Fall TV 2011: How I Met Your Mother, Season 7

Where We Left Off:  Marshall and Lily found out that they are about to become parents, after months of ups and downs.  Ted broke up with Zoey, to the surprise of no one.  And Barney made life changes in two different time periods:  in the present we saw him earn a second chance with Norah, his months-long crush, much to the dismay of Robin; and in the future ("some time down the road," according to Ted's narration) Barney prepares to (gasp!) walk down the aisle...at his own wedding!

What's Ahead:  Season 6's finale set us up to solve some pretty big mysteries, the juiciest involving the recently evolved Barney.  We got a potential love-triangle setup, with the further complication of Robin and Norah being co-workers and good friends, and hints that they are the two primary contenders for the position of the mystery bride at Barney's eventual nuptials.  Carter and Bays, the shows producers, tease that this season will have even more twists and turns for both Barney and Robin, and that this love triangle has the potential to become a much more complicated shape.  We are also going to see Marshall and Lily's inevitable hijinks on the road to parenthood, struggling with what adding a baby to their quirky relationship will mean.  And Ted is supposed to get a visit from an old girlfriend, a visit which according to Josh Radnor will "reward long-time viewers of the show."  My money's on Victoria, but it's anyone's guess.

What I'd Like to See:  Carter and Bays have said in multiple interviews that this is going to be very much a "Robin season," something I will be interested to see given the fact that she seemed to get the short straw for most of season six.  I'd like to see her have an arc similar to one we saw Barney given last year, easing her into the character she's going to be in the show's endgame.  She's apparently getting Kal Penn as a psychologist and possibly as a competing love interest, which has definite potential, but I hope they do a bit more with her than exclusively romantic stories.  Also rumored to be getting better material this season is Ted, who in the wake of Marshall and Lily's news will renew the search for Ms. Right/the titular mother he's been yakking about for the past six years.  I'm getting a little tired of seeing Ted in long-term relationships with placeholder women, so I hope that Carter and Bays have something a bit more momentous up their sleeves.  We'll have to see, but if anything is guaranteed on this show, it's a steady supply of laughs, and I'm looking forward to every one.

Premiere Date:  Monday, September 19th on CBS