Nearly 20 years after How I Met Your Mother first aired, Josh Radnor found himself yelling at the screen while revisiting the show’s pilot episode.
On his podcast How We Made Your Mother, co-hosted by series co-creator Craig Thomas, the 50-year-old actor shared that he recently rewatched the sitcom’s first episode for the first time in years with his wife, Jordana Jacobs.
The 2005 premiere introduced fans to Radnor’s character, Ted Mosby, as he met Robin Scherbatsky (Cobie Smulders), who would become a key love interest throughout the series. Watching it again, Radnor was drawn into their chemistry.
“I was so into him being with Robin,” he admitted.
But, as fans remember, Ted famously ruins the moment by declaring “I think I’m in love with you” at the end of their very first date—a moment that sets the entire series in motion.
Even though he knew it was coming, Radnor said he couldn’t help but react like his co-stars’ characters—Neil Patrick Harris’ Barney, Jason Segel’s Marshall, and Alyson Hannigan’s Lily—who were shocked by Ted’s impulsive confession.
“I knew it was coming,” Radnor told Thomas, “but when he actually said it, I just shouted at the TV like, ‘What!?’”
He added, “It was such a bad move. But it had to happen to launch the entire series. Still, I was crushed by it—which just proves this pilot still works. If you’re mad at Ted for blowing it, the episode did its job.”
Thomas recalled Radnor texting him about the rewatch. “You were like, ‘I’m yelling at Ted on the TV right now with Jordana,’” he said with a laugh.
Looking back, Radnor said he always appreciated Ted’s “resilience and vulnerability,” especially in that awkward moment with Robin.
“He wasn’t afraid to say how he felt,” Radnor noted. “And honestly, that’s a heroic quality.”
Thomas agreed, pointing out how Ted redeems himself later in the episode.
“You almost forget how badly Ted f----d up at first,” Thomas explained. “Because then he gives that beautiful speech about love and destiny, and suddenly, he wins you over again. That’s who Ted is—the guy who messes up but then says something so heartfelt you can’t help but root for him.”
Even after two decades, How I Met Your Mother still has the power to spark strong emotions—even from its own leading man.
Source: People
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