The Puzzler with guest Josh Radnor

Summary

Podcast Summary: How We Made Your Mother – "The Puzzler" Episode Featuring Josh Radnor

Release Date: June 30, 2025

In this engaging episode of "How We Made Your Mother," hosts Josh Radnor and Craig Thomas delve into the intricate and enduring legacy of the beloved sitcom "How I Met Your Mother" (HIMYM). Joined by special guest Josh Radner, known for his role as Ted Mosby on HIMYM, the conversation navigates the show's puzzling narrative structure, its cultural impact, and the fascinating dynamics behind its creation.

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Introduction to the Puzzling Nature of HIMYM

The episode kicks off with Josh Radner explaining the unique, non-linear storytelling of HIMYM:

Josh Radnor [04:07]: "It's almost like if Quentin Tarantino created a sitcom because it was so non-linear and there were an average of 40 to 60 scenes per episode, all kind of scrambled and told out of order."

Radner emphasizes the central mystery of the series—the quest to uncover the identity of "the mother" through Ted's elaborate storytelling to his children in 2030. This structure not only kept audiences intrigued but also encouraged active engagement, making HIMYM a standout in the sitcom landscape.

Josh Radnor [06:11]: "It really keeps you on your toes. It asks something of you. It's not something that you can sit back and passively watch, but it will also engage you in a kind of puzzly fun way."

Fictional Yelp Reviews: A Puzzle Segment

The hosts introduce a playful segment where they present fictional Yelp reviews of bars, restaurants, and hotels featured in various media. Josh Radner participates by guessing the establishments based on the humorous reviews.

Example Puzzle:

AJ Jacobs [09:32]: "Three stars, I enjoyed a pitcher of beer at this solid Irish bar on the Upper West Side. Warning to women. Steer clear of one of the regulars, a red-haired guy in a suit. He will hit on you relentlessly."

Answer: McLaren's, the iconic bar from HIMYM.

Radner adeptly solves multiple puzzles, showcasing his quick wit and deep familiarity with HIMYM lore. Notably, he connects the bar "Puzzles" to the show's intricate storytelling and mentions his personal love for crossword puzzles:

Josh Radnor [07:41]: "I was a crossword puzzle fan, I remain one. I would do the crossword puzzle on set and sometimes, you know, props would say, do you just want to keep that as your prop for this scene? So I'd say, yeah, I'm just gonna literally do the puzzle while I'm acting on this."

Behind the Scenes: Recording the Kids' Voices

A significant revelation in the discussion centers on the production aspect of HIMYM, specifically the recording of the children's voices who listen to Ted's stories. Radnor shares insights into how these recordings influenced the show's development:

Josh Radnor [17:48]: "They told me early on and then I knew that they were recording the kids. A couple, you know, they recorded, I think, a bunch. Just one afternoon that was."

This early incorporation of the narrative's framing device underscores the meticulous planning that contributed to the show's lasting appeal.

Connecting Puzzles to Creative Processes

Radnor eloquently draws parallels between puzzles and his creative endeavors, such as songwriting and filmmaking. He likens editing a film to solving a diagramless crossword puzzle, where intuition plays a crucial role in placing elements correctly:

Josh Radnor [33:11]: "Editing movies and even songwriting feels like a crossword puzzle. A little bit more like the diagramless crossword puzzle. You don't have the darkened squares. You have to figure out where those are."

This metaphor highlights the complexity and satisfaction inherent in both puzzle-solving and creative production.

Thematic Depth and Cultural Impact

Throughout the episode, the hosts and Radner explore why HIMYM continues to resonate with audiences, attracting new fans even years after its finale. The show's ability to intertwine humor with heartfelt moments and its sophisticated narrative techniques are credited for its enduring popularity.

Josh Radnor [06:28]: "One of the strange things that happens, the longer you're on a long-running show, the writers get to know you and they start thieving a bit. They start stealing from your life and throwing things into the character."

Interactive Elements and Listener Engagement

The episode fosters audience participation through puzzles and extra credit questions, encouraging listeners to engage deeply with the content. An example includes deciphering the roles of specialized groups in 18th-century French theater, tying historical insights to contemporary media references.

AJ Jacobs [25:05]: "You have the besseurs, the commissaires, and the pluris. Who were they in the context of 1700s French theater?"

Listeners are invited to solve these puzzles, enhancing the interactive experience of the podcast.

Closing Insights and Future Discussions

As the episode concludes, Radner hints at future discussions centered around HIMYM's themes and their broader implications on life, love, and friendship. The collaborative dynamic between the hosts and Radner sets the stage for ongoing exploration of the show's multifaceted legacy.

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Notable Quotes:

• Josh Radnor [04:07]: "It's almost like if Quentin Tarantino created a sitcom because it was so non-linear..."
• AJ Jacobs [09:32]: "Three stars, I enjoyed a pitcher of beer at this solid Irish bar..."
• Josh Radnor [17:48]: "They told me early on and then I knew that they were recording the kids..."
• Josh Radnor [33:11]: "Editing movies and even songwriting feels like a crossword puzzle..."

Timestamp Highlights:

• 04:07 – Discussion on the non-linear structure of HIMYM.
• 07:41 – Radner's experience with crossword puzzles on set.
• 17:48 – Insights into recording the children's voices.
• 33:11 – Metaphor connecting puzzles to songwriting and filmmaking.

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This episode of "How We Made Your Mother" not only celebrates the intricate storytelling of HIMYM but also offers listeners a deep dive into the creative processes that make such shows timeless. Josh Radner's participation enriches the conversation, providing both insider perspectives and relatable anecdotes that resonate with fans and new listeners alike.

Transcript

[Josh Radner]

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[Greg Pliska]

The Nordstrom app.

[AJ Jacobs]

I think you're on mute Workday starting to sound the same. I think you're on mute. Find something that sounds better for your career on LinkedIn. With LinkedIn job collections, you can browse curated collections by relevant industries and benefits like Flexpto or Hybrid Workplaces so you can find the right job for you. Get [e-mail] jobs finding where you fit LinkedIn knows how hey everyone, Whimium is just taking one week off, but we're thrilled to be able to bring you an appearance that Josh made on an incredibly fun podcast called the Puzzler, where the host, AJ Jacobs tested his puzzle skills with a bunch of original word games.

[Josh Radner]

As you might know, Josh is a big crossword fan and it sounds like.

[AJ Jacobs]

He had a great time.

[Greg Pliska]

We thought you might enjoy it too.

[AJ Jacobs]

What you'll hear are three short episodes they recorded one after the other, so take a listen and be sure to subscribe to the Puzzler wherever you get your podcasts. Hello puzzlers. Let's start with a quick puzzle. What do these things have in common? Groove, Recovering Guy Losing Bikini Stuffing and Dragon training. That's Groove, Recovering Guy Losing Bikini Stuffing and Dragon Training. The answer and more puzzling goodness after the break. Hello puzzlers. Welcome back to the Puzzler, the simple syrup in your puzzle. Old fashioned. I am your host, AJ Jacobs, and I'm here with Chief Puzzle Officer Greg Kaliska. Of course, Greg before Greg, of course. We asked, what do these things have in common? Groove recovery, Guy losing, bikini Stuffing, and Dragon training. The answer might be things happening in.

