‘How I Met Your Dad’ Cast: Meg Ryan Plays Older Sally In Spin-Off Series Amid Fan Outcry Over ‘HIMYM’ Finale? [VIDEO]
The final major casting for the How I Met Your Mother spin-off has been announced, as 80s and 90s rom-com star Meg Ryan had signed on to narrate the new series.
Ryan, who starred in films like When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle and You've Got Mail, will voice the older version of the show's main character, and like Bob Saget before her, will not appear on screen during the series run.
How I Met Your Dad, a spin-off of the successful CBS comedy which ran for nine years, will follow the story of a new group of friends, headed by Sally (Greta Gerwig) as she searches for the love of her life following the collapse of her first marriage to Gavin (Anders Holm). Joining her for her adventures are her gay brother Danny (Andrew Santino), his husband Todd (Drew Tarver), potential love interest Frank (Nick D'Agosto) and Sally's BFF Juliet (Tiya Sircar).
Fan reactions on Twitter have been mixed on the announcement of Ryan's casting, with some not approving of the choice to include her, while others think it's a good decision to cast her, but say it won't change their decisions not to tune in after being disappointed by the How I Met Your Mother finale
Meg Ryan is the voice in my head when I think of a romantic comedy... If true, well played CBS. #HIMYD
— Johanna Fuentes (@jfuentes) April 23, 2014
Casting Meg Ryan as the voice STILL isn't going to make me watch #HIMYD after the insulting #HIMYM's finale. — Fates3 (@fates3) April 23, 2014
If the last season of HIMYM was better I would be ridiculously excited for this: https://t.co/ecyBgarGxv #HIMYD Probably won't watch it..
— Emer Kelly (@EmerGraceKelly) April 24, 2014
Meg Ryan is going to be playing "Future Sally" on #HIMYD. Please, please don't name The Dad "Harry." — Emily Orley (@emilyorley) April 24, 2014
Greta Gerwig turns into Meg Ryan, you guys. That's depressing... https://t.co/B8WHUeT8aj #HIMYD
— Jarett Wieselman (@JarettSays) April 23, 2014
Theory: 'How I Met Your Dad' is actually a super long adaptation of 'When Harry Met Sally,' told from Sally's point of view. — Jordan Zakarin (@jordanzakarin) April 23, 2014
Though the series is a leading candidate for a series pickup by CBS for the fall, fans disappointed by the finale of How I Met Your Mother are still expressing their rage over the decision to have Ted end up with Robin. The outcry has been so bad that some have expressed they wouldn't watch the new series, and a petition to have CBS force the creators of HIMYM to rewrite and reshoot a new ending has been up on change.org, and garnered over 20,000 signatures.
However, despite the ongoing disappointment with how the original show ended, new star Gerwig did assure fans earlier in April that the two shows are going to be completely different, and HIMYD would be worth watching.
"It's going to be different than the original," she said. "When the premise of the show is that it's a young man looking for his true love, it's a very different feeling than a young woman looking for her true love. Craig and Carter are making it too, and Emily Spivey is so funny and great. She wrote for SNL for a long time, and wrote the show Up All Night, and I'm in love with her."
