Well, this is an odd play for the Trade Federation CBS. 'How I Met Your Mother' will be on everyone's lips this coming spring as the ninth and final season comes to an ultimate close, but the end might be sooner than we think! The eye network has set an official date for Ted Mosby to meet the mother, and unless it's an April fools, the MacLaren's gang will say goodbye in March 2014!

According to CBS' latest press release, 'How I Met Your Mother' will make a surprise early exit with its as-yet untitled one-hour series finale on March 31. Immediately thereafter, the network will premiere the James Van Der Beek starring 'Friends with Better Lives,' which moves to 8:30 P.M. as '2 Broke Girls' takes 'HIMYM''s old Monday timeslot in the subsequent weeks.

Says the 'How I Met Your Mother' series finale press release:

After 208 episodes told over nine seasons, the story of how Ted Mosby ultimately meets his children’s mother will conclude with a special one-hour series finale on Monday, March 31 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT). The HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER finale will be followed immediately by the series premiere of the new comedy FRIENDS WITH BETTER LIVES (9:00-9:30 PM, ET/PT).

Following its special premiere after the HIMYM finale, FRIENDS WITH BETTER LIVES moves to its regular Monday (8:30-9:00 PM, ET/PT) time period on April 7.

FRIENDS WITH BETTER LIVES is about six friends at different stages in their lives—married, divorced, newly engaged and single—who are outwardly happy, but secretly questioning if their friends have it better.

As part of CBS’s new Monday lineup, 2 BROKE GIRLS will move to the 8:00 PM time period on April 14 to lead off the night’s comedy block.

No word yet if 'How I Met Your Mother' will follow through on its proposed spinoff 'How I Met Your Dad' for late 2014, but suffice to say, pushing one of its more anticipated finales in years to late March ranks among the more curious decisions for the network. What do you think? Are you prepared to say goodbye to Ted, Robin, Barney, Marshall and Lily on March 31?

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