How I Met Your Mother season 6 explained

Season Number:	6
Bgcolour:	C3B091
Image Upright:	1.05
Num Episodes:	24
Network:	CBS
Prev Season:	Season 5
Next Season:	Season 7
Episode List:	List of How I Met Your Mother episodes

The sixth season of the American television comedy series How I Met Your Mother premiered on September 20, 2010, and concluded on May 16, 2011, on CBS.

Cast

Main cast

• Josh Radnor as Ted Mosby^[1]
• Jason Segel as Marshall Eriksen
• Cobie Smulders as Robin Scherbatsky
• Neil Patrick Harris as Barney Stinson
• Alyson Hannigan as Lily Aldrin
• Bob Saget (uncredited) as Future Ted Mosby (voice only)

Recurring cast

• Lyndsy Fonseca as Penny, Ted's Daughter
• David Henrie as Luke, Ted's Son
• Marshall Manesh as Ranjit
• Bob Odenkirk as Arthur Hobbs
• Jennifer Morrison as Zoey Pierson^[2]
• Laura Bell Bundy as Becky
• Kyle MacLachlan as The Captain
• Bill Fagerbakke as Marvin Eriksen Sr.
• Ned Rolsma as Marcus Eriksen
• Suzie Plakson as Judy Eriksen
• Chris Romano as Punchy
• Nazanin Boniadi as Nora

Guest cast

• Maury Povich as himself^[3]
• Rachel Bilson as Cindy
• Frances Conroy as Loretta Stinson
• Wayne Brady as James Stinson
• Ben Vereen as Sam Gibbs
• Will Forte as Randy Wharmpess
• Nicole Scherzinger as Jessica Glitter
• Alan Thicke as himself
• Jorge Garcia as Steve Henry / The Blitz^[4]
• Alex Trebek as himself
• Kaylee DeFer as Casey
• Danny Strong as Trey Platt
• Michael Gross as Alfred Mosby
• Ray Wise as Robin Scherbatsky, Sr.
• Katy Perry as Honey^[5]
• Alexis Denisof as Sandy Rivers
• John Lithgow as Jerome Whittaker^[6]
• Robbie Amell as Scooby
• Michael Trucco as Nick Podarutti
• Dave Foley as Jake Bloom

Episodes

See also: List of How I Met Your Mother episodes.

Production

Casting

Jennifer Morrison revelead in an interview that she was contracted for 10 episodes but felt that it was likely she would appear in more.

Co-executive producer Craig Thomas said the issue about the identity of Barney's real father was already a plot point in the initial conceptualization of the series. John Lithgow was the first choice to play Jerome Whittaker and the producers gave him a collection of specific episodes detailing Barney's father issues (including "Showdown") to help him get acquainted with the role. Thomas said Lithgow will still appear in future episodes, as the role would complicate Barney's connection with Nora.^[7]

