‘How I Met Your Mother’ season 9 debate: What could a spin-off be about?

Even though the final season of “How I Met Your Mother” is still deep in production, that has not stopped fans from wondering: What could the future hold in regard to the franchise? When you have something that has been this successful for this long, it’s hardly much of a shocker to think that producers could find some way to create a spiritual successor for it.

But even more so than some other shows, creating a spin-off here would be very difficult for a number of reasons, You already know thanks to the flash-forwards on this series that Ted remains close to everyone in his circle of friends, which really rules out the possibility of a show starring any of them. You can’t suddenly have “the Ted show,” for example, without any appearances from Neil Patrick Harris and Jason Segel. Given that most of these actors already have post-show plans (Neil’s moving to New York; Jason wants to focus on movies), this seems even more unlikely.

For now, here are the only likely spin-offs that have floated through our brain.

1. “How I Met Your Father” – Clearly the most interesting and talked-about, given that you already have the lead cast in Cristin Milioti, and it could be a great story stuffed full of fun little Easter eggs. But, it would also take a ton of work to not ruin the continuity of the original show’s timeline, and the surprise at the end is gone and you would have to rely more on her friends to tease the surprises coming up ahead. It would have to be a much more nostalgic, and less current, series to be successful.

2. “How I Met Your Mother / Father 2.0” – Cast David Henrie or Lyndsy Fonseca as the lead, and chronicle their journey with Josh Radnor and the original cast maybe making occasional appearances. We almost dig this idea if you’re going to do a spin-off, since it would not be too attached to the original show. Fonseca would even be available, thanks “Nikita” ending this year.

The reason for the “almost”? You have to set it in the future a good couple of decades, which means casting the original actors with tons of makeup if they are going to make appearances.

3. “The Adventures of [Insert Supporting Character]” – Maybe you could do a show based around Barney’s brother James or some character that we have yet to meet in the final season. This would at least keep the setting in the present, and eliminate some of the logistically nightmares.

The ideal spin-off in our mind is something that captures the original spirit of the show, but is also separate enough to be successful. This is why “Frasier” was so successful. Our major advice is just that if you’re not sure, don’t do it and taint the reputation of what has been an amazing ride.

What is your dream “How I Met Your Mother” spin-off idea? Click here if you want some more details on the upcoming season, and as always we want to hear your thoughts below.

Photo: CBS