General Questions | S1E10 "The Pineapple Incident"

Summary

How We Made Your Mother – Episode S1E10: "The Pineapple Incident"

Release Date: June 5, 2025
Hosts: Josh Radnor and Craig Thomas
Episode Type: General Questions (Bonus Episode)

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Introduction to General Questions

In this special bonus episode of How We Made Your Mother, hosts Josh Radnor and Craig Thomas delve into a series of general questions submitted by fans, offering behind-the-scenes insights into one of the most memorable episodes of How I Met Your Mother (HIMYM) — "The Pineapple Incident." The episode serves as a deep dive into the creative and logistical aspects that made this particular episode resonate so profoundly with audiences.

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Dissecting "The Pineapple Incident"

The Origin of the Pineapple: At the heart of this episode lies the iconic pineapple, a symbol that has sparked much curiosity among fans. When asked why a pineapple was chosen as a central prop, Craig explains:

"[04:08] Craig Thomas: ...a pineapple just looks cool flying out at you in that crazy swirling vortex. I think a lot of it was just what would look cool in that visual."

Josh adds a philosophical layer to the pineapple's role:

"[07:23] Josh Radnor: The pineapple. It makes no sense. It's encased in this sharp, stingy thing... So I would say the pineapple. You had to choose something of an alien fruit because it's so disorienting and strange that it's there."

This discussion reveals the intentional choice to select a fruit that embodies mystery and absurdity, aligning perfectly with the episode's narrative tone.

Narrative Structure and Inspirations: Alec Lev inquires about the narrative techniques used, likening them to other works that employ non-linear storytelling:

"[16:34] Alec Lev: ...narrative trope where characters reconstruct an event backwards. Were you inspired by any fictional work or did it come from any real life event?"

Craig responds by acknowledging influences from various cinematic works:

"[16:45] Craig Thomas: ...the movie Memento.... There's clearly a large cinematic history of this sort of trope..."

This segment highlights the show's intricate storytelling methods, drawing inspiration from complex narratives to enhance the depth of HIMYM.

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Production Insights: Shooting Order and Set Management

Organizing Complex Scenes: Fans were curious about how the production team managed to shoot scenes that jump around in time while maintaining a coherent timeline. Craig credits the exceptional work of their producer, Susie Greenberg:

"[19:54] Craig Thomas: ...our producer, Susie Greenberg, who is amazing. She produced virtually the entire series of How I Met Your Mother..."

He further elaborates on the logistical challenges and solutions:

"[20:43] Craig Thomas: ...Sometimes the order you shoot it in doesn't serve you because it's all over the place... but in this one, shooting all the drunk stuff first was actually quite helpful..."

Josh shares his personal experience with shooting schedules:

"[24:02] Josh Radnor: ...I can't tell you how many times we did early morning scenes first thing in the morning... It's just like, we have lines where we have to say."

The Role of the Crew: The hosts emphasize the indispensable role of the production crew in bringing the episode to life. Alec highlights the positive work environment:

"[25:44] Josh Radnor: ...it was a wonderful, wonderful, huge, heroic piece of the HIMYM puzzle Susie Greenberg was."

Craig concurs, stressing the importance of gratitude and a supportive team dynamic:

"[27:48] Craig Thomas: ...the best place I've ever worked... gratitude, you know, it's just all."

This discussion underscores the symbiotic relationship between the creative vision and the dedicated crew, essential for producing a seamless and engaging episode.

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Impact of "The Pineapple Incident" on Fans and Culture

Symbolism and Fan Interpretation: Alec poses a thought-provoking question about how recurring symbols from the show have integrated into the hosts' lives:

"[12:47] Alec Lev: ...the pineapple changed your lives forever?... These regular things are just associated with you as human beings walking the planet. What is that like?"

Josh reflects on the personal connections and fan interactions:

"[14:17] Josh Radnor: ...I think it's, I think it's... people have such an association and then they see me and they, you know, kind of make that association for me."

Fan Engagement and Creativity: The hosts share heartwarming anecdotes about fan-made creations, such as friendship bracelets and fan art:

"[14:37] Craig Thomas: ...we get a really cool piece of fan art... it's really beautiful piece of art, Tejenderia with this amazing piece of art of Ted and Neil Umbrella."

They also discuss the cultural permeation of symbols like the yellow umbrella and the enduring legacy of show elements in fan weddings and celebrations.

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Behind-the-Scenes Anecdotes and Team Dynamics

Director and Producer Dynamics: Alec asks about the collaborative efforts in creating a cohesive narrative:

"[19:54] Alec Lev: ...how do you plan shooting so many scenes that need to come together to form a timeline that makes sense?"

Craig praises the director Pam Freyman and producer Susie Greenberg for their ability to manage complex shooting schedules without compromising the show's quality. He shares amusing insights into set management and the flexibility required to adapt to unexpected changes:

"[21:05] Josh Radnor: ...They were incredibly unflappable... I have a very strong memory of this."

Maintaining a Positive Work Environment: The conversation shifts to the importance of kindness and gratitude within the production team. Craig vehemently opposes toxic work environments, advocating for respect and positivity as catalysts for creativity:

"[26:34] Craig Thomas: ...some shows and some businesses and some, well, let's just say it, American governments work that way... the best places have always been the ones that are nice."

