How I Met Your Mother (season 4)

The fourth season of the American television comedy series How I Met Your Mother premiered on September 22, 2008 and concluded on May 18, 2009. It consisted of 24 episodes, each running approximately 22 minutes in length. CBS broadcast the fourth season on Monday nights at 8:30 pm in the United States. The complete fourth season was released on Region 1 DVD on September 29, 2009. In the United Kingdom it aired on E4.

How I Met Your Mother
Season 4
The Awesome Season 4 DVD cover art
Starring
Country of originUnited States
No. of episodes24
Release
Original networkCBS
Original releaseSeptember 22, 2008 (2008-09-22) –
May 18, 2009 (2009-05-18)
Season chronology

The fourth season is the only season of How I Met Your Mother to be nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series.[1]

Cast

Main cast

Recurring cast

Guest cast

Episodes
See also: List of How I Met Your Mother episodes
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code		US viewers
(millions)
651"Do I Know You?"Pamela FrymanCarter Bays & Craig ThomasSeptember 22, 2008 (2008-09-22)4ALH019.79[2]
As Stella finally gives Ted an answer on his proposal, Barney realizes that he may be in love with Robin.
662"The Best Burger in New York"Pamela FrymanCarter Bays & Craig ThomasSeptember 29, 2008 (2008-09-29)4ALH028.72[3]
Barney, Lily, Regis Philbin, Robin, Marshall and Ted set out on a mission to find the restaurant in which Marshall ate his first New York burger.
673"I Heart NJ"Pamela FrymanGreg MalinsOctober 6, 2008 (2008-10-06)4ALH048.97[4]
Ted invites the gang to Stella's house in New Jersey. Stella shocks him by announcing that she wants to live there permanently once they marry.
684"Intervention"Michael SheaStephen LloydOctober 13, 2008 (2008-10-13)4ALH039.25[5]
Ted insists that his friends attend an intervention after learning that they had previously ditched one for his engagement to Stella.
695"Shelter Island"Pamela FrymanChris HarrisOctober 20, 2008 (2008-10-20)4ALH059.45[6]
Ted and Stella make the decision to get married in three days. But, when the day comes it turns out to not be all they had imagined because of the presence of their exes.
706"Happily Ever After"Pamela FrymanJamie RhonheimerNovember 3, 2008 (2008-11-03)4ALH069.40[7]
When Ted unexpectedly runs into someone from his past whom he would rather forget, the gang starts wondering how they would handle it, if it happened to them.
717"Not a Father's Day"Pamela FrymanRobia RashidNovember 10, 2008 (2008-11-10)4ALH079.79[8]
Lily and Marshall receive different views on whether they should have a baby. When Lily asks, Ted and Marshall turn to Robin for advice. Barney creates his own holiday for single men.
728"Woooo!"Pamela FrymanCarter Bays & Craig ThomasNovember 17, 2008 (2008-11-17)4ALH099.99[9]
A depressed Robin joins a group of overindulging single party girls known as the "Woo Girls." Meanwhile, Barney receives a submission for design of the new company headquarters from Ted.
739"The Naked Man"Pamela FrymanJoe KellyNovember 24, 2008 (2008-11-24)4ALH0810.04[10]
Ted walks into his apartment to find Robin's date sitting naked on his couch. He learns about a technique that could revolutionize dating for the whole group, and everyone thinks about whether or not they should try it out that night.
7410"The Fight"Pamela FrymanTheresa Mulligan RosenthalDecember 8, 2008 (2008-12-08)4ALH1010.49[11]
Ted tries to prove to the gang that he's not a loser after being left at the altar. Meanwhile, Barney and Ted decide to pick a fight with the guys sitting in their favorite booth to impress Robin. Robin gets turned on by the fighting.
7511"Little Minnesota"Pamela FrymanChuck TathamDecember 15, 2008 (2008-12-15)4ALH1211.44[12]
