Dad, Tell Us A Story

Despite all the drivel that represents sitcoms on network TV today, there are a few bright exceptions. Some time ago you folks turned me onto The Office. (My word it was funny this week with Kelly being the customer service guru.) And My Name Is Earl is a hoot, too. ("Oh, SNAP!")

But it was the persistence of my own ScottE that opened my eyes to How I Met Your Mother. And that's surprising when you consider the pedigree.

I mean, we're talking about a sitcom on CBS. That's narrated by Bob Saget. That features Neil Patrick Harris as a love machine...for women. The premise seems set up to have a definite end point that can't be far off.

And yet, the ensemble has become one of the tighest comedic talents on TV today. With clever writing on all kinds of topics, I find myself laughing out loud quite a bit. Some episodes are just OK, but a few are so witty that they should be snagging Emmys. Tonight's look at Harris' Barney pursuing his dream of being on The Price Is Right was...priceless. Not to mention Alyson Hannigan's Lily trying to GAIN weight to fit into her wedding dress. (Trust me, it was hilarious.) And the pinnacle was an episode that took a cue from Memento by going further and further back in time to examine how the day's events became such a disaster.

Here's hoping that we don't find out exactly how he met their mother any time soon!