[Greg Pliska]

My apartment right now.

[AJ Jacobs]

Wow, you've got an interesting apartment.

[Greg Pliska]

No, you know, I had no idea at first, and then I went back to Groove Recovering and I was like, that's very weird. And then I remembered how Stella got her groove back.

[AJ Jacobs]

Exactly.

[Greg Pliska]

So those are all films that start with how Something how to Train youn Dragon, the Other and the other two.

[AJ Jacobs]

How to lose a guy in 10 days and how to Stuff a Wild Bikini, which I think is a great title.

[Greg Pliska]

I don't think I've ever heard of.

[AJ Jacobs]

That Annette Puticello classic.

[Greg Pliska]

Oh Okay.

[AJ Jacobs]

I bring this up because our guest today starred in something else with a how in the title. We are talking about actor, filmmaker, musician, podcaster, and star of the wonderful sitcom Jacob's family favorite How I Met yout Mother. Please welcome Josh Radner.

[Josh Radner]

Hi. It's good to be here with you guys.

[AJ Jacobs]

We are just delighted. And as you know, Josh, you played Ted Mosby on How I Met yout Mother.

[Josh Radner]

I do.

[AJ Jacobs]

And you remember that? That's a good trivia question. Who did you play? And you have a new podcast that you are hosting with series co creator Craig Thomas called How We Made youe Mother. It's a great podcast. I've. I've been listening. And one thing I wanted to ask you right up front. In one of the first couple of episodes, you and Craig discuss How I Met your Mother is a very puzzly show. Can you talk a little about in what ways is How I Met your mother puzzling?

[Josh Radner]

Yeah, sure. Well, when I got the show and people would ask me what it was and I would say it's almost like if Quentin Tarantino created a sitcom because it was so non linear and there were average of 40 to 60 scenes per episode, all kind of scrambled and told out of order. But the central premise of the show is this mystery. My characters telling his kids in the year 2030 or 2035, I can't remember. I think it's 2030. What? You know the story, the long, meandering story of how he met their mother. So they know who the mother is. The audience doesn't know who the mother is. So the whole thing is structured as this mystery. We know that there's a meeting at some point, but he's going to take his time and he's going to fill in all the details. And sometimes individual episodes are structured as a mystery. I'm thinking of there's an episode called Ted Mosby, Architect that it just looked like Ted was doing all these insane, slightly criminal things. And it was confusing, like, why was he doing these? And then it's revealed it wasn't actually him, you know, there. So I think Carter and Craig just had a taste for almost like an elegant withhold of information. And there was something very satisfying. One of the things we're interrogating in the show is why is the show maintained its level of popularity? Why is it minting new fans, you know, generation after generation? Well, I don't know if we can say generation after generation. It's been what year since it went off? But I know a lot, you know, 12 year olds, teenagers, like they're discovering the show. And we're in, we're kind of investigating the mystery of the show. Why is the show inspire such loyalty and devotion? And I think there's a lot of reasons for that, but one of them, I think is it really keeps you on your toes. I mean, it asks something of you. You know, it's not, it's not something that, I mean, you can sit back and passively watch it, but it will also engage you in a kind of puzzly fun way.

[AJ Jacobs]

Yeah, well, I love that. I mean, there's the big puzzle of who the mother is. There's the famous episode called the Pineapple Incident. Ted wakes up next to a pineapple and a woman played by Danica Keller from the Wonder Years, which is very exciting.

[Josh Radner]

Yeah. Oh, and also there was. Barney and Ted were going to open a bar called Puzzles.

[AJ Jacobs]

I was going to bring that up.

[Josh Radner]

Oh, you were? Okay.

[AJ Jacobs]

Yeah. That's fantastic. And why is it called Puzzles?

[Josh Radner]

That's the puzzle.

[AJ Jacobs]

That's the puzzle. That was it. Exactly. And the other crossover is that Ted, the character is a fan of crosswords. And there's an episode where you get to meet legendary friend of the show, friend of our show, Will Shorts, who.

[Josh Radner]

Is the crossword puzzle editor, among other luminaries on the, I think Upper east side. That episode.

[AJ Jacobs]

Right.

[Josh Radner]

One of the strange things that happens, the longer you're on a long running show, the writers get to know you and they start thieving a bit. They start stealing from your life and throwing things into the character. So I was a crossword puzzle fan, I remain one. Um, and I would do the crossword puzzle on set and sometimes, you know, props would say, do you just want to keep that. That as your prop for this scene? So I'd say, yeah, I'm just gonna literally do the puzzle while I'm acting on this.

[AJ Jacobs]

I love it.

[Josh Radner]

So efficient when Carter is a crossword puzzle guy too. So it was one of those fun overlaps. And then Ted just became a crossword puzzle fan just because I was doing them.

[AJ Jacobs]

That's fantastic. And I remember in that episode you talk about, you ask Will about Uli, U, L, E, E. Why does that appear so often? And you had a theory which was correct.

[Josh Radner]

What is it? Because of the vowels?

[AJ Jacobs]

Yeah, it's like a huge vowel. And I think it's Yuli's Gold is what. I've seen it. Greg, is there any other Yuli?

[Greg Pliska]

Yeah, no, no, that's the movie Yuli's Gold.

[Josh Radner]

Yeah.

[AJ Jacobs]

Yeah. Well, that is fantastic. I want to talk more about you and puzzles and the puzzle of acting, the puzzle of music. But since this is the puzzler, let me do a quick puzzle with you if I could. You mentioned the puzzle, the bar that Ted and Barney were going to open called Puzzles. Love that. But there's another bar in the show, McLaren's where they all hung out. So this puzzle is about fictional bars? Fictional bars and restaurants and hotels. And the idea is I'm going to read you a fictional Yelp review of these fictional places and then you have to guess what it might be. So for instance, if I said three stars, I enjoyed a pitcher of beer at this solid Irish bar on the Upper west side. Warning to women. Steer clear of one of the regulars, a red haired guy in a suit. He will hit on you relentlessly. So that would be a clue to McLaren's. McLaren's, which is the bar in how I met your mother. The red haired guy, of course is Neil Patrick Harris's guy.

[Josh Radner]

Is Neil a redhead? I don't know.

[AJ Jacobs]

I spent a long time looking at his hair to try to figure this.

[Josh Radner]

I think this is the puzzle of this puzzle is what is the color of Neil's hair? I would, but yeah, okay.

[AJ Jacobs]

Yeah, I couldn't figure it out. I didn't know how to describe it. But it's not your average, just brown. All right, so are you ready for some other. These are not all how I met your mother bars, they, I think songs.

[Josh Radner]

I can tell you that. I, I get performance anxiety around public puzzle solving. I love, I do the spelling bee every day. I love just being with my self. So I'm, I, I'm, I just want to, I want to declare my nerves up front. And I know you're not here to humiliate me, but I just want to.

