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|ShortSummary = The [[intertitle]] references a [[Wikipedia]]-sourced statistic about [[birthday problem|how many people share the same birthdays]]. Jack Pearson is celebrating his 36th birthday when his wife Rebecca goes into labor with their triplets. Personal assistant Kate is celebrating her 36th birthday by recommitting to lose weight and befriends Toby at counseling. Hunky sitcom star Kevin, her twin, is celebrating his 36th birthday by acknowledging his dissatisfaction with his role and dramatically quitting in front of a live audience. Successful businessman Randall is celebrating his 36th birthday by tracking down the father who abandoned him at a fire station on the day he was born. Rebecca loses one of the triplets during birth. It's revealed that Kate Pearson and Kevin Pearson are the surviving pair, while Randall Pearson – brought to the same hospital by a fireman – is their adoptive brother; Jack and Rebecca's story takes place in 1979.
|ShortSummary = The [[intertitle]] references a [[Wikipedia]]-sourced statistic about [[birthday problem|how many people share the same birthdays]]. Jack Pearson is celebrating his 36th birthday when his wife Rebecca goes into labor with their triplets. Personal assistant Kate is celebrating her 36th birthday by recommitting to lose weight and befriends Toby at counseling. Hunky sitcom star Kevin, her twin, is celebrating his 36th birthday by acknowledging his dissatisfaction with his role and dramatically quitting in front of a live audience. Successful businessman Randall is celebrating his 36th birthday by tracking down the father who abandoned him at a fire station on the day he was born. Rebecca loses one of the triplets during birth. It's revealed that Kate Pearson and Kevin Pearson are the surviving pair, while Randall Pearson – brought to the same hospital by a fireman – is their adoptive brother; Jack and Rebecca's story takes place in 1979.
*Featured Song: "Watch Me" by [[Labi Siffre]]
*Featured Song: "Watch Me" by [[Labi Siffre]]
*Featured Song: "Death with Dignity" by [[Sufjan Stevens]]
|LineColor = FFD300
|LineColor = FFD300
}}
}}
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|ShortSummary = Randall's name was initially going to be Kyle. His biological father William (nicknamed [[Shakespeare]]) met his birth mother on a bus ride where they bonded over poetry, but it's clear at some point she also developed substance abuse problems, and he takes his newborn son to the fire station. Rebecca isn't able to bond well with ''Kyle'', and Jack eventually admits he can't either. Rebecca prevents William from seeing him but renames him Randall after William's favorite poet, [[Dudley Randall]]. Randall's daughters still don't know who William really is, but after Rebecca scolds him at Randall's home he leaves – but Randall scolds him even harder. Kevin is serious about moving to New York and wants to bring Kate with him, who is shown to have a talent for singing but has no desire to showcase it. Toby is making grand gestures for Kate but feels like he's second fiddle to her twin Kevin. William's cancer is terminal. Kevin fires Kate out of love. Toby and Kate finally hook up.
|ShortSummary = Randall's name was initially going to be Kyle. His biological father William (nicknamed [[Shakespeare]]) met his birth mother on a bus ride where they bonded over poetry, but it's clear at some point she also developed substance abuse problems, and he takes his newborn son to the fire station. Rebecca isn't able to bond well with ''Kyle'', and Jack eventually admits he can't either. Rebecca prevents William from seeing him but renames him Randall after William's favorite poet, [[Dudley Randall]]. Randall's daughters still don't know who William really is, but after Rebecca scolds him at Randall's home he leaves – but Randall scolds him even harder. Kevin is serious about moving to New York and wants to bring Kate with him, who is shown to have a talent for singing but has no desire to showcase it. Toby is making grand gestures for Kate but feels like he's second fiddle to her twin Kevin. William's cancer is terminal. Kevin fires Kate out of love. Toby and Kate finally hook up.
*Featured song "[[Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper song)|Time After Time]]" by [[Cyndi Lauper]]
*Featured song "[[Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper song)|Time After Time]]" by [[Cyndi Lauper]]
*Featured Song "[[Blues Run the Game (Remastered)]]" by [[Jackson C. Frank]]
|LineColor = FFD300
|LineColor = FFD300
}}
}}

