Watercooler: How I Met Your Mad Love

Barney Stinson should sue for identity theft. Because there's a sitcom running around pretending to be How I Met Your Mother and failing dramatically. Let's say it cheap-suited up.

Unless you are among the headless, you too saw the similarities during last night's premiere of Mad Love. Not only does it air on Monday night, hinge on a youngish couple-to-be and their buds, and take place in New York, this wannabe seemed to crib so much else from the far superior Mother one wonders if the creators even thought about attempting something original. Let's look at the tape:

- The teasing "I've got a story for you" narration. Tyler Labine's Larry may not be addressing anyone's future kids, but he did allude to his future hook-up with Judy Greer's Connie. As if we're supposed to care.

- Mad's Jason Biggs doesn't just soundjust like Mother's Josh Radnor, his Ben may also be stealing from Ted's "generic vanilla guy" wardrobe.

- Mad's Larry and Mother's Barney are both horndog anti-romantics (although points to Stinson for having actual charm).

- Mad's Ben, three letters. Mother's Ted, three letters.

- Mad's Sarah Chalke used to play Mother's Stella, Ted's dermatologist girlfriend.

- Both shows use a never-too-crowded bar as a primary setting. Mad's booth even looked like the seating in Mother's McLaren's.

- Mad and Mother each featured a plot point about the timing of a first kiss in their pilots.

- Mad's Connie, a redhead nanny who works with kids. Mother's Lily in the early seasons? A redhead kindergarten teacher... who worked with kids.

- The perfect woman/pop culture joke. In Mother's pilot, Ted was looking for someone who could quote obscure lines from Ghostbusters. In Mad's opener, Ben's dream lady needs to have "an opinion on who would win in a fight between Batman and Superman."

- And finally, Mad actually used the term "wait for it" in Labine's opening voice-over. Unfortunately, we just can't see this one becoming legendary.

So what about you? Did you love Mad? Or are you just mad that Love was such a huge copycat?

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