How I Met Your Mother - Carter Bays Interview

'How I Met Your Mother' has always enjoyed paying homage to 'Lost.'

Since the comedy began in 2006, it has, like the ABC island drama, used season-long arcs and structurally ambitious episodes to tell its story, and this season creators Craig Thomas and Carter Bays even cast 'Lost' alumni Jorge Garcia in a prominent guest role.

So when the news broke this week that 'HIMYM' had been renewed for not one but two additional seasons, I had to ask: Are the producers going to pull a 'Lost' and set an end date for the show now?

In the interview below, executive producer Bays talked about whether he and Thomas have set an end date, he addressed whether they'll stay with the show beyond the current sixth season, and he talked about whether the show's cast has been locked in for the seventh and eighth seasons as well. He discussed where all the characters are going, and how the mother of the title fits in.

We got used to 'Lost' executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse saying they had a plan for the show's endgame, and for some time now, it's been Bays and Carter's turn to say that too. But Bays added that they're not going to necessarily unleash that endgame in the upcoming seventh and eighth seasons. The show could go beyond that, Bays said, and if it does, he and Thomas are sticking with it as day-to-day showrunners.

Below is a transcript of our Thursday conversation. It has been edited and slightly condensed. There are a couple of small spoilers but you'll get warnings before you come across them.

Maureen Ryan: You guys are obviously huge fans of 'Lost.' Are you going to set an end date for your show?

Carter Bays: We knew this question was coming. We're not, no. We [understand] the reasons 'Lost' did it and certainly it made sense for them. Right now we're contracted to go through season 8, and at that point, there is every chance that that's the end of 'How I Met Your Mother.' If that's the case, then that's our end point. But we are open to doing this as long as we feel we have stories to tell, and, of equal importance, as long as people want to watch it. If it still feels exciting going into a season 9, then we'll keep doing it.

Read the entire interview over at TV Squad

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