Neil Patrick Harris unexpectedly returned as Barney Stinson from “How I Met Your Mother” in the spin-off of the sitcom “How I Met Your Father.”
In the final moments of the second season premiere of “Cool and Cold,” released on Hulu on Tuesday (January 24), Sophie (Hilary Duff) is driving through the suburbs trying to make contact with her mom Laurie (Paget Brewster) in the first episode. a year earlier than the current deadline.
“Mom, please call me back,” Sophie says in the voicemail. “I think I’m dating my dad!”
Distracted, she crashes into an Audi car in front of her. When Sophie gets out to assess the damage, the driver in front turns out to be Barney Stinson. You can check out the moment below.
Neil Patrick Harris returns as Barney on How I Met Your Father#HIMYFSpoilers pic.twitter.com/yAhmXoJIII
— G (@freddyvpb) January 24, 2023
After the premiere, the show’s creators Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger announced that Barney would return in the next episodes of the second season.
Speaking to TVLine, Aptaker said: “This car accident was a turning point in Sophie’s life and in her seasonal story. Once we figure that out, I think people will be pleasantly surprised at how her story turns through Barney.”
This is the second character of the TV series “How I Met your Mother”, who returned in the spin-off. In the finale of the first season, Cobie Smulders played the cameo role of Robin Scherbatsky.
However, Barney’s return seems to play a big role. “Whenever we talk about bringing back a member of the original team, you want it to serve two purposes,” Aptaker said. “You want to tell some tidbits about what’s going on in their lives, where they landed and where they are, but it’s also about how they influence the story of How I Met Your Father and how they send one of our characters in a new, unexpected direction.
“As with Robin last year, we will learn more about where Barney is, but it will also have a big impact on the trajectory and the main narrative of our season.”
“How I Met Your Mother” lasted nine seasons from 2005 to 2014. The show also stars Josh Radnor, Jason Segel, Alison Hannigan and Kristin Milioti.
How I Met Your Father is available for streaming on Hulu in the US and Disney+ in the UK.
