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Worst TV Show of the Week Brought to you by the Parents Television Council	Share |
WARNING: Graphic Content!!! Do NOT push play if you don't want to see the explicit video!!!

How I Met Your Mother on CBS

On the face of it, the premise behind How I Met Your Mother (Mondays, 8:00 p.m. ET) sounds romantic and sweet.  In the year 2030, a middle-aged man tells his teenage son and daughter the story of how he met their mother.  His tales, however, have less to do with true love and more to do with the sexual exploits experienced by himself and his three friends.  The June 22^th rerun of an episode that originally aired on November 24^th 2008, centers on “The Naked Man” – who uses the element of surprise (shock) and pity (awe) to trick his dates into sleeping with him.  The ensuing antics make for a creepy and disturbing story to tell to any child. For obscured nudity and strong sexual content, How I Met Your Mother has been named Worst TV Show of the Week.    

As the episode begins, the Older Ted narrates, “Kids, I walked in on a lot of crazy stuff at the old apartment over the years…but one of the craziest things I ever walked in on happened when I was roommates with your Aunt Robin.”  Young Ted enters the apartment and discovers a naked man sitting on the couch while his roommate, Robin, is outside making a phone call.  Mitch, the aforementioned naked guy, explains to Ted, "It goes like this. You're on a first date.  You've had a few drinks.  You make an excuse to go up to the girl's apartment.  Then, once she leaves the room, you strip down naked, and wait.  When she gets back, she laughs.  She's so charmed by your confidence and bravado, she sleeps with you.  Boom."

"There is no way that works," Ted counters.

"Two out of three times."

"Two out of three times?" Ted asks, shocked.

"Two out of three times,” Mitch asserts. “You just have to pick your spot.  The Naked Man is best used as a last resort, kind of a hail Mary, when you know there's not going to be a 2nd date…Robin is way out of my league.  I'm not smart, funny, or handsome.  And as you can plainly see, there isn't anything impressive going on anywhere around here.  My only shot with a girl like Robin is the element of surprise.  And a little pity.  It's called 'shock and awe'."

"This doesn't really work," Ted continues to protest.

"Two out of three times,” Mitch states emphatically, “Guaranteed."

Robin does indeed succumb to the Naked Man ploy.  Marshall, who is married to Lily, is appalled.  He attests, “There is one reason to sleep with somebody, and that is love."  After everyone laughs at him, they proceed to compile a list of 50 reasons to have sex, including the following: make-up sex, break-up sex, insomnia sex, “sex because your friend just told you about a new position sex," paratrooping (aka “bang for roof”) as Barney explains, “When you go out of town, but instead of getting a hotel room, you go straight to a bar with the sole intention of hooking up with a girl so you have a place to stay."

Afterwards, Ted, Lily and Barney each try the technique separately.  Lily successfully uses it to seduce Marshall – surprise, surprise.  Incidentally, they are one of the few married couples on television with an active, fulfilling sex life.  Most of the time, what passes for great sex on television usually involves single people in empty relationships with multiple partners.  Thus, Ted decides to try the Naked Man technique as soon as he realizes that he has no interest in pursuing a relationship with the woman he is dating.  At the same moment, lothario Barney eagerly strips naked for the woman he just picked up at a bar.  As the men contemplate which pose they’ll strike to surprise their respective dates – the Superman, the Thinker, the Captain Morgan, etc. - the camera utilizes various angles to hide their genitalia.  Shampoo bottles and phallic table sculptures are strategically placed to simulate their penises.  To Ted’s surprise, the strategy works.  But, for Barney, the strategy sends him out on the streets naked with the girl threatening to call the police.  Mitch was right – it worked two out of three times.

For a show that airs at 8:00 p.m. (7:00 p.m. CT/MT), the sexual content on this episode was beyond the pale of what should air during Family Hour.    Given the increasing amount of graphic sexual situations on television, perhaps in 30 years, it will be perfectly normal for parents to regale their children with sordid tales of their sexual conquests.  But for now, the premise behind the program is grossly inappropriate. How I Met Your Mother rightfully deserves the title of Worst TV Show of the Week.