How We Made Your Mother Meets World (PART 1)

Summary

Pod Meets World: How We Made Your Mother Meets World (PART 1)

Podcast: Pod Meets World by iHeartPodcasts
Episode Date: December 22, 2025
Host(s): Danielle Fishel, Rider Strong, Will Friedle
Guests: Josh Radnor (Ted Mosby, How I Met Your Mother), Craig Thomas (Co-creator HIMYM)

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Overview

In this special crossover episode, the Pod Meets World hosts (stars of Boy Meets World) are joined by Josh Radnor and Craig Thomas from How I Met Your Mother. Both groups have launched their own rewatch podcasts, revisiting their sitcom phenoms, and this episode is an enthusiastic, candid look at the similarities and differences between their shows, the experience of rewatching with fans (and with each other), and the ways sitcoms from their eras have both endured and evolved. Expect behind-the-scenes anecdotes, reflections on fame, honest talk about process, and some lovable digressions about toilets, bidets, and text message etiquette.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Sitcom Nostalgia, Rewatch Podcasts & Passing the Torch

[20:37] - [24:12]

• The Pod Meets World hosts welcome Josh Radnor and Craig Thomas, drawing immediate parallels between their two shows and journeys.

  • Danielle: "We see other people on a similar quest... like passing people on the way down Mount Everest and we want to talk to you about what we've seen up top." (22:42)
  • Josh: "You guys paved the way for this whole thing...we’re the newbies. Thank you guys for paving the path." (23:15)

• Reflections on how the “rewatch podcast” trend began, and a nod to The Office Ladies podcast as OGs of the genre.

• Danielle asks Josh and Craig why they launched their HIMYM rewatch podcast 20 years after the show started.

  • Josh describes how his new wife Jordana had never seen the series and wanted to know about that part of his life. This personal motivation snowballed into inviting Craig and quickly launching the podcast.
  • Josh: "I tend to trust... ease and flow and effortlessness. And this was one of those things that was just, like, so easy..." (25:01)

2. Fame, Relationships, and New Beginnings

[27:10] - [30:02]

• All discuss the anxiety and awkwardness of dating or marrying someone who’s a fan versus someone with no preconceived notions from TV fame.

  • Most of the hosts married people who had never seen their shows — intentionally!
  • Ryder: "I needed her. I couldn't date somebody if they were, like, a fan... Everybody I dated was older than me and had never heard of Boy Meets World." (29:37)

• The value of being able to form an authentic first impression, not shaped by a decade of syndicated TV presence.

3. The Joy and Amnesia of the Rewatch

[30:02] - [31:15]

• Both groups are surprised at just how much they’ve forgotten about their shows — sometimes remembering “the whole B-story” only upon rewatching.
• The pleasure of “chain memories” — when one person's recollection triggers stories or inside jokes for others.
  • Will: "The chain memories are the fun ones where one person will remember one thing which then leads you down a path..."

4. Sitcom Format Differences: Live Audience vs. Single-Cam

[31:15] - [38:58]

• Deep dive into the different production styles:

  • Boy Meets World: Taped in front of a live audience, with multi-day rehearsals and intense note sessions.
  • HIMYM: Single-cam, no live audience, with “fraudiance” (fake audience) laughs. HIMYM's format necessitated a flexible, often shorter rehearsal/shooting schedule (Monday table reads, three days of shooting per episode, often short daily hours).

• Both groups marvel at how formative these setups were.

  • Ryder: "It was 100% exhilaration. There was no, you know, we had each other's backs...we just can't wait to present this." (39:38)
  • Craig (on HIMYM): "Not having an audience there was actually, I think, kept us really honest..." (36:19)
  • Josh: "For the first three to five episodes, they would bring in an audience and they would show the cut of the show and they would grab the laughter. ...Then we started using 'I Love Lucy' the machine." (40:41)

• Discussion of the emotional differences: The live audience creates a more presentational, energetic style; single-cam allows for nuanced and “emo” tones.

5. Behind the Scenes: Notes, Stress, and Growing Up on TV

[41:57] - [44:44]

• Boy Meets World's young cast faced nightly rewriting and marathon note sessions after rehearsals.

  • Ryder: "[Our executive producer] would go, 'This was something really special. ...Let's get into notes. Page one, line one.' Swear to God. Even if he was super positive, he would just go line one." (43:01)

• HIMYM cast rarely got notes, in stark contrast.

  • Josh: "I've never heard of that. I've never heard of a two hour note session line by line by line." (44:10)

• The legacy this left: BMW's cast views these challenges as both formative and, at the time, overwhelming as young actors.

6. Arc and Success Over the Years – The Retrospective View

[48:02] - [52:57]

• Did the HIMYM team know how the show would end from the start?

  • Josh: "We knew where we wanted to end it pretty early on, but ...it would be dishonest to say [we knew] we'd get nine seasons." (48:11)
  • Success was a surprise, especially after the show landed on Netflix in its fourth year and viewership swelled.

• Boy Meets World also felt “always under the radar,” uncertain about renewal year after year despite its now-classic status. They were often "second fiddle" to Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

  • Will: "It's more popular now than when it was on. By far." (51:25)

• Both shows, looking back, realize their endurance and cross-generational appeal may be because they wore their hearts on their sleeves and tackled emotional topics alongside comedy.

• Craig (HIMYM): "Shows that dare to kind of do more heart forward stuff in addition to the comedy, I think they have a better chance of lasting a little longer..." (53:57)

7. Casting Magic: How Iconic Ensembles Are Built

[55:22] - [59:35]

• Most of HIMYM’s cast was found via traditional auditions, with lightning-in-a-bottle chemistry.
  • Craig: "Josh was the first audition day one, first person we saw for any role, and he came in and he's Ted." (56:12)
  • Neil Patrick Harris changed the envisioned direction of Barney’s character.
  • Alyson Hannigan was specifically recruited due to the show creators’ love of Buffy — even at a higher cost to the network/studio.
  • Craig: "Coby Smulders materialized out of thin air to become Robin..." (59:12)

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• "The chain memories are the fun ones where one person will remember one thing which then leads you down a path of, oh my God, I totally forgot about this..."
  – Will Friedle (30:24)

• "It was like dual screen viewing. Kid just said a thing and then they're going to go finish eating dinner or whatever."
  – Ryder Strong, describing the sitcom family formula (10:17)

• "I tend to trust the older I'm getting in this business... I actually really trust ease and flow and effortlessness."
  – Josh Radnor on starting the rewatch podcast (25:01)

• "Our rewatch podcast actually started out of my wife asking to see something I did for a decade—there's something so weirdly wholesome about that."
  – Josh Radnor (28:47)

• "Having that into the show is exactly how we started, because Ryder had never seen Boy Meets World... So he was on the show, but never actually saw any of the episodes."
  – Will Friedle (28:09)

• "It was 100% exhilaration... By the time we got to the audience show, it was just like, let's get those laughs."
  – Ryder Strong (39:38)

• "Shows that dare to kind of do more heart forward stuff in addition to the comedy, I think they have a better chance of lasting a little longer..."
  – Craig Thomas (53:57)

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Notable Digressions (Lighter Moments)

• Hilarious discussion of Will’s new "smart toilet" with a bidet (“Three words for you, Danielle. Costco.” – Will Friedle, [04:35])
• Mini-roast of friends’ text message etiquette; affectionately mocking frequent, fragmented texting and bathroom phone multitasking ([13:33]–[16:33])
• Musings on sitcom musicals (Glee, Cop Rock, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) and why traditional sitcoms don’t often break out into full musical numbers ([12:20]–[13:42])

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Timestamp Guide to Key Segments

• [03:23] – Will’s “smart toilet” story begins
• [07:01] – Full House rewatch & sitcom nostalgia
• [20:37] – Introduction to HIMYM’s Josh Radnor and Craig Thomas
• [25:01] – Why Josh and Craig started a HIMYM rewatch podcast
• [31:15] – Sitcom format differences: multicam vs. single-cam, audience energy
• [39:36] – What it felt like taping in front of a live audience as kids
• [41:57] – The legendary multi-hour Boy Meets World note sessions
• [48:02] – Planning for a show's arc and living with (or without) success
• [55:22] – The magic behind HIMYM’s ensemble cast

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Final Thoughts

This episode is a treat for sitcom fans, offering wise, funny, and sometimes surprisingly vulnerable takes on 1990s and 2000s TV, the experience of enduring fame, and the quirks of the entertainment business. Both casts openly celebrate the resonance of their shows with fans—and each other—while poking fun at their own youth, the mechanics of making comedy, and the beautiful chaos of “winging it” in Hollywood.

Stay tuned for Part 2, which promises even more inside stories and sitcom synergy!

Transcript

[Danielle Fishel]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Will Friedle]

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[Ryder Strong]

Get your podcasts you know.

[Danielle Fishel]

AT&T believes hearing a voice can change everything. It's why people love a good podcast or save voicemails from loved ones cause everyone appreciates the sound of a familiar voice. And when you need a recharge or want some comfort, you call a family member or friend. AT&T wants everyone to share their voice over the holidays. So send a voice note, leave a voicemail, Call someone because that convo is a chance to say something they'll hear forever. Happy holidays from AT&T. Connecting changes everything. Every year I think I'm ready for the holidays and then suddenly I'm the one hosting. This year though, Whole Foods Market low key saved me.

[Will Friedle]

Maybe even high key same Susan and I walked in for one thing and walked out with a whole game plan. Their heat, neat sides, lifesavers and 365 staples like stuffing mix, cream of mushroom soup and green beans have made my pantry the quintessential Thanksgiving haven.

[Ryder Strong]

And Whole Foods has single handedly made me the best host gift giver around. Their curated cheeses or cookie gift boxes Instant hero status for mains.

[Danielle Fishel]

I grabbed their bone in rib roast and I'm not kidding, it's a showstopper.

[Will Friedle]

So if you're scrambling like we always are, just order, pickup or delivery. Whole Foods is truly the holiday headquarters. New traditions, Zero Chaos Shop for everything.

[Ryder Strong]

You need at Whole Foods Market your holiday headquarters.

[Danielle Fishel]

I'm Danielle Fishel Ryder Strong and Will.

[Will Friedle]

Friedle from Pod Meets World.

[Danielle Fishel]

Whether you're a seasoned small business owner or thinking about getting started, check out season four of Mind the Business small business success stories from iHeartMedia's Ruby Studios and Intuit QuickBooks.

[Ryder Strong]

In this latest season, hosts Austin Hankwitz and Janice Torres are talking to self starters about the ins and outs of entrepreneurship and how QuickBooks helps you to get more done in less time. You won't want to miss it.

[Will Friedle]

Listen to Mind the business. Small business success Stories on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Danielle Fishel]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Danielle Fishel]

Thousands have already made the switch. Why not you try Odoo for free at o D o o dot com. That's odoo dot com.

[Will Friedle]

I'm kind of surprised that I made it to the podcast this morning and.

[Craig Thomas]

It'S only one room away.

[Will Friedle]

I'm surprised I've made it anywhere in the last four days because I've added an addition to my house that has been taking up a good amount of my time.

[Danielle Fishel]

What is this?

[Ryder Strong]

Are you talking about your bat cave bathroom?

[Will Friedle]

Yes, I am. Cause I added something to it that takes it to a whole other level.

[Danielle Fishel]

What?

[Will Friedle]

I've gotten my first ever smart toilet.

[Ryder Strong]

The heck is a smart toilet?

[Danielle Fishel]

I'm so jealous.

[Will Friedle]

No, but you walk in and it opens up automatically. No, but, like, when you do go, it, like, sprays out this, like, beautiful scent and it cleans itself. And the reason I'm amazed I made it this morning. It has an automatic bidet.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yes. Yeah. Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

Which I'd never used before.

[Danielle Fishel]

Which one did you get? We talked about this because you went shopping for them when you were doing the house renovation stuff.

[Will Friedle]

They were too expensive.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah, they were really expensive. You were not gonna get them, but you must have found one that tickles your fancy price wise.

[Ryder Strong]

Literally tickles his fancy. Yes, tickles his unfancy. Tickles his least fancy.

[Will Friedle]

Three words for you, Danielle. Costco.

[Danielle Fishel]

Great.

[Will Friedle]

So they had it for like an eighth of what it costs everywhere else. It's a Kohler. It's beautiful. I had it installed. And I'm like, there's a remote. They gotta put the remote up and you press a button. And I'm like, all right, wait and see. O. Oh. Like right up the old nether regions. Yes, it does have a seat heater too. Tara's asking. There's a seat heater, a self cleaner, a front and back oscillating.

[Danielle Fishel]

You saw how excited I got when we were on a plane talking about this. You saw how excited I got. And I almost purchased them online, remember? I was like, why?

[Will Friedle]

Right?

[Danielle Fishel]

Before we were taking off. And you were like, how much are those? I was like, I think they're like $2,000 each. And I was like, man, that really is expensive. All right, I would need three. So that's $6,000. And Will was like, you're the only person I know who can spend $6,000 on a. On a taxi, like right before we.

[Will Friedle]

Take off on a plane. Taking off on a.

[Danielle Fishel]

But I never ordered it because, of course, it's was just too much money for toilets.

[Will Friedle]

They're at Costco. And I got it. I got it installed. And it is. Other than playing music and just telling me like, hey, you've lost some weight. It does everything else. It's awful.

[Josh Radnor]

It should just tell you that.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, wow, you lost some weight.

[Josh Radnor]

That was five pounds you just left me.

[Danielle Fishel]

Wait, did the. Did someone from Costco install it? Was it.

[Will Friedle]

No, I have a plumber. I'm not supposed to say his name because he's like a magical guy who doesn't charge much, but his name's Tom. Tom the plumber.

[Danielle Fishel]

I know. Tom. Tom. You've stolen Tom from you.

[Will Friedle]

You have. So he came and that's the other thing is you have to have a plug near your toilet, which I didn't. So I had to have my other guy, Henry, come in and put in a plug. The electrician come in and put in plug. So it was like a process. But, oh, what a process because we hadn't updated bathrooms in 20 some odd years.

[Danielle Fishel]

Right.

[Will Friedle]

So to go from, you know, steerage on the Titanic to first class on the Titanic was pretty wonderful. I don't know why I use that analogy. Because everyone ended up dead. But we all.

[Danielle Fishel]

They all died. Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

But it was much like life. It's been great. It's been, it's been, it's. I was not expecting a stream of water on my bing bong on my hoo ha.

[Josh Radnor]

To do what it does.

[Danielle Fishel]

Ooh la la.

[Josh Radnor]

Yikes.

[Will Friedle]

It's. It's pretty amazing. Ooh la la.

[Ryder Strong]

Ooh la la. I've said my phrase. Got my. I am part of this conversation.

[Josh Radnor]

Ooh la la.

[Danielle Fishel]

Mercy.

[Will Friedle]

So it's worth it.

[Danielle Fishel]

You watched Full House last night, right? Are we again?

[Josh Radnor]

Full House again.

[Will Friedle]

You're in. You're in.

[Craig Thomas]

Yes.

[Ryder Strong]

What do you think we started, like, because it's always a battle. Well, what we're going to watch, what movie we're going to watch, whether we're going to watch a TV show, whatever. Indy is just a contrarian. I don't know where he gets this from guys.

[Craig Thomas]

Weird.

[Danielle Fishel]

No idea. That's so strange.

[Will Friedle]

I don't understand this. I never knowing you, it's almost like he's judging me.

[Ryder Strong]

We created a system where he gets two votes. Alex and I each get a vote, and we put it in a hat and we draw what we're watching. And he, with both his votes, put full house just to piss me off, I swear to God. And I, we enjoyed it.

[Will Friedle]

Did you start at the pilot?

[Ryder Strong]

No, we just picked up from where we watched. So we had watched that Christmas episode and we watched the one right after that the same night. And so last night it was the next three. And the show is way better than that Christmas episode. The Christmas episode is hands down the worst one. Okay, it's so much better. But of the five, John Stamos is wonderful. Really good actor. That's part of the show. I know Bob Saget. I know he was a very funny person. I, you know, having met him a few times in life, very funny. Not. Not very good on the show. Just kind of standard, like, dorky guy. Right. And Dave Coulier is goofy and all over, you know, but like, Stamos is amazing. Jodie's so good.

[Danielle Fishel]

Jodie's amazing.

[Will Friedle]

She, like, carries the show. Right. Because again, that's the only first one.

[Ryder Strong]

That I saw less of a part in the three we watched last.

[Sophie Cunningham]

And you.

[Ryder Strong]

I missed her. Like, the one we had watched that follows the Christmas episode was like her hula hooping. And she's incredible. Like, she's just so charming and funny and all the things. Yeah. I'm still very uncomfortable with the Olsen twins. And Indy just thinks it's hysterical. Like when I explained to him what you had said, Will, about the can of the rattle. Yeah, the rattle of. So then he just. Every time they're on the screen, Indy just loses it. Thinks it's hysterical. Like, oh, give him a cookie. Where's the Eminem bag? Yeah, it still makes me uncomfortable. Like the opening credits and she's just, like, looking at the camera and, like, pointing out the helicopter, following them.

[Josh Radnor]

I'm like, what?

[Ryder Strong]

This show is weird.

[Will Friedle]

She wasn't. That was. See if you followed her process as an actor at the time, she was pointing out the Golden Gate Bridge as they drove past it.

[Danielle Fishel]

Exactly.

