THIS IS US: “Pilot” Review

This Is Us is emotional TV. If you missed shows like Parenthood you are going to love this show. The main characters at first appear to only be connected by a shared birth date. Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) and pregnant wife, Rebecca (Mandy Moore) end up celebrating his 36th birthday by having twins. We also meet Kate (Chrissy Metz) and Kevin (Justin Hartley), also celebrating their 36th birthday. They don’t love where life has taken them so far, Kate is overweight and is struggling to do anything about it. Kevin is on a hit sitcom that he knows is the lowest form of his craft. Then there is Randall (Sterling K. Brown) who spends his 36th birthday deciding to make contact with the father who abandoned him when he was born.

It’s emotional and witty and thoughtful. I got to the end of the pilot and was surprised (pleasantly so) and teary eyed (also pleasantly so) I have not stopped talking about it since.

The cast is made up of amazing actors and series creator Dan Fogelman (Tangled, Galavant) delivers a perfect script. There are as many witty moments as heartfelt ones.

The best part of this pilot was each “couples” story was as compelling as the rest. No one felt left out or less than the others. Each story played out with equal emotion and humor.

And can we talk about Sterling K. Brown for a moment. I’m a fan of every actor on this show, but Sterling K. Brown (he just one an Emmy for The People v. O.J. Simpson) is phenomenal. If you watch for no other reason watch for him. His portrayal of an abandoned child who was adopted and grew up to make something of himself is absolutely amazing. And shout out to the writer that didn’t have him refer to his adopted parents as anything other than his parents. As an adopted person that always gets me. We don’t walk around saying adopted parents. They are our parents. Period.

This Is Us airs Tuesday 10/9c on NBC