Long after How I Met Your Mother ended, 20th Century Fox is still desperately trying to bring a spin-off to life. Three years ago, CBS gave a pilot production commitment to the first version of How I Met Your Dad, starring Greta Gerwig and Meg Ryan. But that pilot fizzled, and the stars walked away—so the network decided to try again, tapping writers Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger to re-do the script. Unfortunately for them, Aptaker and Berger were working in tandem on another show . . . which turned out to be the mega-hit This Is Us, which currently takes up all of their time. Now, according to Fox Chairman Dana Walden, the studio is going to try again to make the spin-off work, tapping new writers to come up with a fresh concept.
“They will be starting from scratch,” she told Deadline. “It’s one that’s been slowly cooked. If it’s the right idea, the right execution, we’ll take that.”
How I Met Your Mother was a solid hit for CBS, with 12.9 million people tuning in for its 2014 series finale. Though some fans were hesitant about immediately jumping into a dad-themed spin-off, there was clearly enough interest to warrant launching another show in the same vein. Dad would also be a sort of soft reboot—a favored TV tactic from CBS (which is also on the cusp of launching the Big Bang Theory prequel Young Sheldon) to Netflix (perhaps you’ve heard of Fuller House) and beyond.
In her chat with Deadline, Walden also discussed potential spin-offs for popular shows Empire and Modern Family, both of which are still ratings juggernauts. No talks have taken place for a Family spin-off, she says, though creators Steve Levitan and Christopher Lloyd “would ultimately be open to the right idea.”
Empire is a bit further along on the conversation ladder.
“We’ve had conversations for a full year about a potential spin-off. No one has written it yet,” Walden said. “Ultimately I think if something comes organically out of the show, we’d pursue it. We don’t want to force it on the show because if it doesn’t feel organic, it will feel like it will be just a distraction from the flagship.”
Plenty of shows that were initially developed as spin-offs went on to become successful franchises on their own, from Frasier to A Different World to The Bachelorette—while others fell flat on their faces. (Rest in peace, Joey.) If How I Met Your Dad ever does come to light, 20th Century Fox better pray it ends up in the former category. At this point, enough time has passed that there might actually be enough nostalgia—fledgling, three-year-old nostalgia, but nostalgia nonetheless—to bring some fresh excitement to the spin-off’s debut. Beyond that, it’s up to the show’s team to give fans a quality series that’s legen—wait for it—dary for the right reasons.
