One common issue that lies with many sitcoms, which revolve around friendship, is that these situations often won’t translate well into the real world. Whether it be Sheldon’s shenanigans against his friends or Charlie Harper’s issues with drinking, they wouldn’t be remotely funny in the real-world scenario, and the same applies to How I Met Your Mother.
While many have come to idolize and romanticize the lives of the main cast of How I Met Your Mother, in reality, such friendship might not even last a single day, given their actions.
How I Met Your Mother’s Friend Group Won’t Translate Well Into the Real World
Although the dynamic between Robin, Barney, and Ted bounces off really well in the setting of a sitcom, considering both of them fell in love with the same girl, in real life, the potential dynamic would be far from healthy. Although many viewers romanticize the life of the main crew, who spends most of their time hanging out and indulging in drama, given the responsibilities in the real world, this lifestyle is far from feasible.
Moreover, without the sitcom flair, Ted’s pursuit of Robin throughout the series was toxic, to say the least. Pointing out the issues in the show that won’t reflect well in real-life scenarios, one user pointed out the situation when “Marshall’s ‘wife’ showed her t*ts to Barney”. Some other Reddit comments read:
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It’s also important to note that sitcoms often leave out the consequences of such a lifestyle, which is reasonable as most are only meant to be enjoyed on a surface level. But replicating such lifestyles is not only impractical but unlike the onscreen bond between Robin, Barney, and Ted, it won’t take long for a similar dynamic to turn south really fast in reality.
Chuck Lorre Touches on Implications of Leading a Sitcom Life in Reality
How I Met Your Mother isn’t the lone sitcom that blurs the line between reality and fiction, as this case can be made for most of them. Chuck Lorre, creator of The Big Bang Theory and Two and a Half Men, once touched on this subject while discussing Charlie Sheen‘s Two and a Half Men, which hasn’t aged well with time.
Speaking of Charlie Harper’s character, the showrunner added that the character was meant to be aspirational, as instead of showcasing the consequences of his lifestyle, the show leans toward the comedy of a hangover.
Charlie in my mind… was a wish fulfillment. He was a magical character… You know, imagine a character who is a bottomless drunk, there is, you know, there’s the comedy hangover but not much more. There’s no DUIs, there’s no liver disease… You know, the real heartbreak of that kind of life wasn’t really on-camera… So it was magical, it was not real. You know, the real life of a man living that kind of life would not be remotely as funny
While there’s nothing wrong with enjoying them, as they’re primarily meant for our entertainment, replicating lifestyles of such sitcoms won’t translate remotely well into real life.
How I Met Your Mother is available to stream on Apple TV.