Revision as of 15:33, 24 October 2016

This Is Us
Genrecomedy-drama
Created byDan Fogelman
Starring
ComposerSiddhartha Khosla
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes4 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Dan Fogelman
  • Jess Rosenthal
  • Charlie Gogolak
  • John Requa
  • Glenn Ficarra
Running time42 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseSeptember 20, 2016 (2016-09-20) –
present

This Is Us is an American TV dramedy series created by Dan Fogelman which premiered on NBC on September 20, 2016.[1]

The ensemble cast stars Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore, Sterling K. Brown, Chrissy Metz, Justin Hartley, Susan Kelechi Watson, Chris Sullivan and Ron Cephas Jones. It is about the family lives and connections of several people who all share the same birthday and the ways in which they're similar and different.[1]

On September 27, 2016, NBC picked up the series for a full season of 18 episodes.[2]

Plot

The series follows twins Kate and Kevin along with their adopted brother Randall as their lives intertwine. Kate and Kevin were originally part of a triplet pregnancy, however their biological brother was still-born. Their parents, intent on bringing home three babies, decide to adopt another newborn (Randall) who was brought to the hospital after his father abandoned him at a fire house.

Cast

  • Milo Ventimiglia as Jack Pearson (born 1944): Rebecca's husband, Kate and Kevin's father, and Randall's adoptive father. Jack is struggling with alcoholism.
  • Mandy Moore as Rebecca Pearson: Jack's wife, Kate and Kevin's mother, and Randall's adoptive mother. Rebecca wants to be a better mother to her children, and has issues with Jack's alcoholism.
  • Sterling K. Brown as Randall Pearson, formerly named Kyle (born 1980): Jack and Rebecca's adopted son, and Kate and Kevin's adoptive brother. When he was a baby he was dropped off in front of a firehouse and then taken to the hospital. There he was adopted by Jack and Rebecca. He goes on a search for his biological father. In episode 2 it is revealed he lives in Northern New Jersey.
  • Chrissy Metz as Kate Pearson (born 1980): Jack and Rebecca's daughter, Kevin's twin sister and personal assistant who lives with him in Los Angeles, and Randall's adoptive sister. She is morbidly obese and struggles with issues of self-esteem.
  • Justin Hartley as Kevin Pearson (born 1980): Jack and Rebecca's son, Kate's twin brother, and Randall's adoptive brother. An actor in Los Angeles disillusioned with the direction of his career, playing the lead role on a sitcom called The Manny. He dramatically quits the series in the first episode in protest of the quality of the show after he is asked to perform a dramatic scene shirtless with his character's father by the producer; he suffers an on-set meltdown but the network executive forces him to stay, or else. He later moves to New York to pursue a stage career to become a more serious actor.
  • Susan Kelechi Watson as Beth Pearson: Randall's wife. She has been with him for almost 17 years and they have two daughters.
  • Chris Sullivan as Toby: Kate's boyfriend, who's very confident with his own image and encourages Kate to have better self-esteem.
  • Ron Cephas Jones as William Hill: Randall's biological father. Formerly a drug addict, he's suffering from stomach cancer and usually goes to his apartment to feed his cat.

Episodes

No. Title Directed by Written by Original air date Prod.
code 		U.S. viewers
(millions)
1"Pilot"John Requa & Glenn FicarraDan FogelmanSeptember 20, 2016 (2016-09-20)1AZC0110.07[3]

The intertitle references a Wikipedia-sourced statistic about how many people share the same birthdays. Jack Pearson is celebrating his 36th birthday when his wife Rebecca goes into labor with their triplets. Personal assistant Kate is celebrating her 36th birthday by recommitting to lose weight and befriends Toby at counseling. Hunky sitcom star Kevin, her twin, is celebrating his 36th birthday by acknowledging his dissatisfaction with his role and dramatically quitting in front of a live audience. Successful businessman Randall is celebrating his 36th birthday by tracking down the father who abandoned him at a fire station on the day he was born. Rebecca loses one of the triplets during birth. It's revealed that Kate Pearson and Kevin Pearson are the surviving pair, while Randall Pearson – brought to the same hospital by a fireman – is their adoptive brother; Jack and Rebecca's story takes place in 1979.

