Ninth Season Expected For How I Met Your Mother

Even though logic and narrative momentum would indicate that the upcoming eighth season of How I Met Your Mother serve as the final one, that’s apparently not the case.

Variety reported Monday that show co-creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas are in negotiations with CBS and production company 20th Century Fox about adding on a ninth season, which would presumably push the introduction of the long-elusive mother even further into the future.

Despite many longtime fans bemoaning the show’s decline, and many others wishing to just meet the mother already, the show has risen steadily in the ratings over the years, as more and more viewers have discovered it through frequent syndicated reruns. This made it an increasingly likely candidate to last beyond its two-season renewal prior to last year.