How I Met Your Mother
Spoilers

How I Met Your Mother is one of the funniest shows on TV. But this isn't a joking matter:

On the sitcom's November 9 installment, Barney Stinson gives in to what producer Carter Bays refers to as a "relationship gut." Having already gotten the girl (Robin), the character really lets himself go, risking diabetes and heart disease.

"It’s a phenomenon that a lot of people can relate to, certainly more than a few people on our writing staff. It’s relationship gut,” Bays told People magazine.

The show's co-creator added that Neal Patrick Harris was more than game to don a fat suit:

“He was loving it. He was like, ‘Give me the biggest fat suit you’ve got.’”

In probably the scariest set of upcoming photos we've ever received for How I Met Your Mother, Barney will be kissing Lily, while Marshall is busy locking lips with Robin.

Wait, what!?  Just check out the following photos for yourself of the two guys swapping girls:

Okay, now that we scared you with that we can tell you the premise!  In the upcoming episode, "Bagpipes," Robin and Barney have a fight and Lily and Marshall help mediate things.

Meanwhile, this leads to Barney trying to picture what his life would be like married to Lily, while Marshall does the same with Robin.  So don't worry folks, your favorite couples are safe.

Here's some more pictures from the upcoming episode:

On Monday's episode of How I Met Your Mother, "Duel Citizenship," Barney attempts to make Robin more American in order to help her become a US citizen.

Meanwhile, Ted and Marshall plan a road trip to Chicago to go to their favorite pizza restaurant, while Lily decides to tag along.

Watch the following promo clip for the upcoming hilarious-looking episode:

We also go our hands on the following episode stills:

We're about to meet Lily's grandmother (fun!), as well as a potential love interest for Robin (danger, Barney!) on How I Met Your Mother.

First, as we've documented, the sitcom will take viewers into Lily's family's home for its November 23 Thanksgiving episode. Once there, Marion Ross will portray the character's grandmother.

She was most recently seen as Ida Holden on Brothers & Sisters.

Meanwhile, the show is about to give Barney some competition for Robin.

The sitcom is casting for Don, a new character that will serve as Robin's new co-anchor on her early morning news show. Expect sparks to fly between the co-workers, either of passion or of deep-seeded hatred.

Which, sorry Barney, often leads to passion.

** UPDATE: Christina Pickle has taken over instead of Ross, now that the character's role on the show has been greatly reduced.

On the November 23 episode of How I Met Your Mother, we'll meet Lily's dad Mickey, played by Chris Elliott.

But that's not the only relative celebrating Thanksgiving with viewers, as the show will take fans inside Lily's grandparents' home. Once there, we'll learn that Mickey’s antics have led to grandma breaking her hip and losing her retirement fund.

Also, according to TV Guide Magazine, the sitcom will flashback to to an 11-year-old Lily, as we learn what sort of influence her shady dad had on her.

Viewers should also prepare to be taken back to Lily’s wedding day, which featured a revolting interaction between Mickey and Lily's best friend, Sandy.

Will it finally happen on the 100th episode of How I Met Your Mother? Will viewers finally meet the future mother of Ted's kids?

Whether or not her identity is revealed during that half-hour, producer Craig Thomas told Entertainment Weekly "it’ll be the closest Ted’s ever come to [discovering who she is]. He’s getting a step closer every episode this season, and episode 100 [we] kind of go bananas with it.”

Thomas won’t confirm that actually takes place, but did say he and fellow producer Carter Bays “are spending a lot of time trying to cast the female role in Ted’s story for episode 100.”

As for the installment's other major storyline, Neil Patrick Harris fans will be delighted.

“There will be a huge Barney story culminating in an enormous musical number that we’re going to spend way too much of Twentieth Television’s money on,” Thomas said. “Fans of Neil’s performance at the Emmys will enjoy the ending of the episode. It’s not a musical episode, but all of a sudden it becomes one. It’ll probably be one of the craziest things we’ve ever done on the show.”

That's saying a lot!

Barney is dating Robin.

Ted is a professor that formerly crushed on Robin.

Therefore, on an upcoming episode of How I Met Your Mother, it's only natural for Barney to seek words of wisdom about his girlfriend from his pal.

“There’s a show coming up called Robin 101 where Barney seeks Professor Ted’s advice to learn more about Robin’s likes and dislikes to gain a deeper knowledge of her," Neil Patrick Harris said to TV Guide Magazine. "Ted, of course, knows all about Robin because he was kind of obsessed with her, whereas Barney just likes to stick things in places.”

Sorry... he likes to what?!?

On the next new episode of How I Met Your Mother, viewers will see a sexy side of Lily. Kind of.

The biggest storyline entering the new season of How I Met Your Mother is, of course, Robin and Barney's relationship. That will be the main focus on Monday night's premiere episode.

But series creator Carter Bays told TV Guide that fans have another milestone to look forward to later in the year.

"We're going to meet Lily's dad later in the season. He hasn't been cast yet," he said. "It will sort of explain a lot about Lily: why she is the way she is, why she's kind of a control freak."

Loyal fans will recall that Mr. Aldrin was not present at Lily and Marshall's wedding a few years ago. But's there a reason for that, Bays said.

"It's a bit of an estranged relationship and he's going to come back into her life. We find out he wasn't the best dad. It's sort of at the root of why Marshall's very gung-ho about having kids and Lily not so much."

As we inch closer to Monday's season premiere of How I Met Your Mother, viewers can't wait to see how Barney and Robin handle their new status as a couple.

Neil Patrick Harris has already promised plenty of skin on the season ahead, a spoiler which ought to satisfy both male and female fans of the comedy.

For those that want an early peek at the hilarious action from Monday's upcoming premiere, take a look below. In the first clip from the episode, Lily first learns of Robin and Barney's relationship.

At first, she's incredibly excited. Soon after, not so much...

Meanwhile, Ted kicks off his stint as a college professor. Shockingly, he's a bit anxious for his first class. Follow the jump and see what we mean.

Continue Reading...

On the second episode of the upcoming season five of How I Met Your Mother, "Double Date," we're going to see a much different side of Lily than we're used to.

It looks like poor Alyson Hannigan will have to dress as a stripper for the episode.  Does this mean Lily is shedding her clothes to help pay off that insane credit card debt of hers?

No, don't worry, Marshall's little Lily Pad will be keeping the goods just for him.  Hannigan will actually be playing a look-a-like that Barney discovered in a local stripped club, the Lusty Leopard.

Now for some more hilarious, and somewhat sexy pictures from the upcoming fifth season episode courtesy of CBS.

Photo Credits: Cliff Lipson, CBS.  ©2009 CBS BROADCASTING INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.