“How I Met Your Father” is back for Season 2, along with one of the most delightful — and most recognizable — comedy casts on TV. Hulu‘s follow-up to the long-running CBS sitcom hit “How I Met Your Mother” follows a similar format, this time through the story of Sophie, who narrates from the future as she tells her son how she met his father. From nostalgic faves to “How I Met Your Mother” cameos, the “How I Met Your Father” cast is jam-packed with familiar faces, and we’ve got a complete guide to who plays who and where you’ve seen them before.
Hilary Duff both produces and stars in “How I Met Your Father,” playing Sophie — the lead role, parallel to Ted Mosby in “How I Met Your Mother,” who’s on the path to meet the mystery father of her future child.
Duff broke out as a teen star on the early-2000s Disney Channel hit “Lizzie McGuire,” and family films like “Cadet Kelly,” “Agent Cody Banks,” “Cheaper by the Dozen” and “A Cinderella Story.” She established a music career in the early 2000s, releasing five studio albums and two EPs in the years since. More recently, Duff starred in the long-running comedy “Younger,” from the creator of “Sex in the City” and “Emily in Paris.”
As Bob Saget was to “How I Met Your Mother,” so Kim Cattrall is for “HIMYF”, taking on the role of Future Sophie, narrating the events of the show as she tells her son how she met his father.
Best-known for playing fan-favorite fashionista hedonist Samantha Jones on “Sex in the City,” Cattrall has a long and varied resume after making her debut in the 1975 film “Rosebud,” including films “Police Academy,” “Big Trouble in Little China,” “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country,” and “The Ghostwriter,” and series “Sensitive Skin,” “Tell Me a Story” and the 2022 “Queer as Folk” reboot.
Christopher Lowell stars in “How I Met Your Father” as Jesse, a cynical but romantic aspiring musician who had his heart ripped out publicly when his proposal got turned down on stage — and then went viral. He also happens to live in Ted, Marshall and Lily’s old apartment from “How I Met Your Mother” with his best friend Sid.
Best Known for his roles in “Veronica Mars,” “Private Practice” and “GLOW,” Lowell also has a resume of recognizable film roles including “Up in the Air,” “The Help” and “Promising Young Woman.”
Francia Raisa stars as Valentina, Sophie’s roommate and bestie. An aspiring stylist who’s under appreciate at work, Valentina met and fell for Charlie after they met at London Fashion Week, but their romance hit an unexpected rough patch in the Season 1 finale.. She previously starred as Ana Torres on Freeform’s “Black-ish” spinoff “Grown-ish” (Now as a guest star, as of Season 5). Raisa has also appeared in “Bring It On: All or Nothing,” “The Mindy Project,” “Hit the Floor” and Netflix’s “Dear White People.”
Suraj Sharma stars as Sid, best friends and roommates with Jesse, in a long-distance marriage with Hannah — and the proud new owner of a bar, Pemberton’s, where the gang hangs out. Sorry, MacLaren’s. Sharma previously starred in “Life of Pi,” “Homeland,” “Happy Death Day 2 U,” “God Friended Me” and “Wedding Season.”
Tien Tran stars as Ellen, Jesse’s adopted sister, who moved to New York to be closer to her brother after she separated from her wife. Tran previously appeared in “Space Force,” 2021’s “Candyman” and “Work in Progress,” as well as lending her voice to episodes of “Q-Force,” “Star Trek: Lower Decks” and “Chicago Party Aunt.”
Tom Ainsley stars as Charlie, an aspiring British model who followed love from London to New York after he fell for Valentina at London Fashion Week. A charming goofball, Charlie hails from aristocratic lineage, but he’s trying to make it on his own in NYC, working at Sid’s bar. Ainsley previously appeared in “The Royals,” “Versailles,” “Serpent” and “Safe Inside.”
Ashley Reyes stars as Hannah, a dedicated resident surgeon living in Los Angeles and trying to make her long-distance marriage to Sid work without sacrificing her career ambitions. Reyes currently also stars as Cassie Perez in The CW’s “Walker” and previously played Cordelia on “American Gods.”
Josh Peck plays Drew, a kind and charming vice principal who dated Sophie in Season 1 and wound up with his heart broken. Drew also went to college with Sid and Hannah. Like Duff, Peck is a fellow beloved child star of the early aughts who broke out in Nickelodeon’s “Drake & Josh.” Since then, he’s starred in films including “Mean Creek,” “The Wackness” and “Danny Collins,” as well as voicing Eddie in the “Ice Age” films. In addition to “How I Met Your Father,” recent TV roles include “Grandfathered” and Disney’s “Turner & Hooch” series.
Leighton Meester plays Meredith, an aspiring musician on the rise and Jesse’s ex, who broke his heart when she turned down his engagement proposal in a viral fail video. Best known for playing “Gossip Girl’s” prep school queen of the Upper East Side, Blair Waldorf, Meester also starred in “Date Night,” “The Roommate,” “That’s My Boy,” “The Judge,” and most recently, ABC’s “Single Parents.”
Daniel Agustin plays Ian, an ex of Sophie’s who seemed like an early contender for the mystery father until a job unexpectedly sent him packing — and his Season 1 finale return was just as much of a surprise. Augustin has previously appeared in “Insatiable,” The CW’s “Dynasty,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Rap Sh!t.”
Paget Brewster plays Lori, Sophie’s mom. Brewster is best-known for playing Emily Prentiss on the long-running CBS procedural “Criminal Minds.” Previous roles also include “Friends,” “Unaccompanied Minors” and “Community,” as well as voicing characters in “Harvey Birdman,” “The Venture Bros.,” “American Dad,” “BoJack Horseman,” and several animated DC films.
Stony Blyden plays Jasper, a young bartender at Sid’s bar, Pemberton’s. Blyden previously starred in films including “Dude,” “Hope Springs Eternal” an “Life in a Year” and series. “Hunter Street,” “Bluff City Law” and “Big Shot.”
Cobie Smulders became the first lead cast member from “Mother”-ship to cross over when she guest starred in the Season 1 finale, bringing Robin Scherbatsky’s hard-earned love and life experience to “HIMYF” just in time to give some much-needed advice to Sophie. In addition to “How I Met Your Mother,” Smulders is best known for playing Maria Hill in the MCU. Most recently, she starred as Ann Coulter in “Impeachment: American Crime Story” and Simone Bates in “High School.”
We’ve only had a glimpse, but the Season 2 premiere reveals another major crossover — Sophie is about to meet Barney Stinson himself. Neil Patrick Harris returns as the fan-favorite character and key member of the original “How I Met Your Mother” gang. Yet another fellow child star in the cast, Harris rose to fame in “Doogie Howser, M.D.” and has since starred in “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle,” “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog,” “The Smurfs,” “Gone Girl” and Netflix’s “A Series of Unfortunate Events” series.
Another “How I Met Your Mother” cameo, Kyle MacLachlan revived his role as George van Smoot, aka “The Captain.” The Captain has a storied history with the gang from “HIMYM,” but in “HIMYF,” he doesn’t overlap much with the core cast — rather, it’s the fallout from his messy divorce that causes Sophie’s missed-opportunity-ex Ian to return. MacLachlan is best known for his iconic performance as Dale Cooper on “Twin Peaks” and has a vast resume including 1984’s “Dune,” “Blue Velvet,” “Sex and the City,” “Desperate Housewives,” “Inside Out” and “Portlandia.”
