Britney Spears Helped Save ‘How I Met Your Mother’ From Certain Doom
Britney Spears reportedly played a hand in keeping the hit comedy How I Met Your Mother from sinking into the pit of dead sitcoms.
Before the show became a certified hit with viewers, it struggled to find an audience on CBS. Since the network didn’t have much faith in the show at the time, How I Met Your Mother danced dangerously close to edge of despair.
Just as things started to look particularly bleak, a funny thing happened: Britney Spears expressed interest in appearing on the program. It was her involvement with the series that pulled it back from the brink of cancellation.
“We got a call saying that Britney Spears wanted to be on our show. And she specifically wanted to be in the episode ‘Ten Sessions,’ which sent a chill down our spines, because that’s the one where we meet Stella,” co-creator Carter Bays said during a recent Reddit AMA.
He continued, “I immediately imagined Britney playing Stella and had a minor panic attack, because it’s such a big role and needed a proven, experienced actress like Sarah Chalke. But to her credit, Britney liked the character of Abby, and wanted to play that part. So we said sure.”
Britney Spears’ involvement with How I Met Your Mother couldn’t have arrived at a better moment. The network was on the proverbial fence about the sitcom, leaving the program’s fourth season hanging in the balance.
Fortunately for fans, CBS decided to keep the series around for a while longer. Thanks to continued interest in the show, How I Met Your Mother is now in its ninth season. Even if you hate Britney Spears and her music, at least she saved your favorite show from fading into obscurity.
Spears earned rave reviews from the cast and crew of the series for her turn as Abby. At the time, she’d hoped her character would return at some point down the road. Even star Neil Patrick Harris said the door was wide open for Britney to return.
“Working at ‘How I Met Your Mother’ has been so terrific. Everyone, including the cast, the crew and the producers, has been wonderful and Abby is such a fun girl to play. I’m having a blast!” the singer said at the time.
Since Britney Spears helped save the show from cancellation, How I Met Your Mother can properly wrap up the storyline. The show officially comes to an end after nine seasons on March 14. Are you sad the show is saying goodbye?
