CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler is “optimistic” about a ninth season of How I Met Your Mother — and so are the show’s creators.  “We’re optimistic too,” co-creator and co-executive producer Craig Thomas tells TVGuide.com. “We’re all on the edge of our seats waiting to see what will happen with these negotiations. We’re hopeful we’ll get an answer because obviously that’ll affect the story one way or the other quite a bit. The thing is we want to give the fans the proper conclusion to this that they’ve earned for sticking with us. We had our highest-rated season in Season 7 and that’s all because of the fans. They’ve stuck with us and we want to make sure we know in time that it’s the end so we can give them the proper wrap-up that they deserve.”

What will that wrap-up entail? How — and how much — would a ninth season affect the upcoming eighth season? Get the scoop from Thomas and director Pamela Fryman below.

What’s the order in which they all fall apart? Do Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) and Quinn (Becki Newton) break up first?
Thomas: I can’t say. We already know it’ll be a disaster, but the exact sequence in which they break up is important. How the last couple breaks up is important and leads to something big for all of the characters. It’s planned out in a very specific way. I can’t say who initiates each breakup. Episode 2 airs Oct. 1 and Episode 6 airs Oct. 29. November sweeps will be even crazier! November will have some heartfelt, poignant things happening.

So this will be a very brief happy engagement for Barney and Quinn.
Thomas: Unfortunately. They’re still engaged when we pick up. And Becki may or may not be cast on another series. It’s like a very Tyler Durden kind of moment where you’re fighting with yourself about managing an actor. We had to figure out how much of Becki Newton we can use. We don’t drag it out too long since we know they’re not getting married.