The Ending Of How I Met Your Father Season 1 Explained

With name recognition comes a certain level of expectation. Seeing as "How I Met Your Mother" was one of the defining sitcoms of the 2000s and 2010s, people had high hopes going into "How I Met Your Father." The show had all the makings of another hit, especially considering how it followed a similar formula to "HIMYM" while carving its own path ahead. 

The series follows Sophie (Hilary Duff) as she navigates the ins and outs of dating in New York City, all while a future version of her, played by Kim Cattrall, narrates how she met the man of her dreams. In the pilot episode, she narrowed the pool of fatherly applicants down to a group of men she met on one fateful day, so the question becomes which of the lucky fellas will be her one true love.

Much like "HIMYM" ran for nine seasons, "HIMYF" sets itself up for a long lifespan, which is good news seeing how it's already been renewed for a second season (via The Hollywood Reporter). So where does the first season of Hulu's newest sitcom leave off its eclectic and eccentric bunch of characters?

The following article contains spoilers for "How I Met Your Father" Season 1.

Sophie and Jesse (Chris Lowell) finally hook up in the "HIMYF" Season 1 finale, but Jesse leaves a bad taste in Sophie's mouth when he sleep-talks and says, "I love you, Sophie." It all moves too fast for Sophie, and the two promptly break up, especially when Sophie learns that Jesse may have given up a major career opportunity to be with her. It's all too much, so Sophie goes down to a bar for a drink. It turns out to be MacLaren's, and there's more waiting for her down there than a whiskey neat. She meets Robin Scherbatsky (Cobie Smulders), who gives her the advice she needs to head back to Jesse's apartment. 

It's the perfect person for Sophie to speak to at that time. As "HIMYM" fans know all too well, Robin knows what it's like to have a guy say "I love you" on the first date. Robin's done well for herself since last we had seen her. She's still a news anchor, but apparently, "HIMYF" takes place between her being divorced from Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) and getting back together with Ted (Josh Radnor).

It's a welcome treat for fans and leaves the door open for other "HIMYM" cast members to cameo down the line. Now that we've seen Robin and the Captain (Kyle MacLachlan) once again, anything's possible.

Sophie's relationships aren't the only ones getting focus on "HIMYF." Audiences have also seen Valentina (Francia Raisa) and Charlie (Tom Ainsley) get together, as Ellen (Tien Tran) tries to find a woman to date. Meanwhile, Sid (Suraj Sharma) and Hannah (Ashley Reyes) juggle a long-distance relationship while planning a wedding, which is a task that's easier said than done. 

However, all of those dynamics change by the Season 1 finale. While Sophie's single and Jesse seems to get back together with his old girlfriend, Valentina and Charlie also break up. It all came down to a difference of opinions on whether they wanted kids, and Charlie was adamant that he never wanted a child. Ellen has a hot date coming up, and Sid and Hannah decided to throw their wedding plans out the window and get married at city hall. 

With everything changing, there are a lot of opportunities for new dynamics to form. Sophie could get together with Charlie, seeing how he was positioned as one of the potential fathers in the pilot. Sid officially seems off the market, but you never know what could happen. And there's a new contestant for Sophie's love entering the mix as well ...

Sophie's future son naturally wonders why his mom's story about meeting his father involves a side story involving the Captain and his wife divorcing. It all comes full circle by the end of the Season 1 finale when Sophie's reunited with Ian (Daniel Augustin). As fans may remember from the pilot, Ian left New York for Australia so that he could be part of a marine biology expedition. However, that job was interrupted due to the Captain's divorce and his wife taking all of his boats, so it seems he used the opportunity to come back to the Big Apple. 

As such, it would make the most sense for Sophie to get together with Ian when the show returns with its second season. The two desperately wanted to make a relationship work out, but the distance was just too great for them to traverse. However, now that Ian's out of a job, he has more time to give to Sophie. She may have narrowed down her husbandly prospects to a handful of guys, but it's clear this premise could extend for quite some time under the right circumstances.

Who knows? Perhaps "HIMYF" will last for nine seasons, too, with so many possibilities still out there to explore.