Duuuuuude, Neil Patrick Harris is suiting up as Barney Stinson once more.

Neil Patrick Harris played the suave womanizer Barney Stinson in the sitcom How I Met Your Mother from 2005 to 2014. But if you thought you had seen the last of Barney, think again.

In the season two premiere of Hulu’s spin-off series, How I Met Your Father, Sophie tells her son about the moment she hit rock bottom. It flashes to a younger Sophie (played by Hilary Duff) as she desperately attempts to call her mom because she thinks she is dating her dad. Yikes.

To make matters worse, she crashes into the back of someone’s car. We will give you one hint as to who is in the car. Their license plate reads β€œLGNDRY.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by How I Met Your Father (@himyfonhulu)

That’s right! Neil Patrick Harris has officially joined the reboot as Barney Stinson. According to creators Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger, Barney is here to stay. For a while, at least.

β€œWhenever we talk about bringing back a member of the original crew, you want it to serve two purposes,” Aptaker told TV Line.

β€œYou want to give some tidbits about what is going on in their lives, where they’ve landed and where they’re at, but it’s also about how they impact the How I Met Your Father story, and how they send one of our characters in a new, unexpected direction.

β€œSimilar to Robin last year, we’ll learn some more about where Barney’s at, but it’ll also have a major impact on the trajectory, and main narrative, of our season.”

Related |Β Jinkies! β€˜Velma’ is the Worst-Rated Animated Series on IMDB

Why is Barney Back?

Like many fans of the series and Patrick Harris, we are surprised to see him back as Barney. In an interview with Gayety, the actor opened up about his role in Netflix’s Uncoupled and why characters like Barney would likely not be around in media today.

β€œNow that we live in a different time when we understandably don’t need to have such conquest attitudes, I think it’s nice to play someone who is more nuanced. Who is seeking out a relationship after feeling very comfortable in one for a long time.”

So what changed? Patrick Harris spoke with Duff for his Wondercade newsletter and said he would appear on the show, but he had concerns about his character.

β€œAs for coming on your show (insert joke here), I worry. Barney’s antics, his overt delusions of grandeur, would likely get everyone in trouble. So, unless he’s changed his ways or joined a nunnery (insert an insert joke here), not sure if it’s in anyone’s best interest.”

 

Related |Β Ozzie’s Coming Out Scene in β€˜That 90s Show’ Will Make You Ugly Cry

It sounds like Barney Stinson will be a changed man. Many franchise fans hope his appearance in the show means the creators are ready to get Barney and Robin back together. What do you think?

Watch the season two premiere of How I Met Your Father on Hulu.