Hey, everyone! How’s it going? Today I’m here to review the drama This Is Us, which became one of NBC’s most beloved and emotionally powerful series, touching millions of hearts throughout its remarkable six-season journey from 2016 to 2022.
This Is Us is an American drama television series created by Dan Fogelman that aired on NBC from September 20, 2016, to May 24, 2022. During the course of the series, 106 episodes were produced across six seasons, with each episode running approximately 45 minutes. The series follows the lives and families of two parents and their three children in several different timeframes. The show’s innovative storytelling approach weaves together past, present, and future to create a rich tapestry of family connections.
A heartwarming and emotional story about a unique set of triplets, their struggles, and their wonderful parents became the foundation for television’s most emotionally resonant family drama. The series masterfully explores themes of adoption, loss, love, and the ways our past shapes our future. Each episode delivers both tears and laughter, creating an emotional journey that resonated with audiences across all demographics and established new standards for family storytelling on network television.
The Pearson Family Saga: Three Lives Connected by Fate
The series centers on the “Big Three” – Kevin, Kate, and Randall Pearson – triplets whose lives unfold across multiple timelines showing their childhood, adulthood, and the impact of their parents’ decisions. The innovative narrative structure reveals how Jack and Rebecca Pearson’s parenting choices in the 1980s and 1990s continue to influence their children’s adult relationships, career paths, and personal struggles decades later.
The series follows siblings Kevin, Kate, and Randall Pearson (known as “The Big Three”) as they navigate the complexities of family bonds while dealing with their individual challenges. The show’s genius lies in its ability to show how childhood experiences shape adult behavior, demonstrating the lasting impact of parental love, loss, and the decisions that define families across generations.
Jack Pearson: Milo Ventimiglia’s Iconic Father Figure
Beginning in the fall of 2016, Ventimiglia starred opposite Mandy Moore in the critically acclaimed NBC period drama series This Is Us playing Jack Pearson, the patriarch of a middle-class family in late 1980s/early 1990s America. Milo Ventimiglia’s portrayal of Jack Pearson became television’s most beloved father figure, embodying the ideal of unconditional love while struggling with his own demons and past traumas.
For his role as Jack Pearson, Ventimiglia received his first Emmy nomination in the category Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. His chemistry with Mandy Moore creates some of television’s most romantic and heartbreaking moments, showing a marriage that feels authentic in its joys and struggles. Jack’s death, revealed early in the series, becomes the emotional anchor that drives much of the show’s exploration of grief, memory, and legacy.
Rebecca Pearson: Mandy Moore’s Multigenerational Journey
Mandy Moore delivers a career-defining performance as Rebecca Pearson, showcasing her range as she portrays the character from young adulthood through old age. Moore’s Rebecca evolves from a hopeful young singer to a devoted mother and eventually to an elderly woman facing dementia, with each phase bringing new emotional depths to explore.
The series allows Moore to demonstrate her musical talents while also tackling some of television’s most challenging dramatic material. Her portrayal of Rebecca’s struggle with Alzheimer’s disease in later seasons provides some of the series’ most powerful and heartbreaking moments, showing how memory shapes identity and family bonds.
The Big Three’s Adult Lives: Sterling K. Brown’s Randall Leads the Way
Sterling K. Brown’s performance as Randall Pearson stands as one of television’s finest portrayals of adoption, anxiety, and the search for identity. Randall’s journey from the abandoned baby taken in by the Pearsons to a successful but anxious adult dealing with his biological father’s reappearance creates compelling television that addresses race, class, and family loyalty.
Brown’s portrayal earned critical acclaim and multiple Emmy nominations, particularly for episodes dealing with Randall’s relationship with his biological father William. The series doesn’t shy away from difficult conversations about race and privilege, using Randall’s experiences to explore how families navigate difference while maintaining love and connection.
Emotional Closure and Legacy
The sixth and final season premiered on January 4, 2022 and concluded on May 24 of the same year. The final season brings the Pearson family story full circle, showing how the lessons learned from Jack and Rebecca continue to influence the next generation. The series finale, titled “Us,” delivers emotional closure while celebrating the enduring power of family love.
The show’s highest-rated episode, “Super Bowl Sunday,” achieved a 9.7/10 rating on IMDb, demonstrating the series’ ability to deliver emotionally devastating television that stays with viewers long after the credits roll. The final season successfully concludes storylines while honoring the show’s central themes about how love transcends time and death.
The Extended Pearson Universe
It stars an ensemble cast featuring Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore, Sterling K. Brown, Chrissy Metz, Justin Hartley, Susan Kelechi Watson, Chris Sullivan, Ron Cephas Jones among others. Each supporting character brings unique perspectives to the Pearson family story, from Kevin’s Hollywood struggles to Kate’s weight and self-esteem issues, creating a realistic portrayal of how families support each other through life’s challenges.
The series excels in developing its supporting characters, particularly the romantic partners and friends who become part of the extended Pearson family. Characters like Toby, Beth, and Miguel feel like genuine family members rather than plot devices, adding depth and authenticity to the show’s exploration of chosen family alongside blood family.
Success on NBC: Network Television’s Emotional Powerhouse
This Is Us became NBC’s biggest drama hit in years, proving that network television could still create appointment viewing in the streaming era. The series consistently ranked among television’s most-watched dramas, with episodes generating massive social media discussion and cultural impact that extended far beyond traditional ratings. Each episode sparked conversations about family, loss, and love that brought viewers together for shared emotional experiences. The show’s success demonstrated that audiences hunger for authentic storytelling about real human connections, establishing NBC as a destination for quality family drama programming.
The Ultimate Family Viewing Experience
If you love family dramas, emotional storytelling, and shows that explore the bonds that connect us across generations, This Is Us is the perfect series to binge on NBC and streaming platforms. This isn’t just television; it’s an emotional journey that will change how you think about family, memory, and the legacy we leave behind.
Why This Family Saga Will Touch Your Heart Forever
This Is Us represents television at its most emotionally powerful, combining exceptional writing with outstanding performances that create authentic family moments viewers recognize from their own lives. The series offers a masterclass in how personal stories can become universal, proving that the best drama comes from the truth of human experience rather than artificial conflict.
Series Details
Number of Episodes: 106
Platform: NBC
Release/End Year: 2016-2022
Rating (IMDb): 8.7/10
Genre: Family Drama/Romance
Status: Completed
Main Characters: Milo Ventimiglia (Jack Pearson), Mandy Moore (Rebecca Pearson), Sterling K. Brown (Randall Pearson), Chrissy Metz (Kate Pearson), Justin Hartley (Kevin Pearson)
Antagonist: Life circumstances and personal struggles (no traditional antagonist)