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Nine years in the making: 'How I Met Your Mother' finally comes to an end

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Author: 
Kate Ellis / TV Media
Cristin Milioti stars in “How I Met Your Mother”

Cristin Milioti stars in “How I Met Your Mother”

What gives long-running shows their staying power is their ability to capture viewers in such a way that they make their audience feel like part of the story and feel genuine empathy for the characters. CBS's "How I Met Your Mother" has this quality in spades.

After nine years of laughs, love and a yellow umbrella, "How I Met Your Mother" comes to an end on Monday, March 31, on CBS.

Ever since Ted (Josh Radnor, "Liberal Arts," 2012) started weaving his tale of how he met the mother of his children, fans have watched as he and his friends have grown, loved and lost together and made their friendships so much stronger.

After Ted, the ultimate third wheel, finds out that his best friend, Marshall (Jason Segel, "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," 2008), is going to propose to his longtime college girlfriend, Lily (Alyson Hannigan, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"), he decides that he needs to get his life together and find his one true love. Along with his other best friend, commitment-phobe Barney (Neil Patrick Harris, "Doogie Howser, M.D."), he sets off to find the perfect woman for him.

When Ted meets news reporter Robin (Cobie Smulders, "The Avengers," 2012) for the first time, he thinks he's found the one -- and even tells her so on the first date -- but destiny has other plans for these two.

Robin is terrified of Ted's incredibly forward nature and decides to be just friends instead. She does, however, become an important part of the group -- not only is she now Lily's best friend, she eventually marries the legendary bachelor, Barney. It is at their wedding that Ted will finally meet the mother of his children.

Cristin Milioti was revealed at the end of Season 8 to be the nameless mother.

There are a ton of fan theories floating around regarding how the long-running series is going to end. Some are very plausible -- others, not so much.

The biggest rumor out there is that the mother will actually be killed off in the finale. In a recent episode, the mother says, "What mother is going to miss her daughter's wedding?" which Ted responds to by crying. This could be a hint that Ted is telling the story of their mother to his kids because she is about to die and will miss her own daughter's wedding. In another episode last season, in which Ted goes back in time to talk to his wife, he says to her that he's going to meet her in 45 days and that he wants to spend every moment of those 45 extra days with her. He mentions that he will always love her until the end of his days. This may mean that she's going to die and leave him with the kids. Fans are hoping that she is actually just sick and will make a full recovery so that the two soulmates can live out their days together, happily. (Preferably in Lily's porch scenario where the whole gang gets old in rocking chairs on her porch.)

Josh Radnor and Cristin Milioti in a scene from “How I Met Your Mother”

Josh Radnor and Cristin Milioti in a scene from “How I Met Your Mother”

Another clue is that Barney won't be wearing a suit, which ties into the mother dying theory because Barney once said the only place he doesn't wear a suit is to a funeral. A photo leaked online showing Neil Patrick Harris's last day of shooting reveals that Barney is not wearing a suit, but a pink polo and white short-shorts instead.

A depressing theory is that Ted has Alzheimer's disease and is retelling the story one last time before he forgets it.

What we will very likely get to see in the finale is Ted finally meeting the mother. Fans are hoping that the mother's name will be revealed in this finale. For nine years she has only been known as "the mother" or "your mother," but it may be time to put a name to her.

The cast recently appeared on "Late Show With David Letterman" to talk about some of the rumors about the finale. During Letterman's Top 10 segment, they discussed possible endings. "Finale? We've been canceled?!" said Segel. "To find out how Ted met the Mother, send a self-addressed stamped envelope and $500," said Hannigan. "Biggest surprise? We're going off the air and Letterman's still got a show," said Harris.

"How I Met Your Mother" has been so successful that series creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas have started on the pilot for a new series.

"How I Met Your Dad" is going to be the new spinoff, but doesn't actually have anything to do with the original series. The pilot follows the lives of five friends, led by a woman telling the story of how she met her husband.

Sally (Greta Gerwig, "Frances Ha," 2012) is the woman telling her story, who has just divorced her first husband. She's a Peter Pan-like character who is afraid of growing up. Juliet (Krysta Rodriguez, "Smash") is her wild and crazy best friend who runs a successful fashion blog. Sally moves in with her older brother, Danny (not yet cast), and his husband, Todd (Drew Tarver, "Bridges on Bridges," 2011), after the divorce. Danny is an uptight, over-achieving lawyer, while Todd is easygoing and loves having Sally around. Frank (also uncast) is the IT guy for Juliet's blog, who has unrequited feelings for Juliet.

The spinoff will not feature any of the original show's cast -- not even the mother -- and there won't be any crossovers, either.

"If this new show goes next year, it will be a brand-new show. It will be a brand-new story," Bays said in a news conference in November. "We kind of didn’t want it to have any feeling of trying to resuscitate something that has already ended."

The time has finally come to say a legendary goodbye to Ted, Barney, Robin, Lily and Marshall. Catch the series finale of "How I Met Your Mother" on Monday, March 31, on CBS.