When “This is Us” won for Best TV Drama Ensemble at the Screen Actors Guild Awards this past January, the reactions from its cast were priceless. Each member emanated joy and humility: Chrissy Metz threw her hands up, incredulous; Sterling K. Brown performed an epic handshake with his beaming wife; Mandy Moore reached the microphone first, and warned with breathless delight, “It’s going to be a minute, there are quite a few of us!”
As the actors filed onto the stage, their diversity – in terms of race, gender, and age – was apparent, a reminder of the varied voices that frame the show. There seemed to be a genuine sense of closeness amongst the cast, too—a warmth that was palpable.
It’s this same sense of authenticity and acceptance that has made “This is Us” the success that it is, despite the steady decline in ratings of network television. Told through a series of flashbacks and flashforwards mixed in with the present day, the show centers on the Pearson family – made up of parents Jack and Rebecca, twins Kevin and Kate, and adopted “triplet” Randall – as they grapple with raw, often uncomfortable truths concerning love, loss, and everything in between.
Quite literally, everything in between.
Creator Dan Fogelman seamlessly interweaves the myriad struggles faced by his characters: dealing with racism, fostering a child, overcoming grief, and living with body dysmorphia, to name a few. In someone else’s hands, these disparate themes could have muddled the narrative. But Fogelman nestles them beautifully within his overarching story of a dynamic, albeit less-than-perfect, family.
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Unlike other similar shows, “This is Us” does more than merely gesture towards these issues or offer flimsy caricatures. It strives to destigmatize subjects still considered taboo, like anxiety, addiction, infertility and PTSD. With depth and empathy, it also teases out the complexities of a Black child assimilating into a white family, tracing the lifelong psychological and social effects it has on him.
Each female lead in the show is resolute and uncompromising, from Beth, who refuses to give up her dream of teaching dance, to Zoe, who is unequivocally firm about her decision not to have children. And each male character is sensitive and often intensely vulnerable. When Kevin loses the only memento he has of his father during a one-night-stand, he breaks down outside of the woman’s house. Randall’s perfectionism causes him recurring, debilitating panic attacks, severe enough that in one instance, Kevin abandons the opening night of his own play to console his brother. By dismantling traditional gendered representations, “This is Us” fosters a dialogue about toxic masculinity.
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At a time when America feels especially divided and antagonistic, “This is Us” invites viewers to celebrate the idiosyncrasies and distinctions that make us us, while providing a reflection of what American society looks like today – multiracial, multigenerational, and intersectional. The show has a distinctly human touch: As we cry for Kate’s miscarriage, or Randall’s reconciliation with his birth father, or for Jack Pearson’s heart-rending death (remember when fans threw their Crockpots out in solidarity?), we are reminded of our own experiences of family life.
However, the show also has an unwavering sense of optimism, which can, at times, make the writing feel melodramatic: In “This is Us,” relationships are often romanticized, and everything will eventually work itself out. Ordinary people can be heroes, we are better together than alone, and love conquers all – or something like that. If that sounds a bit cliché or cloying, it occasionally is.
But perhaps that’s the point. “This is Us” is about idealism in the face of adversity, about improving ourselves and supporting one another the best we can. Saccharine moments are likely, even expected. But a healthy dose of sentimentality may be exactly what we need right now, in an era in which hateful and prejudiced rhetoric is spewed into the mainstream on a near-daily basis.
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I’ve almost never made it through an episode of “This is Us” with dry eyes. Every week, at the end of the hour-long drama, the waterworks linger long after the credits have rolled. The show is emotionally exhausting, but the reaction it elicits is a crucial part of its magic. “This is Us” captivates and comforts its audience – myself included – with the reassurance that, even in the wake of life’s worst realities, it’s possible to come out the other side okay, and perhaps even stronger than before.
Three seasons in, the resilience of the characters in “This is Us” is still constantly tested. But the show also provides a key ingredient: hope. And as it continues to share in the everyday lives of viewers and provide nuanced storytelling, fans will faithfully return – week in and week out – inevitably equipped with their tissue boxes.
Photo Courtesy: Ron Batzdorff/NBC