The main difference is while Happy Endings rarely calls them on it, HIMYM, so far as I remember, never has. At least in one of the earlier episodes a character (want to say it was Max), when faced with their group falling apart due to the whole Dave/Alex thing, points out that none of them has made a new friend in 11…

You know, if a single lion is the only redeeming piece of the the entire building, perhaps they should have argued that they should take it off and put it in, I don't know, an architecture museum? And not landmark an entire POS building? And maybe Ted and the gang should have suggested this? Oh, sitcom logic…