Release

Ratings

U.S. Nielsen Ratings

Order	Title	Air Date	Rating	Share	18–49	Viewers
1	"Big Days"	September 20, 2010	5.3	8	3.6/10	8.79 million
2	"Cleaning House"	September 27, 2010	5.3	8	3.9/11	9.00 million
3	"Unfinished"	October 4, 2010	5.3	8	3.5/10	8.60 million
4	"Subway Wars"	October 11, 2010	5.1	8	3.5/10	8.48 million
5	"Architect of Destruction"	October 18, 2010	5.0	8	3.3/9	8.05 million
6	"Baby Talk"	October 25, 2010	5.0	8	3.2/9	8.29 million
7	"Canning Randy"	November 1, 2010	5.4	8	3.7/10	8.88 million
8	"Natural History"	November 8, 2010	5.5	8	3.5/9	8.87 million
9	"Glitter"	November 15, 2010	5.4	8	3.6/10	8.87 million
10	"Blitzgiving"	November 22, 2010	5.2	8	3.5/10	8.73 million
11	"The Mermaid Theory"	December 6, 2010	5.6	9	3.6/10	9.26 million
12	"False Positive"	December 13, 2010	6.0	9	3.6/10	9.70 million
13	"Bad News"	January 3, 2011	6.3	10	3.9/11	10.15 million
14	"Last Words"	January 17, 2011	6.3	10	3.9/10	10.54 million
15	"Oh Honey"	February 7, 2011	6.1	9	3.8/11	10.00 million
16	"Desperation Day"	February 14, 2011	5.9	10	3.7/11	9.51 million
17	"Garbage Island"	February 21, 2011	5.6	9	3.5/10	9.33 million
18	"A Change of Heart"	February 28, 2011	5.6	9	3.4/10	9.24 million
19	"Legendaddy"	March 21, 2011	4.9	8	3.0/9	8.03 million
20	"The Exploding Meatball Sub"	April 11, 2011	4.3	7	2.7/8	6.87 million
21	"Hopeless"	April 18, 2011	4.1	7	2.5/8	6.49 million
22	"The Perfect Cocktail"	May 2, 2011	4.2	7	2.8/8	6.77 million
23	"Landmarks"	May 9, 2011	4.1	7	2.6/8	6.41 million
24	"Challenge Accepted"	May 16, 2011	7	11	3.1/9	7.15 million

Australian ratings

Order	Episode	Original airdate	Timeslot	Viewers (millions)	Nightly rank	Weekly rank
1	"Big Days"		Thursday –	0.919^[8]	^[9]	38
2	"Cleaning House"		Thursday –	0.995		32
3	"Unfinished"		Thursday –	0.710^[10]	^[11]	62
4	"Subway Wars"		Thursday –	0.874		46
5	"Architect of Destruction"		Thursday –	0.762^[12]	^[13]	56
6	"Baby Talk"		Thursday –	0.898		34
7	"Canning Randy"		Thursday –	0.797^[14]	^[15]	51
8	"Natural History"		Thursday –	0.810^[16]	^[17]	51
9	"Glitter"		Thursday –	0.899		40
10	"Blitzgiving"		Thursday –	0.811^[18]	^[19]	50
11	"The Mermaid Theory"		Thursday –	0.904		35
12	"False Positive"		Thursday –	0.761^[20]	^[21]	52
13	"Bad News"		Thursday –	0.884		39
14	"Last Words"		Thursday –	0.835^[22]	^[23]	44
15	"Oh Honey"		Thursday –	0.959		31
16	"Desperation Day"		Thursday –	0.845^[24]	^[25]	43
17	"Garbage Island"		Thursday –	0.985		24
18	"A Change of Heart"		Thursday –	0.671^[26]	^[27]	63
19	"Legendaddy"		Thursday –	0.712^[28]	^[29]	50
20	"The Exploding Meatball Sub"		Thursday –	0.627^[30]	^[31]	74
21	"Hopeless"		Thursday –	0.676^[32]	^[33]	60
22	"The Perfect Cocktail"		Thursday –	0.721^[34]	^[35]	54
23	"Landmarks"		Thursday –	0.740^[36]	^[37]	53
24	"Challenge Accepted"		Thursday –	0.916^[38]	^[39]	34