Josh echoes this sentiment, highlighting the unwavering positivity of Craig and Carter throughout the series' run:

"[28:42] Josh Radnor: ...there was no detectable difference in your guys attitude around the work... we were just like Menchie Nice 29 year olds and you ended the show like Menchie Nice 38."

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Closing Remarks and Fan Interaction

As the episode wraps up, Alec acknowledges the listeners' support and shares memorable fan stories, such as Rosie’s upcoming wedding inspired by HIMYM. The hosts offer heartfelt congratulations and share their appreciation for the fanbase's creativity and dedication.

Josh concludes with a reflective thought on presence and memory:

"[33:11] Josh Radnor: ...it's really about being present for it and kind of realizing that it's happening as it's happening."

This emphasizes the show's overarching theme of cherishing moments and the lasting impact of shared experiences.

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Conclusion

This episode of How We Made Your Mother provides an intimate look into the creative decisions, production challenges, and enduring cultural impact of How I Met Your Mother, specifically focusing on the enigmatic "Pineapple Incident." Through candid conversations and insightful anecdotes, Josh Radnor and Craig Thomas not only reminisce about the show's legacy but also celebrate the collaborative spirit that brought HIMYM to life, offering listeners a deeper appreciation for the beloved sitcom.

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Notable Quotes:

• "[07:23] Josh Radnor: ...a pineapple is an alien fruit because it's so disorienting and strange that it's there."
• "[16:45] Craig Thomas: ...influences from works like Memento and Rashomon."
• "[27:48] Craig Thomas: ...the best places have always been the ones that are nice and the worst are the ones that aren't."

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Stay Connected:
For more insights and updates, visit howwemadeyourmother.com and follow the podcast on your favorite platforms.

Transcript

[Josh Radnor]

Foreign. Hello, and welcome to another bonus episode, a very special bonus episode of How We Made youe Mother. We call these bonus episodes. What do we call them? Oh, yeah. General Questions.

[Craig Thomas]

General questions.

[Josh Radnor]

Questions.

[Craig Thomas]

I give that a C minus.

[Josh Radnor]

What? That was great. I thought it was as good as we've done it, which is the seam. Yeah. I also. Is there a rule about. Because I just did it with my left hand and I realized I think it's right.

[Craig Thomas]

I think it's got to be the right hand.

[Josh Radnor]

Right hand. Right.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah. Yeah, man. All right. We're falling apart.

[Josh Radnor]

Welcome to General Questions.

[Craig Thomas]

General Questions.

[Josh Radnor]

General. General question.

[Craig Thomas]

Not to belabor the point.

[Alec Lev]

That was the worst yet right there.

[Josh Radnor]

We are answering all your questions and doing. Can I just. Let me say something. I woke up in Ann Arbor, Michigan at 4:30 in the morning to catch a 7:00am flight from Detroit. And I'm here. And you guys know that's just my deep commitment to this gig.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah, man.

[Josh Radnor]

And my friendship with you. But I feel this is maybe useful because I feel probably like Ted felt when he woke up with Trudy and the pineapple. I am as disoriented.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You. Yeah. So you were in a different state. You were in Michigan. Here you are, you're back in Brooklyn and you're. You're somewhere. Your. Your brain and awareness is somewhere between those two time zones at the moment.

[Josh Radnor]

Yeah, it's probably in. In one of the Great Lakes, hovering.

[Craig Thomas]

Over a Great Lake.

[Josh Radnor]

Okay. Yeah.

[Craig Thomas]

It'll drift back here as we go, I think, by the time.

[Josh Radnor]

Yeah. And I will say this if this is purely anecdotal, but it does feel like the people that were coming to my shows, a lot of them were watching, were listening to this podcast.

[Craig Thomas]

Oh, that's awesome.

[Josh Radnor]

Maybe watching. And maybe it's a self selecting crowd because people who love this podcast and love the show maybe would want to come hear me play music. But it was a great affirmation. And hilariously, one guy in Ann Arbor said to me last night, he said, that podcast is so deep. It's so deep. It's like a college course on making a sitcom.

[Craig Thomas]

That's really cool. That's a compliment. Thank you. Thank you, Josh's audiences, for listening to this podcast. You made him very tired. You all tired him out from this tour and now he's all tired and screwed up today. But here we are.

[Josh Radnor]

And you know when I would normally talk about it was when I was going to introduce. When I was introducing New York City, the song that is the theme song. To this because I would explain to them that, you know, I offered you guys this song for free out of the generosity of my heart. But it's fun that it's having another life as our theme song. So I think a lot of people knew it. We're singing along. It was awesome.

[Craig Thomas]

It is the next best thing to getting to put it on How I Met yout Mother, for which we would need a time machine. And we're not quite there. We're five years away from that. To quote Marshall.

[Josh Radnor]

We want to get New York City on there and we want to get Tejendary in there.