It's Christmas time and Ted's younger sister, Heather, comes for a visit; meanwhile, Marshall introduces Robin to her first theme bar.
7612"Benefits"Pamela FrymanKourtney KangJanuary 12, 2009 (2009-01-12)4ALH1111.76[13]
When Ted and Robin decide to be "friends with benefits" to end conflicts around the apartment, Barney tries to fix their problems so they will stop sleeping with each other.
7713"Three Days of Snow"Pamela FrymanMatt KuhnJanuary 19, 2009 (2009-01-19)4ALH1310.69[14]
Lily comes back from a trip to Seattle only to run into a blizzard, which may threaten an airport ritual of meeting Marshall. Meanwhile, Ted & Barney offer to keep watch over the bar at MacLaren's while awaiting their dates, since Carl wants to close up early.
7814"The Possimpible"Pamela FrymanJonathan GroffFebruary 2, 2009 (2009-02-02)4ALH1410.30[15]
Robin discovers she must find employment within seven days or be deported back to Canada, and agrees to create a video resume with Barney's help.
7915"The Stinsons"Pamela FrymanCarter Bays & Craig ThomasMarch 2, 2009 (2009-03-02)4ALH1511.08[16]
The gang suspect Barney has a girlfriend after he suddenly leaves MacLaren's but realizes he has a wife and a son.
8016"Sorry, Bro"Pamela FrymanCraig Gerard & Matthew ZinmanMarch 9, 2009 (2009-03-09)4ALH168.51[17]
When Lily and Marshall get wind of the fact that Ted's college girlfriend Karen (Laura Prepon), who they always hated, has moved to New York, they try to persuade him not to contact her.
8117"The Front Porch"Rob GreenbergChris HarrisMarch 16, 2009 (2009-03-16)4ALH179.29[18]
When Karen comes across another woman's earring in Ted's bed, he learns that Lily put it there on purpose. Ted discovers this isn't the first time she's covertly meddled in his relationships.
8218"Old King Clancy"Pamela FrymanJamie RhonheimerMarch 23, 2009 (2009-03-23)4ALH197.36[19]
As a means of protecting Ted from discovering he has lost an important job, Marshall and Barney dream up an elaborate lie.[20]
8319"Murtaugh"Pamela FrymanJoe KellyMarch 30, 2009 (2009-03-30)4ALH189.20[21]
When Barney learns Ted has a list of things he thinks the gang is too old to do, he sets out to do every task within 24 hours in order to prove Ted wrong.
8420"Mosbius Designs"Pamela FrymanKourtney KangApril 13, 2009 (2009-04-13)4ALH209.56[22]
When Ted loses his job and decides to form his own architectural firm out of his apartment, he hires an intern to help get his company off the ground, but the intern gets too close for comfort with some of Ted's friends. Meanwhile, Marshall tries to make himself more valuable at work with a gimmick.[23]
8521"The Three Days Rule"Pamela FrymanGreg MalinsApril 27, 2009 (2009-04-27)4ALH228.87[24]
When Ted breaks Barney and Marshall's "three-days rule" by having a "text" relationship with a girl he just met, they play a cruel joke on him by pretending to be her.
8622"Right Place, Right Time"Pamela FrymanStephen LloydMay 4, 2009 (2009-05-04)4ALH218.89[25]
Ted explains to his future children how important it is to be in the right place at the right time. Meanwhile, Barney celebrates his 200th conquest.
8723"As Fast as She Can"Pamela FrymanCarter Bays & Craig ThomasMay 11, 2009 (2009-05-11)4ALH238.70[26]
Tony, Stella's fiancé, makes an attempt to ease the burden he feels for "ruining Ted's life," by helping him find a job. Meanwhile, Barney wants to prove that he can get out of a speeding ticket.
8824"The Leap"Pamela FrymanCarter Bays & Craig ThomasMay 18, 2009 (2009-05-18)4ALH248.73[27]
Ted is trying to keep his architecture firm afloat by working all night, but Marshall tries to lure him to the roof for a surprise 31st birthday party. Robin finally learns about Barney's secret feelings for her.