[Ryder Strong]

Well, that's what I started to. I started to think, is the whole show from her pov, in other words, like, is reality morphed into a two year old's worldview. And that's why people act the way they do. That's why situations work out the way they do.

[Danielle Fishel]

The theory about Boy Meets World is that it's from Corey's pov and when he's young, his brother's a God, and when he's older, his brother's a goof.

[Ryder Strong]

Right. And so that's why Full House opens the opening credits is always close up shot of her and then pulling out. Right. So it's like saying this is the, this is her memories that we're getting. Her like messed up version of reality that we're getting. And then I'm like, okay, I can kind of hang with this. Like, people are really big and over the top and make choices that make no connections.

[Will Friedle]

Well, as we're also going back on this, this journey of not only rewatching our show, but watching episodes of other show. Sitcom was just big, especially the ones we're watching. I mean, sitcom was just big. So it's.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah, it was just, it was like the point of every episode is almost like for family members to be able to wander in and out and like, still get a laugh. Do you know what I mean? They just walk in.

[Will Friedle]

It was like dual screen viewing.

[Ryder Strong]

Kid just said a thing and then they're going to go finish eating dinner or whatever.

[Josh Radnor]

It's like.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah, it's just the, the. I mean, I. It's kind of the lowest common denominator.

[Will Friedle]

Right.

[Ryder Strong]

It was like, let's just create a situation where it's like recognizable family members and they just say funny stuff.

[Will Friedle]

Yep.

[Ryder Strong]

And like the idea of nuance, like, you can't, you can't have it because you only have 22 minutes. You just want stock characters. You want predictable situations.

[Will Friedle]

But couldn't you argue that one of the reasons that our show has endured for so long is that we did have that nuance a lot of the time?

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah, well, that's what I'm saying.

[Josh Radnor]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

I mean, I think the best ones do, right? Or they managed to. To do both. Like, the best shows managed to have, like. And that's why I think the Friends was so fun. Is like, everything was pretty big and over the top, but it was built out of characters that you believed or believed enough that you were like, oh, that situation's great. And so they could throw out one liners. They could be very big and obvious in some ways. We think about Seinfeld too.

[Will Friedle]

Right.

[Ryder Strong]

Those characters are ridiculous. It's not believable by any measure. But there's something nuanced about it. There's something, there's depth to it. That's still so clever.

[Will Friedle]

I think you also, if we. We've always compared Sitco to a play in your home every week. And I think the thing that I sometimes struggle with, which I have to remind myself is that Full House is a play for 8 year olds. Friends is a play for 28 year olds. Right, exactly. So it's like they're two very different nights at the theater. But the great shows are the ones where the adults can go to the 8 year old's play and still have an awesome time.

[Danielle Fishel]

Right?

[Ryder Strong]

And then there are some people, like, I think you're one of these people, Will. My wife is one of these people. The second they see any play, the actors, the way the actors act, she just can't hang. Like, she's just like, nope, that's. That's not the way people talk about, like theater. Acting is just false to her. Do you know what I mean? And like, I think I've always felt that way about sitcom acting. You know, where it's like in theater, I'm okay with it because it's like we're in a big room and you got to be, you know, there's something.

[Will Friedle]

In the back of the room played in the back.

[Ryder Strong]

I'm okay with it, especially with musicals. But like, yeah, with sitcom acting, I'm like, why, why, why are you doing like. Don't, don't, don't talk like that.

[Josh Radnor]

Mercy.

[Will Friedle]

A sitcom musical. I don't mean a single episode. I mean like an actual sitcom that is also. I know they did Cop Rock.

[Ryder Strong]

Cop Rock.

[Will Friedle]

And they do like Glee and Cop Rock.

[Ryder Strong]

But that wasn't even a multi cam. I think that was single cam.

[Will Friedle]

It was, it was a single single cam too. Yeah, yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

But Glee, they were saying in the context, they weren't even singing like they were performing within the show. Right? Like, right. They wouldn't break into songs.

[Will Friedle]

They didn't.

[Josh Radnor]

Okay.

[Will Friedle]

I didn't know. I've never.

[Ryder Strong]

I think High School Musical they did. Right? They would just break in a song in a private moment, kind of like the movie.

[Will Friedle]

Right.

[Ryder Strong]

But Glee, it was all about the actual performances.

[Will Friedle]

So.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah. What about a sitcom that's just.

[Will Friedle]

I wonder if it's just too hard to have them all breaking into song every sitcom episode. I mean, that must be multiple takes of. But then you got to do that at the regular. Yeah. I don't know. You know, there was one, guys.

[Craig Thomas]

My crazy ex girlfriend.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, well, but that wasn't multicam. That was single cam.

[Josh Radnor]

Yeah, single cam.

[Will Friedle]

What's my crazy ex girlfriend? I don't think I know that one.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, it was a huge Rachel. Like Rachel Bloom eight, ten years ago.

[Will Friedle]

Oh. And it was a musical.

[Ryder Strong]

It was a musical, single camera, and the whole idea was like. It was. She was chasing her ex boyfriend obsessively so it was like you were in her imagination. Whether it's like a beautiful love story set to a musical.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, great.

[Ryder Strong]

Wasn't that what it was? It was like she was delusional.

[Craig Thomas]

Very good pilot.

[Josh Radnor]

Very good pilot.

[Ryder Strong]

Interesting. Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

Okay, so I've been using my bidet.

[Danielle Fishel]

And writers watching Full House.

[Ryder Strong]

Fun fact, guys. You know squat toilets, which a huge part of the world uses. You don't get hemorrhoids.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, no. Very much healthier for you.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

So we're. We're.

[Danielle Fishel]

Get a squatty. Get a squatty potty things, right?

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, your feet things so you can be comfortable. And.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah, it's a. It curves around the bottom of the toilet and it's like a. It puts you in the perfect position as if you were squatting to be able to go.

[Ryder Strong]

No, but then you're being supported. That's the thing.

[Danielle Fishel]

Exactly. You're not actually squatting.

[Will Friedle]

They say the same thing at the gym. We should actually support you.

[Ryder Strong]

We should squad. It'd be. It's good for us, you know, like taking. Getting comfortable, taking your time, reading, looking at your phone.

[Danielle Fishel]

Why?

[Will Friedle]

That's the other thing the smart toilet does. If you're on too long, it brings an alarm. No joke.

[Ryder Strong]

Wow.

[Danielle Fishel]

If you sit for too long.

[Will Friedle]

If you sit for too long, it beeps an alarm like, hey, get. Get your out of here. No. No pun intended.

[Danielle Fishel]

I'm gonna buy one just now that I. No matter. It could. It could be $30,000, and I would buy one just to get gentle Jensen out of the bathroom. We can be in the peak. Dinner time, bedtime. Jensen, I'm gonna run to the bathroom. And it's never less than 40 minutes.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, yeah. Well, he's got to send 450 texts.

[Danielle Fishel]

He's got to send 450 texts. He's got 400 posts to make on.

[Ryder Strong]

My phone this morning, I was trying to record an audition with my wife, and my phone buzzed 30 times in my pocket. And I'm like, Jensen. I didn't even. Jensen.

[Will Friedle]

I know Jensen. And Will.

[Ryder Strong]

Just one Jensen at a time. I'm like, trying to do an audition. I' having a conversation. Oh, I know you were. I got to read it an hour later, scroll through the. What did you just say?

[Danielle Fishel]

I think.

[Ryder Strong]

Hey, hold on, hold on, guys. That's my favorite.

[Danielle Fishel]

Jensen always says, guys, guys. And then as its own text.

[Will Friedle]

As his own text changes the whole conversation. When you realize both of us were on the toilet the whole time we were having that conversation.

[Josh Radnor]

Next text.

[Ryder Strong]

You won't believe this. Next text.

[Danielle Fishel]

I'm about ready to call something.

[Ryder Strong]

Next text.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, we're building the story.

[Ryder Strong]

I answered the phone. Next.

[Josh Radnor]

Next text.

[Ryder Strong]

I had no idea who it was. Next text.

[Danielle Fishel]

Writer and I send texts exactly the same way.

[Ryder Strong]

Yes.

[Danielle Fishel]

One long paragraph with our thoughts. Yeah, I. I literally start. I know.

[Ryder Strong]

Answering Jensen. And then I am 20 minutes behind.

[Danielle Fishel]

Writer is typing. And I'll think, we're never gonna see what this.

[Ryder Strong]

Nope. I just lose it. I just finally give up. I'm like, I can't. Because the conversation moved into four different.

[Danielle Fishel]

Directions and I have now tried to insert an.

[Ryder Strong]

You gotta be quick.

[Will Friedle]

If you wanna have conversations with us.

[Craig Thomas]

You gotta be quick, my friend.

[Ryder Strong]

Then talk.

[Will Friedle]

Never. Never.