[Craig Thomas]

We should have for when time travel gets invented. Alec, will you keep a list? Keep a list of things we'll go back and do? Yeah, Those are the only things won't alter world history in any way. We'll just do that.

[Josh Radnor]

We're not going to kill Hitler, but we're going to get Tegendary in there. Fine.

[Craig Thomas]

We'll on kill Hitler. So it's legendary, that song, Kill Hitler. That's. The list is three. Okay, good.

[Josh Radnor]

Keep it running with it. But Alec will keep a list. Alec will keep a list.

[Craig Thomas]

Okay, what are we actually doing? We're doing pineapple.

[Josh Radnor]

We're doing bonus questions on pineapple. Pineapple.

[Alec Lev]

Whatever you want to do, it's fine.

[Craig Thomas]

What do you got for us, Alex?

[Alec Lev]

Let's do this. As long as we're here. All right. So we covered this in the main episode a little, but I feel like since it was 75% of the questions I will ask again. I'll give X unlikely Japanese credit for the simplest version of this question. Why a pineapple?

[Craig Thomas]

I do. I think we talked about it with Carter. With Carter, we just. It was definitely. The initial idea was Ted wakes up and stuff's weird. There was never. There was not a pineapple in like the log line of the episode. But I think it was just that. It's just such a memorable strange. I think it was like, honestly, what will look cool spinning out at us in that crazy, like memory freak out? You know, when the. When Ted is doing the shots and it cuts to black. We thought, what are cool images? And I think we thought of a dragon, which is why. Who had Carl the bartender in defense, a red dragon. So there's like a red dragon flying out. A pineapple just looks cool flying out at you in this like crazy swirling vortex. I think a lot of it was just what would look cool in that visual. And then we kind of reverse engineered it from there.

[Josh Radnor]

Do you know what just occurred to me is the somewhat clinical word incident is kind of funny. It's like. It almost sounds like HR Wrote it. Like we're referring to the Pineapple incident, you know, do you want to know?

[Craig Thomas]

I can tell you exactly what that is. And I meant I wanted to bring this up with Carter. It is our fondness of the writer Gene shepherd, who wrote and created A Christmas Story, in addition to a lot of other great books and stories and stuff about his childhood. He would take things from his life and call that and make them sound like historical events. The Scott Farkas incident, I think. I think he literally says incident. When the bully. When he beats up the bully. When Ralphie beats up the bully. And with the scut, Farkas incident would be talked about for decades after. And you see it, and it just makes this life story seem important. And we very liberally borrowed that technique all over the place on how much mother. Including that phrase, the incident.

[Josh Radnor]

I mean, I love that because that's a writer who's mythologizing his life, which is what Ted is doing. Narrator. Ted is doing that.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely.

[Josh Radnor]

I also think have huge influence. Craig, have we ever played the game? This is an onset game that I play with people. When you're waiting around for them to, you know, set the cameras up and light the scene. It's a game you play. Mostly I learned it with actors, but you can do it. You can do it with all sorts of people. So it's called human or Alien. Right. And essentially, like, all people are either humans or aliens. Right. Tilda Swinton, Alien, clearly. Right. Sandra Bullock is a human.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah.

[Josh Radnor]

Okay.

[Craig Thomas]

Okay.

[Josh Radnor]

Vincent d' Onofrio, Alien. You know, Tom Hanks is a human.

[Craig Thomas]

Literally.

[Josh Radnor]

Right, yeah. So, like, I would say I'm. I'm a human. I played a couple aliens, but I'm a human. You know, Neil's a bit of an alien. Like, you know, the way he. Like, just comedically, he's kind of an alien.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah.

[Josh Radnor]

Tom York is an alien. Right.

[Alec Lev]

Good one.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah.

[Josh Radnor]

Total alien, for sure. I. I've just. I. We never have determined Meryl Streep is either an alien who's very good at playing humans or a human who's very good at playing aliens. I'm not sure. I'm not sure which. But anyway, this is going very deep. I've done this with Jordana, like, with plants and flowers. There are certain plants that are human flowers, and there are certain plants that are animal. I mean, alien flowers or plants. Okay. I am hereby making this declaration a Pineapple is an alien fruit.

[Craig Thomas]

Oh, yes.

[Josh Radnor]

It makes no sense. It's encased in this sharp, stingy thing. You can hurt yourself on a pineapple. You can weaponize it, but if you slice it open carefully, there's deliciousness waiting for you. So I would say the pineapple. The pineapple. You had to choose something of an alien fruit because it's so disorienting and strange that it's there.

[Craig Thomas]

Yes, that's exactly. That's perfect. It's inherently mysterious, Right? It has to be. You can't just eat it. You have to fight it to eat it.

[Josh Radnor]

You have to fight it, carve into.

[Craig Thomas]

It and excavate it. You got to skin it and kill it. Yeah, yeah. It was the perfect mystery. It's a little weird mystery, but if.

[Josh Radnor]

You eat the outside of it, you'll probably die.

[Craig Thomas]

It's fighting you. It is fighting you to the death. Yeah, yeah. That's why, that's why it's perfect. It is. It's like one of the more. The most. The most mysterious fruit. I'm just going to. Go ahead. I'm just going to say it's the most mysterious fruit.

