HIMYM’s actors even returning in the spinoff's first season.
The first HIMYM character cameo occurred in How I Met Your Father season 1, episode 9 when Future Sophie recalled the story of an “old couple with boat kinks” getting divorced. Coming as no surprise to HIMYM fans, this couple would turn out to be George “The Captain” Van Smoot (Kyle MacLachlan) and his wife Becky (Laura Bell Bundy), aka "Boats Boats Boats". The Captain and Becky’s final appearances in HIMYM season 9 revealed the two were getting married, but nearly a decade later the pair end up divorced due to The Captain’s infidelities. Their connection to Sophie’s story would be revealed in How I Met Your Father’s season 1 ending, as The Captain had owned the boat that Sophie’s Tinder date, Ian, was working on in Australia. How I Met Your Father’s season 1 finale then brought back HIMYM’s Robin Scherbatsky (Cobie Smulders) as she met Sophie in MacLaren’s Pub—with Carl the Bartender (Joe Nieves) still serving drinks.
Following How I Met Your Father season 1’s four HIMYM character cameos, the anticipation is growing for how the unseen Ted, Marshall, Lily, Barney, and Tracy can return in How I Met Your Father season 2. While Robin Scherbatsky somewhat satiated HIMYM fans' desire for cameos, there are still various ways for the beloved character to guest star again in season 2. Although it’s unlikely that all six figures will return in the next installment, here’s a breakdown of how every main HIMYM character could cameo in How I Met Your Father season 2.
Ted Mosby
As the lead protagonist of HIMYM, Ted Mosby’s (Josh Radnor) return in How I Met Your Father makes the most sense. While it’s unclear if Sophie and Robin’s MacLaren's Pub chat about love in season 1.
Marshall Eriksen
While Marshall Eriksen (Jason Segel) didn’t cameo in How I Met Your Father season 1, he was indirectly referenced during the spinoff’s pilot episode. How I Met Your Father reveals that Jesse and Sid are now living in Marshall, Lily, and Ted’s old apartment. Jesse explained that Marshall and Lily had posted about the apartment on a Wesleyan alumni page, which sets up the married couple and Ted to appear alongside Jesse and Sid at a Wesleyan alumni event. As a justice of the New York Supreme Court in HIMYM's future timeline, Marshall could also cameo in How I Met Your Father season 2 if the characters get into some legal trouble.
Lily Aldrin
Similar to the circumstances for Marshall to return, Lily Aldrin (Alyson Hannigan) can cameo in How I Met Your Father season 2 through her connections to Jesse and Sid at Wesleyan University. If Lily and Marshall still own the apartment, then they could also appear as Jesse and Sid’s landlords who return to fix an issue with the place, perhaps addressing another HIMYM “cockamouse” infestation. How I Met Your Father’s season 1 ending also set up a way for Lily Aldrin to cameo in the next installment through her connections in the art world. Lily was an art consultant in HIMYM's ending, suggesting she’ll still be integral to the New York City art scene during How I Met Your Father’s timeline. Since Sophie’s season 1 ending saw one of her photographs exhibited in an art gallery for the first time, How I Met Your Father season 2 can include Lily attempting to buy one of Sophie’s pictures or putting one of her pieces in an art show.
Barney Stinson
Early theories about Barney Stinson’s (Neil Patrick Harris) How I Met Your Father cameo speculated that he would appear as a one-night stand for Sophie, but this wouldn’t necessarily be faithful to his HIMYM ending in which he prioritized fatherhood over womanizing. Rather, How I Met Your Father season 1 already set up a cameo for Barney that’s connected to Ellen. In How I Met Your Father’s season 1 ending, Ellen gets a job at Goliath Corporation, which is hinted to be connected to Barney and Marshall’s former employer Goliath National Bank. While Barney had outed GNB for its illegal practices at the end of HIMYM season 9, it’s possible he’s still connected to the company, which sets him up to cameo in How I Met Your Father season 2 when Ellen begins her job in Goliath’s organic supermarket sector.
Tracy McConnell/Mosby
While Tracy McConnell (Cristin Milioti) was only introduced in HIMYM's season 8 finale, she quickly became a beloved character through her prominence in season 9. As HIMYM’s titular mother, Tracy received a deep dive into her backstory as well as glimpses into her future with Ted, which revealed that she died in 2024 of an undisclosed illness. This leaves only two more years for Tracy to appear in How I Met Your Father’s timeline, with one popular theory suggesting her cameo will be connected to her fatal sickness. Sid’s now-wife Hannah is still in Los Angeles as a surgeon in How I Met Your Father’s season 1 finale, but she could be brought out to New York City for a few special cases, one of which may be for Ted Mosby’s wife Tracy. It’s unclear when she learned about her illness, but if she is diagnosed in 2022-2023, Tracy could reasonably cameo in How I Met Your Father season 2 as Hannah’s patient.
Robin Scherbatsky
Considering Robin Scherbatsky made an impactful cameo in How I Met Your Father’s season 1 finale, she isn’t apt to return again so soon, but could still make a quick appearance. Rather than meeting Sophie again at MacLaren’s Pub, Robin’s How I Met Your Father season 2 cameo could see her reporting the news, with the new characters watching the famous journalist on television. Robin was also famous long before she became a reporter, so How I Met Your Father season 2 could see the iconic HIMYM character return through more Robin Sparkles reveals. Valentina is often seen wearing shirts of female pop stars from the 1990s, which could easily turn into the character being a Robin Sparkles fan.