The How I Met Your Mother Character Fans Wish Had More Screen Time
"How I Met Your Mother" didn't manage to stay on the air for nine seasons just because its viewers wanted to see the moment when the series finally revealed how Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) actually crossed paths with the mysterious love of his life. To its credit, the CBS sitcom also introduced viewers to plenty of lovable and quirky characters over the course of its 200+ episodes. Indeed, from the moment it premiered, "How I Met Your Mother" boasted an impressive ensemble of characters, including Marshall Eriksen (Jason Segel), Lily Aldrin (Alyson Hannigan), Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Simpson), Robin Scherbatsky (Cobie Smulders), and Radnor's Ted.
In addition to its core group of friends, the series also introduced a number of memorable supporting characters throughout its time on the air. From Hammond Druthers (Bryan Cranston) to Ranjit (Marshall Manesh), "How I Met Your Mother" filled its stories of love, heartbreak, and comedy with more than their fair share of eccentric and distinctly memorable characters.
Taking that into account, it was practically inevitable that "How I Met Your Mother" would end up spending too much time with certain characters and not enough time with others. That said, there is one "How I Met Your Mother" character, in particular, that fans of the series fervently wish they had gotten to spend more time with when it was still on the air.
Fans think Cristin Milioti deserved more screen time
In the years since the series came to its conclusion, "How I Met Your Mother" fans have been vocal about how much they liked Tracy McConnell (Cristin Milioti) and how much they wish that she had been in more episodes of the show. To their credit, it's not hard to see why certain fans feel that way. After all, not only did Tracy's role as the mom to Ted Mosby's two children make her the mysterious figure that "How I Met Your Mother" viewers had spent years waiting to meet, but Milioti's charismatic performance as Tracy also ensured that the character actually lived up to fans' ridiculously high expectations for her.
However, after making her debut as Tracy in the "How I Met Your Mother" Season 8 finale, Milioti only went on to appear in 10 other episodes of the show (via IMDb). As a result, while her appearances throughout the series' ninth and final season were all memorable, fans still wish they had gotten to see more of her interactions with Josh Radnor's Ted, as well as his longtime friends. In fact, in one humorous Reddit post, u/sudheernaidu53 even shared a meme joking about how much screen time Milioti's Tracy was ultimately given on the show.
In a separate Reddit thread, u/GOTnHG also wrote, "I have a hard time understanding why The Mother was shown so little. I mean the chemistry between Josh Radnor and Cristin Milioti was so sweet and great." In response, one Redditor admitted, "I don't think that they knew how great Milioti would be and how much people would love her."
Of course, "How I Met Your Mother" hasn't just received criticism for Tracy's limited amount of screen time, but also for how her character is used throughout the show's highly controversial finale.
The How I Met Your Mother finale remains divisive
The "How I Met Your Mother" series finale famously ends by not only revealing that Cristin Milioti's Tracy has been dead the entire time that Josh Radnor's Ted has been telling his kids the story of how he met her, but its final moments also see Ted race to try and restart his romantic relationship with Cobie Smulders' Robin. The two-part finale's twists proved to be unsurprisingly divisive, and the episode, notably, boasts a low 6.1 average user rating on IMDb.
In their negative write-up of the show's finale for Popculturology, Bill Kuchman even wrote, "'How I Met Your Mother' made us care about Tracy. ... That's why it was sad to see [the series] just brush Tracy away." Meanwhile, for her part, Milioti admitted in a 2014 interview with Vulture that she cried when she first learned that her "How I Met Your Mother" character was secretly dead. "I had just caught up on all the seasons, so I said, 'But this dude's been looking for the mother of his kids forever,'" Milioti recalled.
The actor went on to note, however, that she did eventually come to terms with the twist after having a conversation with the "How I Met Your Mother" creators. "They explained it was their plan from the beginning, and then I was along for it, along for the ride," Milioti said.
Fortunately, while Milioti's presence on "How I Met Your Mother" was frustratingly limited, she has gone on to appear in multiple noteworthy projects in the years since the sitcom's finale was released, including "Fargo," "Palm Springs," "Made for Love," and "Black Mirror." In other words, there are plenty of other films and TV shows that "How I Met Your Mother" fans can check out if they want to see more of Milioti.