[Alec Lev]

It also looks vaguely like a head.

[Josh Radnor]

Oh, yeah.

[Alec Lev]

It's like it's trying to be a human. It has come here to be among us.

[Josh Radnor]

You put some Mr. Potato Head props on a pineapple.

[Craig Thomas]

Mr.

[Josh Radnor]

Potato Head, you've got yourself a great scary doll with Sideshow Bob hair.

[Craig Thomas]

With Sideshow Bob hair. Totally. Sideshow Bob hair. It is. It's like Ted had a three way with Trudy and this anthropomorphic piece of fruit. Who knows how it was involved and what happened last night.

[Josh Radnor]

Well, that's where. That's when she. That's foreshadowing to her coming back on the show.

[Craig Thomas]

Yes. By the way, it really does. See, we knew what we were. It was a master plan on our part. Yeah. Stay tuned to know what that means later.

[Josh Radnor]

And I wrote you this little ditty to sing to you in New York City. Greg, Summer's approaching.

[Craig Thomas]

It sure is.

[Josh Radnor]

Can you feel it?

[Craig Thomas]

It's in the air, though.

[Josh Radnor]

Like the weather's been confusing in New York, right?

[Craig Thomas]

Very confusing.

[Josh Radnor]

No idea. Take an umbrella. Don't take an umbrella. What jacket?

[Craig Thomas]

Yellow umbrella? No yellow umbrella. It's a whole thing.

[Josh Radnor]

So, yeah, as summer is approaching, my schedule starts clearing up around July. The missus. Is that what I call my wife these days?

[Craig Thomas]

The Mrs. Oh, my God, I've never heard you use that term. Is it 1953 already?

[Josh Radnor]

I think so. The little Lady, I'm gonna take her overseas.

[Craig Thomas]

Really? This is. This is also very old timey speak, by the way. Overseas? Are you gonna take a steamer cruise?

[Josh Radnor]

Well, we're gonna. Whatever. I'm gonna wear a three piece suit on the plane, I'll tell you that much. I dress up for travel.

[Craig Thomas]

The twin prop plan.

[Josh Radnor]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. We're going to Fantasy Island. No, we're. We're considering. Tell. Tell me what you think about these. These destinations. We're considering Portugal. Have you ever been to Portugal?

[Craig Thomas]

I've never been. I hear it's amazing.

[Josh Radnor]

Okay.

[Craig Thomas]

I have nothing to offer you, though. All I. All I can say is it's amazing.

[Josh Radnor]

Maybe a little. Little time in Mallorca where I was in Deya, the only town I was in. But Mallorca is in beautiful places. Beaches, Sardinia. Do you know anything about Sardinia?

[Craig Thomas]

See, that's cool. Has the Mrs. Been to Mallorca? Has the missus been there? It's nice to take her somewhere, you know, a little bit and you take her around.

[Josh Radnor]

Well, I only know this one town, but we might do a couple days with friends, maybe in Mallorca, and then pop over to this little sleepy beachside place in Portugal, and then spend a couple days in Lisbon and then head home.

[Craig Thomas]

Okay, I'll come. This is all leading to you asking me to go.

[Josh Radnor]

Oh. Oh, this is awkward.

[Craig Thomas]

Or is this.

[Josh Radnor]

This was not.

[Craig Thomas]

Is there another motive to this conversation?

[Josh Radnor]

No, I just wanted to hash it out with you. It's my friend. But now I have to.

[Craig Thomas]

Really uncomfortable.

[Josh Radnor]

Now I have to say. Stop. Stop inviting yourself on my vacations with my wife. It's just there's only space on the. On the steamer for me and the Mrs.

[Craig Thomas]

Okay, fine, fine, fine. But you know what? Listen to this though. I have an idea. Even though you completely iced me out just now and kind of broke my heart on camera while it's being recorded, I will say this much. What is happening at your place while you're away?

[Josh Radnor]

What do you mean? My place is just. Just sitting here. Just collecting dust and cobwebs.

[Craig Thomas]

Just sitting there.

[Josh Radnor]

Yeah.

[Craig Thomas]

Josh, you are missing a huge opportunity here, my friend.

[Josh Radnor]

Really? Tell me.

[Craig Thomas]

Huge opportunity. Two opportunities. One is inviting me along on the vacation. Opportunity two is while you're away, you could make a little extra cash by hosting your place on Airbnb.

[Josh Radnor]

That sounds like a great idea. The. The former one about you coming with us. I'm not. I'm not so fond of.

[Craig Thomas]

Okay, well, maybe I'll Airbnb your place while you're away so I'll at least feel close to you.

[Josh Radnor]

Oh, that would be. So would you use a fake name? Would you. Would you. Would you come in with, like, a bad mustache and wig?

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah. Not. Not Craig Thomas.

[Josh Radnor]

I know that's you.

[Craig Thomas]

That's my, that's my alias is not Craig Thomas.

[Josh Radnor]

Greg Tomas.

[Craig Thomas]

Greg Tomas.

[Josh Radnor]

Yes.

[Craig Thomas]

From Portugal.

