My new fave
Have you seen This Is Us yet??!? It's one of this year's new shows, and oh how it gives me the feels...for reals!
I didn't catch the first episode when it aired, so I jumped on nbc.com to catch up. It knocked my socks off! NYT says "it's like getting beaten up with a pillow soaked in tears" and I might have to agree, because there's a gut-punch moment in every episode. You know what I mean?
It also reminded me of that 90's TV-show Thirtysomething. Speaking of which, I later found out Ken Olin, lead actor of said show, is a producer/director on This Is Us! Ah yes, my TV trivia foo was strong that day, HA!
There are so many things I love about this show:
- I love how it centers on the family and love.
- I love how flashbacks are used to add context to the present.
- I love how the pilot kept all of the main characters separate and let the ending stitch them together.
- I love that it shows the complexities of relating - or not relating - to each other.
- I love the online after-show of each episode, where they sit around a table and discuss the episode.
I'm also now an official fan of the 5 main actors:
- Milo Ventimiglia - a.k.a. the guy who played Peter Petrelli on Heroes
- Mandy Moore - a reformed 90's bubble gum pop singer
- Sterling K Brown - who won an Emmy for his role on The People v. O.J. Simpson
- Chrissy Metz - most recently seen on American Horror Story
- Justin Hartley - a.k.a. Green Arrow on Smallville
After watching the pilot, I told anyone who would listen to watch this show. Now that six more episodes have aired, it's official: this show just keeps getting better. So, if you're in the mood to binge watch a show about grownups, give this one a look-see.
