Neil Patrick Harris accepts the award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for "Hedwig and the Angry Inch"during the American Theatre Wing's 68th annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York, June 8, 2014.
Neil Patrick Harris accepts the award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for "Hedwig and the Angry Inch"during the American Theatre Wing's 68th annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York, June 8, 2014. REUTERS

“How I Met Your Mother” has a happier alternate ending. A leaked video, which is said to be included in the “HIMYM: Complete Series Box Set,” shows none of the divorce, death and unwanted reunion that have plagued the ending of the series in March.

Fans of the Emmy Award-winning sitcom weren’t pleased when the series concluded on March 31.The series finale started with upbeat scenes, but the mood quickly deteriorated when Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) and Robin (Colbie Smulders) divorced, the titular mother (Cristin Milioti) died of undisclosed ailment off screen and Ted (Josh Radnor) ultimately ended with Robin.

Although many viewers have already guessed and accepted the mother’s death in the future, they had a hard time accepting Ted and Robin’s reunion in the end. According to the comments, it was as if Ted hadn’t really gotten over with his breakup with Robin, and was only on the rebound when he married Tracy (the mother).

As some of the fans of the show said, they were not only disappointed, but they also felt betrayed after watching the show for nine years.

Fans wouldn’t be too disappointed with the rumoured alternate ending, though. The video shows a happier ending without the heartaches that had accompanied the original, aired version. 20th Century Fox has not verified its authenticity, though it is said to be official and included in the DVD box set.

There was no new footage shown in the alternate ending, but it was a complete story nonetheless. Tracy didn’t die, and she and Ted lived happily ever after with their two children. With Tracy alive, Ted also didn’t end up with Robin, who stayed married to Barney as well.

The video has since been removed from YouTube after Fox has blocked it on copyright grounds, but not before some fans have copied and re-uploaded it.

Series co-creator Carter Bays previously admitted that they prepared an alternative ending to the show.

“We only shot one script, but through edit room magic we had two possible outcomes for the series. We chose the ending we chose and we stand by it. But we loved the other version, too,” he said in April.

In a separate interview, Alyson Hannigan, who played Lily in the show, defended the show’s aired ending, saying that there were cut scenes that would have made the episode “much more heart-wrenching.”

“Honestly, if you saw [that] cut, it would be even more heart-wrenching than what the finale was,” she told TVLine, referring to a “one-second” montage of Tracy’s funeral.
http://tvline.com/2014/04/26/how-i-met-your-mother-series-finale-funeral-tracy/

The funeral scene “would have been better for the audience, so that then they can process, ‘Oh, [Ted] mourned. He got closure’ – and then they’d be happy that [he and Robin] got together. Rather than be like, ‘Oh, wait. She died? What? They’re together, hugh?’ And credits. That’s what I think was too fast.”

“How I Met Your Mother” also starred Jason Segel. It premiered in 2005, and ran for nine seasons.