Jason Segel, Josh Radnor, Cobie Smulders, Neil Patrick Harris, and Alyson Hannigan were joined by producers Carter Bays, Craig Thomas, and Pamela Fryman at the first and last How I Met Your Mother Comic-Con panel this year to show a teaser for the final season of the show and to take questions from a loving audience.  How I Met Your Mother will return Season 9 on September 23.

Hit the jump to read a recap of the panel, what fans can expect from the final season, how the show’s new framework will work out, and just how much we will find out about “the mother."

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The love and dedication towards How I Met Your Mother was clearly noticeable from the get go as "You Just Got Slapped" played to a warm reception while fans waited eagerly for the cast and crew to take the stage and take some questions about the show’s final season. The panel opened with a teaser for the new series, which played right into what fans have been wondering and asking for the past 9 years.

The teaser opens with the dad telling his kids about the best falafel that he has ever had before cutting to both kids, now grown up, shouting “What the fuck is wrong with you?!” to their dad from the couch before full on addressing some of the questions that fans have been asking for years now.  It’s clear that the show is one hundred percent aware of what they have to live up to and what fans have been wanting for years now.

The teaser was extremely meta and funny as the two kids grew more and more frustrated with just how long their dad has been taking to finish this story about how and when he meet their mother. At one point revealing that they haven’t been outside in the sun and have had to use a bucket as a bathroom since they have been sitting there forever now hearing this story that still hasn’t gotten to their mother.  “I haven’t seen any girl except for my sister and I’m starting to have thoughts…bad thoughts.” says the son before the teaser cuts back to Barney and Robin on the way to their wedding sitting silently and in a dazed state before they both stick their heads out of the limo and throw up at the same time. This was followed by a title card that simply said, “THE FINAL SEASON. SEPTEMBER.”  Watch the clip below:

The cast then walked on stage to a standing ovation.  The immediate sense of love was felt between the fans and the talent behind the show.  The moderator then asked some general questions to the fans before opening the floor for questions from the audience.

On what to expect from the final season:

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    The producers of the show stressed how the season will be for the fans and will answer the questions fans have been asking for years now.  The producers want to leave fans pleased.
  • The producers of the show kept stressing how the show will end on a sweet note. “This show has always been about hopefulness.  It’s a valentine to friendship and love. This season will sum that all up in one package.”

 How the final season’s framework will work:

  • The season will take place entirely over the weekend of Barney’s wedding but the series will span decades because of their flash forward format.  The producers stressed that it really is more of a framework and there will “not be 4 episodes of flower arrangement.”
  • One episode will take place all during one slap.  They will film the slap in super slow motion and use it as the framework for an episode.

Who we can expect to see as a guest star in the final season:

  • The producers of the show teased fans by saying, “It is a wedding and everyone is invited. If there is someone that you loved then they will probably be back.”

What we will find out about the mother:

  • The producers talked about how the plan from the start was to end the series with us seeing the mother for the first time.  As time went on, the plan changed when they started to realize that fans would like to know more about this very important character. The cast and producers were hesitant to reveal any details but they did say, “We want to see Ted happy and the great moments when he meet this girl. You will get to know this girl.”  They then went on to say, ““We wanted you the fans to meet the mother before Ted does. We can’t say how yet but you will get to know her.”
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  • The casting for the role was also extremely top secret.

Miscellaneous:

  • Robin Sparkles might make another appearance at the wedding to sing a song.
  • There might be another musical number.
  • There will be a new version of "You Just Got Slapped" that will be performed by someone special but the producers did not reveal who it will be.
  • The various songs that have appeared on the show throughout the years were written by the producers of the show while Segel worked on the medleys.
  • Neil Patrick Harris talked about how much he loved playing Barney because it let him be so loose and fun on the show.  Plus, “I never thought I would be able to kiss so many chicks.”  Harris also made sure to note that he loves all of Barney’s dope suits, but has never been a big fan of the slapping.  “Jason’s hands are like mittens.” Harris also cited it as the best work experience that he has ever had.

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