[Ryder Strong]

Wow. So you got a bidet.

[Danielle Fishel]

He got a bidet.

[Ryder Strong]

Bidets are lovely.

[Josh Radnor]

Bidets are lovely. It's pretty wonderful.

[Will Friedle]

It's also got a button that can dry my backdrop.

[Ryder Strong]

We're like 40 minutes into an episode. We haven't even talked about anything.

[Will Friedle]

We haven't even gotten into the Full House episode yet.

[Danielle Fishel]

In this world, I'm Danielle Fischl.

[Ryder Strong]

I'm Ryder Strong.

[Will Friedle]

And I'm on the toilet. I'm Wilfred L. Ever been at the pharmacy counter and the pharmacist asks, do you have any questions? And suddenly your mind goes blank? That's exactly why you need to listen to beyond the script from CVS Pharmacy and iHeartMedia. Starting January 14th. Hosted by Dr. Jake Goodman, this podcast brings you real conversations with CVS pharmacists, the health experts you see most answering the questions you wish you'd asked, like which medications might not mix well, what vaccine should you consider before a big trip? And even those questions you were too embarrassed to say out loud. Each episode busts myths, decodes health trends, and gives you practical, trustworthy advice straight from the people behind the counter. No white coats, no lectures. Just real talk, real answers, and maybe a few laughs. Listen to beyond the script on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Danielle Fishel]

I'm Danielle Fishel, Ryder Strong and Will.

[Will Friedle]

Friedle from Pod Meets World.

[Danielle Fishel]

Whether you're a seasoned small business owner or thinking about getting started, you will definitely want to check out season four of Mind the Business small business success stories from iHeartMedia's Ruby Studio and Intuit QuickBooks.

[Ryder Strong]

Mind the Business is part entertainment, part instruction manual, part inspiration. Each episode features practical tips and success stories that will resonate with entrepreneurs in any industry.

[Will Friedle]

In this latest season, hosts Austin Hankwitz and Janice Torres are covering topics on the forefront of running a small business business.

[Danielle Fishel]

They're talking to self starters about everything from how AI helps them work smarter to weathering market uncertainties and enjoying the benefits of being your own boss and using Intuit QuickBooks to help you get more done in less time. You won't want to miss it.

[Will Friedle]

Listen to Mind the Business Small Business Success stories on the Iheart app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Danielle Fishel]

All right you two, let's be real. We're all adults now, but the holiday scramble is upon us and it's overwhelming. Topanga would have had a spreadsheet and everything planned by now.

[Will Friedle]

I'm more of a last minute type of guy and my friends and family are hard to shop for. So yeah, this is the toughest time of the year.

[Ryder Strong]

That's why Apple Gift Card is the perfect solution. Your loved ones can use it for their favorite subscriptions, apps, games, music, movies, even upgrading their AirPods.

[Danielle Fishel]

It's a gift of what they already love and it saves you from guessing what size sweater they wear.

[Ryder Strong]

Plus you can send it instantly.

[Will Friedle]

It's perfect for me and all my fellow last minute shoppers.

[Ryder Strong]

Visit applegiftcard.apple.com to learn more and gift one today. So let me get this straight. Your company has data here, there and everywhere, but your AI can't use the data because it's here, there and everywhere? Seems like something's missing. Every business has unique data. IBM helps your AI access your data wherever it lives. To change how you do business. Let's create Smile to Business IBM.

[Sophie Cunningham]

This is Sophie Cunningham from Show Me Something. Do you know the symptoms of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA in adults with obesity? They may be happening to you without you knowing. If anyone has ever said you snored loudly, or if you spend your days fighting off excessive tiredness, irritability and concentration issues, it may be due to osa. OSA is a serious condition where your airway partially or completely collapses during sleep, which may cause breathing interruptions and oxygen deprivation. Learn more at. Don't sleep on osa.com this information is provided by Lily, a medicine company.

[Danielle Fishel]

When it comes to new Rewatch podcast announcements, we are all ears. We know the journey they're about to take, the laughs, the tears, the weird feelings about haircuts, from 20 years ago. It's like finding out someone you went to high school with is moving next door. And so when we heard about how we Made youe Mother, a show hosted by both the star and co creator of an iconic sitcom, How I Met yout Mother, we put out the nice china and baked some cookies to welcome them to the neighborhood. And boy, have they delivered in spades. The TV show debuted in 2005 and ran for nine seasons, running through 2014 and becoming one of the century's most successful sitcoms. Framed as a show set in 2030, main character Ted Mosby recounts the meet cute with his eventual wife. All told to their children, Penny and Luke, creating a mystery as to who exactly their mother is and in the process, maintaining laughs for almost a decade. The series finale was seen by over 13 million viewers and the show was nominated for a whopping 28 Emmy awards. It would be difficult to visit the history of modern day TV without mentioning its existence. And now, as their retrospective podcast launches its second season, freshly signed to our pals, the Office Ladies Network, they're experiencing feelings strikingly similar to ours. And we wanted to talk about it. So this week on Pod Meets World, it's sitcom royalty. And now adjacent podcast participants, How I Met yout Mother, co creator Craig Thomas and Ted Mosby himself, Josh Radner.

[Will Friedle]

Hello. Hey.

[Craig Thomas]

Well, hello.

[Danielle Fishel]

How are you doing?

[Craig Thomas]

Hi, guys.

[Josh Radnor]

How are you?

[Craig Thomas]

I'm doing okay. How are you guys? Craig Thomas should be joining us.

[Will Friedle]

Joining us.

[Josh Radnor]

Hey, everybody.

[Danielle Fishel]

Great. Hi. I have to move my chat window out of the way. It was just blocking both of your faces.

[Craig Thomas]

I know.

[Josh Radnor]

I was having the same thing. It's good to meet you guys.

[Ryder Strong]

Welcome.

[Danielle Fishel]

Nice to meet you. We are so happy you're joining us. We see other people on a similar quest to what we're doing. It's like passing people on the way down Mount Everest. And we want to talk to you about what it's what we've seen up top.

[Will Friedle]

You know any of that, Danielle? Because most people die on the way down from.

[Josh Radnor]

A lot of people are not.

[Danielle Fishel]

Maybe that's what I'm saying.

[Craig Thomas]

So you just want to share some oxygen tanks on the way down and refuel?

[Josh Radnor]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Craig Thomas]

Great. Let's do it.

[Josh Radnor]

You guys paved the way for this whole thing. You were so early to the rewatch party. You guys are like, we're the newbies. We're the rookies. Thank you guys for paving the path.

[Danielle Fishel]

And we owe all, all of the paving to office ladies. So, you know.

[Josh Radnor]

Yeah, yeah, that's.

[Danielle Fishel]

They were they were the first and then I think we were like the.

[Josh Radnor]

Second right in there. I thought you were before them actually, but that's cool. Okay.

[Will Friedle]

In our minds, we were Craig. That's really.

[Josh Radnor]

Read that rumor. We did have the idea to their faces.

[Ryder Strong]

No, we had the idea before the Office Ladies, but we couldn't convinced.

[Will Friedle]

No one knew how to do it.

[Ryder Strong]

We didn't know how to do it. We thought like, we literally were like, oh, we'll release YouTube DVD commentary style tracks like, oh, you hit play at home and then we'll talk, you know, quickly. That didn't work. And yeah, it was hard to understand what this would be. And now it's like a standard form.

[Josh Radnor]

Yeah, I mean, it's been. And here we are, the billionth one copying you in the Office Ladies. We're very like, what's the opposite of innovative? That's.

[Danielle Fishel]

Listen, the innovation is not what. What sells it. It's chemistry. And we can talk about all that later. But what, what made you two decide to embark on this journey 20 years after the show debuted?

[Craig Thomas]

Well, for me, I, I think that the. It started because I got married two years ago and. Thank you. And my wife Jordana is a. Is a big TV watcher. She watches a lot of tv. For some reason, she was right in the demographic to have seen and loved how I met. She never saw an episode, she'd never seen it. She didn't know anything about it. And this was when we were getting to know each other. This was actually a help, as you guys might know. You know, when you meet people who don't have a preconceived, you can actually make a first impression. So it was great. And then one day, I think, I don't remember exactly when, but we were in LA and she said, I would actually love to watch the show. I'd love to. I want to see this huge chapter of your life that I didn't get to be with you for. And then I just had the idea because I, I don't see enough of Craig. And Craig has always been like a dear friend and I miss him. And, you know, we would always have dinner. This is before I moved back to New York, but we would have dinner if we found each other in the same town. But I wanted like more Craig in my life, you know, so I reached out to him. I mean, this happened so quick, Jordan. I said, I want to watch the show. I called Craig, I said, my wife wants to see the show. Should we rewatch it together and do something a little more Formal. And then we literally called our friend Alec Lev, who's a podcast producer Whiz. And within 45 minutes, we had this thing kind of queued up and ready to go, and we were, you know. So I tend to trust the older I'm getting in this business. Like, there's a kind of idea like, things should be hard and you should work, but I actually really trust ease and flow and effortlessness. And this was one of those things that was just, like, so easy that it was like, well, we should probably do this. And every time we do an episode, I'm like, I can't believe this is, like, kind of a job now to sit around and talk about this thing that I am clearly, like, one of the world's leading experts in just by the fact that I was there, you know, Like, I don't have to do.

