How I Met Your Mother: Cobie Smulders defends show's controversial ending

The show ran for nine seasons from 2005 to 2014

How I Met Your Mother star Cobie Smulders has shared her opinion on the long-running sitcom’s controversial ending.

The show came to an end in 2014 after nine seasons, with Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) finally meeting the titular Mother, played by Tracy McConnell (Cristin Milioti).

Many fans felt let down by the show’s final episode, as it was revealed that Tracy had died six years ago and the show pivoted back to Ted’s on-off relationship with Robin Scherbatsky (Smulders), despite her having married and divorced his best friend Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris).

Speaking to Metro about HIMYM’s conclusion, Smulders theorised that fans binge-watching the show on Netflix were more likely to find the ending frustrating than those who had seen it in real time.

“People are going to feel how they’re going to feel about that. But I think that there’s been enough time,” she said. ‘Watching it as a streaming show now, you get a little bit more of a connection for other relationships.”

Smulders continued: “I think at the end of the series between Robin and Barney, that was sort of the relationship everyone was rooting for. But when you go back to the very beginning of the show, it was Robin and Ted.

“So, I think that it’s a different way to watch the show now when you see it in its entirety.”

Throughout its nine-year run, How I Met Your Mother was a critical success and was nominated for 30 Emmy Awards, winning 10.

The show also starred Alyson Hannigan and Jason Segel.