2"The Big Three"Ken OlinDan FogelmanSeptember 27, 2016 (2016-09-27)1AZC028.75[4]

Rebecca and Jack are having marital issues. Randall's wife, Beth, has suspicions about his biological father's motives. Toby and Kate start getting closer. Kevin is contractually obligated to stay on his sitcom for two more years. Kevin tries to turn to Randall for advice, but it's revealed that they've had a strained relationship since childhood. In the present day, Rebecca is remarried to Jack's best friend, Miguel.

3"Kyle"John Requa & Glenn FicarraDan FogelmanOctober 11, 2016 (2016-10-11)1AZC039.87[5]

Randall's name was initially going to be Kyle. His biological father William (nicknamed Shakespeare) met his birth mother on a bus ride where they bonded over poetry, but it's clear at some point she also developed substance abuse problems, and he takes his newborn son to the fire station. Rebecca isn't able to bond well with Kyle, and Jack eventually admits he can't either. Rebecca prevents William from seeing him but renames him Randall after William's favorite poet, Dudley Randall. Randall's daughters still don't know who William really is, but after Rebecca scolds him at Randall's home he leaves – but Randall scolds him even harder. Kevin is serious about moving to New York and wants to bring Kate with him, who is shown to have a talent for singing but has no desire to showcase it. Toby is making grand gestures for Kate but feels like he's second fiddle to her twin Kevin. William's cancer is terminal. Kevin fires Kate out of love. Toby and Kate finally hook up.

4"The Pool"John Requa & Glenn FicarraDan Fogelman & Donald ToddOctober 18, 2016 (2016-10-18)TBA9.71[6]

The Pearsons go to the pool but encounter judgmental families (unrelated fact, we are reminded that the Pearsons are originally from Pittsburgh). Kevin is bent on getting a serious role on Broadway but even his nieces won't let him forget The Manny. William is wrongly accused of loitering in the neighborhood and is upset that Randall didn't defend him more ardently. Toby runs into his beautiful ex-wife while on a date with Kate. Kevin's LA culture clashes with New York and royally bombs his audition, but his Tony-nominated castmate begrudgingly tells him he did get the role because of his The Manny fame; in a flashback, Kevin is shown to have been insecure since childhood, which led him to acting. Kate gets a job from Toby's ex-wife Josie who Toby professes is not the angel she seems to be, in fact, her affairs led to his weight gain and caused suicidal ideation. Kevin temporarily moves in with Randall.

5"The Game Plan"[7]UnknownUnknownOctober 25, 2016 (2016-10-25)TBAN/A
6"Career Days"[8]UnknownUnknownNovember 1, 2016 (2016-11-01)TBAN/A

Reception

Critical response

The first season of This Is Us, has received mostly positive reviews, with critics praising cast performances and series plot. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has fresh rating of 91% based on 44 reviews, with a weighted average of 7.8/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Featuring full-tilt heartstring-tugging family drama, This Is Us will provide a suitable surrogate for those who have felt a void in their lives since Parenthood went off the air."[9] On Metacritic, the season has a normalized score of 76 out of 100 based on 33 critics, indicating "Generally favorable reviews".[10] TVLine gave the series "A-" saying, "With emotionally resonant dialogue and top-notch performances, This Is Us should fill that Braverman-sized hole in your heart."[11] TV Guide placed This Is Us at ninth among the top ten picks for the most anticipated new shows of the 2016–2017 season. And called it, "a well-acted drama about love, life and family."[12]