[AJ Jacobs]

Say that we appreciate the honesty. Totally. As, as Greg and I are very easy with the hints.

[Greg Pliska]

Well, and the other thing I will say, Josh, is I haven't seen these yet, so I can be your phone a friend over here. I can have co solve with you because I haven't seen any of these.

[Josh Radner]

Hints in the chat. Is that how it's going to work or.

[AJ Jacobs]

I like the way you think. They could be movies, they could be music, they could be tv. All right, here's the first one. One star do not stay at this motel. The owner's mother just sits there, not moving, not speaking, even when I asked her for an extra pillow. The showers have decent water pressure, but there are red stains all over the Tub. So what might that be? A Yelp review 4.

[Josh Radner]

I'm gonna go with the Bates Motel.

[AJ Jacobs]

You are going to go correctly. See, look at that.

[Greg Pliska]

Look at that. From the movie Psycho.

[AJ Jacobs]

Exactly. Where they had the famous shower scene. And. Well, I won't say the other part, because for those who are spoiler alert. Yes. All right, I got another one. This is also a one star. They're very tough on Yelp. Can you say tacky? This hotel has mirrors on the ceiling and pink champagne on ice. Plus, the wine cellar sucks. The waiter told me we haven't had that spirit here since 1969. Not a lovely place.

[Josh Radner]

Oh, yes. That's the Hotel California.

[AJ Jacobs]

That is the Hotel California. Exactly. Convenient to check out, but you can't leave by the Eagles, right?

[Greg Pliska]

Yes.

[AJ Jacobs]

Okay, good. All right. You're cruising through. You're cruising through, despite your nervousness. How about this one? Two stars. This one's a two stars. A little better. I have stayed at three different locations of this resort. All were gorgeous. Impeccable service. My only complaint, the constant stabbings, drownings, and bloody shootouts. Not sure what's going on with this chain, but management should look into it. Also, be sure to try the lychee martini.

[Josh Radner]

Is my central question about this series. At what point is this going to be such a PR disaster? They can't sustain this resort. That would be the White Lotus. I know.

[AJ Jacobs]

They have to address it next.

[Josh Radner]

They have to.

[AJ Jacobs]

Like, there's. Yeah, it is getting a little crazy.

[Josh Radner]

Yeah.

[Greg Pliska]

The thing I love about this is that I've watched none of this show. None of it. My wife's a huge fan. I've watched none of it. And yet I know exactly what you're talking about without watching a single episode. It's just in the zeitgeist.

[Josh Radner]

But you wouldn't go there.

[Greg Pliska]

Yeah, no, definitely.

[AJ Jacobs]

Right, Right. And I know Duke was very upset because.

[Josh Radner]

Oh, I saw that. They got. What is it? A meme they didn't really enjoy.

[AJ Jacobs]

I happen to love the show, so I hope that it continues. All right, a couple more. You are cruising. As I say, one star. That's another one star. I felt violated. This bar has a total lack of privacy. Somehow everybody knew my name. Not sure if they hacked my phone or what, but it was creepy. Also, the waitress is a know and all. Who quotes Dante.

[Josh Radner]

Well, I said that how I met your mother was like if Tarantino had created a sitcom. And Carter and Craig said that it was that they were thinking of it as Pulp Fiction meets Cheers.

[AJ Jacobs]

I love that description.

[Josh Radner]

They Wanted another bar hangout show to make and watch. So cheers.

[AJ Jacobs]

Right, so this is cheered. Exactly. And I. McLaren's looks nice. And I read that it was based on some Irish bars that the creators went. Were you a bar hanger outer when you lived in New York?

[Josh Radner]

Yeah, there was a bar. I went to NYU for grad school at Tisch. And there was a bar around the corner called Boo Radley's that you walked downstairs and there was a pool table and you could smoke in New York back then. So it was just dank, smoke filled basement where we would unwind. It's now called, I think Josie woods, but it was called Boo Radley's, which I think is a great name for a bar.

[AJ Jacobs]

Yeah. Okay.

[Greg Pliska]

It is called Josie Woods. I'm not sure who Josie woods is. Not as literary as Boo.

[Josh Radner]

Not a Harper Lee character.

[AJ Jacobs]

Andrea, our associate puzzler, would you mind figuring out who Josie woods is while we continue with a couple more? And this one, speaking of Andrea, Andrea wrote this one. Three stars. Try to avoid the shady people in the corner booth exchanging what looks like Blue Roc candy. Instead, focus on the chicken at this Albuquerque fast food franchise. It is muy delicioso. Now, if you've seen the show, I think you will know it.

[Greg Pliska]

I can guess what show it's from which, but I haven't watched enough of the show to know what that. Oh, bar.

[Josh Radner]

Breaking Bad. Yeah.

[AJ Jacobs]

Or it is Breaking Bad. Exactly. So you got half a point.

[Josh Radner]

Forgive me, a public apology to. To my friend Brian Cranston, who've been on How I Met yout Mother a few times. Who's the loveliest guy? I've never done it. I've never done the show. I've never sat down and watched. I'm one of the few. So I don't know the name of the. The joint in.

[AJ Jacobs]

Well, I will tell you, you got Breaking Bad, which is good enough. Los Pollos Hermanos. Los Pollos Hermanos.

[Josh Radner]

I was gonna say a Pollo Loco. So I would have had.

[AJ Jacobs]

You would have gotten three quarters with Pollo Yoko. Exactly. All right, how about one more? Oh, by the way, did you work with Bryan Cranston? I feel that you might have, but maybe.

[Josh Radner]

Yeah, he was on a couple episodes of How I Met yout Mother.

[AJ Jacobs]

Oh, he was? What did he play?

[Josh Radner]

Yeah, he was. I think his name was Hammond Drummond. He was the head of the architecture firm that I was working at.

[AJ Jacobs]

Ah, very good. Okay. All right. This other one, also from Andrea, two stars. Incredible food and service, but a weirdly tense atmosphere. They should really soundproof the kitchen because I could hear the head chef in a shouting match with the other employees. Also a lot of people saying, yes, Chef over and over, which made me very uncomfortable.

[Josh Radner]

I'm gonna go with the bear.

[AJ Jacobs]

The bear. The bear is correct. The bear. Well, fantastic. You cruised right through those, by the way. You had mentioned the sort of the puzzling arc. And one thing that I am just so impressed with with the show is that you recorded the kids early on. I'm not gonna reveal what they said, but that you or the creators knew the arc. So while the kids were still young, and these are the kids that the father is telling the story to, they recorded some of the final episodes, which is just brilliant. Were you in on that? Did you know the ending or did they keep a secret even from you?

[Josh Radner]

Yeah, they told me. They told me early on and then I knew that they were recording the kids. A couple, you know, they recorded, I think a bunch. Just one afternoon that was. It was a lockdown set. I can't remember if I was there. I don't think I was. But then I kind of put it out of my head for. For seven years. Like I wasn't really. I wasn't thinking much about it. And it was an interesting thing. Like the narrator, Ted, knew where everything was going and whatever what happened, but I was playing the one who didn't. So I found the less information I had, the better, you know?

