I’m not going to lie: for years, I thought that the traditional sitcom was dead. It seemed that every single show with a laugh track followed pretty much the exact same formula, and networks were looking for the next American Idol. With shows like Seinfeld and eventually Friends and Frasier bowing out, it looked like the laugh tracks were going to stop for good.

Until now, that is. I immediately stopped this train of thought and hopped right the hell off after the first time I watched How I Met Your Mother. Actually, I wouldn’t say I hopped off; it’s more like How I Met Your Mother forced me off with the giant kick of awesome it delivered after my first viewing (at least, that’s how Barney Stinson would phrase it). The premise of the show is simple but clever: Ted Mosby, circa 2030 (this version of Ted is played by Bob Saget) tells his two kids the story of how he met their mother, beginning in the year 2005. Ted from 2005 (Josh Radnor) lives with his best friend Marshall (Jason Segel) and Marshall’s girlfriend Lily (played by the oh-so-fine Alyson Hannigan), who have been dating for over nine years and get engaged in the very first episode. This prompts Ted to find the love of his life, a proposition that disgusts his friend Barney (Neil Patrick Harris), a womanizing, suit-wearing, legend of a man whose job title no one quite knows. Joining in on the fun is Robin Scherbatsky (Cobie Smulders), who Ted lays his eye on early in the series and begins to date. The show revolves around these five characters and the antics they get up to in New York City, while also telling the tale of how Ted met the love of his life.

Pretty much everything about this show is, simply put, awesome. Unlike most sitcoms, the characters aren’t one-dimensional and boring with a few funny one-liners here and there, and you’ll find yourself actually caring about all of them. Each actor plays their role perfectly, especially Neil Patrick Harris as Barney; if you enjoyed him in Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, then be prepared to love him here. The plot is intriguing, too – so far, we haven’t actually met the mother that Ted’s been telling a story about for three seasons, and I can only assume we won’t until the show starts to wrap up, which I think is a really cool idea. There are also some great running jokes, like the “slap bet” between Barney and Marshall, which will hit you in the face when you least expect it (see what I did there?). The show never tries too hard to be funny, like I just did; it stays consistent, and the writers don’t try to make it too zany or shocking. It simply delivers fantastic comedy from a very talented cast, while slowly but surely telling a good story.

If you’ve given up on sitcoms, do yourself a favor: watch this show. It will do a great job of reassuring you that there are still some excellent writers doing comedy in Hollywood. For your viewing pleasure, a clip from a recently aired episode guest starring Britney Spears has been included with this review. Now, before you close your browser in disgust at the fact that Britney was on this show, I can tell you that even she can’t dull the quality of it - just think of her “acting” as something else you can laugh at. How I Met Your Mother airs Mondays at 8:30 PM EST on CBS and has seven episodes left this season, so catch it while you can. And if that’s not enough (and trust me, it won’t be), you can grab the first two seasons on DVD. Do it, it’ll be legen – wait for it...