"How I Met Your Mother" Season 9 has been sealed according to a report. Jason Segel, who plays Marshall Eriksen, may have saved the series from having a rushed finale.

How I Met Your Mother Season 9: Segel 'Unlikely' to Return, How About the Rest of the Gang?

Among the five HIMYM regulars, Segel has been reportedly the most reluctant to sign another contract after their previous deals end along with Season 8.

"I hear that as of now, Segel has indicated that it is unlikely for him to return. He has not shut the door though," wrote Nellie Andreeva of Deadline.com.

But Deadline on Friday reported Segel had made a turnaround in the nick of time.

"The show was literally dead," according to Deadline. The report also noted that Segel's last minute decision to sign a new contract may have a lot to do with his friendship with the rest of the cast.

"(T)he HIMYM quintet is a very tight group, with the actors supporting each other. So it may have been a sign of camaraderie for Segel to agree to the final season," wrote Deadline's Nikki Finke.

How I Met Your Mother Season 8: Series could 'shoot just 10 more and that will be it' - Thomas

Just recently, Craig Thomas told Entertainment Weekly there was a possibility that production would only take care of 10 more episodes for 2013.

"(I)f this turns out to be our last year, we'll come back in the new year and shoot just 10 more and that will be it," Thomas told EW.

Neil Patrick Harris, who plays Barney Stinson, told EW in another interview:

"No one wants [HIMYM] to go to 10, 11, 12 seasons and just outstay our welcome, but I know that their (co-creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas) season 9 plan is strong." Harris' thoughts indicate Season 9 is the farthest that the series could go.

Incidentally, Stinson has just (spoiler alert) proposed to Robin Scherbatsky before the sitcom took a holiday break. Do fans get to see a wedding this season, or will the wedding - the event that will lead Ted Mosby to the mother - happen in the final season?

Also read:

How I Met Your Mother Season 8: Is Robin Scherbatsky All In? [SPOILERS]

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