Notes and References

1. Web site: Coulter . Samantha . 2021-03-25 . How I Met Your Mother: How Much Was The Cast Paid? . 2024-09-30 . ScreenRant . en.
2. Web site: 2010-11-19 . 'How I Met Your Mother': Jennifer Morrison goes for laughs . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220718170429/https://www.latimes.com/archives/blogs/show-tracker/story/2010-11-19/how-i-met-your-mother-jennifer-morrison-goes-for-laughs . July 18, 2022 . 2024-10-01 . Los Angeles Times . en-US.
3. Web site: Donna . Bowman . October 11, 2010 . How I Met Your Mother "Subway Wars" . September 26, 2024 . . The Onion.
4. Web site: Hedash . Kara . 2020-05-14 . How I Met Your Mother's Lost Lottery Gag (& Cameo) Explained . 2024-09-30 . . en.
5. Web site: Bahr . Lindsey . February 8, 2011 . 'How I Met Your Mother': Katy Perry, Minus Whipped-Cream Bra . September 30, 2024 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20230331011128/https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2011/02/how-i-met-your-mother-katy-perry-minus-whipped-cream-bra/70907/. March 31, 2023 .
6. Web site: O'Connell . Mikey . July 29, 2013 . John Lithgow Returning to 'How I Met Your Mother' . September 30, 2024 . . en-US.
7. News: Gelman . Vlada . March 21, 2011 . 'How I Met Your Mother': Executive producer Craig Thomas previews Barney's father . October 1, 2024 . The Los Angeles Times.
8. Web site: TV Tonight. David. Knox. Seven takes final week of summer. February 6, 2011. February 11, 2011. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20110213041622/http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2011/02/seven-takes-final-week-of-summer.html. February 13, 2011.
9. Web site: TV Tonight. David. Knox. Week 6. January 31, 2011. February 11, 2011. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20110204192220/http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2011/01/week-6-4.html. February 4, 2011.
10. Web site: TV Tonight. David. Knox. Seven wins first week of 2011 ratings year. February 13, 2011. February 13, 2011. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20110216125727/http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2011/02/seven-wins-first-week-of-2011-ratings-year.html. February 16, 2011.
11. Web site: TV Tonight. David. Knox. Week 7. February 7, 2011. February 11, 2011. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20110210211553/http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2011/02/week-7-4.html. February 10, 2011.
12. Web site: TV Tonight. David. Knox. Clean sweep as Seven rules. February 20, 2011. February 20, 2011. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20110224220040/http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2011/02/clean-sweep-as-seven-rules.html. February 24, 2011.
13. Web site: TV Tonight. David. Knox. Week 8. February 14, 2011. February 18, 2011. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20110218010902/http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2011/02/week-8-4.html. February 18, 2011.
14. Web site: TV Tonight. David. Knox. Seven wins while Nine, TEN struggle. TV Tonight. February 27, 2011. April 29, 2011. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20110430091540/http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2011/02/seven-wins-while-nine-ten-struggle.html. April 30, 2011.
15. Web site: TV Tonight. David. Knox. Week 9. TV Tonight. February 21, 2011. April 29, 2011. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20110427115234/http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2011/02/week-9-4.html. April 27, 2011.
16. Web site: TV Tonight. David. Knox. Seven takes the hat trick -again. TV Tonight. March 6, 2011. April 29, 2011. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20110411124414/http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2011/03/seven-takes-the-hat-trick-again.html. April 11, 2011.
17. Web site: TV Tonight. David. Knox. Week 10. TV Tonight. February 28, 2011. April 29, 2011. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20110427113136/http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2011/02/week-10-3.html. April 27, 2011.
18. Web site: TV Tonight. David. Knox. Seven's dream run continues. TV Tonight. March 13, 2011. April 29, 2011. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20110418161112/http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2011/03/sevens-dream-run-continues.html. April 18, 2011.
19. Web site: TV Tonight. David. Knox. Week 11. TV Tonight. March 7, 2011. April 29, 2011. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20110427115817/http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2011/03/week-11-3.html. April 27, 2011.
20. Web site: TV Tonight. David. Knox. Rafters exit wins the week, and leaves window of opportunity. TV Tonight. March 20, 2011. April 29, 2011. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20110425034920/http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2011/03/rafters-exit-wins-the-week-and-leaves-window-of-opportunity.html. April 25, 2011.
