HIMYF: Neil Patrick Harris Rules Out Another S2 Return (But Not Future Seasons)
In the mid-season finale of "How I Met Your Father," stranded in upstate New York after fleeing a disastrous weekend with her boyfriend and maybe-dad Robert (John Corbett), Hilary Duff's Sophie gets into a minor car accident. Sophie gets out of the car to confront the other driver, who turns out to be none other than Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris), one of the original five core actors from "How I Met Your Mother."
Upon hearing Sophie's story about looking for her long-lost dad, Barney ends up having a heart-to-heart with her, revealing he reconnected with his absent father as well. He also shows her pictures of Ellie, the daughter he had in the "HIMYM" series finale.
Because of this, some fans are wondering if he will return for another season of "HIMYF." As Harris told TVInsider, he will not be back anytime soon as far as he is aware.
"We wanted it to be kind of a singular occurrence," Harris said. "I think the fact that Sophie can run into people that we have seen in the past — I guess literally run into them, in my case — and then have that be a moment for her as opposed to having that person become a participant in the story in a larger way helps tell this story in its singular form."
Barney might return — but not any time soon
Neil Patrick Harris, for his part, hasn't ruled out another return to the "How I Met Your Mother" universe. Asked if "HIMYM" and "How I Met Your Father" director Pamela Fryman got in touch about a future appearance, he was blunt.
"She has not yet. I don't know, I think they're waiting to see if they get picked up," Harris said, "so I really couldn't say." Technically, Harris has appeared twice in "HIMYF" Season 2 so far, but that does not mean more appearances in the future.
Barney isn't the first "HIMYM" actor to return to this new series. His on-screen wife and co-star Cobie Smulders, who played Robin Scherbatzky in the original series, showed up at the end of the first season of "HIMYF." Much like Barney, Robin counseled Sophie on love, life, and getting by in her 30s, bringing everything full circle.
As of this writing, "HIMYF" hasn't been renewed for a third season yet, but if it does, fans can only hope that they will see more Robin, Barney, and possibly other "HIMYM" cast members.