General Questions | S1E1 "Pilot"
How We Made Your Mother
Audacy & Josh Radnor and Craig Thomas
4.8 • 922 Ratings
🗓️ 27 March 2025
⏱️ 40 minutes
🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this bonus episode, Josh Radnor, Craig Thomas, and producer Alek Lev answer your General Questions—rapid-fire style! From the origin of the “major problem / general question” salute, to behind-the-scenes memories from the pilot, and how Ted’s infamous blue French horn heist was conceived, this episode dives into your burning curiosities.
They also reflect on what older Ted would say to younger Ted, how Bob Saget became the voice of future Ted, and the surprising story of how Carl the Bartender ended up on the show.
Questions Answered in This Episode:
What line from the pilot became Josh’s personal mantra and the name of his corporation?
What’s the origin of the “general question / major problem” salute joke?
What advice would older Ted give to younger Ted in the pilot?
Why did you cast Bob Saget as the voice of future Ted?
When did the cast start to realize the group chemistry was special?
Did you film all the future kids’ scenes at once?
Do you remember watching the pilot for the first time?
How much did test audience reactions and executive notes influence the show?
What did the actors know about what was coming for their characters?
What inspired the blue French horn?
Did anyone keep the blue French horn? (Hint: Yes, and it’s in Josh’s house.)
What’s the real story behind casting Carl the Bartender?
What were your biggest writing influences for the pilot?
What movies helped inspire Ted as a character?
Will the podcast be filmed? (Yes—check YouTube!)
What was the biggest challenge in transitioning Robin into the full group after the pilot?
Why would Robin, who lives in Brooklyn, be hanging out on the Upper West Side so much?
CONNECT WITH THE SHOW:
Official Website (Send us your audio and written messages)
Substack (Join the mailing list, get announcements, and read more from Josh and Craig)
HOW YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Donate to our ongoing campaign to support congenital heart disease research
AND MORE:
Josh’s “Museletters” on Substack
Craig’s Official Website (with links to his published writing)
Alek’s “Dead Fathers Society” on Substack
Advertising inquiries:
Transcript
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| 0:47.2 | Yeah, I got to go back and grab something from the pilot. |
| 0:50.4 | Because I realized after we finished taping that one of my favorite lines and moments in the pilot that Ted got to say, |
| 1:00.3 | I forgot to mention. |
| 1:01.8 | And it's when he's talking to Yasmin and he says, it's not like I sit around all day fantasizing about my wedding. |
| 1:07.1 | And then he goes into this whole very specific fantasy about his wedding, which he |
| 1:11.6 | ends with band no DJ. People will dance. I'm not going to worry about it. Right. And I loved the |
| 1:19.0 | phrase people will dance as a notion of like, I'm not going to worry about it. It became |
| 1:24.3 | shorthand in my life. The woman that I was seeing when I got how I met |
| 1:29.3 | your mother, who worked on the audition sides with me, she was Eastern European, and she found that |
| 1:36.0 | also so charming. And our mantra was, and she would say it in this accent that was adorable to me. |
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