Program Analysis

Indented Audience:
- The show “how I met your mother” is an American sitcom telling the
story of a group of friends and the journey the character “Ted
Mosby” played by Josh Radnor takes on which ultimately ends up
with him meeting his lifelong partner. The show is full of crude jokes
and remarks with many episodes being sexual in nature, however all
jokes are toned down and disguised slightly to allow a younger
audience. This creates the average audience age range to be from
18-25, although being known for its unique structure, humour and
incorporation of dramatic elements it has gained a large cult
following. The show originally aired on CBS which directed it to an
audience who was more into a quirky sitcom than a documentary, it
was also aired in the evening which tied it with its more mature
audience.

Codes & Conventions:

- “How I met your mother” uses a multi-cam technique in which it
uses multiple cameras to film each scene which helps to keep the
flow between each shot and makes the scene look more natural.
The lighting for each shot is always well lit, this works well alongside
the comedy theme of the sitcom helps the audience feel at ease and
relaxed when watching. All INT. shots are filmed inside a studio with
a built set which gives the production more flexibility by able to
change to set to look however they wanted. The sound used for the
sitcom was mostly recorded on set including the sound from a live
studio audience giving that classic effect you can find in most mid
2000 sitcoms.

Form
- “How I met your mother” took form of a nine series sitcom totalling
two hundred and eight episodes running from September 2005 to
March 2014 meaning only one series was released each year. Using
this format the show kept audiences watching and constantly
anticipating what would the next season hold. This slow release of
episodes over an extended period of time kept the audience’s
attention and left the wanting more and wanting to know what the
gang was getting up too. This format ensured a steady viewing rate
unlike a movie which viewing rates tend to spike and dip drastically.
This also allowed them to time to start the next season’s episodes
before the current season had even been aired giving them plenty
of time to make each season ever better than the last one. The
 linear timeline which involves multiple flashbacks allowed the
creators to film scenes early on in the production and have them
kept and added into future episodes in the form of flashbacks tying
of any loose ends within the plot of the story.

Genre
- “How I met your mother” falls under two genre categories which
include romantic comedy/rom-com and sitcom. During the early
2000’s this was the most common genres found on daytime TV. The
rom-com aspect of the story ties in quite closely with the main story
as we follow the character “Ted Mosby” along through all his failing
love quests until he ultimately finds “the one”. We can also see
examples of this genre with two of the other main characters “Lily
and Marshall” being a couple from college and being the only
continual couple that we see throughout the entire series. The
sitcom evidence for the show can be spotted from miles away with
all the classic sitcom features including; a live studio audience, two
main sets continually used throughout the entire series, the
characters in the story always being mixed up in some kind of
drama and continuous characters who carry over from episode to
episode. The show is also filled with comedic talent from actors with
comedic backgrounds to the crude jokes written for the show.

Products place within the wider industry:

- The show didn’t just stop at a TV series, it went on to produce
several books based from the show and hundreds of different
merchandise products ranging from clothes to props from the set.
“How I met your mother” is now on the popular streaming site
“Netflix” and is known to users as a binge option as it has 208
episodes with a collective total run time of 76.2 hours. The show
also makes its way into the sitcom hall of fame after picking up 19
awards and being nominated for 72 in the total 9 year running that
it had.

Bibliography:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_I_Met_Your_Mother

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitcom