50 of the best television guest stars
By Sundi Rose
Brittney Spears – How I Met Your Mother
Brittney Spears can do no wrong in my TV book, and this guest spot on How I Met Your Mother proves it. The Barney Stinson character was arguably the best part about the CBS sitcom, so teaming up with scheming, underhanded Abby was undeniably perfect.
Spear’s Abby made several appearances over the course of a few seasons, all as a foil to Ted. Her intense crush on him evolved into legitimate stalking and then a scorned woman situation. She and Barney collaborate to make Ted jealous by pretending to be a couple, although the effect turned out to anticlimactic, because Ted didn’t really care either way.
The beauty of the performance is in the balance between adorable and downright bonkers. Debuting in 2008, Spears’ was coming off a terrible few months, and this spot was an attempt to revamp her career and image, but still poke a little fun at herself.
On the surface, Abby was naive, sweet, and had a real “girl next door” vibe about her. But as we get to know her better, she reveals a quiet crazy that is both funny and a little unsettling. Ted was so often completely insufferable, it felt a little vindicating to watch him squirm under Abby’s awkward (and sometimes creepy) advances.