[AJ Jacobs]

Yeah, I like that. And by the way, the other mystery that I'm sure you've been asked about is like, I know how long the story took in terms of minutes of the show, but how long was the story supposed to take with the kids sitting there? Was it a multi night story or was it very long?

[Josh Radner]

I don't think they changed outfits, so I think it's one long afternoon of stories.

[AJ Jacobs]

Okay, thank you for having the afternoon. Impressive. Their attention span is impressive for that age. Well, Josh, we are lucky enough to have you come back for more puzzling and more talking about your projects tomorrow. In the meantime, I do have one extra credit for the folks at home, which is a two star review. I went to this bar to drink alone, quietly, but the regulars would not stop talking to me. One guy writes real estate novels, whatever that means. Another guy was excited that his name, Davey, rhymes with his job being in the navy. But the live music's pretty good. So what is that a review of? And come back tomorrow for the answer. And if you have time in the meantime, check out our feed on Instagram. Hello, Puzzlers, Ellopuzzlers. And we'll see you here tomorrow for more puzzling puzzles that will puzzle you, puzzlingly. Hello, puzzlers. Let's start with a quick puzzle. This puzzle is about canned laughter, or audience laughter, which appears in many of our favorite sitcoms, including How I Met yout Mother. Now, it turns out canned laughter has a long history. In the 1700s French theater, there were people who were paid to clap. They were called claques. That's the name of the folks who were sort of the canned laughter, the live canned laughter from the 1700s. Now, it turns out when I read the encyclopedia, I found out that it was a very specialized industry. You had the people who clapped, but you had different people doing different ways of supporting the play by pretending to have different reactions. So I'm going to give you three words, and you are going to try to guess what those people meant. Might help if you speak French, but you can always give it a shot. All right, there is the besseurs, the commissaires, and the pluris. I'm not sure I got that right.

[Greg Pliska]

Your French is brilliant, though. We love it.

[AJ Jacobs]

Yeah, I'll take it. So who were the Besseurs, who were the commissaires, and who were the pluracies? I'll accept even if you get one reaction. I can't even match it up to the word. But just what would people be paid to do when they go to the theater in France in the 18th century? The answers and more puzzling goodness. After the break, with a Venmo debit card. You can Venmo more than just your friends. You can use your balance in so many ways. You can Venmo everything. Need gas? You can Venmo this.

[Josh Radner]

How about snacks?

[AJ Jacobs]

You can Venmo that. Your favorite band's merch. You can Venm or their next show. You can Venmo that. Visit Venmo me debit to learn more.

[Josh Radner]

You can Venmo this or you can Venmo that. You can Venmo this, so you can Venmo that. You can Venmo.

[AJ Jacobs]

The Venmo MasterCard is issued by the Bancorp bank and a pursuant to license by Mastercard International Incorporated. Card may be used everywhere.

[Josh Radner]

MasterCard is accepted. Venmo purchase restrictions apply. My day kicks off with a refreshing Celsius energy drink, then straight to the gym, pre K pickup back home to meal prep. Time for my fire station shift. One more Celsius. Gotta keep the lights on. When the three alarm hits. I'm ready Celsius Live Fit. Go grab a cold, refreshing Celsius at your local retailer or locate [e-mail].

[AJ Jacobs]

Hello, puzzlers. Welcome back to the Puzzler. The gelatinous yeast in your kombucha scoby.

[Greg Pliska]

Oh, God, I never want to be gelatinous yeast.

[AJ Jacobs]

Well, listen, it's delicious. I am your host, AJ Jacobs. I'm here, of course, with Chief Puzzle Officer Greg Pliska. Before the break, Greg, we asked about the. The specialty paid reactors in 1700s French theater. You had the claque, which were the clappers, the reuse who laugh. What were the bissus, the commissaires, and the pleurises.

[Greg Pliska]

So the claque is kind of. Is that just the clappers or is that the general term?

[AJ Jacobs]

I think that's group general. That's the big term. Like bird.

[Greg Pliska]

I know that word. Word from the opera world, where you also have claques, people who cheer for different singers. I didn't know these specialized groups. You said basers or bissers.

[AJ Jacobs]

B I S S E. Okay, okay, so.

[Greg Pliska]

Because if you had said basers, I would have thought they blow kisses, right?

[AJ Jacobs]

To best, they say is to kiss.

[Greg Pliska]

But beasts. Beasts in the opera world means again, encore. Do it again. So the besures must be the people that cheer Encore.

[AJ Jacobs]

Wow. Encore to you. Nicely done.

[Greg Pliska]

Not one. What are the other two?

[AJ Jacobs]

All right, we got.

[Greg Pliska]

What were they again? Commissaires. It sounds like they arrest the people who don't cheer.

[AJ Jacobs]

Yeah, this one is a tough one. I would not have thought that this was an entire job, but they are the folks who elbow their neighbors and say, watch this, watch this. This is great.

[Greg Pliska]

That is very specific. I'd like that job. I'd like to, I think, just go into random movie theaters and elbow the people next to me. Hey, there's a good scene, isn't it?

[AJ Jacobs]

Right. Well, maybe Josh, he's a filmmaker. He could hire you. Our last one is Plura Suz. You might know this if you know a little French.

[Greg Pliska]

Well, wait, wait, wait, wait. Yeah. You are P L E U R Is it to. To cry?

[AJ Jacobs]

People say, these are the weepers. These are the paid weepers in tragedies. So which is funny. We have canned laughter, but we don't have canned weeping. So maybe that's a.

[Greg Pliska]

Imagine if you got it wrong and you hired some sort of servants for your comedy. It would just be a mess.

[AJ Jacobs]

Exactly. You have to be very careful. Now, I bring all this up because one of our favorite shows has, I guess, reuse and that is How I Met yout Mother. And we are lucky enough to have as our guest Josh Radner, who played the main character Ted Mosby. And he is host of a new podcast with series co creator Craig Thomas called How We Made youe Mother. Welcome, Josh.

[Josh Radner]

Hi.

[AJ Jacobs]

We love the name of your podcast, which is of course a play on How I Met yout Mother. It's called how we Made your Mother. How we made your Mother. Was that an immediate. Like, as soon as you had the idea, like, this is how we're going to do it, or did you go.

[Josh Radner]

Through it just came to me and I texted Craig and our producer, Alec Lev, and I said, what about how we made your mother? And they liked it. And we kicked around maybe a couple other different titles, but I think we liked something that was. Is it homophonically, is that the right word? Something that kind of evoked the. The original title of the show?

[AJ Jacobs]

Yeah.

[Josh Radner]

So I think that's the point. You might stumble across it.

[AJ Jacobs]

Yeah, well, we went even further. We went even harder on that. We like to come up with ideas for spin offs. And these are, by the way, you are welcome to option any of these from the Puzzler. And they are all spin offs where we took out the word met from How I Met your Mother and replaced it with a word that rhymes with met. So for instance, if I said this is a show about the time I wagered $100 on the super bowl with your mom, it would be how I bet your mother instead of How I met your mother. So that is the premise. And I'm just going to go right into my pitches and you can buy them as we go. We're going to start with the single syllable. So it's like met. This is a show about doing an extensive background check on your mom.