[Josh Radnor]

A ton of research.

[Craig Thomas]

Like, I watch the episode, I take some notes, and then we talk about it, and it's been a delight, and it's been really fun.

[Will Friedle]

The notes will go away by season.

[Craig Thomas]

The notes will go away.

[Josh Radnor]

You'll not even be taking notes anymore.

[Craig Thomas]

That's a rookie kind of move. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

I remember notes for two of the people on this podcast. The notes will go away.

[Josh Radnor]

Oh, right.

[Craig Thomas]

You're the note to your resident note ticker.

[Will Friedle]

Exactly. The best thing Ryder and I ever did was sit down and go, let's put Danielle in charge. Best possible decision we ever made.

[Josh Radnor]

It just made our lives so much easier.

[Will Friedle]

It was great.

[Danielle Fishel]

What about you, Craig? When you got the call, had you ever thought about doing, like, was this something you had thought about, or was this literally, like, wow? I had never thought about that.

[Josh Radnor]

I had not thought about it. So much credit really goes to Jordana. Like, Jordana, Josh's wife, was like, I need to know this part of your life, and I love that it came from that. It came from this really pure place of, like, I married you. I want to know this thing you did for a decade of your life. And I so understand what Josh was saying, that he was so happy that he met somebody who hadn't seen the show and had all this preconceived stuff. I see all of you nodding right now. All of you guys must have had that thought in your life at different times. Like, if I'm meeting somebody, are they thinking they already know me because they've seen me on TV for the better part of a decade?

[Danielle Fishel]

Or I think all three of us married somebody who had never seen the show.

[Josh Radnor]

Is that right?

[Danielle Fishel]

My husband had, like, maybe been aware of two episodes, but had. Was not. Did not watch the show. Will's wife Susan, had never seen it.

[Will Friedle]

Yes, she did. She saw them all. Cause of Lexi. There you go. So My stepdaughter was 11 when I met her, who's now, you know, has my grandchild. So as, you know, much, much older. It's been 20.

[Josh Radnor]

But she.

[Will Friedle]

When she was 11, would run home and watch Boy Meets World, would cry when she would miss Boy Meets World. So, no, with what you're saying, it's exactly. Having that into the show is exactly how we started, because Ryder had never seen Boy Meets World.

[Josh Radnor]

Yeah, yeah.

[Will Friedle]

So he was on the show, but never actually saw any of the episodes. So that was our same kind of thing. It was us sitting at conventions, and Ryder's like, I should probably watch this show that I was on.

[Ryder Strong]

The fans kept saying stuff to me or asking for quotes, and I was like, I have no idea what you're talking about.

[Craig Thomas]

This happens to me so much. People come up with a very specific gag or bit or line, and I'm. And I look at them like, I wish I could participate in this. I just haven't seen this in 20 years, if I even saw it to begin with.

[Ryder Strong]

Right.

[Craig Thomas]

I. I will say that there's.

[Will Friedle]

There's.

[Craig Thomas]

There's light and dark. There's. There's ups and downs to everything. And one of the things I really loved about being on a show that had such a big global reach was it does make the world seem smaller in a really sweet way. Like, I'm sure you guys have had the experience. Like, you go to a foreign country and you're like, what do we do in this foreign country? And they're like, come with us to a flamenco show. People we know from T, you know, and you're like, oh, this is like, my face is like this weird social passport, you know? But then when you're talking about, like, beating a life partner, it can get actually tricky if they think they're with a person that was on a character that is not you.

[Will Friedle]

Sure.

[Craig Thomas]

It's really tricky. Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Josh Radnor]

I find that fascinating, and it's interesting that you guys. Ryder, have you had that, too? I feel like you had an answer loaded up, too, where your partner had not seen the show ever either. I wanted the whole survey.

[Ryder Strong]

I needed her. I couldn't date somebody if they were, like, a fan. Now I'm weird. Honestly. Like, it was just in my 20s, like, the idea. Because, like, I met my wife when I was 26. Like before that, if I met anybody, because I was only 10 years out from the starting the show, like, it was just too close. Like I need. So everybody I dated was older than me and had never heard of Boy Meets World. It was.

[Josh Radnor]

That's so funny. I totally get it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's really. That's really interesting.

[Ryder Strong]

And it's.

[Josh Radnor]

It is weird looking back on some. On stuff we did 20 years ago. I can only imagine for you guys since you started off as. As kids and as teenagers and stuff, it's even. That's a whole other layer. But Josh and I are looking back and some stuff we vividly remember and some stuff we. It's like this insane amnesia has happened where you're like, I forgot the entire B story of that episode. And it's better than the A story. It's actually the best part of the episode is the thing I forgot about.

[Will Friedle]

And the chain memories are the fun ones where one person will remember one thing which then leads you down a path of, oh my God, I totally forgot about this. And then next thing you know, it's something that happened behind the scenes that nobody else would remember. Those are the best ones.

[Craig Thomas]

Or you kind of. I like get like when you get the story wrong, you're like, oh, I remember it. And they're like, no, no, no.

[Josh Radnor]

That actually wasn't.

[Ryder Strong]

Totally never happened.

[Craig Thomas]

Crowdsourcing memory. It's cool to crowdsource memories because our own memories are so fallible.

[Ryder Strong]

You know, I want to get into the weeds for a moment, like. Cause you guys were a hybrid show, correct? Like you didn't shoot. So did you not have an audience show at all?

[Craig Thomas]

Never were.

[Josh Radnor]

We didn't have an audience show.

[Will Friedle]

So that was.

[Ryder Strong]

Change your experience of this. Cause like for us, we still remember like tape night. It was like a big deal. But so then what?

[Will Friedle]

What?

[Ryder Strong]

I would love to know what your actual schedule was like. Do you still do like run throughs? You still had like a regular sitcom schedule outside of that or.

[Craig Thomas]

I feel like our schedule upsets other actors to hear. No, you guys are probably a little. So Monday we'd come in around 10, Craig for a table read, sit around the table, writers gathered around, you know, all the exact scenario. We'd go away. We'd go away at 10:45, 11. Go away for the rest of the day.

[Josh Radnor]

You then not the writers, man.

[Craig Thomas]

The writers would stick around.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, so you guys, Monday was. Was a day off after the table read?

[Craig Thomas]

Yes.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, from the get go.

[Craig Thomas]

Always, right?

[Will Friedle]

Always.

[Ryder Strong]

But they were always there.

[Will Friedle]

We took like two or three years. We had the Friday off after table read, so that was kind of the same.

[Craig Thomas]

Oh, and your tape night was Tuesday?

[Danielle Fishel]

Thursday.

[Will Friedle]

Thursday.

[Craig Thomas]

Thursday. Okay. Okay. Yeah. So Craig and the writers would stick around and then do a rewrite until. And then we'd know how long the rewrite lasted based on when we got the script in our email. And then we'd come in Tuesday around 9am we'd read through the new draft, we'd rehearse. Pam Freyman, our director, would put it on its feet. And then around noon, 12:30 maybe we'd.

[Josh Radnor]

Something like that. Maybe one, maybe one o'.

[Ryder Strong]

Clock. That early?

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah, yeah. We would just rehearse for like two hours.

[Josh Radnor]

Hours.

[Ryder Strong]

We had school for three hours. See, we had school for three hours. Oh yes.

[Craig Thomas]

See, that's a totally different thing, dude.

[Ryder Strong]

Like our run through would be like.

[Craig Thomas]

4Pm by the time you're 30. The schooling is so much easier. Yeah, but then we would go away. I was getting my PhD at the time. We would go away until we. Until the next day. And then Craig and the writers would then stay.

[Ryder Strong]

Work all night.

[Craig Thomas]

Work all night. Yeah. And then we would tape. We would block and shoot Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. But you obviously didn't have to be there. Like if there was a big, you know, let's say New York shoot that you weren't in, you would go home. So. And then did you guys do three weeks on, one week off?

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

I mean you had three days of taping.

[Craig Thomas]

We did three days of taping.

[Ryder Strong]

You didn't have a second record.

[Danielle Fishel]

One day of rehearsal.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah, one day of rehearsal and three days taping.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah. Right from the start. You didn't like work your way into that. That was right from the start.

[Ryder Strong]

That's what.

[Will Friedle]

That was it.

