Josh Radnor compares How I Met Your Mother's non-linear narrative structure to Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction in rewatch podcast

Josh Radnor compared the non-linear narrative structure of How I Met Your Mother to Quentin Tarantino's 1994 movie Pulp Fiction in the March 17, 2025, episode of the rewatch podcast How We Made Your Mother. Reflecting on the show's structure, he remarked:

"I used to tell people—when they asked what the show was like—I’d say it’s like if Pulp Fiction was a sitcom."

During the March 17 episode of the How We Made Your Mother podcast, hosts Josh Radnor and Craig Thomas, along with actor Alek Lev and series co-creator Carter Bays, discussed how the show broke traditional sitcom norms.

Radnor praised the showrunners for sticking to their unconventional approach despite Hollywood's rigid frameworks.

"It really strikes me that it's so hard to create something new in Hollywood in that structure that moves so glacially", Radnor remarked.

He further highlighted what set How I Met Your Mother apart, explaining that while the concept of "five friends hanging out" was familiar, the show distinguished itself with its unique narrative style. The "flashback" framing, "non-linear structure" of storytelling, and inventive approach made it stand out.

Radnor even compared How I Met Your Mother to Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction style of storytelling and how it helped viewers engage deeply with the show.

“There was something about the way it was a puzzle ...a very strange mystery right until you get what’s happening at the end, and it rewards your patience and fidelity.” Radnor added.

Radnor credited the show's non-linear storytelling for building "some of the fervor and excitement" among dedicated fans. According to the 50-year-old actor, viewers became deeply invested because they felt they were "growing alongside or with the characters," fostering a unique sense of loyalty.

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How I Met Your Mother co-creator shares how its storytelling set it apart from other sitcoms

How I Met Your Mother actors Alyson Hannigan, Cobie Smulders, Josh Radnor, and Christin Milloti (Image via Getty)

In a recent interview with People published on March 10, 2025, How I Met Your Mother co-creator Craig Thomas reflected on how the show's unique storytelling structure set it apart from other popular sitcoms.

“The way we tried to differentiate ourselves immediately was just to show that we had this different storytelling structure,” Thomas remarked.

Airing on CBS from 2005 to 2014, How I Met Your Mother became a cultural phenomenon through its creative narrative style. The 208-episode sitcom followed Ted Mosby, played by Josh Radnor, as he narrated his journey to meeting the mother of his children.

During the interview, Thomas, who co-created the show with Carter Bays, recalled how the creative team was "very aware of not wanting to" make the show a rendition of Freinds.

"Of course, we knew that the poster for the show was going to look like a Friends-esque show... We were nervous that it would seem like we were trying to be too much like Friends", Thomas added.

Therefore, to break away from those expectations, showrunners decided to play with the narrative in Quentin-Tarantino style. The show embraced non-linear storytelling, adding complexity to the plot. This allowed showrunners to indulge in present timelines to deepen audience engagement and explain things that happened later.

“We would play with time, we would play with narrative, we would play with flashbacks and flash-forwards", explained Thomas

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Fans can watch all nine seasons of How I Met Your Mother on various platforms like Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and Netflix.