Ted Mosby’s search for love may not be over next year. Variety is reporting that CBS and 20th Century Fox have begun negotiations for How I Met Your Mother: Season 9. The series is going into Season 8 this fall, having been given a two-season renewal before Season 7. It’s been assumed this would likely be the final season – but producers have also previously acknowledged the show might continue past that.

The reason is simple: How I Met Your Mother is still a big, big hit. In fact, its ratings for Season 7 were the second best in its history, which is very rare for any series seven years in, and Variety notes it’s also the youngest-skewing show on the network.There are a ton of hurdles to get through to get the show renewed again, beginning with the fact that they’d have to make new deals with all the key players – creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas and stars Josh Radnor, Alyson Hannigan, Jason Segel, Cobie Smulders and Neil Patrick Harris all have their contracts expire at the end of Season 8. That would not only be pricey but also may be a difficult choice for the cast, who are all very busy with other projects outside HIMYM at this point. On the other hand, the producers have worked with their cast to help them multitask before (Jason Segel filmed The Muppets and HIMYM simultaneously) and could continue to do so.One reason these negotiations are beginning so early, says Variety, is to give the creators the knowledge early on this season whether they are headed towards the end yet or not – given HIMYM’s unique storyline in the sitcom world and need to have a proper conclusion. If the negotiations end up not working out, then Season 8 can be properly planned as the final one, but if the show is coming back, certain storylines will obviously need to be delayed more.Variety notes that this coming season of Two and a Half Men is likely going to be the last one of that show, and the network may be concerned about losing two of their three biggest comedies -- the third being the "not going anywhere anytime soon" The Big Bang Theory -- in one year.