[Josh Radnor]

Well, your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how [e-mail] foreign.

[Craig Thomas]

Back to.

[Alec Lev]

Show uncommon underscore Sky Bry or Skybree asks, has the pineapple changed your lives forever? Like, post him you life. Have you gone to the grocery store and chuckled at the sight of one of it? Or attended a graduation or birthday party and someone points it out, hey, you should try the pineapple. Like, there's got to be a lot of things in your lives, both of your lives, French horns and, and pineapples alike and anything like that, where all of a sudden they are, they are so associated with you. These just, these regular things are just associated with you as human beings walking the planet. What is that like?

[Josh Radnor]

I would say I've never associated how I met my mother with pineapples. That's not a, that's not a prop that has woven its way into my life. I will say red cowboy boots and yellow umbrellas when I spot them in the world. I do think about how I met your mother, and sometimes, especially with the red cowboy boots, people will kind of hold them up for me. I think it's, I think it's. People have such an association and then they see me and they, you know, kind of make that association for me. Like, I'm not walking around with that radar. Super. Highly attuned. Yeah, but other people are. So they remind me of it, you know, and people, you know, I signed a lot of blue French horns and yellow umbrellas and red cowboy boots on tour. Like people just now, like you did.

[Craig Thomas]

Like last week, you were doing that. That's crazy.

[Josh Radnor]

That's really funny. Someone also made me, speaking of, I got a lot of those kind of friendship bracelets. You know, where they put the. I think it's like a Taylor Swift phenomenon, but they do that. Yeah, but people made me a bunch of them. And a lot of them were music related and a few of them were how I met my mother related. But I did get a Tejendary one from a listener.

[Craig Thomas]

Oh, my God, that's so cool. And I wore it coined on this podcast by myself.

[Josh Radnor]

I think Tejender is going to take off. I think. I really think it's, it's, we've, we've, we've put it in the bloodstream of the culture. It's, it's, it's coming on strong.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah, we got a really cool piece of fan art. I'll call that out by. I think his name was Audie. We, We, We. You can find it on the How We Made youe Mother Instagram and everything. All, all the social media. It was so great. This really beautiful piece of art, Tejenderia with this amazing piece of art of Ted and Neil Umbrella. Like, check it out on our socials. It's really cool. We are very honored that there's fan art for the podcast already. That is very cool.

[Josh Radnor]

It already feels like an antidote to Classic Schmosby, which is not my favorite.

[Craig Thomas]

Why ever.

[Josh Radnor]

So, you know, it's just, you know, when you're, you're a 50 year old man recommending a book you loved on social media and someone writes classic.

[Craig Thomas]

That'S the worst.

[Josh Radnor]

That's the humbler. That's the humbler right there.

[Craig Thomas]

Legendary is going to just slot right in there. Classic must be Xed out, strike through replaced by legendary. To answer that question too, I will say that you do see a lot of yellow umbrellas walking around New York City. And every time I think, were they a how much mother fan or do they just have a fucking yellow umbrella? Which lots of people have that. So it's always. But I do always think about that and I always. I do when I see a pineapple. Think about this episode. Yeah, it's been branded into my brain for sure.

[Alec Lev]

We do own Tegendary.com, by the way. We haven't done anything with it. But don't try to get it. We have it.

[Josh Radnor]

And we'll figure that we're newly committed to winning the Domain War name. I know domain names.

[Craig Thomas]

So many precious websites over the years.

[Alec Lev]

EricGarber says. I love this kind of narrative trope where characters reconstruct an event backwards. Were you inspired by any fictional work or did it come from any real life event?

[Craig Thomas]

I always hasten to point out that this was years before the movie the Hangover. Just in case anyone thinks we were trying to do like, we'll do our Hangover episode. No, no. We did it before they did, but years after.

[Josh Radnor]

Dude, where's my car?

[Craig Thomas]

Dude, where's my car? Carter pointed out that there is some. Dude, where's my car? Overlap. Although I don't. I can't say we were explicitly talking about that movie when we were doing It. But maybe it was in the back of our. But, yeah, I mean, there's. You know, we're playing with the idea of memory all the way through the series. So any. Anything where you're kind of, you know, the movie Memento. Right. I mean, like, things like movies you've watched where people are just, like, trying to reconstruct stuff and, like. Yeah. I mean, there's clearly a large cinematic history of this sort of trope and. And the multiple perspectives needed to fill in the narrative. Obviously, like, Rashomon going back to Kurosawa. Like, there's, like, just that idea of you're not going to get the whole story from one person. You need all these different pieces, and it sort of comes together. Obviously, that's, you know, lots of murder mysteries play that way and, like, lots of dramas and, like, Tarantino does that. And so I think, yes, we were a big, big, crazy patchwork quilt of influences there, for sure.

[Josh Radnor]

It's also a bit of a kind of microcosm within the macrocosm. Like, what they're doing in the episode is what he's doing throughout the whole series, which is. I'm piecing this together. I'm piecing parts together to create a larger narrative of what happened and how we got here.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah. And I love the compressed timeframe of it that it's sort of. It's almost in real time that next morning. Even Marshall making microwave popcorn is the exact length of the commercial break that followed him starting. He comes back, the popcorn's made, and he keeps going. I love the sort of urgency of that. And obviously, there's tons of. Tons of. Our favorite movies have large stretches, or the whole movie takes place, and that's in a compressed time frame. It's really hard to do that.

