11:03AM: CBS Publicity kicks off the HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER panel featuring actors Alyson Hannigan, Jason Segel and Showrunners Carter Bays and Craig Thomas by touting the fact that the show is enjoying its best ratings ever. What’s more, it remains the youngest skewing show on the Network.
11:05AM: Will HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER follow in LOST’s footsteps by setting an end date? “We’ve talked about it, but it’s not a high priority for us,” admits Carter Bays. “It’s hard for us to say on May 14 two-thousand-and-whatever we’ll officially be out of ideas.” Adds Segel, “We have to say if the Mayans were right also, you might meet the mother on December 21, 2012.”
11:07AM: Fun Fact: Having hit 150 episodes, Lily Aldrin will have surpassed BUFFY’s Willow Rosenberg as Allyson Hannigan’s longest running character. Jokes Thomas, “But which show do you like more!?”
11:09AM: “We have it worked out and we kind of know what the endgame of the series is,” admits Bays when asked about what whether or not the endgame involves meeting the mother, the wedding etc. “Obviously the show is built around one central question and that meeting will be a part of the endgame of the show.”
11:10AM: On what keeps Muppets movie mogul Jason Segel excited about coming to work everyday? “I really enjoy acting,” says Segel sighting last season’s emotional arc featuring the death of his television father. “I’d like to see the story come to its natural end and whether that’s 8 or 9 years I like the idea of seeing the story through to the end.” Adding on a slightly more lighthearted note, “I was so relieved when I found out there was an actual plan!”
11:12AM: Fun Fact #2: The HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER writer’s room includes a little bulletin board featuring about 18 threads (Think: The goat) that the writers need to pick up before the series ends.
11:13AM: Spoiler Alert: Ted’s lack of forward momentum in terms of the search for the mother will come to ahead during February sweeps. “We’re going to see Ted do an assessment of his life [Noting he’s years the time Lily and Marshall got engaged],” reveals Bays. “He’s going to come up with what he thinks is the answer, and then we’re going to explore whether it is the right answer for him. There’s big soul-searching stuff coming up for Ted in Episode 16, 17, and 18.”
11:14AM: “We liked the idea of how a character might react when something emcees up that instead of challenge their idea of themselves, sort of confirms the idea of themselves,” was Thomas’ answer to the controversy surrounding Robin’s inability to carry a child. Jokes Hannigan recounting to her reaction at the table read to Robin’s storyline, “I’m never watching this show again, season’s pass delete! But it’s only because I care so much, why are you making me cry at the table read.”
11:16AM: Still in defensive mode as per the controversial Christmas episode, Bays clarifies the difference between Robin’s somewhat misleading narration of the episode and that of the narration of future Ted [Bob Saget] “I think our rationale was that narrator Bob Saget has never lied to us. Sure, the order in which he says things sometimes creates twist endings here and there, but ultimately he’s a pretty reliable narrator.” Adds a joking Thomas, “Not in life, don’t lend him money.”
11:19AM: Fun Fact #3: Alyson Hannigan credits Brittany Murphy with her remarkable career thus far, “I’ve been so blessed to have had two amazing show that I’ve gotten to do for years. I don’t ever take it for granted because I know what it felt like to have an empty bank account. I was about to go into some serious debt when I booked BUFFY, I couldn’t get a real job to save my life. The lovely late Brittany Murphy and her mother were really wonderful about helping to get to auditions and transform me into a girl. I was a real tomboy and they lent me girly clothes, tweezed my brows.”
11:23AM: Can the show fundamentally remain the same when Marshall and Lily move to the suburbs? “It’s not necessarily a permanent stop,” teases Bays. “But we’re definitely going to explore them being in the suburbs, away from the bar. There will be some fun arc-y stuff with these two. “Adds Thomas, “One of the first things we asked ourselves when dealing with Lily’s pregnancy was how do we keep them hanging out at the bar? And the second half of the season is going to sort of deal with that. There will be areal identity crisis now that there’s a baby on the way. Monday’s episode is all about who the two groups deal with the separation.” 