[Josh Radner]

Oh, yes. Okay. So that would be how I vet your mother.

[AJ Jacobs]

Exactly. How I vet your mother. How I totally understand your mom's sense of humor.

[Josh Radner]

How I get your mother.

[AJ Jacobs]

Exactly. How I stroked your mom's hair in a very platonic, G rated way. Just. I want to keep that clear for the Puzzler audience.

[Josh Radner]

How I pet your mother.

[AJ Jacobs]

Exactly. This one is actually a little tricky. How your mom tries to correct the spelling on my book manuscript, but I overrule her.

[Josh Radner]

Yes, Very good. How I stat your mother.

[AJ Jacobs]

How I stat your mother. Exactly. I'm impressed.

[Greg Pliska]

That's a good. That's a good crossword. That appears in the crossword now and then.

[Josh Radner]

Like every crossword puzzler knows a priest's robe. You know Right, Exactly.

[Greg Pliska]

We all have an elbow hanging in the closet right here.

[AJ Jacobs]

That's right. And we know. And what is the one that there's. The sumo belt is similar to that, but I forget. What is that one? Greg, you know, or Josh.

[Greg Pliska]

Wait, Josh looks like he does.

[Josh Radner]

Obi. No, that's it.

[Greg Pliska]

Yeah. Obi. Right.

[AJ Jacobs]

Thank you.

[Greg Pliska]

Japanese belt.

[AJ Jacobs]

The obi is the belt, and the boa is another belt like, thing around your neck. All right, moving on from that Nerdery, I'm going to go with. Now we're bumping it up to two syllables. Two syllables. This is a show about being the getaway driver for your mom when she robs a bank.

[Josh Radner]

How I abet your mother.

[AJ Jacobs]

Exactly. How I.

[Greg Pliska]

Another word that appears in crosswords. Yeah.

[AJ Jacobs]

A show about the time I beat your mom at a bunch of sports even though she was heavily favored to win.

[Josh Radner]

How I upset your mother.

[AJ Jacobs]

Exactly. There's no fooling you. There's no fooling. How about. Well, maybe this one. How I donated to an environmental cause to balance out all the carbon dioxide that your mom produces. That one maybe is a trickier one, but he's got it.

[Josh Radner]

I like this one. How I offset your mother.

[AJ Jacobs]

That's it. How I offset your mother.

[Greg Pliska]

I love the idea to offset some.

[AJ Jacobs]

Person'S carbon emissions we all created. Oh, last of the two syllables. How I gave birth to your mother. Maybe in the biblical.

[Josh Radner]

Oh, in the biblical version. How I beget your mother.

[AJ Jacobs]

Exactly. How I beget your mother. All right, just a couple more. But we're going to bump it up to even more syllables. How I draw your mom as a dark shape against a white background. Maybe in profile. Often in profile. And it's black. A black figure on a white background.

[Greg Pliska]

It's a long word, too. It's like, what, nine?

[AJ Jacobs]

Oh, yeah. That's what's tricky. That's what's tricky. It's a long word, and it doesn't actually end with E. T. It ends with E. T. T, E. That's another.

[Josh Radner]

I'm stumped, Greg.

[AJ Jacobs]

It is.

[Josh Radner]

Calling the lifeline.

[Greg Pliska]

I'm the lifeline. It's how I. Silhouette.

[Josh Radner]

Oh, silhouette. Of course. Of course. That one's going to haunt me.

[Greg Pliska]

Get off the podcast and go. Silhouette. Damn it.

[AJ Jacobs]

Well, Josh, you blew through these. I'm going to ignore the silhouette and pretend that you got 100%. You did brilliantly. Before we let you go, I just wanted to talk quickly because I see puzzles as a metaphor for everything. I'm a little overzealous. I see them As a metaphor for writing. As a metaphor. But I wonder, as a musician, do you ever see writing a song as a puzzle?

[Josh Radner]

Oh, without question. I mean, in some ways, as a creative act, songwriting feels the most puzzly to me. But, you know, you kind of create the grid with the rhyme scheme and the. The meter, and you can feel when something doesn't fit, and you can feel when you get it exactly right. It was also I realized, you know, I've written and directed a few films, and being in the editing room is very puzzly. There's certain things that in the original script, you think are incredibly important, and then you lift them out of the movie, and then your movie works better. It's a very intuitive feeling. You can feel when things fall into the right place. And I've described editing movies and even songwriting as the same satisfaction of a crossword puzzle. They're a little bit more like the diagram list, right. So you don't actually have the darkened squares. You have to figure out where those are. So it's a little more daunting than all that. But I love the diagramless crossword puzzle. I would take more of those. Will, if you're listening. But, yeah, I always feel like my love for crosswords is a bit of a. It makes complete sense, given my other interests. I also think of writing, you know, even an essay, you know, that you. It feels like a puzzle to work out, like a. To how to marshal the right argument in some ways, in your thing, like how what needs to be trimmed away, what needs to be bolstered. It all feels like you're turning the knobs of a big puzzle. But songwriting especially is really. It carries a lot of the same satisfactions.

[AJ Jacobs]

Interesting. Two things that just popped into my mind. One, I am impressed. I don't do the diagram list. I know Greg probably does, but that is hardcore.

[Greg Pliska]

Love them.

[Josh Radner]

I learned how to do it years ago, and when I see it, I really love it. Sometimes you're just stumped, but, you know, they give you, like, the first. They say block out the first seven, right. And if you can get that first word going, you can kind of go from there. But it's really. It's really fun, but it's quite a challenge.

[Greg Pliska]

I always have graph paper and do the diagramless on that, so I don't have to worry about where I'm starting in the square. They give you.

[Josh Radner]

Well, yeah, I'll sometimes doodle in the margins. I'll get a little block, and I'll see. Okay. I just need to Figure out where this goes.

[AJ Jacobs]

And then the other thing, as you mentioned, Will shorts. So what was it like working with him? Did you get to talk? Did you get to nerd out?

[Josh Radner]

He was a delight. I mean, at that party, it was also Ariana Huffington and Peter Bogdanovich and Michael York. I mean, it was this really great collection of characters. But I stayed in touch with Peter and Ariana became a dear friend. And Will. I had a movie coming out, my first movie. Happy thank youk. More, please. Came out not long after that. And Will showed up at the first weekend at the Angelica to see.

[Greg Pliska]

And I was at a.

[Josh Radner]

And it was so sweet of him to come. You know, he's used my name in a few puzzles. And I actually created a puzzle with Jeff Chen a couple years ago.

[Greg Pliska]

That's right. I forgot about that.

[Josh Radner]

That was great fun.

[AJ Jacobs]

What was the theme?

[Josh Radner]

He. Because I've been a longtime meditator, he added the word om into different phrases. So it was like you had.

[AJ Jacobs]

I remember that now.

[Josh Radner]

Yeah, it was very clever. Yeah.

[AJ Jacobs]

Now, have you been doing the puzzle when it all of a sudden has you as a clue or are you told later?

