It can be a little overwhelming to pick which new shows to watch in the fall when it seems like every television network is rolling out dozens of new shows of every drama. There’s one show, NBC’s This Is Us, that stands out from the crowd. Described as a “dramedy” (drama-comedy), the show’s star-studded cast includes Mandy Moore, Milo Ventimiglia, Sterling K. Brown, Justin Hartley, and Ron Cephas Jones, among others. But, the stellar cast only helps to bring to life the tear-jerking and relevant storylines.
Even though we’re still just getting to know the Pearson family and all of its secrets, the acting and dialogue are so good that every episode is emotionally provoking. The show deals with heavy topics like race, obesity, death and family in two storylines, one set in the 1980s and one set in the present. The episodes flash between “The Big Three’s” present day stories as well as their childhoods. The focal characters are Rebecca and Jack Pearson, who are raising triplets, Kevin (who is a struggling actor), Kate (who struggles with obesity), and Randall (who has found his birth father). Without spoiling too much, four of the characters have the same birthday and are connected in a very cool way.
This Is Us was recently picked up by NBC for a full season, and it will be interesting to see how the characters develop. Every episode seems to end with an emotional monologue, but sometimes it’s nice to let television move you to tears. Instead of focusing on the politics of the world or school or work, you can be transported to the world of the Pearson family for an hour once a week. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a show that’s been critiqued as being too “sappy,” especially if it’s pulling off “sappy” as well as This Is Us is.
You can watch This Is Us every Tuesday at 9pm on NBC.