Which actor directed the season 5 episode Jenkins?

Neil Patrick Harris directed the season 5 episode “Jenkins” of How I Met Your Mother.

“Jenkins” aired on January 18, 2010, as the 13th episode of season 5 and the show’s 101st episode overall. Harris, who played the flamboyant womanizer Barney Stinson, made his directorial debut with the installment.

His directing assignment was unusual because Pamela Fryman had directed 94 of the show’s first 100 episodes. Before “Jenkins,” only Rob Greenberg and Michael Shea had also directed episodes, making Harris just the fourth director to work on the series. His reduced screen time reflects the practical demands of directing while acting.

The episode centers on Marshall’s co-worker Jenkins, played by Amanda Peet, and includes storylines involving Ted’s students and Robin’s television popularity. A common mix-up is confusing Harris’s role as Barney with the episode’s director: the other listed actors—Bob Saget, Josh Radnor, and Jason Segel—were performers on the series, not the director of this episode.