The series generally received positive reviews to date from various media outlets and critics. Writing for The Star-Ledger, Vicki Hyman lauded the series and said, "This Is Us (from Crazy, Stupid, Love screenwriter Dan Fogelman) methodically weaves four seemingly disparate stories into a believable and emotional whole through tiny telling details, relatable moments, and conversations and confrontations that are funny, tender or painful, or all three at once."[13] Entertainment Weekly's Jeff Jensen wrote, "A 21st century thirtysomething for a TV generation that likes a splash of high concept in their shows and isn’t afraid of melodrama."[14] Gwen Ihnat of The A.V. Club also reviewed the series positively saying, "The hour accomplishes what it set out to do. It creates characters so compelling that we compulsively want to tune back in to see them again."[15] In a review for Boston Globe, Matthew Gilbert said, "The pilot is beautifully shaped, the themes of building your own meaning in life are smart, and the actors already seem to know their characters."[16]

The Washington Post critic, Hank Stuever said, "While I'd like to see another few episodes to make sure, there’s something comfortably gooey right away about This Is Us, reminding us once more that amid all the high-functioning detectives, emergency-rescue personnel and secret-agent superheroes covered in cryptic tattoos, there are very few network dramas aimed at viewers who are simply interested in everyday people and how they feel."[17] Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's TV critic Rob Owen wrote, "Created and written by Dan Fogelman, This is Us manages the tricky task of telling emotional stories without getting too saccharine. And in each story, the characters are quite relatable."[18] James Poniewozik of The New York Times also gave the series positive reviews and said, "The first hour works its way efficiently through an economy-size box of tissues with cleverly turned dialogue and well-inhabited performances."[19] Other publications critics such as USA Today,[20] The Atlantic,[21] The Hollywood Reporter,[22] and Los Angeles Times,[23] reviewed the series positively.

Some were more critical towards the show, Daniel D'Addario of Time wrote, "The show has promise, but its cynicism in terms of trying to evoke an emotional response is both what viewers will be tuning in for and its least accomplished aspect. If it could work to wring out a real response, not just an easy one, this might be a show worth watching each week.[24] Chief TV critic of Indiewire, Ben Travers quipped, "'It all works out' seems to be the main takeaway from the pilot, but where things specifically go from here is one whopping question mark. Perhaps if this was an episodic anthology series with new characters flooding in every week and new arcs every season, This Is Us could repeat the mysterious highs of its subjectively mediocre pilot (depending on how you like that ending).[25] In a moderate review of Variety, Sonia Saraiya said, "It’s deceptively difficult to build a surprising and complete story in just 40 minutes with so many characters. Yet This Is Us manages to both craft an intimate series of portraits and stitch them together. But at the same time, waves of cloying sentiment threaten to submerge everything."[26]

Ratings

Viewership and ratings per episode of This Is Us
No. Title Air date Rating/share
(18–49)		 Viewers
(millions)		 DVR
(18–49)		 DVR viewers
(millions)		 Total
(18–49)		 Total viewers
(millions)
1 "Pilot" September 20, 2016 2.8/10 10.07[3] 1.8 4.55 4.6 14.61[27]
2 "The Big Three" September 27, 2016 2.6/9 8.75[4] 1.9 5.12 4.5 13.87[28]
3 "Kyle" October 11, 2016 2.8/9 9.87[5] TBD TBD TBD TBD
4 "The Pool" October 18, 2016 2.6/9 9.71[6] TBD TBD TBD TBD
5 "The Game Plan" October 25, 2016 TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD
6 "Career Days" November 1, 2016 TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD

Broadcast

This Is Us premiered on September 20, 2016 at 10:00 p.m. Eastern time following The Voice, while the rest of the season airs on Tuesdays at 9:00 p.m. ET. pushing The Voice an hour earlier.[29] The series premiered on CTV in Canada on September 21, 2016,[30][31] and on TVNZ 2 in New Zealand on September 27, 2016.[32]

