‘How I Met Your Mother’ season 9 spoilers: Bryan Cranston returns as Hammond Druthers

While “Breaking Bad” may come to a close on Sunday, we know now for sure what the first TV appearance that Bryan Cranston is going to make next … and it is a role that he performed before his character of Walt even existed.

CBS confirmed on Wednesday that Cranston is going to return for at least one episode of “How I Met Your Mother” season 9, where he will reprise the role of Hammond Druthers, the one-time boss and then one-time underling of Ted Mosby back during his stay at the architecture firm during season 2. The last time we really saw him, we had Ted firing the guy when it was one of the worst days of his life. The twist? Ted thought that he was faking a heart attack at the time, when in fact he was actually having one. With that in mind, Hammond really should just be happy to be alive at this point.

As for how he comes back, that is the mystery. He’s not someone who would be invited to the Barney / Robin wedding, and our idea stems more on the lines that the producers clearly know that getting Cranston back right now is a win. There is no bigger show in terms of buzz than “Breaking Bad,” and he is a man who is probably getting offers up the wazoo right now along with Aaron Paul and others. We don’t see Bryan taking another full-time gig for a while, but a guest spot is something that seems to be right up his alley.

While Cranston’s appearance is still a little ways out, click here if you do want to go ahead and watch a preview for the episode of “How I Met Your Mother” airing next week.

Photo: CBS