Below is a list of the main cast members and the characters they played. Ted Mosby is the main character of the show. He is an architect living in New York, searching for true love. Ted is romantic, intelligent, and sometimes dramatic. He believes in destiny and is always looking for The One. Radnor starred alongside Alyson Hannigan (Lily Aldrin), Jason Segel (Marshall Eriksen), Neil Patrick Harris (Barney Stinson) and Cobie Smulders (Robin Scherbatsky). The sitcom, which ran on CBS. The main characters of How I Met Your Mother are: Ted Mosby, a romantic searching for The One ; Barney Stinson, a womanizer; Robin Scherbatsky, a journalist who moved to New York in 2005; and Marshall Eriksen and Lily Aldrin, a long-term couple. A father recounts to his children - through a series of flashbacks - the journey he and his four best friends took leading up to him meeting their mother. How I Met Your Mother (TV Series 2005–2014) - Cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. 'How I Met Your Mother,' starring Josh Radnor, Cobie Smulders, Neil Patrick Harris, Jason Segel and Alyson Hannigan, ran for nine seasons on CBS. Meet the full cast and crew of How I Met Your Mother including actors, directors, producers, and more. Learn more about the full cast of How I Met Your Mother with news, photos, videos and more at TV Guide This Character List is a basic listing of all the characters that have appeared in the sitcom How I Met Your Mother, with links to each character's personal page. Full cast & crew list with photos.