‘How I Met Your Mother’ season 8 spoilers: An unexpected return

Are you ready to see someone else from the past on “How I Met Your Mother”? We saw a major arc from Ashley Williams’ Victoria earlier this season, and even more recently Joe Manganiello returned for two episodes as Marshall’s old law-school pal Brad.

So who is going to be turning up next? That much is still a mystery, but based on what executive producer Carter Bays is saying per TV Guide, it is going to be someone who will not only be a surprise, but someone who will “have a big influence on his search for the mother.” Were it not for the “surprise” part, the name that we would expect to see here would be Rachel Bilson, even if she is rather busy at the moment with “Hart of Dixie.” After all, she was the Mother’s roommate earlier on this season, and she would have a better idea than anyone as to just who she is and what Ted’s connection to her could be.

As for some other characters, we’re assuming that it is going to be someone from Ted’s past, and some of the other top candidates include notable ex-girlfriends Stella (Sarah Chalke) and Zoey (Jennifer Morrison), even though both of them have some shows of their own that they have been rather busy with as of late. (Chalke has an upcoming comedy on ABC entitled “How To Live with Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life)”.)

Who do you want to see appear on “How I Met Your Mother” season 8 moving forward? We want to hear some of your thoughts below! If you want to read some more scoop when it comes to Marshall and Lily, be sure to head on over to the link here.

Photo: CBS