[Josh Radner]

I have been, yeah. Yeah, it's. It's quite.

[AJ Jacobs]

What's that feeling like?

[Josh Radner]

I think out of all the things that can happen in showbiz, somehow landing in the New York Times crossword puzzle feels the most like I've arrived. Truly, it's like it's somehow. It's somehow the most satisfying, at least to me.

[AJ Jacobs]

Aside from being a guest on the Puzzler.

[Josh Radner]

Yes. Oh, yes, this is. But they're all puzzle related. Anything. Puzzle adjacent deal.

[AJ Jacobs]

Yeah, that makes sense. All right, I have an extra credit for the folks at home. This is another How I Met yout Mother spin off. And this one is about how I rue the day your mother was created. Well, that's not very sad.

[Greg Pliska]

That's a sad way to end.

[AJ Jacobs]

It is. It is fiction. Well, thank you, Josh. We got you for one more episode. And folks, if you like the show, check out our Instagram feed, Ellopuzzlers. We got new fun puzzles there all the time, originals you haven't heard or seen. And of course, we'll meet you here tomorrow for more puzzling puzzles that will puzzle you. Puzzling.

[Greg Pliska]

Hello, puzzlers. It's Greg Pliska up from the Puzzle Lab with the extra credit answer from our previous episode. We had the wonderful Josh Radner on with us and we did some fake Yelp reviews, reviews of bars or hotels or restaurants that appear in literature or film or music or tv. And AJ Wrote some funny Yelp reviews, as if someone was reviewing this fictional establishment. So here was your extra credit clue. 2 stars I went to this bar to drink alone, but everyone would not stop talking to me. I had to listen to a guy who writes novels about real estate, whatever that means, and another guy who was excited to point out that his name, Davey, rhymes with Navy, which is where he works. Fascinating. If you go, do not engage with other customers. The live music's not bad, though. Well, that, of course, is Piano man, the Billy Joel song. It's the bar in Piano man, which, turns out is the now defunct Executive Room bar in the Wilshire district of Los Angeles, where Billy Joel played as a piano lounge singer for six months in the 70s. So I hope you got that one. It's great to have you with us and we'll catch you here next time.

[AJ Jacobs]

Hello puzzlers. Let's start with a quick puzzle. Our guest this week is Josh Radner, star of How I Met yout Mother. Now, you might notice Josh's first name, Josh, is also a verb to joke to kid. Well, here at the Puzzler, we notice that two of the other How I Met yout Mother co stars also have names that are verbs, or at least sound like verbs. They are spelled slightly differently, but they are homophones. So our question is, can you name these other two co stars and their verb sound alike, first or last names? The answers and more puzzling goodness after the break. This episode is brought to you by State Farm. Knowing you could be saving money for the things you really want is a great feeling.

[Josh Radner]

Talk to a State Farm agent today.

[AJ Jacobs]

To learn how you can choose to bundle and save with a personal price plan. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Prices are based on rating plans that vary by state. Coverage options are selected by the customer availability, amount of discounts, and savings and eligibility vary by state.

[Greg Pliska]

You know that feeling when someone shows.

[Josh Radner]

Up for you just when you need it most? That's what Uber is all about.

[Greg Pliska]

Not just a ride or dinner at your door.

[Josh Radner]

It's how Uber helps you show up for the moments that matter. Because showing up can turn a tough.

[Greg Pliska]

Day around or make a good one even better. Whatever it is, big or small, Uber is on the way.

[Josh Radner]

So you can be on yours. Uber on our way.

[AJ Jacobs]

Hello puzzlers. Welcome back to the Puzzler, the p plucky orphan in your puzzle Dickens novel. I'm your host, AJ Jacobs, and I'm here with Chief Puzzle Officer Greg Pliska. Greg, before the break, we asked about the co stars of How I Met yout Mother. Which of them have names that sound like verbs? Annie? Guess.

[Greg Pliska]

Well, one is the guy with the hard to identify hair color.

[AJ Jacobs]

Good point.

[Greg Pliska]

Neil Patrick Harris.

[AJ Jacobs]

That's it. And his first name.

[Greg Pliska]

Neil.

[AJ Jacobs]

Neil, Right. Sounds like.

[Greg Pliska]

Also, isn't the narrator on the show, Bob Saget, like bobbing for apples?

[AJ Jacobs]

Oh, interesting. Yeah, good point. That is true. And by the way, though, we're not done with Neil Patrick Harris because his last name sounds a little like harassed.

[Greg Pliska]

Well, some people pronounce that word Harris.

[AJ Jacobs]

Right? Like sort of more British, which is what his character Barney Stinson excels at. He's a. He is a harasser.

[Greg Pliska]

What about. No, I was gonna say Kobe Smolders. Smulders sounds a little bit like smolders, but that doesn't.

[AJ Jacobs]

Not just a little. I think it works. Totally. It is very. It's hard to say Smolders and smolders. Smolders.

[Greg Pliska]

You just said them differently. They're two different things.

[AJ Jacobs]

I still count it. Smolders and burns slowly. We have.

[Greg Pliska]

I want to make a case for Kobe. I want to make for a case for Kobe. My son, every time he takes a wadded up thing of paper and tosses it across the room into the garbage can, says Kobe. Now he's referencing the great Kobe Bryant, of course, but it's almost like it's a verb. I'm going to Kobe that into the garbage can.

[AJ Jacobs]

All right, listen.

[Greg Pliska]

I mean, if you could have Smolders Smulders, I can have Kobe.

[AJ Jacobs]

I think yours is a little more of a stretch, but I will give it to you because I'm very liberal. I will say we have another. That's a noun. It's not it. We got Jason Siegel. Kind of sounds like Jonathan Livington Siegel.

[Greg Pliska]

It's not a verb, but it's a noun.

[AJ Jacobs]

Well, anyway, enough wordplay. I bring all this up because we have more wordplay to do with our guest this week. None other than Josh Radner. He is an actor, filmmaker, musician, podcaster, and star of the above mentioned How I Met yout Mother. Welcome, Josh.

[Josh Radner]

Hi, aj. It's good to be here again.

[AJ Jacobs]

We are delighted to have you back and to celebrate your new podcast which you're doing with How I Met yout Mother. Co creator Craig Thomas called How We Made youe Mother, which is very puzzling. We like that kind of wordplay. So I am actually also have someone I do the podcast with and his name is Greg Pliska. So I am going to turn. That's my Segue. Turn it over to Greg, because he has a puzzle for you today.

[Greg Pliska]

All right. Actually, I have a question, Josh, which is, have you watched. Are you guys. Are you watching every minute of every episode as you do the podcast?

[Josh Radner]

Yeah, I'm watching. Well, the impetus for the show is actually I got married a little over a year ago, and my wife had never seen a single episode of the show. So I thought, well, she really wanted to watch it. And I thought, well, this is a probably a good time for me to rewatch it, because I haven't seen a lot of those episodes in 2015 years, and I didn't even watch every episode when they came out. I had a somewhat conflicted relationship with watching myself at that time. I'm finding it easier now with some distance. Oh, and I should say AJ as just my wife shares your last name. My wife is a Jacobs.

