How I Met Your Mother has been off the air for a few weeks now, but it returns in a major way Monday night.

John Lithgow guest stars in a role that isn't merely legendary... it's legendaddy! The veteran actor will come aboard next week as Barney's never-before-seen father.

The man high fives, orders the same drink as his son and comes across in the following preview like the patriarch Barney has always wanted. Check out a few clips now:

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.