I've never liked Seinfeld, but I can't quantify why. Something about it just never clicked with me. Maybe it would if I gave it another shot. I didn't like Arrested Development at first either, but I love it now... granted, that's because I was just catching random AD episodes on TV at first, and (as a friend let me know later), AD is the kind of show that you really need to watch from the beginning.
I really don't mind laugh tracks if they match up decently well with what I actually find funny, in which case I don't even notice it. I dislike it when the laugh track kicks in at points that feel completely off to pacing -- that's when the canned laughter sticks out like a sore thumb throat. HIMYM never felt off to me though.
@Witherweaver, yes I fully understand that HIMYM's ending is not so rushed within the actual story, because many years pass between each scene that we do not get to see. The criticism is not that Ted returning to Robin is unrealistic in terms of the in-universe timeline. The criticism is that some of those events feel rushed in terms of how the story is told to us.
Robin and Barney have been a big focal point for many seasons, even the primary focal point for much of this last season. We got some 20 episodes about the 2 days leading up to their wedding... and then it all ends in just a few minutes. Now, this worked fine for me, but I can see why people would find it rushed.
But for Ted coming back to Robin, that was unexpected to me because of how big a deal was made about her not being the one for Ted, and about how Ted had to let her go and move on. Yeah it's been 6 years for Ted, but it hasn't been that long for us, as far as the story is concerned. This is why I said I would have liked it if we had seen some intervening moments of Ted and Robin reconnecting... they could have tied it in with the kids by making it a simple wordless montage while Ted narrated about Tracy's death, how it impacted him, how some people will always be a part of your life... something to ease up back.
I also think it would have been nice if they had underscored that Ted doesn't necessarily love Robin the same way he loved Tracy, and that his rekindling of their relationship is a new step forward rather than a step back. Leave us with the uncertainty that maybe it won't work out with Robin, instead of heavily implying that this was end game all along. It would be tough because of their lengthy history together, but I think it would have helped the story. Granted, I think they did try to plant some seeds of that idea. I just think it could have been done better.
Overall though, I'm fine with the ending. As I said, I'm mostly ambivalent about it right now, and I expect that I'll grow to like it more over time. It'll probably re-colour older episodes in a new light.