Another Take: Hulu’s ‘How I Met Your Father’ & The CW’s ‘Naomi’

Were you a How I Met Your Mother viewer who’s been meaning to check out Hulu’s spinoff, How I Met Your Father? Or maybe you’re a DC Comics fan who looked forward to CW’s latest superhero series, Naomi. Either way, check out critic Linda Maleh’s take on the two series, currently in season, below.

How I Met Your Father

This is the spinoff that nobody asked for, and unsurprisingly, the premise remains stale. Still, while the sitcom won’t make you laugh out loud like the original, it is good for the occasional chuckle.

The charming cast helps, including Hilary Duff as Sophie, stepping in for Ted Mosby as sappy protagonist on the hunt for her soulmate; Jesse (Chris Lowell, GLOW), Sophie’s new friend who wishes he was more; and Jesse’s eager scene-stealing sister Ellen (Tien Tran), a divorced lesbian who’s new to New York–and its dating scene.

Kim Cattrall is sadly miscast as Older Sophie. Her forced-sounding voiceovers jarringly intrude on the main storyline.

Who is the father? I don’t really care, but I don’t completely mind hanging out with this motley crew in the meantime either.

Rating: 3/5 stars

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Naomi

Naomi’s (Kaci Walfall) life is perfect. The titular character of the CW’s newest teen superhero show is an army brat with a best friend, multiple guys and girls crushing on her, and supportive, loving parents. Sans conflict, there’d be no reason to watch at all if it weren’t for Naomi developing superpowers – she knew she was adopted, but not that she’s from another planet.

Just to make things confusing, fellow DC Comics character Superman – of which Naomi is a superfan–is initially referred to as fictional, but then is revealed to be real, just seemingly not the same one flying around on the CW’s Superman & Lois. On both the teen and super aspects, this series misses the mark.

Rating: 2.5/5 stars