21. Web site: TV Tonight. David. Knox. Week 12. TV Tonight. March 14, 2011. April 29, 2011. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20110418160802/http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2011/03/week-12-4.html. April 18, 2011.
22. Web site: TV Tonight. David. Knox. Seven still winners as Nine, TEN lose ratings week. TV Tonight. March 27, 2011. April 29, 2011. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20110501025125/http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2011/03/seven-still-winners-as-nine-ten-lose-ratings-week.html. May 1, 2011.
23. Web site: TV Tonight. David. Knox. Week 13. TV Tonight. March 21, 2011. April 29, 2011. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20110504093844/http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2011/03/week-13-4.html. May 4, 2011.
24. Web site: TV Tonight. David. Knox. Another week, another win to Seven. TV Tonight. April 3, 2011. April 29, 2011. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20110408004358/http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2011/04/another-week-another-win-to-seven.html. April 8, 2011.
25. Web site: TV Tonight. David. Knox. Week 14. TV Tonight. March 28, 2011. April 29, 2011. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20110504102759/http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2011/03/week-14-4.html. May 4, 2011.
26. Web site: TV Tonight. David. Knox. MasterChef makes its mark. TV Tonight. May 8, 2011. May 15, 2011. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20110511112111/http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2011/05/masterchef-makes-its-mark.html. May 11, 2011.
27. Web site: TV Tonight. David. Knox. Week 19. TV Tonight. May 2, 2011. May 15, 2011. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20110515064946/http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2011/05/week-19-4.html. May 15, 2011.
28. Web site: Knox . David . May 15, 2011 . Talent tops the ratings . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20110516122631/http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2011/05/talent-tops-the-ratings.html . May 16, 2011 . May 15, 2011 . TV Tonight.
29. Web site: Knox . David . May 9, 2011 . Week 20 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20110512041739/http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2011/05/week-20-3.html . May 12, 2011 . May 15, 2011 . TV Tonight.
30. Web site: TV Tonight. David. Knox. Variety the key to success. TV Tonight. May 22, 2011. May 28, 2011. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20110525220848/http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2011/05/variety-the-key-to-success.html. May 25, 2011.
31. Web site: TV Tonight. David. Knox. Week 21. TV Tonight. May 16, 2011. May 28, 2011. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20110530225220/http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2011/05/week-21-4.html. May 30, 2011.
32. Web site: TV Tonight. David. Knox. State of Origin tops the week on 2.23m. TV Tonight. May 29, 2011. May 31, 2011. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20110601211903/http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2011/05/state-of-origin-tops-the-week-on-2-23m.html. June 1, 2011.
33. Web site: TV Tonight. David. Knox. Week 22. TV Tonight. May 23, 2011. May 28, 2011. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20110526191422/http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2011/05/week-22-3.html. May 26, 2011.
34. Web site: TV Tonight. David. Knox. Got Talent got ratings. TV Tonight. June 6, 2011. June 7, 2011. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20110609011033/http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2011/06/got-talent-got-ratings.html. June 9, 2011.
35. Web site: TV Tonight. David. Knox. Week 23. TV Tonight. May 30, 2011. June 7, 2011. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20110601215127/http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2011/05/week-23-4.html. June 1, 2011.
36. Web site: TV Tonight. David. Knox. Magic million eludes public broadcasters. TV Tonight. June 13, 2011. June 17, 2011. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20110615134838/http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2011/06/magic-million-eludes-public-broadcasters.html. June 15, 2011.
37. Web site: TV Tonight. David. Knox. Week 24. TV Tonight. June 6, 2011. June 17, 2011. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20110613204204/http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2011/06/week-24-4.html. June 13, 2011.
38. Web site: TV Tonight. David. Knox. Origin tops the week but Seven takes the ratings game. TV Tonight. June 19, 2011. July 2, 2011. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20110623174029/http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2011/06/origin-tops-the-week-but-seven-takes-the-ratings-game.html. June 23, 2011.
39. Web site: TV Tonight. David. Knox. Week 25. TV Tonight. June 13, 2011. June 17, 2011. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20110616090605/http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2011/06/week-25-4.html. June 16, 2011.