[AJ Jacobs]

I saw that.

[Josh Radner]

We are probably somewhat related by marriage at this point.

[AJ Jacobs]

We're cousins. Absolutely. I love that.

[Josh Radner]

Yeah. But, yeah, so then I reached out to Craig and I said, if he, you know, I'm gonna rewatch the show, if he wanted to formalize it and do something on the record, I think it could be really fun to. To talk about the show.

[Greg Pliska]

I love that.

[AJ Jacobs]

And I also am excited because I know your wife is a. Is it a psychologist? Yeah, clinical psychologist. So is she going to be weighing in with some insights on the psychology of these characters?

[Josh Radner]

Yes. We actually have a special section called Questions and Observations from Clinical psychologist and Relationship expert who's never seen the show, who also happens to marry. You don't have an app for it yet. Maybe you can help me figure it out. But. But she. She. I'd say every two episodes, she. She records a voice note from her office when she's collected her thoughts after watching the episode. And. And she. And. And they're really deep, searching, interesting questions and observations. So it really takes it a notch deeper.

[AJ Jacobs]

Is she able to come up with a diagnosis for something like Barney? It seems.

[Josh Radner]

Well, we have been talking a bit about Ted's attachment disorder, his anxious attachment, and Robin's avoidant attachment style. So that wasn't in vogue when we were doing the show, but it absolutely lines up with where the kind of psych.

[AJ Jacobs]

Oh, last question about watching it with your wife. I mean, are you sitting next to her on the couch and are you able to watch the show, or do you watch her watching the show?

[Josh Radner]

I actually have to watch the show because I need to discuss it with some, you know, authority. So I've been Watching it. But I'm very tuned into what delights her. You know, I'm very keyed into when she audibly laughs or comments. But, yeah, well, it's either on the couch or sometimes before bed, you know, but. But it's been. It's actually been really fun. I mean, it's. It's one of those things when you meet someone and you have a lot of life behind you. You know, we didn't meet in college. Right. Like, we met later. So there's this huge chapter of my life that she really. I'm having to fill in the blanks for it. And this is. This is a great shortcut. I'll just show. You know, I happen to have a lot of it on video. I can show her.

[AJ Jacobs]

That is helpful. Yeah.

[Greg Pliska]

It's also cool that, like, the thing that you're super famous for, she was never even a fan of and doesn't know about. It's not like she fell in love with you because she's been a fan.

[Josh Radner]

Oh, no, absolutely. I mean, I. You know, you have to have a bit of a policy around not dating fans because the. The power imbalance is strange, the fantasy and projection that they might have about you. And it's very hard to make a first impression, a true first impression, if someone is bringing all this foreign knowledge and assumptions about you. So my wife happens to be a huge TV fan. She just. For some reason, How I Met your Mother missed her much. To my.

[AJ Jacobs]

Yeah, thankfully.

[Greg Pliska]

I love that. I love that. Well, it's funny, Josh, you mentioned acronyms a minute ago, because How I Met yout Mother is one of those shows that's iconic enough to have an acronym H I M Y M that people refer to it as. Does that. Does that ever get pronounced out loud? Do people say him?

[Josh Radner]

Oh, yeah.

[Greg Pliska]

Got it.

[Josh Radner]

Yeah. And we're calling the podcast Whim Yim. Oh, very good.

[Greg Pliska]

Whim Yim. I love it. Well, that inspired us to make a puzzle about other shows that have mother or mama or maybe even father in the name. Shows or other things, songs, shows, movies, things. Different titles with that in the name. And in each case, I'm gonna give you the initials of the title, except for the word mother, which I'll give you, or father, whatever it is. So, for example, if I wanted to clue your show, I'd say Agent H I M Y Mother, and then the answer would be How I Met.

[AJ Jacobs]

It's gonna be tricky. I have to say. I'm. I'm starting to get nervous. Not to make you nervous, but I'll.

[Greg Pliska]

Give you other clues to the show.

[Josh Radner]

I was nervous last episode. I made it through. You'll be fine.

[AJ Jacobs]

Thank you. Thank you, Josh.

[Greg Pliska]

All right, so your first one is a movie. It's Mama M. H, W G A. Oh, and it's a movie musical.

[Josh Radner]

One more time.

[Greg Pliska]

Mama M. Exclamation point. H W G A.

[Josh Radner]

It's Mama Mia. How we got.

[Greg Pliska]

It's actually a lyric from the song.

[AJ Jacobs]

I only know it as Mamma Mia. I didn't know about the subtitle.

[Josh Radner]

Me too. I don't know the sequel. Extra.

[Greg Pliska]

Oh, it's the same Mamma Mia. Here.

[Josh Radner]

Here we go. Exactly.

[AJ Jacobs]

Very good.

[Greg Pliska]

I was gonna do the original, but Mama M is just less interesting as an acronym. So I want to do the sequel with. Here we go again. All right, this one is a movie. It's Tea Mama F. The T. I know this one. You know it. All right, very good.

[Josh Radner]

Throw Mama from the train.

[Greg Pliska]

Yes. You know that movie?

[Josh Radner]

AJ like they used to.

[Greg Pliska]

No, they don't. All right, this next one is a song. Mother and Cr.

[Josh Radner]

Oh, yeah. Paul Simon, Mother and Child.

[Greg Pliska]

Wow. Good. You are good, Josh. Yes. Simon and Garfunkel, Mother and Child Reunion, which I think is about an egg and a chicken. Like a meal made. A chicken and egg meal.

[AJ Jacobs]

Seriously? Are you making a joke?

[Greg Pliska]

No, I think whether either it's about that or that got Mother and Child Reunion got turned into a name of a dish. Right. Egg and chicken.

[AJ Jacobs]

Interesting. Poor. That's dark. That's dark.

[Greg Pliska]

Oh, it's delicious.

[AJ Jacobs]

But I will say Josh is also a musician. I. I hope helps a little with the music.

[Josh Radner]

And a big Paul Simon fan.

[Greg Pliska]

Oh, very good, very good. All right, here's another movie. Father otb.

[Josh Radner]

Well, there's the original Spencer Tracy, Katherine Hepburn one. And then there's the remake with Steve Martin and Diane Keaton. Father of the Bride.

[Greg Pliska]

Exactly. Very good. Very good. All right. Another song. Papa C. Y H M. Yes.

[Josh Radner]

From Yentl.

[Greg Pliska]

Yeah, yeah, exactly.

[Josh Radner]

Can you hear me, Papa?

[Greg Pliska]

Can you hear me? The Barbra Streisand hit from Yentl. You're doing great. All right, here we go. There's another movie. Y.T. mama T.

[AJ Jacobs]

No.

[Greg Pliska]

And. And it's a foreign language film.

[Josh Radner]

Oh, I know.

[Greg Pliska]

Oh, okay, I'll give it to you.

[Josh Radner]

A Cuaron film.

[Greg Pliska]

With Diego Luna and Gail Garcia Bernal. Terrific Mexican. I looked on Wikipedia. It's called a. It's called a coming of age comedy drama road movie.