[Josh Radnor]

You know, it's also. We talked about this a little bit, but, like, Marshall and Lily's investment in what happened is something that is a runner through How I Met yout Mother, that the characters are, like, pretty fascinated by each other and they want to hear their stories. Like, they're not, like, looking at their, you know, watches or phones or, you know, trying to get out of. It's not like when someone's telling you a dream and you're kind of like, all right, well, let's wrap this up. Like, everyone's as invested in the other person's stories as the protagonist of the story is. You know, there's something very sweet about that.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah. And it has a murder mystery vibe. We were talking about this. Like, there's a body in the next room, she's not dead, but there is someone in the next room that they have to identify who it is. And so I'd say, like, the mystery trope is a big part of just the overall inspiration for this one.

[Alec Lev]

We'll just do two other quick ones here. Two people are interested in how the shooting order of a television show, especially for something like this. Art. Larissa says, can you walk us through the order of the shooting? What did you shoot first? Is it flashbacks first or the bar scenes all at once? Love you. Thanks for creating the show. And Becca. No, not Art. Oh, interesting art. Larissa and Becca, not Art says, how do you plan shooting so many scenes that need to come together to form a timeline that makes sense? This episode jumps around so much, but then comes together so satisfyingly piece by piece. Who plans for the shooting order of a television show like this? And how do you keep all that straight in your head?

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah, well, I mean, we should do a big shout out there to our producer, Susie Greenberg, who is amazing. She. She produced virtually the entire series of How I Met yout Mother and virtually the entire series of Seinfeld. Cool overlaps there. And she, for both of those series, Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld really put her through her faces of having to produce crazy shit all the time. And we just kept on. Kept that rolling for her on How Much yout Mother. Because it was a huge challenge to do. Yeah. This episode has a lot of different scenes. Luckily, a lot of them take place in our existing sets. Right. There's a lot in the bar. There's a lot in the apartment. And it feels like there's a ton going on. But sets wise, it was actually kind of great because most of it takes place there. Robin's in a cab. So you just. You have to move these things around. You say you shoot all the bar stuff, you shoot all the apartment stuff, you shoot all Robin in a cab stuff. And you sort of. We have three days where Susie Greenberg and Pam Freyman, our director and our amazing crew have to sort of, like Jenga or whatever, puzzle piece that together. How do you make that all fit into three days? This one has the illusion of seeming like there's more going on than there really is, because it really is mostly the bar and the apartment. And you see the bars. You see the bathroom in the bar, which doesn't always happen.

[Josh Radnor]

Yeah. You see Ted's bedroom, which they had to fly that in because that's not like just sitting there offstage. It was in a whole different Little area of the stage, you know, just another shout out to Susie Greenberg. It occurs to me, and maybe it's just because I've been watching the pit. She would have been a great emergency room doctor because she is unflappable.

[Craig Thomas]

That is totally our energy.

[Josh Radnor]

Susie Greenberg look stressed or like, oh, we're not gonna figure this out. Like, she never panics. I know why she's working at the top of her game. She absolutely just figures it out.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah. Every once in a while, she would come into Carter in my office because we'd ask so much of her. We were doing 70, 80 scenes in episodes. Sometimes every once in a while, five times the entire series, she would come into our office and just look at us and go like, no. And we're like, what? She's like, I saw the new outline.

[Josh Radnor]

No, that is like an emergency room doctor. Because they're like, we can't save him.

[Craig Thomas]

We can't save this one. Yeah. Yeah, totally. And you really, really believed her when she said that. Just like you would believe the emergency room doctor in that circumstance. Like, you're like, all right. Susie said, no. This means that like anybody else, like, we would have heard so much, so many more no's from a lesser producer. She just. She couldn't. We could not scare her, no matter what. We threw at her a couple times. And when it was no. It was always budget. It was always like, we just. We can't justify the cost of this one. And usually that led to us having some creative fix that preserved the spirit of whatever we wanted to do. But she. What a wonderful, wonderful, huge, heroic piece of the Himian puzzle Susie Greenberg was. I mean, just made shit happen and.

[Josh Radnor]

A delight and easy to be around and work with. And I do remember doing almost all the Drunk Ted stuff on one day. I think this is my memory of it. I think it was the first shooting day. I think it was a Wednesday. We did all the Drunk Ted, except for the bathroom scene with Trudy, which I think was on Friday. And I think all the bedroom stuff, all the. All the apartment stuff was Thursday. Now, this is 20 years ago, but I don't know why. I have a very strong memory of this.

[Craig Thomas]

I'm really impressed that you can even pretend to conjure that together. But that sounds right. That sounds absolutely right. Like, the bathroom set was completely different. The bar bathroom is a different day.

