How We Made Your Mother

From the Emmy-nominated co-creator and Executive Producer of How I Met Your Mother, Craig Thomas’s debut novel, THAT’S NOT HOW IT HAPPENED, is a smart, funny, bighearted story about a family turned upside down after Hollywood decides to make a movie version of their lives. Told through the shifting perspectives of Paige, Rob, Emmett, and Darcy, a flawed, funny, complicated family is forced to confront past wounds and present betrayals—and questions about how we think and talk about disability, how our stories get told (and who gets to tell them), and how love stories can come in many different shapes and sizes. We’re presenting, free, the first chapter of the audiobook, narrated by Josh Radnor, Cobie Smulders, Marli Watson, and Kevin Iannucci. -Hear Chapter One here, then get the complete audiobook and keep listening.-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

For everyone who has found How We Made Your Mother in the last few weeks, maybe from our episodes with Sarah Chalke and Bob Odenkirk, we just wanted to drop our original rewatch of the HIMYM pilot. And if you are enjoying this look back with Josh and Craig, please follow in your podcast app of choice and start from the very beginning. Here are the O.G. show notes…This week, Josh Radnor and Craig Thomas kick off the official rewatch of the PILOT episode of How I Met Your Mother! They reflect on the origin of the series, the narrative complexity of the show’s storytelling, and the way the pilot sets up the entire series—from Ted’s romantic optimism to Barney’s legendary schemes.They also revisit memories from filming, discuss the impact of the show’s themes on fans, and answer the big question: If they could rename the first episode, what would it be?CONNECT WITH THE SHOW:Official Website (Send us your audio and written messages)InstagramTiktokREAD JOSH’S MUSELETTERS ON SUBSTACK:Subscribe HERECRAIG’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 TikTokAND MORE:Josh’s Official WebsiteJosh on SpotifyCraig’s Official Website (with links to his published writing)Alek’s “Dead Fathers Society” on Substack

Josh and Craig revisit Season 3’s “The Chain of Screaming,” an episode about work, money, dignity, and the question of whether we pass anger down the line or choose to break the cycle. Then they’re joined by the great Bob Odenkirk, who looks back on playing Artillery Arthur, explains how a HIMYM scheduling conflict inadvertently helped lead to the creation of Mike Ehrmantraut on Breaking Bad, and remembers being genuinely surprised by the warmth and enthusiasm of the HIMYM set. The conversation expands into creativity and the value of limitations, why writers are always working even when they appear to be doing nothing, Spielberg’s love of problem-solving on set, and Bob’s evolution from comedy into drama. They also talk candidly about fame, ambition, knowing when “more” isn’t necessarily better, and parenthood—including Bob’s moving reflections on missing the years when his children were young and recognizing the rare moments when grown children are ready to hear a little hard-earned wisdom from their dad.CONNECT WITH THE SHOW:Official Website (Send us your audio and written messages)InstagramTiktokREAD JOSH’S MUSELETTERS ON SUBSTACK:Subscribe HERECRAIG’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 TikTokAND MORE:Josh’s Official WebsiteJosh on SpotifyCraig’s Official Website (with links to his published writing)Alek’s “Dead Fathers Society” on Substack

Josh and Craig are joined by Sarah Chalke to revisit “Ten Sessions,” one of the series’ most beloved episodes, and the conversation is every bit as joyful as the episode itself. Sarah shares behind-the-scenes stories about being cast at the last minute, balancing Scrubs and How I Met Your Mother simultaneously, and filming the iconic two-minute date, while Josh and Craig reflect on emerging from the Writers Guild strike, welcoming Britney Spears to the show, and why the episode became such a perfect blend of inventive storytelling, heartfelt romance, and rapid-fire comedy. They also reminisce about the extraordinary chemistry that made Ted and Stella’s relationship work, celebrate the cast and crew’s intricate choreography behind the episode’s biggest moments, and explore why “Ten Sessions” remains one of the defining episodes of the series. CONNECT WITH THE SHOW:Official Website (Send us your audio and written messages)InstagramTiktokREAD JOSH’S MUSELETTERS ON SUBSTACK:Subscribe HERECRAIG’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 TikTokAND MORE:Josh’s Official WebsiteJosh on SpotifyCraig’s Official Website (with links to his published writing)Alek’s “Dead Fathers Society” on Substack

Josh and Craig revisit “The Platinum Rule,” one of the series’ most structurally ambitious episodes, while sharing the remarkable behind-the-scenes story of how it became the only How I Met Your Mother episode produced during the 2007 Writers Guild strike. They reflect on the unusual experience of shooting without writers on set, discuss the episode’s intricate “flashback within a flashback” storytelling, and explore whether some life lessons—especially about love and relationships—can only be learned through experience. Along the way, they celebrate memorable performances from Charlene Amoia, Kristen Schaal, and Hayes MacArthur, revisit Ted’s unwavering optimism, and close with two extraordinary listener letters that examine The Platinum Rule through the lenses of psychology, storytelling, and why the show continues to provide comfort and companionship years later.Listen to EMOTIONAL CHAMP by New BuffaloCONNECT WITH THE SHOW:Official Website (Send us your audio and written messages)InstagramTiktokREAD JOSH’S MUSELETTERS ON SUBSTACK:Subscribe HERECRAIG’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 TikTokAND MORE:Josh’s Official WebsiteJosh on SpotifyCraig’s Official Website (with links to his published writing)Alek’s “Dead Fathers Society” on Substack