, the storyline’s infamous twist took a hard turn, portraying Tracy’s death from a terminal illness. The gang drifted, and Ted ultimately decided to reignite things with Robin. This felt like a gut punch for fans invested in HIMYM’s grand love story with Tracy. But the DVD’s alternate cut shifted gears, keeping Tracy alive and simplifying Ted’s journey in the best way possible.
In the alternate ending, HIMYM gave fans the payoff they’d been waiting for, finishing with Ted’s rainy bus stop meeting with Tracy. Under her iconic yellow umbrella, they bantered over who it belonged to, with chemistry that sparkled immediately. They connected over close encounters with that same umbrella they’d unknowingly shared over the years. And just like that, the scene cut to black. The show’s final line? “Sometimes, you just find things.” Serendipity at its best. It wasn’t just a meet-cute; it was the moment the series had been building toward, leaving fans satisfied that this, at last, was “how I met your mother.”
The choice to scrap the alternate ending puzzled fans. Creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas had, it turns out, no idea HIMYM would stretch for nine years when they filmed the closing scene – especially with Ted’s kids still kids at the end. The original plan made sense with a short timeline: Robin was the girl Ted couldn’t forget, and Tracy was a distant future. But with Robin and Barney’s wedding taking up nearly all of season 9 and Cristin Milioti’s unforgettable portrayal of Tracy winning fans over, the last episode’s choice to pull Ted back to Robin felt like an odd backtrack. After nine seasons of romantic growth and character development, they seemed left in the dust.
As HIMYM stretched on, Robin and Barney’s chemistry won fans over. Their storyline didn’t feel like filler; it felt like the real deal. Meanwhile, Tracy and Ted’s fate built suspense with a unique spark transcending the will-they-won’t-they tension of prior seasons. So, the finale’s decision to end HIMYM in line with the original vision felt forced, ignoring both the characters’ growth and the fans’ emotional investment.
In hindsight, the DVD ending was a heartfelt tribute to everything that made How I Met Your Mother special. It celebrated Ted’s journey and reminded fans of the magic that brought Ted and Tracy together. The alternate cut became a precious take-home gift for those who felt shortchanged by the finale’s turn – a little rewrite of destiny, HIMYM style.