[Josh Radnor]

That was it. We were such Carter Bayes and the co creator of the show, my writing partner, we didn't know what we were doing on such a profound level. We were like 29 when we wrote this script. We had never written for a multi camera show. We had written for late night comedy and animation and single camp. We were complete rookies to it. And we wrote this pilot that had 70 scenes in 21 minutes. And our producer had to sit us down and explain to us how the laws of time and physics work. And we're like, oh, so time just moves forward. You can't hit pause. Okay, great. And there's no audience show. When you want to shoot 70 freaking scenes.

[Craig Thomas]

There's not enough candy to keep an audience away.

[Josh Radnor]

From three days. I know.

[Will Friedle]

Have any of you ever done pure sitcom in front of an audience? Like, can you compare it to what you did?

[Josh Radnor]

Josh has done a lot of theater, but it's. But, yeah, I don't know if any.

[Craig Thomas]

Very, very. First, I think I got my SAG card on this Jim Gaffigan, Christine Baranski show called welcome to New York. And I got there and they cut my part, but they gave me, like, one line. Like, I gave something to Eric Boghossian or something, you know, and I had one word, so I qualified to get my SAG card. There was an audience there. You know, there was a tape night. I'm trying to remember. I don't think it's so weird to have been on this big, iconic sitcom and not really have the experience that you guys had. Yeah. I've been to tapings of Friends and stuff, so I. Not Friends, but of Friends. Show friends. And I know what that energy is like. And I know, like, I've seen James Burroughs off to the side.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Craig Thomas]

You know, snapping his fingers and doing all that stuff, and it's fascinating. It's just. It wasn't my experience. It wasn't our experience of how we made our show.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, what an interesting way to do it. Yeah.

[Josh Radnor]

I mean, it was cool, because our show is probably one of the more emo sitcoms.

[Ryder Strong]

I know.

[Josh Radnor]

Like, your guys is considered that, too, in a certain way. Like, I know that so many How I Met yout Mother fans have a huge Venn Diagram overlap with Boy Meets World fans. I hear it a lot. It's, in fact, like, the main way I know Boy Meets World is just. How many HIMYM fans have told me, like, that's my other favorite show. Which is cool. I feel like we're in a weird little club of similar tones or shows that really wore their heart on their sleeve and really meant something to their fans. I feel like there's a cool overlap there.

[Craig Thomas]

Do you know there's a case to be made that. That the. Sometimes for the big comedy moments, you would do it once. The crew would laugh and then. No, more. Like, that was your one laugh moment.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Craig Thomas]

Because, you know, sometimes they would throw in another line and it would get a laugh, but it was largely like, you just had to trust your gut on the comedy. But because we had so many kind of, like, you know, serious, heartfelt stuff.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Craig Thomas]

Not having an audience there was actually, I think, kept us really honest.

[Josh Radnor]

I think so.

[Craig Thomas]

Kept us grounded, not pushing grounded. So it was helpful in that regard.

[Josh Radnor]

It Was. That was my point too. Yeah. It allowed us a kind of emotional side and, like, an authenticity to certain emotional. Like, if we needed to play sadness. It wasn't like, we gotta get through this in a hurry. The people in the back row are starting to shatter among themselves. Like. No. We really leaned into those moments, and I think it really shaped the tone of the show in a cool way for our show. Even though an audience.

[Will Friedle]

Are you trying to say there was no emotional depth to when my character sneezed the lottery number?

[Danielle Fishel]

He would never say that.

[Will Friedle]

I feel like a personal dig.

[Josh Radnor]

We did an incredible amount of stupid shit on How I Met yout Mother.

[Craig Thomas]

I'm in no way holding it off.

[Josh Radnor]

As some aesthetic golden.

[Will Friedle]

I have to ask, before we go any farther, just because, Craig, you mentioned my first love or one of my first loves, animation. I'm just curious what you wrote for in the animated world.

[Josh Radnor]

Yeah, we were. Carter and I were writing on American dad for. The funny thing is we wrote on season one of American dad as we wrote the pilot for How I Met yout Mother. And we left there and did 10 years of how much Mother. And American dad is still on, still going.

[Will Friedle]

I know.

[Josh Radnor]

That's really weird. Isn't that great? Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

Gotta love it.

[Josh Radnor]

So that was cool to get a taste of that. We got to do a bunch. We've gotten into a bunch of different kind of things. But the one thing we haven't done is the thing that How I Met yout Mother seems like it is when you watch it, which is an audience show. We're sort of this fraudulent audience show, right?

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Josh Radnor]

We created to seem like an audience. A fraudiance show. We were fraudulent audience.

[Danielle Fishel]

Joe.

[Josh Radnor]

Yeah. And it's funny how all of us did this thing for 10 years that we didn't really do it, just so it's like we did it.

[Will Friedle]

There is something about being in front of an audience that I think also lends itself perfectly to a show for younger people where it's okay to be bigger and over the top. Where maybe the giant gags that you guys did might have been too big if you were pushing in front of an audience. So there was something where it's like you almost like you were saying, Josh, like you as actors, as a company, kind of kept yourselves in chase as opposed to just having that audience.

[Craig Thomas]

Although we had a funny talk on one of the episodes recently where Neil walks into the room. I think it's the top of season two, the first episode. He walks into the apartment and he kind of glances at the fourth wall. And it looks like he's waiting for entrance applause. The audience. And so I said to Craig, this leads to a meta question. Was Barney the only character on How I Met Mother who knew he was in a sitcom?

[Josh Radnor]

Everyone thought they were, like, in some.

[Craig Thomas]

Like, living life, and he was in some. Some weird meta universe.

[Josh Radnor]

Hold for applause. Hold for applause. Hold for my applause.

[Danielle Fishel]

He'll insert it later.

[Josh Radnor]

It's a great Barney character trait. He thinks he gets applause or he.

[Ryder Strong]

Hears applause everywhere he goes.

[Will Friedle]

I do every room I walk into, Will really does.

[Danielle Fishel]

He goes.

[Ryder Strong]

He has a laugh track constantly going.

[Josh Radnor]

Can I ask you guys a question about the audience show through? You guys were so young. Was it. What percentage terrifying, what percentage exhilarating to know you were gonna be thrown out in front of 250 people? However many people it was Thursday night's barreling. You're barreling towards that Thursday night. You're like a teenager with whatever you're dealing with in your life. And now it's like, boom, here you are in front of this audience. Was that like, you come alive or was it terrifying? We don't know what that's like.

[Danielle Fishel]

It was 100% exhilaration.

[Ryder Strong]

Exhilaration. There was no, you know, we had each other's backs and we thought, like, the writers had our backs. Like, there was a sense of, like, we just can't wait to present this. Like, by the time we got to the audience show, it was just like, let's get those laughs. And like, the feeling was just pure. It was so fun. It was so fun.

[Will Friedle]

We also have an audience of kids, right? So it's like, it's. It's a lot different when you've got. Especially when the show became popular and now they're waiting in line to come to the show and it's, you know, 314 year olds then, you know, that you're going to have. I mean, it would start, we'd be backstage and our audience announcer would be warming everybody up, and they'd be slamming their feet and clapping, and you could just feel the vibe. It was like, that is cool. Oh, we're about to hit the stage. And you just, by the time you got out there, you were just like a reason.

[Josh Radnor]

I'm jealous of that a little. I wish we had gotten like one of those.

[Craig Thomas]

One thing, though, Craig, that we sometimes, I mean, I think we talked about it early on. For the first three to five episodes, they would bring in an audience and they would show the cut of the show and they would grab the Laughter.

[Danielle Fishel]

Right. So it was real laughs. Yes.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah.

[Josh Radnor]

For only like four episodes, we could take this.

[Ryder Strong]

We don't even.

[Craig Thomas]

We started using I Love Lucy the machine. Right.

[Josh Radnor]

By the way, grabbing the laughs makes us sound like freaking monsters.

[Will Friedle]

Exactly.

[Danielle Fishel]

We were also those super well prepared. We had three full days of rehearsal from. And. And you know, two run throughs, one for just producers, one for the network, and then a full block and shoot day.

[Will Friedle]

And then on the tape day, you were confident.

[Ryder Strong]

By Thursday night, our scripts were a lot simpler. We did not have flashbacks. Flash forwards.

[Danielle Fishel]

Right.

[Craig Thomas]

Did you guys have on the block and shoot day?

[Danielle Fishel]

You.

[Craig Thomas]

You actually grabbed the whole show. So you had it.

[Will Friedle]

No, not the whole show.

[Craig Thomas]

No, not the whole show.

[Will Friedle]

Some of it was a swing set or something like that. A big gag piece or something like that.

[Danielle Fishel]

We would appreciate something that wasn't directly in front of the New York street.

[Ryder Strong]

And CBS Radford would go there.

[Josh Radnor]

You know, we've shot there.

