Creator: Carter Bays, Craig Thomas
Years: 2005-2014
A show I’ve only caught on syndication, so I’ve missed a good deal of it, including the last couple seasons. However, it’s a consistently amusing show with a good laugh or two each episode. What elevates it above others for me is that the actors just seem to be having so much damn fun; their enthusiasm for the show is infectious.
The actual plot device, future self (narrated fine by Bob Saget) talking to his kids about how he met their mother, is the least important part. It allows for some fun fourth wall stuff, but one never really cares how the kids are responding to their dad’s exhaustive and pointless narration. Come to think of it, one never really cares about our main character Ted either. He’s neurotic and generally not sympathetic. But he’s not so annoying that his situations aren’t still amusing.
Your enjoyment of the show is probably dependent on how much you like Jason Segel and Neil Patrick Harris. Two of my favorites episodes are where we learn about “The Naked Man,” technique used by Barney, and the episode where Marshall’s parents are in town from Minnesota and have to comfort him about the possibility of him being sterile. His dad’s death is one of the genuine dramatic moments of the show.
Death By Troggles 
My wife looooooves this show, but I fall more towards your thoughts on it. Definitely some solid moments throughout, but the second to last season is pretty awful. I haven’t watched the last season at all, but I read the ending of the show and it made me not want to. From what I understand, the creators didn’t think the show would keep going, assuming it would get cancelled after the first season.
Continue to miss the last couple of seasons. The entire final season’s events are nullified during the first ten minutes of the finale, leading to a truly infuriating finish that everyone kind of dreaded, but didn’t think the creators were dense enough to think it’s what the viewers wanted.
But man, the highs were so, so high.