How We Made Your Mother

Guys, guys, guys! Josh Radnor and Craig Thomas are revisiting “Intervention,” one of their all-time favorite episodes of How I Met Your Mother, and Alek surprises them with a guest: Michael Shea, the show's longtime first assistant director, who made his television directing debut with this very episode! Michael shares behind-the-scenes stories about the challenges of filming the show's elaborate flashbacks, Neil Patrick Harris's old-man makeup, and Josh's desperate race to catch a flight to Burning Man. Plus, the origin of Michael's legendary “Guys, guys, guys!” catchphrase, and a heartfelt tribute to director Pamela Fryman's leadership on set. Josh and Craig also dig into the episode's brilliantly interconnected storylines, from Barney's outrageous time-travel pickup scheme to the gang's increasingly ridiculous interventions, and explore the deeper themes of friendship, nostalgia, and the fear of change. But first, an emotional message from a listener reminds Craig just how powerful sharing our most vulnerable stories can be.-CONNECT WITH THE SHOW:Official Website (Send us your audio and written messages)InstagramTiktok-READ JOSH’S MUSELETTERS ON SUBSTACK:Subscribe HERE-CRAIG’S BOOK IS AVAILABLE!Head over to CRAIG’S WEBSITE to order your copy of THAT’S NOT HOW IT HAPPENED.-SUPPORT PEDIATRIC CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE RESEARCH:Click HERE to learn more and donate today.-FOLLOW THE OFFICE LADIES:Check out "Office Ladies" at https://officeladies.com/ or wherever you get your podcasts! Follow on Instagram: OfficeLadiesPodFollow on TikTok-AND MORE:Josh’s Official WebsiteJosh on SpotifyCraig’s Official Website (with links to his published writing)Alek’s “Dead Fathers Society” on Substack

New York City or New Jersey? Love or compromise? Josh Radnor and Craig Thomas revisit the Season 4 episode “I Heart NJ,” as Ted and Stella discover that falling in love and building a life together are two very different things. Josh and Craig explore the challenges of relationships, the sacrifices that come with commitment, and why becoming a parent has completely changed their perspective on Ted’s dilemma. Along the way, they celebrate Marshall’s hilarious meltdown, Barney’s unwavering commitment to a fist bump, Robin’s increasingly ridiculous Metro News assignments, and the early seeds of two future HIMYM classics: The Playbook and The Blitz. Plus, Craig reveals how the show landed Bruce Springsteen’s “Jersey Girl,” Josh reflects on the difference between fear and intuition, and a heartfelt letter from a listener reveals just how deeply How I Met Your Mother continues to shape lives.-CONNECT WITH THE SHOW:Official Website (Send us your audio and written messages)InstagramTiktok-READ JOSH’S MUSELETTERS ON SUBSTACK:Subscribe HERE-CRAIG’S BOOK IS AVAILABLE!Head over to CRAIG’S WEBSITE to order your copy of THAT’S NOT HOW IT HAPPENED.-SUPPORT PEDIATRIC CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE RESEARCH:Click HERE to learn more and donate today.-FOLLOW THE OFFICE LADIES:Check out "Office Ladies" at https://officeladies.com/ or wherever you get your podcasts! Follow on Instagram: OfficeLadiesPodFollow on TikTok-AND MORE:Josh’s Official WebsiteJosh on SpotifyCraig’s Official Website (with links to his published writing)Alek’s “Dead Fathers Society” on Substack

Josh Radnor and Craig Thomas kick off Season 4 with “Do I Know You?,” revisiting Ted and Stella’s engagement and the question at the heart of the episode: how well do you really need to know someone before deciding to marry them? They dig into the now-iconic “Star Wars test,” Ted’s anxiety over whether Stella will love the things he loves, and the larger challenge of accepting that your partner won’t always share your tastes. They also explore Barney’s newly revealed feelings for Robin, Lily’s role as his emotional coach, and Neil Patrick Harris’s remarkable physical comedy, while celebrating Sarah Chalke’s chemistry with Josh and her very specific technique for a perfect pratfall. Along the way, Josh and Craig talk about the hidden craft behind seemingly effortless acting, why everyone feels so comfortably inside their characters by Season 4, and the season that earned How I Met Your Mother its only Outstanding Comedy Series Emmy nomination. Plus, Josh remembers realizing at the Emmys that every camera was already pointed at Tina Fey, Craig connects the episode’s Star Wars test to Josh watching HIMYM with Jordana for the first time, and a listener shares how the series helped her through heartbreak and an ADHD diagnosis. -CONNECT WITH THE SHOW:Official Website (Send us your audio and written messages)InstagramTiktok-READ JOSH’S MUSELETTERS ON SUBSTACK:Subscribe HERE-CRAIG’S BOOK IS AVAILABLE!Head over to CRAIG’S WEBSITE to order your copy of THAT’S NOT HOW IT HAPPENED.-SUPPORT PEDIATRIC CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE RESEARCH:Click HERE to learn more and donate today.-FOLLOW THE OFFICE LADIES:Check out "Office Ladies" at https://officeladies.com/ or wherever you get your podcasts! Follow on Instagram: OfficeLadiesPodFollow on TikTok-AND MORE:Josh’s Official WebsiteJosh on SpotifyCraig’s Official Website (with links to his published writing)Alek’s “Dead Fathers Society” on Substack

Peter Hamby, Puck’s award-winning political correspondent, takes you deep inside the machinery of modern campaigns with the actual strategists, operatives, pollsters, lobbyists, politicians, and shadow power players working to elect the next president. Focused on the road to 2028 but ranging far beyond it, the show explores the media, money, technology, and generational forces transforming how politics is practiced—and how power is won.Listen Here: link.pscrb.fm/f0281/TMP

Josh and Craig revisit “Rebound Bro,” the post–writers’ strike episode that sends Barney searching for a new wingman after his breakup with Ted — and finds the perfect sad-sack replacement in Randy Wharmpess, played by the incomparable Will Forte. They talk about Forte’s unique mix of sweetness and insanity, Barney and Randy’s surprisingly romantic dynamic, and how the episode’s comedy grows out of Barney’s very real heartbreak. Meanwhile, Ted learns Stella hasn’t had sex in five years, setting off a debate about trust, intimacy, and whether Ted was wrong to tell Marshall and Lily. Plus: Sarah Chalke’s incredible laugh, the frantic pace of producing the final nine episodes of Season 3 after the strike, “sweaty” sitcom plot mechanics, Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo, Geraldine Ferraro, Nell Carter, the TV reruns that raised a generation of comedy writers, and what Rocky can teach us about Barney Stinson.CONNECT WITH THE SHOW:Official Website (Send us your audio and written messages)InstagramTiktok-READ JOSH’S MUSELETTERS ON SUBSTACK:Subscribe HERE-CRAIG’S BOOK IS AVAILABLE!Head over to CRAIG’S WEBSITE to order your copy of THAT’S NOT HOW IT HAPPENED.-SUPPORT PEDIATRIC CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE RESEARCH:Click HERE to learn more and donate today.-FOLLOW THE OFFICE LADIES:Check out "Office Ladies" at https://officeladies.com/ or wherever you get your podcasts! Follow on Instagram: OfficeLadiesPodFollow on TikTok-AND MORE:Josh’s Official WebsiteJosh on SpotifyCraig’s Official Website (with links to his published writing)Alek’s “Dead Fathers Society” on Substack