'How I Met Your Father' delivers stale gender flip on the 'Mother' format

The main twist involves showing the mom this time, in 2050, played by Kim Cattrall. She's recounting the how-I-met-your-dad story to her unseen son, which raises some additional possibilities about who his father might be.

Beyond that, the show rather dutifully goes about assembling a new cast of pals around the younger version of Cattrall, Sophie, played by Hilary Duff. Desperate to find her soulmate, Sophie has been relying on dating apps when she's introduced, dragging an Uber driver/teacher, Jesse ("Private Practice's" Christopher Lowell), and his posse into her orbit, through one of those mixed-up-phone scenarios that only happens in sitcoms.

It's a more diverse group, which is welcome, but also has the unavoidable feeling of checking off boxes given the Whiteness of the original show. The extended gang includes Sophie's sexually adventurous, name-dropping friend Valentina (Francia Raisa) and Jesse's adopted sister (Tien Tran), who has just moved to New York from a small town.

Shot in a traditional sitcom format, the audience laughter frequently sounds more appreciative than the jokes deserve, which only reinforces the sense that Hulu is a strange venue for this exercise.