Prepare to say goodbye to How I Met Your Mother and hello to How I Met Your Dad. After a pretty brief, two-week negotiation that underlined the HIMYM franchise’s importance to CBS, the network has closed a deal with 20th Century Fox TV for a pilot order to a spinoff project, which takes a female spin on the original show. How I Met Your Dad, which was pitched on October 30, hails from HIMYM creators/executive producers Carter Bays and Craig Thomas and Up All Night creator/exec producer Emily Spivey. Described as a kindred spirit of How I Met Your Mother telling the story from a female point of view, Dad tells a brand-new story with new characters and a new voice at its center. Linking the new group of New York friends and the HIMYM gang will be Ted, Barney, Marshall, Lily and Robin’s favorite hangout, MacLaren’s Pub, which also will be featured on the new show, written and executive produced by Spivey, Bays and Thomas. It is unclear if the characters from the spinoff would be introduced in the HIMYM finale as originally envisioned.

CBS certainly could use more HIMYM — the veteran comedy is the key piece holding together the network’s Monday lineup, which has had a rough fall. HIMYM launched its final season with a 3.7 adults 18-49 rating and remains CBS’ highest-rated Monday series and the second-highest-rated overall behind The Big Bang Theory. HIMYM was one of two hit comedy series that has been exploring a spinoff for next season, along with ABC’s Modern Family, also from 20th TV, which is mulling an offshoot built around the character played by guest star Rob Riggle.

Spivey, who is under an overall deal at 20th, is repped by UTA, which also reps Bays and Thomas.