[Josh Radnor]

Sometimes the order you shoot it in doesn't serve you because it's. It's all over the place. And it's based on, like, what actors are you know what availability we have. Or literally, like, we can't build that set until Friday. We need to shoot all this stuff on a Wednesday. But in this one, shooting all the drunk stuff first was actually quite helpful because by the time I was doing it on Thursday, I kind of had that in my bloodstream. You know what I mean? Like, it was useful to. It was useful, the order. And I think that Susie and Pam did try to pay attention to that as much as they could, but you can't always get it just right.

[Craig Thomas]

They. They did. I guarantee you they would have thought of that. I guarantee you they probably thought, Josh can be hungover these next two days. Let's have him drunk first. That's just the narrative order. I guarantee you they thought Pam was great at thinking about stuff like that because Pam could really think in the actor's shoes. She's a wonderful director because she really thinks, how will they want to play this?

[Josh Radnor]

And I can't tell you how many times, and I think I've mentioned this on the podcast, I can't tell you how many times we did early morning scenes first thing in the morning, because I remember, like, coming to work and having to get in pajamas or, like, a T shirt and, like, sweatpants and Dave Baker being like, what cereal do you want? What breakfast? How do you want your coffee? Like, and I was just like, this is the greatest job in the world. Like, it's 9am I'm drinking coffee and eating cereal and talking to Jason. Like, you know, I was just messing around with Jason. And then the cameras roll, and I'm still messing around with Jason. It's just like, we have lines where we have to say. But I always thought they did try to pay attention to the arc of the day in a good way.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah. We should also credit Michael Shea as part of designing those schedules. Michael Shea, our wonderful ad, Pam. And they. They 100% thought like, that. They thought, what's the verisimilitude we can create for these actors to feel like this is a real universe that they're inhabiting? They're experiencing these things kind of like they would really happen. And I think that goes a long way to creating the vibe.

[Josh Radnor]

I remember a lot of times we'd be rehearsing during the day. We'd break for dinner, let the sun go down, and then shoot those nighttime scenes.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. There's a rhythmic thing. There's some, like, circadian rhythm, like, thing that it really matters.

[Alec Lev]

It really does help something else that matters.

[Josh Radnor]

Now.

[Alec Lev]

When I worked there I just worked there for a little bit in the bowels there. But I saw a lot of what's going on. And Craig, I mean, between you and Pam and Susie and Michael, I mean, the fact that people are nice really matters. It really matters to an entire work environment. It's definitely something that I have taken with me of people that I ever want to work with, of just like you might be best at your job, but you just need to be nice. I just want to play with nice people. And it really filters throughout. Yeah, I mean, the art, it shows in your days. This is your. This is. This is. You're leaving, you're leading your life. You're not just creating art. You are living your life. And to be surrounded by people at the top like that, who are nice, who are friendly, who are looking to be positive, mean something.

[Craig Thomas]

There's. There's some real misconceptions Josh has wisely pointed out a few times. Josh, because you're very, you're very. You've got some great things to say about creativity in general and the idea of sometimes that there should be an effortlessness sometimes to things, it's things you don't. It's not always this force it into being work ethic. Well, similarly, I think there's a misconception that if we're all stressed out all the time and people are mean and people are playing scared and we're afraid to mess up, that is how we get results. And I think some shows and some businesses and some, well, let's just say it, American governments work that way. And I think that that's not true. I think that's a huge lie. And the best place I've ever worked, the best places have always been the ones that are nice and the worst are the ones that aren't. And I don't think it changes productivity. I think you want to have a level of respect and you want to raise your game so you're like worthy of these amazing people you get to work with. But when it doesn't come from being nice and kind and the kind of shared mission of like being excited about what you' doing, I do not think you're going to have a good product. I don't think you make good stuff out of fear. I'll just never. I'll never be convinced out of that.

[Josh Radnor]

You know, I also think that has so much to do with Pam just being the loveliest person. But also you and Carter, Craig, like, I want to shout you guys out because you never. I mean, day one, season One to the final day of season nine. Like there was no detectable difference in your guys attitude around the work or there was no change in. I mean, you started off incredibly kind and lovely to work with and you ended that way. And I think that in some ways, you know, we were talking about like that thing of like ignorance is bliss. Like some ways you didn't know any better on certain levels and other things you actually intuitively understood this in a deep way. But I think like there's something really nice about you guys were just like Menchie nice 29 year olds and you ended the show like Menchie Nice 38.

[Craig Thomas]

Year olds, 74 year olds.

[Josh Radnor]

Yes. It never occurred to you guys to be tyrannical or you know, like my way or the highway, like there was never any of that. So I just think that it does trickle down from there. You know, most of the time like when you hear about those toxic sets, it's generally someone pretty unhappy in like the tone setting.

[Craig Thomas]

Oh yes.

[Josh Radnor]

What did I say?

[Craig Thomas]

Generally we're going for something there, but did we find General Lee?

[Josh Radnor]

First name Lee?

[Craig Thomas]

It's a reach. But here you go, here we are. We're in general questions. We had to try.

[Josh Radnor]

Yeah. But you hear it's a person who is pretty unhappy, who is in the position of power and that the contagion.

