Bob Saget voicing Old Ted/Narrator in HIMYM, the new series has cast Kim Cattrall as Old Sophie to voice her future story, but with an exciting twist.
So far, How I Met Your Father’s looks into the series, especially from its first trailer, have revealed it to be a pretty faithful reinterpretation of HIMYM’s core story. Sophie (like Ted) is searching for her true love, the series has an established couple in the friend group (like Marshall & Lily), and the rest of the characters explore the trials and tribulations of dating culture, hook-ups, and romance in modern-day New York City. While How I Met Your Father obviously departs from the original series in of modern innovations like dating apps, a more diverse cast, and an extra core cast member, the spinoff series has already shown one major difference to HIMYM’s storytelling element.
Hulu’s How I Met Your Father pre-episode release trailer kicks off with a brand new twist on the Old Ted/Bob Saget role with Old Sophie/Kim Cattrall. The trailer begins with Kim Cattrall seen onscreen as Old Sophie telling her story, whereas Bob Saget was never physically seen as Old Ted in How I Met Your Mother. Bob Saget was only ever the narrator-version of Old Ted, and when the 2030 Ted was shown on-screen in How I Met Your Mother’s finale, he was portrayed by an aged-up Josh Radnor. Instead of only using Kim Cattrall to voice Old Sophie, How I Met Your Father’s trailer suggests she’ll be a present on-screen figure, deviating from HIMYM’s formula of only showing the kids in the future.
The change of making How I Met Your Father's story elements are leaning into the troubles that come with recalling memories from decades ago.
How I Met Your Father only showing Old Sophie telling the story also hints that the spinoff could introduce another major change from HIMYM’s storytelling technique. The trailer reveals Kim Cattrall beginning to tell her son the story of how she met his father, but her son isn’t seen on screen. This could suggest that only Old Sophie will be seen in the future storytelling flashforwards, and her son may be a finale episode reveal alongside the father. In How I Met Your Mother’s 2030 storytelling timeline, only Ted’s kids, Penny and Luke, were seen. The kids were shown sitting on the couch listening to Old Ted’s story, with a few questions asked every once in a while. How I Met Your Father’s trailer may be hinting that Old Sophie is replacing her son as an on-screen presence for this timeframe, and possibly that his physical appearance could be a clue to the father’s identity.