How I Met Your Mother ran from 2005-2014 and the conclusion of the show was determined at the beginning. The fact that they decided the conclusion before the exhibition blocked the writers into the decision they made. This caused many fans who watched the show for 9 years to be immensely disappointed. However since the streaming age has changed how we watch TV, many viewers have changed their opinions as well.
After 9 seasons of suspense waiting to find who the mother was, fans weren’t disappointed by Tracy herself. However in the final two episodes, a lot of the group’s future is revealed. Some of these things were typical sitcom endings, such as Ted and Tracy being married or Marshall becoming a supreme court justice. However other aspects of the future weren’t well received
Barney and Robin’s relationship ended in a divorce. This led many fans to be upset that the final season entirely focused on a couple that worked out. However fans were more upset by the pre-filmed ending involving Ted’s kids proclaiming that he’s in love with Robin. Ted then steals the iconic blue french horn once again, uniting them at the end of the episode. Fans claimed that this threw away years of character development.
So why have fans began changing their opinion? This relates to the change of the way we consume media. New viewers of the show didn’t watch the show over the span of 9 years as intended when it aired. However in the present day viewers binge watch the entire show in a matter of months. Watching it in this format, the ending is closer in the viewers’ minds to the beginning. This leads many to consistently feel Ted’s love for Robin as the premise of the show. These viewers find the ending of the show that others’ dreaded fitting instead.