Since September, my mom has been begging me to watch "This Is Us," a new show on NBC. I had no idea what the series was about and decided to stick to my stand-by shows on Netflix, like Friends and Gilmore Girls. When I finished finals, I was in desperate need of something new and came across all 10 episodes of the first season online. As soon as the opening scene hit my screen, I was hooked. It didn't hurt that Milo Ventimiglia, aka "Jess" on Gilmore Girls, is one of the main characters on the show.
"This Is Us" is the intertwining tale of a family throughout generations. Each episode focuses in on a day in the current year and generation, but flashes back to a similar day in their childhood, with their parents. What sets this series apart from the rest is that it is the story of a dysfunctional family that never apologizes for being dysfunctional. There's Kate and Toby, the extremely overweight couple who fights day in and day out to lose the weight that is controlling every aspect of their lives. There's Randall, whose biological father left him at a firehouse as a baby and was just recently rediscovered, although Randall's adoptive mother has been secretly in touch with him for years. Then, there's Kevin, the ex-"Manny" who is trying to prove that he is more than a shirtless character on a crappy sitcom.
Jack and Rebecca, biological parents of twins Kate and Kevin, and adoptive parents of Randall, learn the ins and outs of parenting when they're surprised with three babies instead of one. The series documents the serious flaws in their parenting, but also the high points and the things that influenced their three children in their adult lives in regards to their own parenting, lifestyles and career paths.
I found myself touched by each and every episode, and left in tears by most of them. "This Is Us" is not steadily upsetting, it is heartwarming and comedic and and will be sure to remind you of your own crazy family in one way or another. Whether it be Randall's difficulty forgiving his mother for her wrongdoings, Kate's inability to stick to a strict diet, or Kevin's persistence in trying to prove that he is better than his current reputation, there is a character that every audience member can relate to.
If you're looking for a show to make you cry, laugh, and find some common ground with, turn on your television or computer and pull up an episode of "This Is Us." You will find yourself addicted and immersed not only in the lives of the characters on screen, but wondering about their lives and all of the in-between bits that happen off-screen.