[Josh Radner]

That's right.

[Greg Pliska]

I think that's what covers, like, four genres at once.

[AJ Jacobs]

That's good for search engines if you're looking for a movie.

[Greg Pliska]

All right, we got a few more. This is a TV show. Father. Kb.

[Josh Radner]

Yes. Before my time, but I know it. Father.

[Greg Pliska]

Exactly. Father knows best. Before all of our times, but we all know it. It's one of those things that's in our consciousness. Another song, Mama S K Y O. It's an album and a song, actually.

[Josh Radner]

Yeah. Mama said knock you out.

[Greg Pliska]

Yes. Very good. LL Cool J. That's the song that opens with. Don't call it a comeback. I've Been here For years. Great LL Cool J song. Another song, Papa W A R S.

[Josh Radner]

Oh, is that Sly in the Family Stone.

[Greg Pliska]

It's the Temptations.

[Josh Radner]

Papa was Rolling Stone Papa was a Rolling Stone Yeah, yeah.

[Greg Pliska]

Very good. Very good. Great tune. All right, your last one. One more song. Is Mommy ksc.

[Josh Radner]

A holiday classic. Mama kissing Santa Claus.

[Greg Pliska]

I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus. Exactly.

[AJ Jacobs]

Well done. Look at that.

[Greg Pliska]

Brilliantly done, Josh.

[AJ Jacobs]

I thought you were gonna do. There's a famous sitcom. I've never seen it, but I think it's famously bad, called M. Mother T.C. do you know what I'm talking about? M. Mother T.C.

[Greg Pliska]

And it's sort of 60s Jerry Van Dyke Show.

[AJ Jacobs]

It was a cherry.

[Josh Radner]

The something.

[AJ Jacobs]

Yes. My mother, the car. My mother.

[Josh Radner]

My mother, the car. I also thought of. Remember the Carol Lawrence show, Mama's Family.

[Greg Pliska]

Yeah. Yeah.

[AJ Jacobs]

That is a good one.

[Greg Pliska]

Yeah. I had the Daniel Day Lewis film. I T. N O T. Father.

[Josh Radner]

In the name of.

[Greg Pliska]

In the name of the Father. Right. He's a. He's an. He confesses to an IRA bombing he didn't do. But his. And his father gets thrown in jail as well. I forget. But the great Daniel Day Lewis. Anyway, I. Obviously, there are more here on the.

[AJ Jacobs]

List, some of which we can use.

[Greg Pliska]

Don't give them all away. I gotta have some extra credit available.

[AJ Jacobs]

Love it. Well, you did. You did brilliantly. Once again, by the way, just to go back to puzzles for one second, I noticed in the pilot of How I Met yout Mother, there's another puzzle call out where Ted says that I was just too close to the puzzle to see the big picture. And I think he was referring to. That he was too close to Robin to see that she was the one for him. I can't remember 100%, but I was excited that there was another. Yet another puzzle reference.

[Josh Radner]

I only saw it a few weeks ago and I barely remember it at this point. But, yeah, I do remember the line.

[AJ Jacobs]

I'm not a TV writer, but I Know, pilots are notoriously hard to write. You have to introduce all of these characters. So how do you do that without becoming, you know, mis expositor and making it really awkward? But you did it. That. That is a brilliant pilot.

[Josh Radner]

Yeah, it really is. And even watching it now, 20 years later, I was kind of in awe of the construction of it and the economy of it. We were talking about how every joke is both a good, solid laugh and character revealing at the same time. So it's just. It's very smartly done. The. The initial episode.

[AJ Jacobs]

Yeah, yeah, it's great. I mean, I remember talking to a Seinfeld writer who said that the painful part of writing these scripts is you have to cut all the jokes because you, you know, you have to get the plot. So it's nice that your jokes happen to add to the plot because.

[Josh Radner]

Well, there was also. You could talk to Carter and Craig about this, but there was 7 to 10 minutes cut from every single episode. I mean, they always were. So you forget years later, what. But in your initial watch of the cut of the final cut, you go, oh, that great joke is gone. Or that whole scene is lifted out. And that's just something you have to reconcile yourself to when you're on a show.

[AJ Jacobs]

Yeah, I mean, I also. It's nice. It's always nice when you're able to get something in that's not directly like you're able to get in something that's a little bit quirky. I remember, for instance, your show loved the wordplay. So it's a very puzzly show in that. And you have a running joke about major. Anytime the word major comes up, isn't it?

[Josh Radner]

Well, it's major General, Colonel. You know, if you say, oh, that's a major accomplishment, you say major accomplishment.

[AJ Jacobs]

You know, and by the way, Josh just. Just did. For those who can't see, Josh just saluted because he's always salute when the word major or.

[Josh Radner]

One of the things we're doing on the podcast on how we Made youe Mother is we're reading a lot of people's, you know, testimonials about why they love the show and how they discovered the show and what it means to them. And I got a letter that we read on air that made us laugh so hard. And it was a guy told us that his wife was in labor for 30 hours. They're huge. How I met your mother for 30 hours. And she was. At the end of. Her. She was. She was delivering the baby, and the doctor said, push. You're having a major contraction and she turns to her husband and she gives the salute for major at the moment of birth. We just thought it was the funniest thing.

[AJ Jacobs]

That is a true fan. I love that. Yeah, that's hilarious. All right, well, it has been a delight having you as our guest. Thank you for the show and thank you. And people, check out his. He's got great movies that he directed and wrote and music. Where can people find your music and your other work music?

[Josh Radner]

Wherever music is bought or streamed. I'm also heading out on tour in a couple weeks. I'm starting in Seattle and then Portland, Sacramento, San Francisco, L.A. san Diego, Phoenix, and then I'm doing a swing through the Midwest. That's all on joshrad.com tour. But I'd love to see you, you know, hear me sing some puzzles.

[AJ Jacobs]

Ah, there you go.

[Greg Pliska]

Love it.

[AJ Jacobs]

Thank you. Josh. Do you have an extra credit for those at home?

[Greg Pliska]

I do have an extra credit. It's another musical one. It's actually the name of a band. And the clue is FZ and the mothers of I.

[AJ Jacobs]

Okay, I think I got it. All right. Thank you, Greg. Thank you, Josh. Thank you, listeners. If you like the show, it would mean a lot to us if you took 30 seconds and rated the Puzzler on your favorite podcast platform because it really makes a big difference in people finding us. And we want them to find us. And we want you to come back tomorrow for more puzzling puzzles that will puzzle you puzzlingly.

[Greg Pliska]

Hey, puzzlers. Greg Pliska here up from the Puzzle Lab with the extra credit answer from our previous episode. Josh Radner joined us once more and we did How I Met yout Mother spinoffs shows whose title rhyme with How I Met yout Mother, or rather rhyme with the word met in that title. And your extra credit clue was this. This is a show about how I rue the day that your mother was created. Your mama, that title is how I regret your mother. Sad way to end, I realize. But we're thrilled to have Josh with us. We're thrilled to have you with us, and we'll see you here tomorrow.