[Craig Thomas]

Of that really spreads 100%. And I think it's that fear thing. It's playing out of fear. If I make people afraid, they'll do their best work. It's a lie that will never be true. And I think it's just gratitude. I was so grateful we got to write things that an actor as fine as yourself would do, that a producer as good as Susie would figure out how to puzzle piece to make happen that a director as good as Pam would direct. I never for one second didn't feel amazed and overcome with gratitude. Walking into that stage and watching everybody put together these sets for ideas we came up with the day before and they stayed up all night building that. Oh, we're gonna need the bar bathroom set for this. We had this new idea for a scene of Ted and Trudy in the bar bathroom. Let's say it's that type of thing. Someone stayed up late and built that set and they're gonna have to tear it down to build the next thing next day. It's just like, who. I just felt such gratitude and I know Carter did too, and all the writers because you just couldn't have asked for a better team. And I think it just all comes from gratitude, you know, it's just all. Never, never lose sight of how amazing it is to write something and then 100 people. Yes. And it into existence. That's a miracle. That's a miracle.

[Josh Radnor]

Yeah. And also, I mean, I think that the tone of the show, I mean, it sprung from you guys in your life, but also it ultimately, at the end of the day is people who really love each other and crack each other up sitting around a bar trying to figure out life. Right. And to work in an asphyxiating tense environment while you're trying to do that, it's just not going to be great. Like, you want to feel like, oh, we're just having some Chex Mix and sitting at this bar and there's Carl and there's Wendy the waitress. And like, it has an ease to it, the vibe of the show. So you want the vibe in some ways to match the backstage vibe, to match what's in front of the camera. And I think we did that.

[Craig Thomas]

We did. It was a thing of beauty and it doesn't always go that way. And I think that energy plays into what gets on the screen every single time.

[Alec Lev]

All right, well, as we reach the close to the end here, I always want to thank everyone for scooching over, making room for us in their lives and sending their questions through Instagram and everywhere. Facebook, YouTube. I'm forgetting some through our website. Go to the contact page. Absolutely. There's one question that came to that is from the Howie Made youe Mother Facebook group. So not our Facebook page, but that group there, the fan group, you should go conversations getting wild over there. Now. She asked a great question. Unfortunately, I think we're gonna. This is gonna drop too late for us to give her some advice. But we could just congratulate Marissa. Rosie says she's getting married. I think she's getting married literally seven days from when we're recording this. This is not gonna be Congratulations. Congratulations.

[Craig Thomas]

I'm sure it was great. Best wedding I've ever been to.

[Alec Lev]

She wanted to know what's the way that she can incorporate him or whimyim into her wedding to make it legendary.

[Craig Thomas]

So again, we'll just say congrats because we're too late. But we've seen some amazing. Yeah. Some yellow umbrellas, some blue French horns, some himym themed cakes. People share their weddings with us all the time on social media. And just again, that gratitude thing of like, how are we so lucky that the show can be a part of like the most important day two people. Cher. It's really, really humbling and thrilling. So thank you for even thinking of that. Sorry we're too late with a good answer. But.

[Josh Radnor]

Well, I would say, I mean, anyone, anyone who has that kind of question, I would say, you know, you could, you could get in the weeds on like, him props and napkins that have whatever prop you like on them. But I think, like, if you really want to honor the spirit of the show, I think it's about being very present and alert when you're having, well, every day, every moment. But at these, at these crossroads moments, at weddings and, you know, even funerals or engagements or first dates or eighth dates or whatever, I think it's really about showing up for it and being present for it and kind of realizing that it's happening as it's happening. And I think that being present is the antidote to nostalgia, that if you're really present and you live strongly in the moment, you won't be pining for the past because you'll have been, you'll have shown up for the past and then, you know, and then your memories are, are more indelible the more kind of awake inside of them you are. So I would just say enjoy every moment. I am guilty. Please acquit me. All sins are forgiven in New York City.

[Alec Lev]

How We Made youe Mother is hosted and executive produced by Josh Radner and Craig Thomas. The show was produced by me, Alec Lev, and our co producer is Doug. Our audio producer and mixer is Alex Reeves at Point of Blue Studios, and our digital content producer, AKA Gen Z Master, is Emily Blumberg. Artwork by John Morrow. Please follow rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts or your podcast player of choice. It really does help the show. Our theme song is NYC by our own Josh Radner, with additional music by Craig Tyler Thomas and Andrew Majewski. Special thanks to Lola Kennedy and Elliot Connors. Visit how we madeyourmother.com to sign up for our Substack mailing list and for links to our social media. You can also click on the contact page to send us an email or a voice message. Your stories and questions are an important part of the show. Want some merch? Click on the store link or go to howyougetyourmerch.com subscribe to Joshua Radner's Muse Letters on Substack. Order Craig Thomas debut [e-mail] novel and you could subscribe to My Dead Fathers Society, also on Substack, to learn about how you make a difference. This show's ongoing campaign to raise money for congenital heart disease research. Check out the Make a Difference tab at the top of our website. This episode was made possible by the support of Backyard Ventures. People will, in fact, dance.

[Josh Radnor]

The real question it just hit me. Am I in love with you or just New York City?