References

  1. ^ a b Bianco, Robert (September 20, 2016), "Review: 'This is Us' is heartfelt (if sweet-toothed) family drama", USA Today
  2. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (September 27, 2016). "'This Is Us' Gets Full-Season Order At NBC For Total Of 18 Episodes". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
  3. ^ a b Porter, Rick (September 21, 2016). "Tuesday final ratings: 'NCIS,' 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' adjust up, 'This Is Us' & 'Bull' steady". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
  4. ^ a b Porter, Rick (September 28, 2016). "Tuesday final ratings: 'The Voice' adjusts up, 'Scream Queens' adjusts down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
  5. ^ a b Porter, Rick (October 12, 2016). "'The Voice,' 'NCIS,' 'Flash' and ABC comedies adjust up, 'No Tomorrow' adjusts down: Tuesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  6. ^ a b Porter, Rick (October 19, 2016). "'American Housewife' and 'The Voice' adjust up, 'Chicago Fire,' 'SHIELD' and 'Real O'Neals' down: Tuesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  7. ^ "(#105) "The Game Plan"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
  8. ^ "Career Days". The Futon Critic. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  9. ^ "THIS IS US: SEASON 1 (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
  10. ^ "This Is Us : Season 1". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
  11. ^ "This Is Us Review: Yes, Parenthood Fans, It's Safe to Cry Again". TVLine. 17 September 2016. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  12. ^ ""Our 10 Most Anticipated New TV Shows of." Fall 2016"". TV Guide. September 16, 2016. Retrieved September 22, 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  13. ^ Hyman, Vicki (September 16, 2016). "TV review: The gentle genius of 'This is Us'". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved September 22, 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  14. ^ Jensen, Jeff (September 19, 2016). "Fall TV reviews: This Is Us, Speechless, Designated Survivor, Pitch, and The Exorcist". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 22, 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  15. ^ Ihnat, Gwen (September 20, 2016). "This pilot sets a high bar for the rest of This Is Us". The A.V. Club. Retrieved September 22, 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  16. ^ Gilbert, Matthew (September 20, 2016). "This pilot sets a high bar for the rest of This Is Us". Boston Globe. Retrieved September 22, 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  17. ^ Stuever, Hank (September 15, 2016). "TV Fall TV Preview 2016". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 22, 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  18. ^ Owen, Rob (September 20, 2016). "Tuned In: Fall's best drama pilot: Pittsburgh-set 'This is Us'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 21 September 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  19. ^ Poniewozik, James (September 19, 2016). "Review: 'This Is Us' Is Skillful, Shameless Tear-Jerking". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 September 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  20. ^ Bianco, Robert (September 20, 2012). "Review: 'This is Us' is heartfelt (if sweet-toothed) family drama". USA Today. Retrieved 21 September 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  21. ^ Bianco, Robert (September 20, 2012). "This Is Us Is Must-Weep TV". The Atlantic. Retrieved 21 September 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  22. ^ Fienberg, Daniel (September 20, 2012). "'This Is Us': TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 21 September 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  23. ^ McNamara, Mary (September 20, 2016). "Fall TV's hottest pilot hits 4 out of 5 of its marks. Will 'This Is Us' fill the 'Parenthood' gap". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 21 September 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  24. ^ D'Addario, Daniel (September 20, 2016). "This is Us Knows Exactly What It Is and Who It's For". Time. Retrieved 21 September 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  25. ^ Travers, Ben (September 20, 2016). "'This Is Us' Review: Even After All Those Twists, We Don't Know What 'This' Is (Spoilers)". Indiewire. Retrieved 21 September 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  26. ^ Saraiya, Sonia (September 20, 2016). "TV Review: 'This Is Us'". Variety. Retrieved 21 September 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  27. ^ Porter, Rick (October 4, 2016). "'Designated Survivor' is your premiere week DVR champion: Broadcast Live +7 ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
  28. ^ Porter, Rick (October 11, 2016). "'Designated Survivor' posts more big DVR gains: Broadcast Live +7 ratings for Sept. 26-Oct. 2". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  29. ^ "'This Is Us': Everything You Need To Know Before The Premiere". hollywoodlife. September 20, 2016. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
  30. ^ "CTV Unveils Fall Lineup". broadcastermagazine.com. August 30, 2016. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
  31. ^ "Milo Ventimiglia talks This Is Us at CTV upfront". Ottawa Sun. June 8, 2016. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  32. ^ "This Is Us is premiered Tuesday 27 September on TV2". TVNZ. September 20, 2016. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
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