[Will Friedle]

It was one of the things, unfortunately. Well, not unfortunately. I think as an actor it was. It was exhilarating and a ton of fun. But for young actors, it was a little daunting.

[Craig Thomas]

It was.

[Will Friedle]

Our executive producer was famous for rewriting on the night, sitting there waiting, and he'd come in and scratch out a page and go, no, here's what you're gonna do. And we're like watching, going, okay, here you go. And then action.

[Craig Thomas]

Wow.

[Will Friedle]

So that was a.

[Josh Radnor]

That's a lot for.

[Craig Thomas]

But you also. I mean, there's something about that. You get really good at a very particular thing because. Because you literally have no choice, like you have to get good at doing that kind of thing.

[Will Friedle]

I have a very particular set of skills.

[Josh Radnor]

It's called giving too many notes.

[Craig Thomas]

Exactly. I heard you.

[Josh Radnor]

I would listen to your guys pilot of this podcast before coming on.

[Danielle Fishel]

We got better.

[Josh Radnor]

No, no, no, it's great. I really, I found it fascinating. You guys are great. You do an awesome podcast here and you have great chemistry. And like, I was really interested to hear you guys talk about your memory of getting lengthy notes after the run through. Like I think you said an hour or two of notes. Josh, can you imagine if after the run through, we sat with the actors for two hours? That's what they said they were getting as teenagers without getting into like, I had so much sympathy for you guys. Listening, thinking about you being teenagers and getting that many notes. I don't want it without like trying to put you in an uncomfortable spot. Was that like too much or was.

[Ryder Strong]

That our big joke, our big impression?

[Craig Thomas]

Of our.

[Ryder Strong]

Our executive producer, which Will and I, because we. When we were wrapping the show, we made a fake documentary. Will and I went around and shot a fake documentary of where are they now? 10 years in the future of Boy Meets World. And we did an impression of our. Our executive producer, which was sitting down to give a note. And he just goes, this was something really special. You guys really nailed this. This is perfect. Let's get into notes. Page one, line one. Swear to God, he would go, line one. Page one, line one is our. Because he would. He would. He would just. Page one, line went. Even if he was super positive, we would just go line.

[Will Friedle]

And by the way, that was. I was at the time, I was the only teenager. They were 11 and 12.

[Ryder Strong]

Right.

[Will Friedle]

And so you would sit there and we would. Everybody would take their seats in the living room set and our producer would stare at us.

[Ryder Strong]

And it was as much a performance piece as it was a note session.

[Will Friedle]

It was.

[Josh Radnor]

Yeah. Do you know what I mean? It was very much about.

[Ryder Strong]

He had been an actor. It was very much about his.

[Josh Radnor]

This was his moment.

[Danielle Fishel]

The number of guest stars we've interviewed who come in going, I don't remember that much, but I do remember those note sessions.

[Josh Radnor]

I've never heard of that. I've never heard of a two hour note session line by.

[Craig Thomas]

I mean, we were spared almost all notes. Like, we only got notes.

[Josh Radnor]

You guys ran out. There were like, Josh Radner shaped a hole in the wall of the stage as we had to sit down and get all the notes.

[Ryder Strong]

It's 1pm I'm done for the day. Oh, my God.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Will Friedle]

How much of the arc of your show was mapped out when you started the show? Did you know where you were gonna end when you started the entire series?

[Josh Radnor]

Yeah, we knew where we wanted to end it pretty early on, but we had. It would be dishonest to say, and we knew we'd get nine seasons and what the whole shape of that would be. We were. You know how it is. Like, I mean, you guys were such kids when you started. But we didn't feel like we had a show that was guaranteed to come back the next season until year four or something. Do you know what I mean? So we always had these big ideas and things we knew we wanted to get to, and it was always this funny on the fly math of how long can we stretch this condition out, or should we rush through this? Because they're gonna cancel us at the end of season five, so we gotta get through this and forget about that idea. We just have to go to this. And it was always this kind of Las Vegas style, how long can we let this ride on Red or whatever? And after a little while, a long while and a lot of suffering, you realize we're not gonna get canceled. We've actually become a hit. We've actually. The show got onto Netflix, and people started year four, year five of the show really bing and catching up and then watching it week to week, and our numbers just spiked. And at that moment, we went, we might get to do this for a while. And we sort of got to play around a little more in the middle than maybe we thought we would. But we had some idea of the kind of beginning, middle, and end, generally speaking. But, yeah, we were very lucky that we got to play for those middle seasons. We got to play once we were exhaling the fear of cancellation.

[Craig Thomas]

It's funny when something runs as long as our shows do that, that in. In hindsight, it looks like there was some genius master plan. But when you. When you get into, like, the center of showbiz, you realize everyone's just winging it.

[Josh Radnor]

Yes.

[Craig Thomas]

Everyone is making it as they go along. No one, like William Goldman famously said, no one knows anything. No one knows what's going to be a hit. Like, you're just making it up as you go. And like Craig said, like, it felt like we. We actually something. I think that was really good for us. Even though it was nail biting in the first couple seasons, whether we'd be back. We were doing just good enough in the demo that CBS let us stay on the air, but we weren't a big enough hit that they were paying that much attention to us.

[Will Friedle]

That's the best.

[Josh Radnor]

It was the absolute sweet spot.

[Craig Thomas]

So by building fourth season, by the time we got on Netflix, we actually became a hit. We were getting two season pickups. You know, we were doing 24 instead of 22. We already had this singular voice that Carter and Craig. Like, we were already this weird, interesting kind of indie band that got a little more popular and we're playing bigger venues like to, you know, and it was just really fun that we were. I think sometimes shows can get cursed by getting too big too quickly.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Craig Thomas]

And then you start going, well, what do people love? And then you start second guessing what, what made it special in the first place.

[Josh Radnor]

Yeah. Were you guys a hit right out of the gate? How did it, how did it grow for you? Like, what was that?

[Ryder Strong]

Our, like, we always felt like we weren't. We were always under the radar, you know, I mean part of that was because we were a kids show, so there was a sense of like mainstream culture was out there and we were like in our own little sandbox. But yeah, no, we. We felt like we were gonna get canceled pretty much every season.

[Danielle Fishel]

Every season?

[Josh Radnor]

Really?

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Josh Radnor]

I thought by the end you wouldn't have felt that way. Maybe. Maybe my sense of it is I'm a little bit too old to have like watched your show when it was on, but like my sense. And maybe this is a retroactive feeling. People love it so much now. It's such an enduring show. Maybe I'm not remembering it.

[Will Friedle]

It's more popular now than when it was on. By far.

[Ryder Strong]

We were second fiddle to Sabrina the Teenage Witch. To put that in perspective, Sabrina the Teenage Witch was the big hit and we were, we were the lead in for that. So we were like the also ran to Sabrina and like. But now I feel like most people talk about our show more than they talk about Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

[Craig Thomas]

So isn't time funny?

[Josh Radnor]

Like how things take that Sabrina.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah, but how things age and where they there, you know, like we can even. And we don't. I don't want to get into the weeds on this, but our, our finale was controversial.

[Danielle Fishel]

Right.

[Craig Thomas]

And we have people, we hear from people all the time who said. I was so angry when that happened. And 10 years later I, I now things have happened in my life that that finale makes complete sense to me.

[Will Friedle]

Right.

[Craig Thomas]

Interesting when I first saw it. So I, I think it's nice to take the long view of things. It's very hard to do when you're dealing with like ratings and overnights and you know, what's terrible, what's on going. It's impossible almost. But it's fun that we have a bigger Slice of life now to actually see where our shows kind of are in the constellation of things.

[Will Friedle]

Well, I'm also very much. It sounds, Josh, like, I'm like your wife, because I am a television junkie. I have been my whole life. Nobody watches more TV than me. So she and I can have an Olympic TV off. But neither of us would show up because we'd both be watching tv. But just getting to the point of getting to have a final episode is so rare in television.

[Craig Thomas]

Right.

[Will Friedle]

Because normally it's just you're, hey, wow, that show's gone. What the hell? So it's really the ones that have endured that get that goodbye. I mean, just that goodbye is so rare that I mean, let alone to have a controversial one. I mean, you look back on when Sopranos ended and everyone was like, what the hell? You know, you get. But they're still talking about it.

[Josh Radnor]

But they're still talking about it. It's funny. It's almost like. Cause what you guys said, like, maybe you've been more enduring than some of your contemporaries, some of your classmates, even the classmates on TV who seem like the more popular kids in the TV school, you've outlasted it somehow. And that means there was something enduring about what you guys did and what the energy you put out there. I like to think it's true of How I Met yout Mother too. And I think a weird part of it is that sometimes it was surprising and controversial what we did on the show. And people like debate it and write think pieces about it and stuff. And I think that Echo has actually kept the show more popular than some of our other TV classmates at the time.

