CBS and 20th Century Fox TV are nearing a deal on ordering a ninth season of “How I Met Your Mother” for the 2013-14 season.
The development comes five months after the network and series producer Fox TV began negotiations for at least one more additional season of “Mother,” as Variety first reported on July 15.
Representatives from the network and 20th Century Fox TV were not immediately available to comment. Deadline.com first reported that stars Jason Segel, Josh Radnor, Cobie Smulders, Neil Patrick Harris and Alyson Hannigan had closed deals for a ninth season.
Contracts for creators and exec producers Carter Bays and Craig Thomas conclude at the end of the current 2012-13 season. Bays and Thomas are near the end of a three-year, eight-figure deal they signed in January 2010.
The future of “Mother” had been murky due to uncertainty over the willingness of the talent to continue — particularly Jason Segel, who has been starrring in bigscreen fare such as “The Muppets” and “The Five-Year Engagement.” He told GQ in an interview earlier this year, “I think after eight years, I’ll feel like I honorably did my commitment.”
The show is in the second season of a two-season pickup it received in 2011 that will conclude this spring.
“Mother” has been a reliable ratings performer for CBS since it debuted in 2005. The 2011-12 season broke series records.
The most recent numbers for the CBS show gave it a solid second to “The Voice” in Monday’s opening hour with back-to-back episodes of “Mother” with a 3.3 rating in the 18-49 group and 8.5 million viewers overall at 8, followed by a 3.5 and 8.8 million viewers overall at 8:30.