U.S. viewership
Episodic Viewership of Season 4
Episodic Demo Ratings of Season 4
Viewership and Demo Rating for Season 4 episodes

This season is currently the second highest rated season of How I Met Your Mother in terms of viewership, at an average of 9.42 million viewers.[28] However, it is currently the highest rated in terms of the important Adults 18-49 demographic, which is what advertisers use to determine how much a 30-second advertising spot costs. Season 4 averaged 4.0/10 in terms of rating/share in the Adults 18-49 demographic.

Critical response

Season 4 received highly positive reviews and is often considered to be the best season of the series. Michelle Zoromski of IGN gave Season 4 an overall rating of 8.5 out of 10. Michelle stated, "This fourth season seemed to settle down the chase for the titular mother. While Ted was busy dating Stella, the gang settled into many stand alone episodes which were every bit as entertaining as episodes devoted to Ted's love life," later going on to say, "A stellar Robin-Marshall episode, titled "Little Minnesota," makes it clear that these two do not get enough screen time together. With Robin homesick and unemployed (and at risk of being deported), this pairing brought out the best Robin Sparkles reference of the season, when Marshall leads a rousing karaoke version of "Let's Go to the Mall!"[29]

References
  1. Dave Itzkoff (July 16, 2009). "'30 Rock' and 'Mad Men' Lead Emmy Nominations". The New York Times. Retrieved February 12, 2010.
  2. Gorman, Bill (September 30, 2008). "Top CBS Primetime Shows, September 22–28". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  3. Gorman, Bill (October 7, 2008). "Top CBS Primetime Shows, September 29 - October 5". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  4. Gorman, Bill (October 14, 2008). "Top CBS Primetime Shows, October 6–12". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 14, 2013. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  5. "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. October 21, 2008. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  6. "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. October 28, 2008. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  7. "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. November 11, 2008. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  8. "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. November 18, 2008. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  9. "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. November 25, 2008. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  10. Seidman, Robert (November 25, 2008). "Monday Nielsen Ratings: Heroes Stabilizes, Sarah Connor Fades". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  11. Seidman, Robert (December 9, 2008). "Monday Ratings: CBS is king of comedy, Denny Crane bids farewell". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
  12. Seidman, Robert (December 16, 2008). "Updated Monday Ratings: Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother continue climb". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
  13. "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. January 21, 2009. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  14. "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. January 27, 2009. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  15. "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. February 10, 2009. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  16. Seidman, Robert (March 3, 2009). "Monday Ratings: The Bachelor stands tall above the crowd". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
  17. Seidman, Robert (March 10, 2009). "Monday Ratings: Dancing with the Stars returns bigger than before". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
  18. "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. March 24, 2009. Retrieved November 2, 2009.
  19. "Top CBS Primetime Shows, March 23-29, 2009". TVBytheNumbers. March 31, 2009. Archived from the original on June 6, 2012. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
  20. "Listings | TheFutonCritic.com". TheFutonCritic.com. March 23, 2009. Retrieved March 25, 2012.
  21. "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. April 7, 2009. Retrieved November 2, 2009.
  22. Seidman, Robert (April 14, 2009). "Monday Ratings: FOX and CBS battle for youth, Castle slips". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
  23. "Mosbius Designs Review". IGN. Retrieved March 25, 2012.
  24. Seidman, Robert (April 28, 2009). "Updated Monday Ratings: Chuck, Heroes finales, Castle hanging on?". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
  25. Gorman, Bill (May 7, 2009). "ABC Wins As Castle Surges After Dancing". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
  26. Seidman, Robert (May 12, 2010). "Monday Ratings: House wins, Castle hangs on". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
  27. "PRESS RELEASE - ENTERTAINMENT - WEEKLY RANKINGS (WK OF 5/18)". ABCMedianet. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  28. "Season Program Rankings from 09/22/08 through 05/17/09". ABC Medianet. May 19, 2009. Archived from the original on June 23, 2009. Retrieved July 3, 2009.
  29. Michelle Zoromski (May 27, 2009). "How I Met Your Mother: Season 4 Review". IGN. Retrieved April 12, 2010.
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