It’s easy to guess the top five names on anyone’s list for who should make a guest starring appearance on How I Met Your Father. If they aren’t the actors responsible for giving us Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor), Lily Aldrin (Alyson Hannigan), Marshall Erickson (Jason Segel), Robin Scherbotsky (Cobie Smulders), and Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris), we’d question if you’ve ever watched the original series. But, in case those actors are reluctant to revisit those characters (fans of The Originals know this pain well), there is an endless list of guest stars and recurring characters that could make the jump from How I Met Your Mother to How I Met Your Father with little to no explanation. Here are fifteen to start with.
Marshall Manesh as Ranjit
Perhaps one of the easiest characters to weave into the new show, Ranjit appeared on How I Met Your Mother at seemingly random times, so having him show up as the ultimate limo driver would feel organic, and wouldn’t even require any explanation. Fans of HIMYM would know in an instant who this iconic character is, and would be a super fun Easter Egg to throw in for some of the most diehard HIMYM fans.
Ashley Williams as Victoria
While Victoria played her part in Ted’s life and moved on (twice), she could still make an impact on HIMYF in small ways. She’s a baker, so a quick pop into the right bakery could present a perfect opportunity to add Victoria to your HIMYM Easter Egg bingo card. Even if we last saw her in Germany, she had way too many ties to the States to stay overseas forever.
Alexis Denisof as Sandy Rivers
When we last saw Sandy Rivers, scandal had sent him packing overseas to continue his career in broadcast news. He had definitely had his fair share of chances in the US, but he could make a re-emergence thanks to the internet and TikTok in general. The tough question is, would Alexis Denisof want to return to set without his real world wife, Alyson Hannigan?
Kyle Machlachlan as The Captain
Perhaps one of the most misunderstood, but hilarious roles on HIMYM, The Captain would be a great character to have as a guest star for the new series. He’s obsessed with boats, so there’s always a possibility there with a show set in NYC, but the pineapple angle would be more satisfying. You see, there was a lingering pineapple joke on HIMYM that lasted far into the final Season. There’s an old maritime tradition of using a pineapple to represent hospitality, and if HIMYF wanted to connect their show to The Captain, tossing a pineapple into the equation would definitely have a lot of fans smiling.
Laura Bell Bundy as Becky
She may have become a more mature version of herself by the end, but Becky will always be the “Boats! Boats! Boats!” girl to us. And knowing that, it’s possible that being married to The Captain is freeing enough for her to get back into the anchor business, maybe popping up on a local news station or two as time goes on. If How I Met Your Father really wants to link itself to its predecessor, including someone who is the offspring of The Captain and Becky would be a perfect addition to the HIMY-Universe.
Laura Prepon as Karen
She may have been Ted’s most toxic relationship in the entirety of the HIMYM’s run, which is really saying something. Anyone as predisposed to cheating and manipulation as Karen would probably still be single after all these years. If Laura Prepon’s character popped up as an older love interest for one of the HIMYF guys or girls, it wouldn’t be hard to believe in the least. And it would be funny to see her antics play out all over again.
Bryan Cranston as Hammond Druthers
Hammond Druthers was a total pain in the ass for Ted Mosby, but, eventually, he moved on from all his own disappointments by relocating to a windier city. Ted gets a job offer from Druthers in the final season, hoping to lure Ted away from the shiny beacon that is NYC. In the end, the offer wasn’t enough, but if Druthers found himself back in the Big Apple, an appearance by Bryan Cranston would be a huge surprise and a major get for the new Hulu spinoff.
Martin Short as Garrison Cootes
When we left Garrison Cootes, he was tucked away in his survival bunker, waiting out end of the world. There’s a good chance he’s still there. If his sanity was challenged enough after the first few years, though, he may have returned to NYC to yell at Marshall for not saving the world like he said he was going to, especially if HIMYF decides to acknowledge the world events of the last 5-10 years.
James Van Der Beek as Simon
The last time we saw Robin’s first boyfriend, he was all cleaned up and engaged to Louise Marsh. Yes, that Louise Marsh. While there is no way in hell Robin needs to get involved with this guy again, if he popped up with his thick Canadian accent and back in his tour van, there is no way HIMYM fans would be upset. It’s way too much fun having James Van Der Beek around.
Enrique Iglesias as Gael
He came and went in a two episode arc, but Gael definitely made an impression. You never know when someone in HIMYF is going to need to take a vacation to Argentina, and if they ran into everyone’s favorite bongo playing Argentinian, there would be so many great throwbacks to include. Maybe even a drum circle in the living room?
Jayma Mays as Coat Check Girl
Actress Jayma Mays has gone on to bigger and better things since her time on HIMYM, but who wouldn’t be absolutely delighted by a glimpse of the Coat Check Girl from Season 1? Hell, maybe she’s running Club Okay now. Crazier things have happened. We got a brief glimpse of her in HIMYM’s final season, but it would be fun to see her pop up again and see how far she’s come since her initial appearance.
Jorge Garcia as Steve the Blitz
We all remember Steve ‘The Blitz’ Henry, Ted and Marshall’s friend from college who has been cursed with missing the best nights because he had to go home early, or the coolest things because he stepped out of the room. HIMYF could introduce this guy with a quick “Awwww, man!” from off-screen, and all the HIMYM fans would be excited to see what’s up with The Blitz now. Maybe he can finally lose his curse for good?
Katie Holmes as Naomi
Now, if you’re scratching your head trying to remember who Katie Holmes played in HIMYM, there are two words that will definitely clear things up for you: slutty pumpkin. She was quite the elusive figure for Ted over the years. He spent many a Halloween on the roof of his building dressed as a hanging chad, hoping that she would make an encore appearance. It isn’t until Season 7 that Naomi reappears, and when she does, she starts dating Ted immediately. They both know pretty quickly that it’s not going to work out, but hang on purely because of what they had both built it up to be. A Halloween appearance by the original Slutty Pumpkin would be a fantastic Easter Egg for the new series, especially if there are any rooftop Halloween parties to attend.
JoAnna Garcia Swisher as Maggie Wilks
If JoAnna Garcia Swisher isn’t too busy on Sweet Magnolias, it would be a great cameo for HIMYF to grace us fans with. Maggie Wilks may have only really been in one episode, but her impact in that one episode has always been huge. Maggie’s sweet, endearing goodness was so unbelievably different from Ted’s other love interests over the years, it was no surprise they weren’t meant to be.
Amanda Peet as Jenkins
Oh, Jenkins. That was quite a shock. No one expected Jenkins to be the incredibly attractive Amanda Peet, especially when Marshall definitely never corrects anyone who thinks he is talking about another male co-worker. While it would be great if Jenkins had grown up a little, it would be too funny to see her still up to the same antics so many years later. She was always a lot of fun to have around.