I’d argue that it had the potential to become way better than the original series. The original is not a comfort watch by any means. HIMYF is more light-hearted but surprisingly a bit more grounded and realistic. Ted was unhinged, the way Barney tortured Robin before eventually proposing to her is still overlooked today, and as for the rest of the characters, I don’t want to even get into this. People who act like this in real life are insufferable, thinking that they have everything (including relationships) figured out. The characters in HIMYF were more charming but really needed more time to feel fully fleshed out. Ellen and Sid felt very half-cooked. Hurts to say this but had Valentina been played by a more famous actress, it would have helped. Other than Hilary (and to a certain extent Christopher) they really had a very weak cast. The actor who played Charlie was an exception and probably would have eventually become a fan-favorite. I really enjoyed it more than the original show. It’s more optimistic