[Craig Thomas]

I think it's true. I also think. I mean, I think our show was really, really funny. Like. Like properly funny in the way you want a great sitcom to be funny. And. And that's been part of the Light is going back to it being like, oh, I was on something really wonderful. It's so hard to get a sense of what you're on while you're on it.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Craig Thomas]

So when you go back a couple years later, it's like, oh, my God, this was. This was quite good. Like, I understand why people are still watching this and talking about it, but I also think there's something like when. And this fell on me a lot as a character. Like shows that dare to kind of do more heart forward stuff in addition to the comedy, I think they have a better chance of lasting a little longer because then you're in the realm of like perennial, like Everyone gets heartbroken. Everyone feels like a failure. Everyone longs to connect, and they, you know, they get hurt. They hurt people. So I think that when. When I was on the air, I remember this feeling that I, I.

[Will Friedle]

There were.

[Craig Thomas]

There was a very vocal core corner. Not. Not the whole thing, but there were some people that just did not like my character. Like, I was the vulnerable man. Right, right. And they were like, that guy. Like, we don't like it, you know, but I feel like, again, he's aged so well. Like, the character has aged so well.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Craig Thomas]

And I hear from not just men who relate to him. I hear from a ton of women.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Craig Thomas]

Who relate to him. So I think that sometimes you. You dare to put something forward that's like, a little more vulnerable, that risks sentimentality. I have a big thing about, like, there's a difference between sentiment and sentimentality. Like, sentiment is like, feeling. It's good, you want it. You just don't want to be trite or cliche or, you know, predictable. So I think we. We did something really well that secured a place for us, you know, in. In the culture somehow.

[Will Friedle]

Well, one of the things that made your show so unbelievably special, I mean, any television show especially, that comes out, it's pieces, and one piece goes away and the whole thing falls apart. So obviously, the writing is there, the creative team is there, but then you get this ensemble cast together, which is one of the best ensemble casts ever on television. So is this something that. Did you write any of these parts for specific actors, and then, oh, my God, they decided to do it, or did this just fall into place where, wow, these people came in to audition, and we were able to somehow put.

[Josh Radnor]

This magic together almost entirely the second thing. And a little bit the first thing, like Josh was the first audition day one, first person we saw for any role, and he came in and he's Ted. So that was like that. How does that ever happen? I don't know. It's never happened.

[Craig Thomas]

You know, there's two good ways to get a role. One is that way. And the second one is you're the last person they saw, and you're the answer to their problem. They can't figure it out. And then you walk in and give them their answer.

[Will Friedle]

You're replacing someone who didn't show up.

[Josh Radnor]

Yes.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, exactly.

[Josh Radnor]

Right, Exactly. So that was Josh. Thank God. And thank the casting gods and everybody else. We. I guess Neil. We had seen Neil in Harold and Kumar. Remember in Harold and Kumar, he comes out and just steals the movie for several minutes. And we were like, God. And we had been envisioning the character of Barney as maybe more of a Jack Black kind of like John Belushi type of guy. And we knew there was that version. Then there was the Vince Vaughn version. And we're like, Neil is the Vince Vaughn version of Barney. We are 100% committing to that version, which we were kind of leaning the other way. And Neil, Neil came in and just auditioned and stole that part away from everybody else. And then my wife, I told my wife Rebecca, we're creating a role a little bit based on her. Marshall and Lily are kind of like me and my wife, Jason and Allison's character. And my wife said, I'm a little weirded out. Big character on TV being based on me. Here's my two conditions. We were huge Buffy fans at the time. Detail here. One condition is I have to name the character. I want her to be called Lily. And condition two is it has to be Alyson Hannigan or no deal, please. Somehow we pulled it off.

[Ryder Strong]

I don't know how we did it.

[Josh Radnor]

We made her an offer as one of our first maneuvers. And we were such a small pilot created by two nobodies, Carter and I, who'd never even been on staff on a multicam sitcom. No one cared about our pilot. Maybe there was like 11 pilots comedies for CBS that year. We were definitely the 11th prior pilot. And so nobody really cared. They're like, ah, let these kids make their little TV show. We'll see if it's anything but. Alyson Hannigan was a star. She was from American Pie, she was from Buffy. And she had a quote, you know what I mean? She had a price tag to get Alison Hannigan that was above.

[Craig Thomas]

It was bigger than mine.

[Danielle Fishel]

It was above Joshua's. That's true.

[Josh Radnor]

And this studio in the network, nobody wanted to spend extra money on the pilot being done by these two idiots, Carter and Craig. And we didn't get her at first because they didn't want to spend the money. And then we saw all these people. Nobody felt quite right. And then we brought in Alison to audition along with Jason. And they were so charming together as this couple. That's one of the core pieces of the show, this couple. You've got to love this couple. And the studio went, yeah, it's Allison. And Spence. Threw a little money. Threw a little extra money at the deal.

[Craig Thomas]

That's great.

[Josh Radnor]

So we got her. But yeah, and Jason we loved from the studio.

[Craig Thomas]

Poor, sweet, impoverished studio.

[Will Friedle]

I know.

[Josh Radnor]

I mean, they didn't have to go.

[Ryder Strong]

About above and beyond.

[Josh Radnor]

I feel I've disclosed sensitive financial information about Alison Henigan here on your podcast.

[Will Friedle]

We all know coming off of her career, she had the bigger quote. I don't think you're nothing special about that.

[Josh Radnor]

Coby Smulders materialized out of thin air to become Robin. She was this Canadian, she'd just done a little bit of American stuff. She's from Vancouver, done a little acting there, but not that much. Never done comedy and walked in and similar to Josh and alongside of Josh in the auditions, just like she was Robin. It was one of those. It was such a mix of the two mechanisms of casting you asked about.

[Will Friedle]

Wow, that's great.

[Danielle Fishel]

We had so much fun talking with Josh and Craig, we had to split the episode into two parts. So thank you all for listening to part one. You can catch part two later today as a special bonus episode. Pod Meets World is an I Heart podcast produced and hosted by Danielle Fishel, Will Friedle and writer Strawberry executive producers Jensen Karp and Amy Sugarman, executive in charge of production Danielle Romo, producer and editor Tara Sudbaksh, producer Matty Moore, engineer and Boy Meets World superfan Easton Allen. Our theme song is by Kyle Morton of Typhoon. Follow us on Instagram odmeatsworldshow or email us at podmeatsworldshowmail.com ever been @ the.

[Will Friedle]

Pharmacy counter and your mind goes blank when the pharmacist asks any questions? That's why you need to listen to beyond the Script from CVS Pharmacy and iHeartMedia starting January 4th. Hosted by Dr. Jake Goodman, each episode features real conversations with CVS pharmacists, the health experts you see most, breaking down the questions you wish you'd asked from which meds may not mix well to what vaccines you need before a big trip. They'll bust myths, decode trends, and share practical advice you can actually use. Listen to beyond the script on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever.

[Ryder Strong]

You get your podcasts you.

[Danielle Fishel]

Know. AT&T believes hearing a voice can change everything. It's why people love a good podcast or save voicemails from loved ones because everyone appreciates the sound of a familiar voice. And when you need a recharge or want some comfort, you call a family member or friend. AT&T wants everyone to share their voice over the holidays. So send a voice note, leave a voicemail, call someone because that convo is a chance to say something they'll hear forever. Happy holidays from.

[Sophie Cunningham]

AT&T. Connecting changes everything this is Sophie Cunningham from Show Me Something. Do you know the symptoms of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA in adults with obesity? They may be happening to you without you knowing. If anyone has ever said you snore loudly, or if you spend your days fighting off excessive tiredness, irritability and concentration issues, it may be due to osa. OSA is a serious condition where your airway partially or completely collapses during some sleep, which may cause breathing interruptions and oxygen deprivation. Learn more at. Don't sleep on OSA.com this information is provided by Lilly, a medicine.

[Ryder Strong]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Ryder Strong]

No one wants to think about hiv, but there are things that everyone can.

[Craig Thomas]

Do to help prevent.

[Josh Radnor]

It. Things like.

[Craig Thomas]

Prep. PREP stands for Pre Exposure Prophylaxis.

[Ryder Strong]

And it means routinely taking prescription medicine.

[Craig Thomas]

Before you're exposed to HIV to help.

[Ryder Strong]

Reduce your chances of getting.

[Craig Thomas]

It. PREP can be about 99% effective when taken as prescribed. It doesn't protect against other STIs.

[Ryder Strong]

Though, so be sure to use condoms.

[Craig Thomas]

And other healthy sex.

[Ryder Strong]

Practices. Ask a healthcare provider about all your prevention Options and visit findoutaboutprep.com to learn.

[Danielle Fishel]

More. Sponsored by Gilead this is an I Heart Podcast. Guaranteed.